CBS Sports tabs Iowa-Auburn as No. 3 overall first-round NCAA Tournament matchup
CBS Sports says make Iowa-Auburn appointment television. That’s already the case for Iowa Hawkeye fans, but it’s nice to see some of the national love for the contest.
CBS Sports’ David Cobb ranked every single first-round March Madness contest. As one might expect, the 8-seed versus 9-seed matchup checked in highly.
Folks might not have expected the Iowa-Auburn tilt to rank this highly, though. It checks in as the No. 3 overall first-round game according to Cobb of CBS.
Only Arkansas-Illinois and Texas A&M–Penn State earned higher marks from CBS.
If you’re into seeing coaches act like children, you’ll love this one. We’ll set the over/under on coach technicals at a cautious 1.5 and won’t be surprised if either Auburn’s Bruce Pearl or Iowa’s Fran McCaffery get tossed for their antics. The Hawkeyes are a fun offensive team led by a potential first-round NBA Draft pick in Kris Murray, and Auburn’s backcourt of Wendell Green and K.D. Johnson is constant chaos. – Cobb, CBS Sports.
Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Fran McCaffery of Iowa can certainly provide some fireworks on the sidelines. Leading with that is a discredit to the basketball on the court that’s set to be played, though. It’s the players on the court that will make this most worth watching.
Thanks to forward Kris Murray’s 20.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, Iowa has legitimate star power. Beyond that, Iowa forward Filip Rebraca also averages 14.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest.
Guard Tony Perkins, forward Patrick McCaffery and forward Payton Sandfort each average double-figure scoring. Perkins chips in with 12.5 points per game, while McCaffery and Sandfort both add 10.0 per night.
For Auburn, forward Johni Broome, guard Wendell Green Jr., forward Jaylin Williams, and guard Allen Flanigan each average double-figures. Broome leads the way with 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
It will be an interesting contrast in what each team is good at, too. Iowa boasts the nation’s No. 3 adjusted offensive efficiency per Kenpom, while Auburn has the country’s No. 29 adjusted defensive efficiency.
Iowa likes to shoot 3-pointers, averaging 23.7 attempts per game. Auburn ranks sixth in 3-point percentage defense, surrendering just 28.8% accuracy.
Given that it’s an 8-versus-9 game, it’s not shocking that it would be one of the best. Still, contrast between the two teams, the talented players for both and the coaches should make this one that every fan won’t want to miss.
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