Iowa vs. Grand Canyon: Live updates, highlights from NCAA tournament first round

No. 2-seed Iowa beat No. 15-seed Grand Canyon in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament Saturday in Indianapolis, 86-74.

The Hawkeyes (22-8) led 42-31 at halftime and were never really threatened in the final 20 minutes.

» Game story: Hawkeyes fire early salvo stay on top of Grand Canyon in NCAA tournament win

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Final: Iowa 86, GCU 74

Key stat: 10-22. All facets of the Hawkeyes' explosive offense were working on Saturday, but their 10-of-22 mark from 3-point range was especially noteworthy. Luka Garza, faced with a big Grand Canyon front line, was able to stretch the defense by making 4-of-5 3s, including two in the opening minutes that gave Iowa an 11-2 lead and set the tone for the rest of the game.

MVP: Garza was in a bit of foul trouble in the first half and struggled finishing inside at times, but the Antelopes simply couldn't keep up with his pace and range. The consensus All-American totaled 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six rebounds and two steals.

Up next: Iowa will face No. 7-seed Oregon in the second round Monday. The Ducks advanced due to COVID-19 issues with their first-round opponent, No. 10-seed VCU.

7:37 2nd: Iowa 70, GCU 54

Luka Garza being able to stretch the defense (as he has all season) has made him an impossible matchup for Grand Canyon.

Garza knocked down his fourth 3-pointer of the game to push Iowa's lead to 18 points. He's only missed one shot from outside and has a game-high 18 points at this point.

Asbjorn Midtgaard continues to do work inside for the Lopes; he's up to 16 points, but they haven't been able to keep pace with one of the best offenses in the country.

Luka Garza cannot be stopped March 21, 2021

Luka Garza cannot be stopped @IowaHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/bwtMBNrFMA

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness)

12:25 2nd: Iowa 63, GCU 46

The Iowa offense is clicking in all areas. After pushing the pace and hitting from deep, the Hawkeyes started to pound the ball inside.

Keegan Murray drove on a sagging defender and scored, then Luka Garza took Asbjorn Midtgaard off the dribble, turned in the lane and connected. Garza and Murray both have 13 points.

16:27 2nd: Iowa 56, GCU 39

Iowa pushed the pace to open the second half and it's working. The result: 14 points in 3 1/2 minutes and a 17-point lead.

Whether it's steals or defensive rebounds, the Hawkeyes have been able to quickly move the ball up the floor and catch the Antelopes trailing on defense.

Luka Garza established himself on the first play of the half with a bucket inside and later added his third 3. Jordan Bohannon made a pair of 3-pointers, the most recent just seconds into the possession, leading to a GCU timeout.

NPOY candidate Luka Garza is cooking March 20, 2021

NPOY candidate Luka Garza is cooking @IowaHoops | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/Qjh1iaVooE

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness)

Half: Iowa 42, GCU 31

Joe Wieskamp's 3-pointer put him in double digits and gave Iowa a double-digit lead going into halftime.

Wieskamp leads the Hawkeyes, who shot 55.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes, with 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting and also has six rebounds and two rebounds. The Hawkeyes were 6-of-13 from 3-point range.

Subs Keegan Murray, Joe Toussaint and Patrick McCaffery provided a big impact, combining for 18 points on 8-for-13 shootingg.

Gabe McGlothlan was a menace off the bench with 13 points in the first half to lead Grand Canyon, including an alley-oop dunk against Iowa's zone. Leading scorer Asbjorn Midtgaard has seven points, but three fouls in just 10 minutes. The Lopes have eight offensive rebounds.

3:47 1st: Iowa 33, GCU 24

Luka Garza picked up his second foul on a double-foul call so he's likely done for the half. The All-American has eight points on 3-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in 13 minutes.

Keegan Murray continues to lead the way offensively for the Hawkeyes, finding holes in the GCU defense and being aggressive on the glass. His putback in this stretch gave him nine points in 11 minutes.

Joe Toussaint hitting just his third 3-pointer of the season was also a nice add for Iowa.

7:50 1st: Iowa 22, GCU 17

Asbjorn Midtgaard turned it over on his first touch of the game early, but he's 3-for-3 since, including a dunk. But he picked up his third foul on a rebound on the next Iowa possession.

Luka Garza drew that foul while grabbing his sixth rebound. He's getting the ball in spots he wants, but is just 1-for-5 on 2-point shots so far.

Keegan Murray has given Iowa a lift with a dunk, a 3-pointer, a steal and a block in his first six minutes.

11:56 1st: Iowa 15, GCU 10

Grand Canyon settled in after a skittish start, going on an 8-2 run to get within 13-10. A Keegan Murray dunk put the Hawkeyes up five.

The Lopes have three offensive rebounds early, but 7-foot leading scorer Asbjorn Midtgaard picked up his second foul and was subbed out.

Oregon-VCU canceled

Some breaking news at the beginning of the Iowa-Grand Canyon game: The first-round game between No. 7-seed Oregon and No. 10-seed VCU has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols within VCU.

That means Oregon will advance to the second round and face the winner of Iowa-Grand Canyon on Monday.

The NCAA MBB Committee has declared the VCU-Oregon game a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. March 20, 2021

The NCAA MBB Committee has declared the VCU-Oregon game a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols. pic.twitter.com/75PFpk8TbC

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness)

As a result, Oregon will advance.

16:20 1st: Iowa 11, GCU 2

As promised, Grand Canyon is working the shot clock and slowing the game down, but the Lopes missed their first three shots and had a turnover in the paint.

Iowa, meanwhile, came out firing. Especially Luka Garza, who buried his first two looks from 3-point range. The Lopes are going to have to find a way to defend him on all areas of the floor.

Jordan Bohannon added a deep trey to push the lead to nine and force a Grand Canyon timeout.

Preview

One Big Ten No. 2-seed has already gone down in the 2021 NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Iowa Hawkeyes (21-8) will try to avoid the same fate as Ohio State when they face No. 15-seed Grand Canyon (17-6) in a first-round game on Saturday.

Iowa is a No. 2-seed for the first time since 1987, when it advanced to the Elite Eight. No. 2-seeds don't lose often in the first round (they were 132-8 entering this year), but the Buckeyes' overtime loss to Oral Roberts on Friday reminded us of why they call it March Madness.

In Grand Canyon, the Hawkeyes face a No. 15-seed that doesn't look like a typical 15-seed. That's because the Antelopes are big, with two starters 6-10 or taller. Grand Canyon got here by winning the Western Athletic Conference tournament (it was the regular-season champion as well) and Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery can draw on his mid-major experience to know exactly how the Lopes feel going into this game.

The Hawkeyes are 14-point favorites here and, like all teams in the bubble-like environment in Indianapolis, will be happy to get out of their individual hotel rooms for this game.

Limited fans are in attendance at Indiana Farmers Coliseum (which has a great story of its own) and it's an expensive ticket if you can find one, so follow along here for live updates and highlights while you're watching from home.

How to watch Iowa vs. Grand Canyon

Updated tip time: 5:35 p.m. (CT)

TV: TBS

Live stream: NCAA.com or March Madness Live app

Glance: More game details and nuggets to know