Make no mistake about it, the Clemson Tigers are prepared for the Iowa Hawkeyes' style of basketball. They play just as slow as Iowa and make teams earn it in the half-court offense. This game is going to feel slow, like a slug, and test both teams' patience.
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That's what March Madness is all about, though. The NCAA Tournament is all about finding ways to win, be it high-scoring or ugly; it all counts the same. Iowa has no shame in winning an ugly game, and that may be what it takes.
CBS Sports looked into Iowa versus Clemson and likes the Hawkeyes, led by guard Bennett Stirtz, to find a way.
Clemson wants to drag this game into the mud by eliminating transition opportunities and relying on its well-coached halfcourt defense to force opponents into late-clock muckholes. Iowa is just fine with that. Hawkeyes point guard Bennett Stirtz will be the best player on the floor, and the Ben McCollum-Stirtz braintrust is a whopping 14-4 in win-or-go-home games dating back to their days at Northwest Missouri State, Drake and now Iowa.
McCollum-coached teams move without the ball exceptionally well, which is something that you have to do to beat Clemson. The schematic edges are pointing toward Iowa in this one, plus Clemson will not have big man Carter Welling (torn ACL), who transformed into the Tigers' best per-minute rebounder. Clemson has the depth to mask Welling's absence, but these guards don't have enough juice.
The pick: Iowa - Isaac Trotter, CBS Sports
It's hard to bet against Ben McCollum and Bennett Stirtz in these big games. The two of them show up and bring their best when the lights are the brightest. Expect Iowa to show up in this game, as they have done so much this year against good teams, ready for a fight.
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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Iowa basketball vs. Clemson March Madness prediction from CBS Sports