COLUMBUS, Ohio – Luka Garza was seemingly born to play basketball.

Whether it was from asking his daycare provider to turn basketball on the TV, watching cassette tapes, or imitating moves on a mini hoop hanging on the door, he fell in love with the sport at an early age.

Combine that passion with a 6’11, 245-pound frame and an arsenal of post moves that are hard to match, and it’s clear Garza was built for the paint.

He showed that in Iowa’s upset win over Cincinnati in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, scoring a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting while pulling down 7 rebounds.

While he wasn’t the fastest or most athletic player on the floor at Nationwide Arena, his effort made up for what he lacked.

“I knew I wasn’t ever going to be the most athletic kid,” Garza said. “I wasn’t going to be the strongest, I wasn’t going to be the fastest, I wasn’t going to be able to jump the highest – not even close. But I knew if I played harder than everybody else that I would have a chance out there.”

But early in the season, he almost didn’t get his chance. A nine-pound cyst in his abdomen forced Garza to miss time before the season started.

Before he found himself sidelined, Garza said his game felt the best it had in his career. He was in wholesome basketball shape coming off a solid freshman campaign but had to do everything over again.

A baby-sized cyst wouldn’t stop him, though. The missed practices hurt him, but he said the support he received from fellow players and coaches visiting him in the hospital helped with the process.

Garza bounced back quick to play every game and was named the 2K Empire Classic MVP in November for his performance in Iowa’s tournament win in New York.

“Luka’s a gamer,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “He’s a guy with an incredible work ethic. He takes great pride in his preparation. He’s a guy who can score and rebound and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. He’s just going to fight you. That’s what you love about him.”

There are still more challenges in front of Garza, however, and the next one comes in the form of No. 2 seed Tennessee.

The Volunteers have been ranked in the top-10 for most of the season and have two-time SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams on their side.

Despite standing at 6’7, Williams leads Tennessee with 18.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game while also dishing out 3.1 assists. His efficiency plays a key role in his effectiveness, as he shoots at a 57 percent clip from the field.

To contain him – and Volunteer forward Kyle Alexander – the Hawkeyes are going to need some of that patented Garza energy.

“[Garza’s effort] is something that’s still to this point unappreciated even though I say it every time I talk about Luka,” Iowa forward Tyler Cook said. “People our age that play basketball, in general, don’t play that hard. He takes pride in that, and that’s something he does better than anybody else I’ve seen.”