Iowa-Villanova breakdown

RECORDS

Iowa 22-10, 12-6 Big Ten; Villanova 30-5, 16-2 Big East

TV/RADIO

11:10 a.m., CBS (Verne Lundquist, Jim Spanarkel, Allie LaForce)

600/800 AM (Gary Dolphin, Bobby Hansen)

LOCATION

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

LINE

Villanova by 6

SERIES

Villanova leads 4-1

PROFILE

Iowa is ranked 25th by AP and 24th by USA Today/Coaches; Villanova is ranked 6th by both AP and USA Today/Coaches

Iowa is seeded seventh in the NCAA Tournament, South Region; Villanova is seeded second

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa guard Peter Jok vs. Villanova guard Josh Hart. Jok, a second-team all-Big Ten shooting guard, can fill it up like few in college basketball. He notched 20 or more points 11 times, including 29 twice. Jok scored 16 against Temple but was quiet after nailing three 3-pointers during an early run.

Hart was a unanimous all-Big East selection and is one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award. He's scored in double figures in every game but three (counting his nine-point performance against UNC-Asheville on Friday).

'In certain games, we asked him to be more of a defensive player, or he's got to stop somebody, and he'll do that,' Villanova Coach Jay Wright said. 'Certain games, you've got to be our leading rebounder. He'll do that. He's such a great winner, and he was the most upset when we lost the Big East Tournament. He's just such a team player, and he just plays the game to win. You can't have a better teammate.'

KEY STATISTICS

SCORING/OPP: IOWA 78.1/68.7; NOVA 77.0/63.7

FG%/OPP FG%: IOWA 45.0/41.5; NOVA 46.7/40.0

3PT%/OPP 3PT%: IOWA 38.2/31.0; NOVA 34.4/33.5

FT%: IOWA 71.9: NOVA 77.7

REB MARGIN: IOWA +1.4; NOVA +1.9

LIKELY STARTERS

Iowa: G Mike Gesell (6-2; 8.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 6.3 apg); G Anthony Clemmons (6-2; 9.0 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.6 apg); G Peter Jok (6-6; 16.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg); F Jarrod Uthoff (6-9; 18.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg; 2.7 bpg); C Adam Woodbury (7-1; 7.7 ppg, 8.5 rpg)

Villanova: G Ryan Arcidiacono (6-3; 11.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.3 spg); Josh Hart (6-5; 15.5 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 apg); G Jalen Brunson (6-2; 9.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg; 2.8 apg); F Kris Jenkins (6-6; 13.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg); C Daniel Ochefu (6-11; 9.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

KEY RESERVES

Iowa: F Dom Uhl (6-9; 6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg); F Nicholas Baer (6-7; 4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg); F Ahmad Wagner (6-5, 2.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg); Christian Williams (6-6; 1.3; 0.8)

Villanova: G Phil Booth (6-3; 6.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.6 apg); G/F Mikal Bridges (6-7; 6.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg); F Darryl Reynolds (6-8; 3.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg)

WORTH WATCHING

Iowa has a size advantage over Villanova at most positions. The Wildcats are not afraid to go small against any team, something Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons has noticed.

'They're very aggressive,' Clemmons said. 'They're scrappy guards, they defend, they go at you. At one point they could have five guards on the court so a lot of them are sneaky with their offense so you've got to be prepared at all times.'

Villanova's backcourt, which consists of Hart, Arcidiacono and Jalen Brunson, might be the nation's best.

'Arcidiacono is one of the best clutch players in the country, has been that,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'Brunson has some of the same qualities. They've got guys coming off the bench. Sometimes it looks like they've had five guards out there. They could all go off the dribble, they can all shoot 3s. So they're really tough to defend.'

BOTTOM LINE/PREDICTION

In Iowa's match-up with Temple, every Owls' strength was negated because Iowa was just as good in the same areas. That's not how the game unfolded, but the numbers gave that impression. The statistics between Iowa and Villanova are similar but the Wildcats are slightly better in every area. Villanova scores more points, gives up fewer, defends better by percentage and knocks down a higher rate of its shots. However, stats don't always translate from league to league.

The real key for Iowa is can it consistently hit shots? If it can, winning is possible. But physical, aggressive defenses have given the Hawkeyes problems in the last month, and Villanova will employ a similar style. Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok connected on just 12 of 36 shots against Temple in an overtime victory. If that happens again, Iowa's season will end in disappointing fashion.

Prediction: Villanova 73, Iowa 68

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com