ESPN outlines Iowa basketball’s path through Sweet 16 to Final Four

Could the Iowa Hawkeyes do the unthinkable? They have already advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with a Sweet 16 appearance. Sitting just two more wins away from a Final Four trip, it is suddenly a pipe dream that has become something within reach.

It won’t be easy. Iowa is going to have to continue putting together perfect game plans, while also executing them to perfection, but if they can, it isn’t outside the realm of possibility. As the Sweet 16 approaches, ESPN’s Jay Bilas looked at Iowa’s path to the Final Four and how it could keep this run alive.

Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa makes the Final Four if: The Hawkeyes shoot it well from deep, force opponent miscues and control tempo. Iowa is physical, mentally tough and can stretch the floor with timely shooting and smart cutting. This is a rhythm-disrupting team playing at one of the slowest tempos in the country. Even after losing seven of its last nine games prior to the NCAA tournament, Iowa beat Clemson and Florida to be the most unlikely of the Sweet 16 participants.

Player to watch: Bennett Stirtz. The Liberty, Missouri, product started his career at Division II Northwest Missouri State before following coach Ben McCollum to Drake, where Stirtz was the Missouri Valley Conference player of the year. In his lone season at Iowa, Stirtz was first-team All-Big Ten and one of the top scorers and shooters in the league. If choosing one player to hit a last-second shot, I would take Stirtz. Clearly, as he showed against Florida with an assist on the winning shot, he can make a game-deciding decision and play. – Jay Bilas, ESPN

While Bennett Stirtz has orchestrated the offense very well in wins over Iowa and Clemson, he has not shot the ball well this tournament, combining to go just 9 of 33 from the field, which includes only 3-19 from three-point range.

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If Bennett Stirtz can find his rhythm and get going, the Hawkeyes’ point guard has the ability for explosive scoring outbursts. A 47.8% shooter, who…

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Publish date : 2026-03-25 16:30:00

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