IOWA CITY – The Iowa Hawkeyes will play in the NIT Second Round for a sixth time in program history, facing No. 2 seed Utah on Sunday in Salt Lake City. It is just the second meeting all-time between the two teams. Tip-off is at 8 PM, televised on ESPN2.
The third-seeded University of Iowa men’s basketball team (19-14, 10-10)heads to Salt Lake City for an NIT Second Round game at Utah (20-14, 9-11) on Sunday at the Jon M. Huntsman Center. Utah leads the series, 1-0. In 1964, Utah beat Iowa, 92-88, in Los Angeles.
A win Sunday would give Iowa 20 wins for the ninth time under head coach Fran McCaffery and for the 31st time in program history. With a victory, Iowa would host either South Florida or VCU on March 26 or March 27 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes made 11 3-point field goals and led wire-to-wire in a 90-81 NIT First Round victory over Kansas State on March 19 in Iowa City. Iowa got double-doubles from Payton Sandfort (30 points, 12 rebounds) and Ben Krikke (24 points, 11 rebounds). Sandfort scored 22 of his 30 in the first half; Krikke scored 21 of his 24 in the second. Sandfort scored a career-high and team season-best 30 points, making 9-of-14 field goals, including a career-best seven 3-pointers in the win over Kansas State. He also tied a career-high with 12 rebounds to notch his fifth double-double.
Sophomore guard Dasonte Bowen will miss the remainder of the season because of injury. The guard, who had season-ending knee surgery on March 6, entered the transfer portal on March 20.
SCOUTING UTAH
• The Runnin’ Utes, who are 6-9 over their last 15 games, bring a 20-14 overall record into the NIT Second Round. Utah defeated UC Irvine, 84-75, on March 19 in Salt Lake City.
• Utah finished 9-11 in the Pac-12, tying for sixth place. • Utes’ leading scorer, Branden Carlson, was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection for a second straight season. He leads the team in scoring (17.2 points), rebounds (6.9) and blocks (52).
• Gabe Madsen averages 13.1 points and has a league- best 90 3-point field goals, while Devion Smith aver- ages 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds with a team-high 170 assists. Smith, who was an honorable mention all-league selection, has three triple-doubles and 11 double-doubles in 2023-24.
• The Runnin’ Utes have six players averaging at least 8.6 points per game and the team averages 8.9 3-point field goals per contest — ranking second in the Pac-12 and 43rd nationally.
• Utah is 16th nationally in assists (17.4) per game and ranks in the top-32 nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50).
The game is Iowa’s first against a PAC-12 opponent since facing Oregon in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021. The Ducks downed the Hawkeyes, 95-80.
