There is simply not much left for Luka Garza to prove, not to college basketball’s cognoscenti nor the common fan, not after two years of unfettered interior dominance in the most physical league in the country—and no matter his Iowa Hawkeyes’ eventual fate. Pick an award headed his way, and he probably won it last year. He now has a 2021 tournament win under his belt, after Garza and his second-seeded Hawkeyes advanced comfortably past No. 15-seed Grand Canyon on Saturday.
We’ve witnessed it time and again, Garza’s burly shoulders bumping and bruising against hordes of Big Ten centers, his footwork somehow bordering on dainty, with Iowa winning more often than not.