CLEMSON – Clemson people may not know a whole lot about the Iowa Hawkeyes, but it is a good thing Brad Brownell does.

The Tigers’ head coach grew up watching Big Ten Basketball, and through the years, even as Clemson’s head coach, he still watches Big Ten Basketball when he gets that rare opportunity to do so.

“I love basketball,” he said. “Obviously, I have watched thousands of hours of our games, but also, growing up in Big Ten Country, I peek at Big Ten games all the time. I peek at a lot of games because I like to see how other teams are playing and maybe you see something you like.”

Brownell watched some of the Hawkeyes’ game at Purdue, a game in which they took the eventual Big Ten Champions to the wire.

“It was unbelievable. They played them extremely well,” he said. “And then periodically (I watch) bits and pieces (of other games). I do not watch full games. You know ten minutes here and fifteen minutes there, so I have seen them a little bit.”

What has he seen from Iowa?

Enough to know Clemson’s next opponent reminds him a lot of his team. The Hawkeyes and Tigers will meet in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday (6:50 p.m., TNT) at the Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Clemson (24-10) is the No. 8 seed in the South Region, while Iowa (21-12) is the No. 9 seed.

“They are a little bit like us — they are a team,” Brownell said. “They have an elite guy that is probably going to get drafted. He averages 20 points a game and he can do it all. He is terrific.”

Senior Bennett Stirtz is terrific.

He scored 30-plus points three times and 20-plus points in 11 of the last 15 games (18 times this season — third-most in Big Ten).

Stirtz finished third in scoring in Big Ten games, averaging 22.2 points to go along with 3.8 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He also shot 50 percent from the field, 37.3 percent from three-point range and 83.9 percent from the foul line.

• THE SKINNY ON BEN STIRTZ
• First Team All-Big Ten Guard
• Averaged 20.0 points per game (all games)
• Shots 37.6 percent from 3-points range (all games)
• Made 82 three pointers (all games)
• 49.2 percent from the field overall (all games)
• 84.5 percent from the foul line (all games)
• 4.5 assists per game (all games)
• 1.5 steals per game (all games)
• Plays 37.5 minutes per game
• His 36 points against Northwestern on Feb. 8 are the most by a Hawkeye since Luka Garza in 2021 and are tied for the fourth-most in a game in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history.
• Had three 30-point games and 13 20-point contests in league play.

“He was a Division II guy, then he goes to Drake and now he is there, there are a lot of really good players everywhere,” Brownell said. “It obviously speaks to their staff’s development, also.”

• ABOUT THE IOWA HAWKEYES
• Record: 21-12, 10-10 Big Ten
• Head coach: Ben McCollum is the second Iowa coach to lead the program to the NCAA Tournament in year one, joining Dr. Tom Davis (1988). McCollum is 36-8 all-time in NCAA Tournament play – 35-7 at the Division II level and 1-1 at the Division I level.
• Tidbits: Iowa is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2022-23 season. The Hawkeyes have been a No. 9 seed one other time (1992) in program history. They have won three games over NCAA Tournament teams this season: Nebraska, UCLA and Ohio State.
• Offense: Iowa ranks 26th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting 49.1 percent. The team also is 25th in effective field goal percentage (.563).
• Defense: The Hawkeyes are allowing 65.8 points per game — the fewest in the Big Ten and 15th-fewest nationally. Iowa has held eight opponents at 60 points or less this season — the most since 2014-15. Iowa has held all but three opponents below its team season scoring average on the year.

“They play together. They are extremely well coached,” Brownell said. “They play hard. They run some unique ball-screen action, a lot of twisting and different things. They are very good, as you would expect. It will be a big challenge for us.”