Luka Garza and Iowa Basketball looks to avoid upset against Grand Canyon
The search for the perfect capstone to a storybook season is on for Iowa Basketball in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, and the Hawkeyes will begin their hunt with an opening-round duel on Saturday against the reigning WAC champions in Grand Canyon.
Iowa enters March Madness fresh off a loss to Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals after winning four-straight to head into the NCAA Tournament with a 21-8 overall record. The Hawkeyes have fluctuated a bit throughout the season, climbing to as high as third in the national polls halfway through December and as low as 15th in mid-February – but currently remain in the top ten, sitting comfortably in 8th after the loss to the Illini.
Slotted on the two-seed line in the West Region, there is no denying how stellar Iowa’s resume is – even with the eight losses. The Hawkeyes currently sit sixth in the NET rankings, having amassed eight wins over Quad 1 foes and five victories against Quad 2 teams – and an unblemished 8-0 mark against Quad 3 and 4 squads. 11 of their 21 wins have come against NCAA Tournament teams, while four of their losses have come by single-digits.
Now, the Hawkeyes will face a dangerous 15-seed in Grand Canyon. The Antelopes earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance through claiming the WAC’s automatic qualifier after blowout wins over Seattle and New Mexico State. Headed by first-year head coach Bryce Drew, Grand Canyon won both WAC Tournament games by an average of 26.0 points, and enter March Madness with a 17-6 overall mark.
The Antelopes are no strangers to giving marquee teams fits, and the Hawkeyes could be no different. Grand Canyon toppled a solid Nevada squad back in December, then proceeded to fall to Arizona State and San Francisco by one and three points, respectively – before suffering a 10-point setback to Colorado in the Antelopes’ final game of 2020.
After romping through nine-straight games to kick off the 2021 calendar year, the Antelopes skidded a bit down the stretch to close out the regular season, dropping three of their final five games – but Grand Canyon got hot at the right time. Their appearance in the NCAA Tournament was largely made possible by the play of point guard Jovan Blacksher Jr., who led the Antelopes in scoring in both WAC Tournament wins with 19 and 15, respectively – all the while averaging 6.5 boards, 3.5 assists, and 3.5 steals.
Blacksher Jr. is not the only Antelope capable of posing problems, however, and Grand Canyon is very much a dangerous 15-seed. In several ways, this is a worrying matchup for the Hawkeyes – but Iowa has the ability to ensure an easy victory. For that to happen, however, the Hawkeyes must follow a few keys.