Clemson Tigers play the Iowa Hawkeyes in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 20, 2026 4:43 a.m. ET
Associated Press

Iowa Hawkeyes (21-12, 11-11 Big Ten) vs. Clemson Tigers (24-10, 14-7 ACC)

Tampa, Florida; Friday, 6:50 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hawkeyes -2.5; over/under is 129.5

BOTTOM LINE: Clemson and Iowa square off in the NCAA Tournament first round.

The Tigers have gone 14-7 against ACC teams, with a 10-3 record in non-conference play. Clemson averages 74.1 points while outscoring opponents by 7.4 points per game.

The Hawkeyes' record in Big Ten play is 11-11. Iowa has a 1-4 record in one-possession games.

Clemson averages 8.2 made 3-pointers per game, 1.7 more made shots than the 6.5 per game Iowa allows. Iowa averages 8.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.4 more makes per game than Clemson gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: RJ Godfrey is averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds for the Tigers. Ace Buckner is averaging 10.7 points over the past 10 games.

Bennett Stirtz is averaging 20 points, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals for the Hawkeyes. Cooper Koch is averaging 2.6 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 4-6, averaging 69.6 points, 28.0 rebounds, 11.4 assists, 6.2 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 42.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.0 points per game.

Hawkeyes: 3-7, averaging 68.5 points, 26.0 rebounds, 14.4 assists, 5.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.0 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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