The Hawkeyes will need a second scorer outside of Bennett Stirtz to advance.
Who can be the second scorer for Iowa?
Bennett Stirtz has lived up to his ridiculous hype this year, but he can't guide Iowa to an NCAA tournament win by himself. Hawkeye fans are probably tired of hearing this by now, but Stirtz could have a tough time going up against Clemson's defense. The Tigers love to play at a slow pace (No. 333 in tempo according to KenPom), and their defense allows just 66.7 points per game.
Stirtz is definitely talented enough to weather through that storm, but having a second scorer will help take the lion's share of the scoring responsibility away from him and force Clemson to ease up the defensive pressure that will likely be coming.
Then comes the question - who could that second scorer be? The most logical answers would be Tavion Banks and Alvaro Folgueiras (Iowa's next two leading scorers), but both have been inconsistent of late. Foul trouble has prevented Banks from playing more minutes (he's had four or more fouls in five of the last seven games), while Folgueiras has reached double figures in two of the last 11 contests.
After struggling to connect from deep for most of the year, Cooper Koch has knocked in 13 triples over his last three. Should that hot streak continue, it could be crucial for the Hawkeyes.
An old-school rock fight
Clemson's slow pace of play eludes to this, but that style plays right into Iowa's hands as well. KenPom ranks the Hawkeyes' adjusted tempo at No. 357 in the country - 24 spots below the Tigers.
Both Iowa and Clemson average around 75 points per game, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the final score of this contest end up in the high-50s or low-60s. Draft Kings currently has the betting total set at 128.5 - which is a very low total for a college basketball game these days.
Expect an old-school rock fight in Tampa on Friday.
RJ Godfrey
The loss of big man Carter Welling (more on that in a second) has left a large scoring void in the Tigers' lineup, but Clemson has been a balanced scoring attack all season. Only two Tigers averaged in double figures during the regular season - one of which was Welling - but Clemson still has the services of RJ Godfrey.
The senior forward has had an unusual college career. Godfrey played his first two seasons for Clemson before transferring to SEC foe Georgia last season. Godfrey started in all 33 games he played in, but transferred back to the Tigers this season.
He's responded by posting the best numbers of his college career and leads Clemson with 11.9 points per contest. The 6-foot-8 forward's ability to make plays at the rim will present a tough challenge for Iowa's interior defense.
Carter Welling's absence
Welling tore his ACL during Clemson's ACC tournament win over Wake Forest on March 11 and was lost for the remainder of the season. The Tigers' aforementioned balanced offense will help, but Welling's 6-foot-10 frame is definitely a huge blow to Clemson's interior offense. Welling was the Tigers' leading rebounder (5.4 RPG) and second-leading scorer (10.2 PPG).
Juniors Jake Wahlin and Nick Davidson (both 6-foot-10) are capable replacements, but Welling's absence means the Hawkeyes could have a chance to attack the paint.
Iowa fans to show up
Though Tampa is 1,200 miles from Iowa City, there could be a large contingent of Hawkeye fans inside Benchmark International Arena on Friday. Iowa football has been a frequent participant in the ReliaQuest Bowl (formerly the Outback Bowl) over the years, and there's always Iowan snowbirds who live in or near the area that would be more than willing to support their team.
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