The NCAA Tournament first round action continues from Dayton, Ohio, where the Iowa Hawkeyes and Tennessee Volunteers go head-to-head to earn a No. 11 seed and face No. 6 UMass in the second round. Watch the game on TruTV or live stream it free by clicking this link. Iowa fans can hear the game on 600 WMT, while Tennesee backers can tune in to the radio broadcast on WNML The Sports Animal.
Both Iowa and Tennessee are high-octane teams that have suffered from lengthy bouts of inconsistency throughout the year. Iowa could be especially hampered tonight with a distracted head coach in Frank McCaffery who won't even be in Dayton for the whole day.
McCaffery's 13-year-old son Patrick is having a thyroid tumor removed earlier in the day, and the Hawkeye coach is taking a flight back home to be with him as it happens. "Hopefully, I'll be back before the last meeting we have, which is typically right before pregame meal or right after pregame meal, and be ready to coach the game," McCaffery said. "Assuming all goes well."
When he gets back he'll have to deal with Tennessee swingman Jordan McRae, who has posted team-highs in scoring (18.6 ppg) and assists (2.5 apg). Conversely, the Volunteers must stop Iowa's Roy Devyn Marble, who averages 17.3 points a night. "I think our games resemble each other a little bit," said Marble. "He's asked to carry a lot of the scoring load for that team, and, yes, I will be guarding him."
The big factors will be whether the Hawkeyes can stay focused on the game with such trying times hitting their coach. "Pat is a guy that is basically at practice with us every day. He's like our little brother," Marble said.
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