WATCH: Caitlin Clark's Iowa get 'Venice Beach' Kobe 8s from Vanessa Bryant ahead of Sweet 16 game vs. Colorado

No. 1 seed Iowa Hawkeyes will take on No. 5 seed Colorado Buffaloes once again in a round of Sweet 16 on Saturday. Before the tip-off, the Hawkeyes received a special gift from Vanessa Bryant, the late Kobe Bryant's wife.

The entire team was presented with the Nike Kobe 8 "Venice Beach" shoes as coach Lisa Bluder called it a special surprise during a team meeting in a hotel conference room.

The Hawkeyes are not the only team who received a shipment from Vanessa as the Duke Blue Devils were gifted Kobe 4 Protro Philly kicks ahead of their Sweet 16 clash against the Houston Cougars.

The UConn men's basketball team received the unreleased Nike Kobe 6 "Italian Camo" Protros. It will be available for purchase next month.

Caitlin Clark's love for Kobes is well known as she is always seen sporting his shoes on the court. On February 11, the guard wore a pair of Mambacitas when she broke the NCAA all-time assist record. Later, when she broke the NCAA's all-time scoring record, she sported the Kobe 5 "Bruce Lee" edition shoes.

Lisa Bluder's Iowa Hawkeyes are well-prepared for the rematch

The Hawkeyes defeated Colorado 87-77 in Sweet 16 last season and the Buffaloes will be looking to redeem themselves on Saturday. So how is Iowa planning to contain them? Coach Bluder shared her strategies during a press conference on Friday.

"We have to box out better than we did last year. We gave up 22 O-boards against them last year. Just crazy numbers. Adding Maddie Nolan does pose a problem just because now they have two excellent three-point shooters on the perimeter and a great inside game."

"We had the whole team watch the film from last year, so they kind of have it in their mind, in addition to film from this year." (via Hawkeyes Wire)

While Iowa managed to win against No. 8 seed West Virginia in the previous round. The game was rife with offense troubles, especially with star, Caitlin Clark. The senior guard made 8-of-22 shot attempts, including 5-of-14 from behind the arc.

Sophomore Hannah Stuelke came to Iowa's rescue last game and is anticipated to maintain her performance going forward.

With Clark moving to the WNBA after this season, fans are hoping for a repeat of last year's success, only this time, the Hawkeyes will actually win the title, for the first time in history.