Coming off a record-setting first round on Friday, the Gators turn their focus to the Round of 32.
On Sunday, No. 1 Florida (27-7) faces No. 9 Iowa (22-12) for a Round of 32 contest at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. A win, and the Gators advance to the Sweet 16 in Houston, Texas, to face No. 4 Nebraska.
“Iowa is going to provide a much different challenge,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said. “They're very well-coached as well, and obviously they have one of the best point guards in America, and they do a great job playing together.”
Here are four keys for the Gators to come out on top over the Hawkeyes.
Wear Down Bennett Stirtz
When head coach Ben McCollum made the move from Drake to Iowa, he brought along numerous players, including senior guard Bennett Stirtz, who has been with McCollum since his freshman season at Northwest Missouri State.
In his first season as a Hawkeye, Stirtz has impressed, finishing the regular season with All-Big Ten second team honors. He comes into Sunday leading Iowa with 19.9 points and 4.4 assists per outing.
He also leads the team with 37.6 minutes per game, putting him sixth nationally. Against Clemson on Friday, he played all 40 minutes, logging 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
Given the amount of time Stirtz spends on the court, it will be crucial for the Gators to wear him down early to prevent the Hawkeye offense from getting into a rhythm.
“We've got to wear him down,” Golden said. “That doesn't mean solely on his offensive side of the floor, guarding him in ball screens, but also when he's guarding, we can't allow him to rest on the defensive end.”
Sophomore guard Boogie Fland will have to play an important role in slowing Stirtz down.
Fland leads UF with 1.8 steals per game. Before his two-swipe performance against Prairie View A&M on Friday, the Arkansas transfer had back-to-back games during the Southeastern Conference Tournament without a takeaway, marking the first time he was unable to get a swipe in consecutive outings this season.
Whether it’s full-court pressure or staying aggressive in the half-court defense, Fland will have to impose his defensive will early on Sunday to prevent Stirtz and the Iowa offense from finding success.
“Bennett is a great player,” Fland said. “Just got to contain him, no threes and all team defense.”
Punish on the Glass
Florida’s strength is its frontcourt’s ability to dominate on the glass, and against Iowa, the Gators big men have another opportunity to do so.
One major weakness of the Hawkeyes' game is their inability to win on the glass. They come into Sunday No. 353, ninth-to-last, nationally, with 29.7 rebounds per game. Their leading rebounders are Cam Manyawu and Tavion Banks, who are averaging 4.7 boards each per contest.
On the other hand, all four of Florida’s frontcourt pieces average more rebounds per game than Manyawu and Banks. Overall, Florida leads the nation with 45.7 rebounds per game, 16.1 offensive boards an outing and a plus-15.1 rebound margin.
Rueben Chinyelu leads UF’s effort on the glass with 11.5 rebounds a game, putting him on track to be the first Gator to finish a season averaging double-digit rebounds since Bob Smyth (1975-76). Moreover, on Friday against Prairie View A&M, the second team All-SEC member recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 19th double-double of the season, setting a program single-season record, surpassing Smyth.
“Rueb is … just a fantastic player, a relentless worker and has just improved so much since he's got here to where he is now,” Golden said after Friday's game. “It's just really hard to wear him down. He does a great job of wearing his opponents down.”
Behind Chinyelu is junior forward Alex Condon, who is averaging 7.5 rebounds to go along with 14.9 points per game. Against Kentucky in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament on March 13, the Aussie recorded a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Thomas Haugh and Micah Handlogten round out UF’s frontcourt, averaging 6.2 and six rebounds per game, respectively. Handlogten is coming off his fifth double-digit scoring effort of the season with 10 points and nine rebounds against Prairie View A&M.
With Iowa’s struggles to reel in boards, look for the Gators to take advantage of their size.
Control the Pace
Under McCollum, Iowa plays at a slow, methodical pace on offense, where the Hawkeyes use most of the shot clock in their half-court offense.
Iowa’s offense is one of the slowest in the nation, averaging 7.3 fastbreak points per game, putting them No. 321 in the nation.
Against Clemson on Friday, the Hawkeyes opened the scoring with a step-back 3-pointer with the shot clock running down.
Conversely, Florida plays at a faster pace when afforded the opportunity, whether it comes from long misses or from trying to catch opponents sleeping after a made shot.
“They want to slow the game down; we want to play fast,” Golden said. “We have to make sure we do what we can to impose our will and not allow them to slow us down. We've got to be able to win no matter what the pace looks like.”
Florida’s overall defense has been dominant throughout the season, ranking No.23 in the nation in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 40.4%.
With Iowa’s slow-tempoed offense, the Gators defense must stay disciplined to defend all 30 seconds of the shot clock.
Take care of the ball
One area where the Gators have struggled for the majority of the season is in the turnover battle, entering Sunday’s contest with a minus-0.8 turnover margin.
In their loss to Vanderbilt in the semifinal of the SEC Tournament, the Gators were minus-six in turnovers, allowing the Commodores to build a 24-14 advantage in points off takeaways. Condon in particular struggled to take care of the ball, leading UF with five giveaways. Overall, the junior forward leads the Gators with 2.5 turnovers a game.
Iowa, however, has done a better job taking care of the basketball, with a plus-3.4 turnover margin, placing it 17th in the nation.
For Florida to have success on Sunday, it must not let turnovers dig it a hole.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is the spring 2026 men's basketball beat reporter and a second-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
