The first half was rather uneventful for the Hawks, Jok had a nice breakaway layup and the Hawks were up four at one point but they had an 8-minute stretch without a basket. Aaron White put an end to that with a 2-handed jam with one minute left in the half that gave Iowa a little momentum heading into halftime.

The Gophers went into halftime with a 23-19 lead.

The halftime show was one of the best ones this season. The AcroDunks are a bunch of high flying dunk artists which brought life back into the Hawkeye crowd.

The second half was better than the first half by a far margin. The Hawks regained the lead with 13-minutes left at 31-30. The teams traded baskets until Andre Hollins drained a 3 to put the Gophers up 39-37.

The Gophers had a 10 point lead with two minutes left and Uthoff nailed a 3 to cut the deficit to 7. Then the Hawks applied the all-out full-court press swapping Jok and Clemons for offense/defense.  Pulling within 5 with a minute left.

Jarrod Uthoff had a great leaping steal off an in-bounds play near mid-court and dished it to White for the dunk to make the score 59-56 with 56 seconds left. After fouling Minnesota and Hollins making both free throws to put them up 61-56 with 27 seconds left.

Iowa came back down the floor with a screen for Uthoff to pop a 3. Minnesota committed the cardinal sin of basketball fouling on a three-point shot. Uthoff drained all 3 free-throws to make it 61-59 with 20 seconds left.

Minnesota was fouled immediately and made one of two free-throws keeping it a one possession game at 62-59.

Mike Gesell drove to the hoop with 11 seconds left and ran right into Chris Walker with no foul called, Walker gained possession and iced it for Minnesota 64-59.

At times the Hawks looked gassed and that lead to some costly turnovers (16 total). Another issue was being gun shy shooting the ball. They became focused on execution and movement, Fran said “We were not a master of shooting when open tonight.”

Neither team shot well from beyond the arc tonight, which may have played a factor in Iowa being gun-shy from downtown.

Stat notes

Minnesota

Andre Hollins led all scorers with 20 and Nate Mason added 12 from the bench.

Iowa

Woodbury had 4 points, 3 rebounds along with 2 assists before fouling out.

Off the bench Gabe Olaseni contributed 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Dominque Uhl chipped in with 2 points and 3 rebounds. Anthony Clemons added 5 points, he was also poked in the eye but after review it was unintentional.

Iowa falls to (15-9) overall and (6-5) in the Big Ten. Iowa’s next game is Sunday Feb. 15th, at 2 P.M. @ Northwestern on Big Ten Network It is the first match-up this season between them.

The post Hawks Surge Late but Fall Short appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Brigham Young vs. Baylor, 6 p.m. CT, ESPN2: Brigham Young had a solidly ho-hum year in their basketball league, the West Coast Conference.  The Cougars got swept by the conference’s best teams, Saint Mary’s College and Gonzaga.  They did, however, go 10-6 in league play and earned a 3-seed in the NIT likely because of what BYU did last year with Jimmer Fredette leading them to the Sweet 16.  He’s gone now, but it turned out to be a good thing letting BYU in the NIT.  They went into Hattiesburg, Mississippi–home of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles–and thoroughly beat one of the NIT’s #1 seeds, 79-62.  The Cougars are led by guard Tyler Haws, only a sophomore but one of the nation’s top scorers at 21.6 ppg.  He had 25 points in their demolition at Southern Miss.  Looks like they’ve found a glimmer of Jimmer.  Now the Cougars play Baylor in New York, a team that beat them earlier this season in Waco, Texas by double digits.

That Baylor team is led by guard Pierre Jackson, also one of the nation’s top scorers (19.7 ppg) and assists leaders (6.9 apg).  He’s only 5’10”, but can dunk over power forwards and shoot from anywhere on the floor.  He’s one of the quickest players in the country and last year was a major contributor to the Bears’ NCAA Tournament run to the Elite 8, where they lost to eventual national champion Kentucky.  This year, the Bears struggled in Big 12 conference play–at one point losing 8 of 11 games–before beating then-No.4 Kansas, 81-58.

Outside of the Kansas win, the Bears didn’t have enough quality non-conference victories (Baylor did win at Kentucky) or conference wins (beat conference bottom dwellers like Texas Tech, Texas, and TCU while losing to everyone else) to get an NCAA Tournament birth.  Still, this team is dangerous and will give Brigham Young all it can handle defensively.  The Bears rank in the top 45 nationally in points per game, assists per game, and rebounds per game.  In its first NIT game, Baylor scored 112 points against Long Beach State University.

Iowa vs. Maryland, 8 p.m. CT, ESPN2: If you’ve been following Iowa this year, you have witnessed a young team that got red-hot a little too late, but has shown that it can duel with anyone in the Big Ten.  Someone has to lose the duel, unfortunately, and Iowa did many times by a handful of points–especially early and midway through the conference schedule.  Indiana at home.  Michigan State at home.  Wisconsin on the road.  There are more, but you get the picture.  Iowa got left out the NCAA Tournament because it didn’t have enough quality wins, despite going .500 in one of the nation’s deepest conferences.

Iowa has already grabbed the reins of momentum for next year in winning three NIT games (Indiana State, Stony Brook, at Virginia, all by double digits).  The 3-seeded Hawkeyes now find themselves in New York taking on 2-seeded Maryland in the semifinal.  The man that led the gallup to New York City is the versatile point guard/off-guard Devyn Marble, who is averaging 25 points per game during the Hawks’ run through the NIT.  Sophomore forward Aaron White is the team’s most intimidating dunker and specializes in drawing fouls with his long body.  He is also the team-leader in rebounds at almost 6 per game.  Mike Gesell had been the point guard for most of the year, but has been nagged by a foot injury as of late.  Whether he will play some minutes at shooting guard (or possibly at point guard because of Marble’s versatility) against Maryland is yet to be seen.  Inside men Adam Woodbury and Abodunrin Gabriel Olaseni bring a heavy rebounding influence and can score in small doses.  Outside shooters Eric May, Zach McCabe, and Josh Oglesby are erratic at times, but were effective against Virginia in hitting three-pointers (8 of 17).  May is one of the team’s best defenders.  Iowa is tenth in the nation in rebounds per game (39).  Iowa led the Big Ten in field goal percentage defense and three-point defense.

Maryland is in a rebuilding stage that has mirrored Iowa’s resurgence under Fran McCaffery.  After Gary Williams retired after 22 years at Maryland following the 2010-11 season, former Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon was hired as Maryland head basketball coach.  Turgeon got to the NCAA Tournament every year of the four years he was with the Aggies.  Last season, Turgeon’s team went 17-15 and 6-10 in the ACC with no post-season birth.  This year, the Terrapins are 25-12 after going 8-10 in the ACC.  They will join the Big Ten next year along with Rutgers.

Maryland’s best wins this season came over Duke.  The team beat the Blue Devils at home and in the ACC Tournament.  Their NIT path also mirrors Iowa, having won two home games against overmatched opponents before traveling to a #1-seed in Alabama and winning, 58-57.

Iowa and Maryland are also very much alike in their statistics.  Maryland is top-100 nationally in points per game (71.2), third nationally in rebounds per game (40.8), and 44th in assists per game (14.9).  The Terps also make 46% of their shots.  Dez Wells is a Xavier transfer and the team’s top scorer at 13.2 points per game.  He shoots 53% from the field.  Sophomore center Alex Len (7’1”, 255 lbs.) is the team’s second leading scorer (11.8 ppg).  The Ukrainian is also the team’s top rebounder (7.8 rpg).  Four of Maryland’s top five players (in terms of minutes played and points per game) shoot better than 40% from the field.

The post NIT semifinal primer appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa (18-11, 7-9) came into Saturday’s game at Assembly Hall having won its previous game against a fading Purdue team by 10 points at home.  That win–a sloppy, defensive-oriented game–came without starting point guard Mike Gesell in what has been an up-and-down, sometimes frustrating year.

Coach McCaffery said prior to the Purdue game that Gesell would be out a few weeks with a “stress”-related foot injury.  Gesell’s absence is predicted last until the end of the regular season.  The plan is to have Gesell back for the Big Ten tournament.

So, going into the game, realistic fans and media members looked at the road trip as an inevitable lump to climb over, with the bigger picture being Iowa’s last two games (both at home) and the Big Ten tournament.

Iowa lost, by the way, 73-60.  The team got beat in several key categories.  In the first half, Iowa committed 14 turnovers and scored just 14 points.  For the game, Indiana attempted 42 free throws–eighteen more than Iowa, a team that typically wins when it gets to the line often and does not return the favor to its opponents.

Indiana, meanwhile, came home to its warm, loud arena to face Iowa having lost its last game at Minnesota, 77-73, on February 26th.  Did anyone humor the idea of the Hoosiers actually losing two in a row–with the second at home against a rebuilding Iowa team?  Sure, some did.

The rest of us–the clear, rational thinkers–already accepted the fact that Indiana is too good this season to lose two in a row and a second game at home this season (Wisconsin won a grinder at Assembly Hall on January 15th).  Look on the bright side, too.  It was a 13-point defeat, on the road, to a likely #1 seed at the NCAA tournament.  At least it wasn’t a repeat of Iowa’s last trip to Bloomington–a 103-89 loss that could be best characterized as a mental and physical breakdown.

Now, Iowa presses on.  With its last two games at home, the team has a last chance to make its post-season tournament resume (NCAA or NIT) as lustrous as possible before the boom-or-bust prosperity of the Big Ten tournament begins.

Rolling into Carver-Hawkeye March 5th and March 9th are Illinois and Nebraska, respectively.  In mid-January, Illinois looked to be in a serious funk after a spectacular non-conference performance.  That funk entailed a 2-7 start in conference, but the Illini have now won 6 of their last 7 games, including a win over #1 Indiana in Champaign.  The team seems like a good bet for the NCAA tournament after also beating Gonzaga, Butler, Ohio State and Minnesota.

Suffice it to say, a win over Illinois would help the win-loss column and stand out as one of Iowa’s better wins this season.  Interestingly, Iowa had arguably more quality conference wins last season, sweeping Wisconsin and beating Indiana and Michigan at home.

As for Nebraska, first-year head coach Tim Miles’ team comes in this Saturday, Iowa’s senior day.  That doesn’t carry too much weight, as Iowa’s only contributing senior is Eric May.  The real importance of the game is simply winning it to finish 9-9 in conference (if Iowa beats Illinois first) and to exact a bit of revenge for Nebraska’s 64-60 win in Lincoln, a game delayed because of snow storms and not seen by a typical national audience of hundreds of thousands of people because no television arrangement could be made on such short notice.  That was probably a good thing, because Iowa blew a 19-point lead to the lesser Cornhuskers.

Whatever the uncertainty surrounding Iowa may be, fans and players should feel a little more confident knowing one talking head has a straightforward path for Iowa to reach the NCAA tournament–and believes the team will walk it.  Doug Gottlieb, a former ESPN and current CBS Sports basketball commentator known for his bluntness, said during Sunday’s Michigan-Michigan State halftime show that if Iowa wins out at home and wins one game in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, it should get into the big dance.

That would leave Iowa at 21-12 overall.  Participating in the Big Ten, as good as it is this year, should carry the Hawkeyes toward where every team wants to be in March.

The post Despite loss, chance at big dance remains appeared first on KRUI Radio.

For a squad that has NCAA Tournament aspirations come March, a loss on Thursday would have virtually eliminated the Hawkeyes from that conversation. Lose to Penn State — a team that arrived in Iowa City with a winless Big Ten record — and you simply lose relevancy.

Although sluggish at times, the Hawkeyes (14-7, 3-5 Big Ten) were able to hold off the Nittany Lions (8-13, 0-9) in the second half and win, 76-67, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

So, Iowa succeeded at remaining relevant. Even if it is only a whisper.

“We needed the win,” said Aaron White, who had 27 points. “Tough game at Purdue [on Jan. 27] we thought we should have had. We’re at the point now, about 10 games left, where we need to put something together … not the prettiest game ever, but a win is a win.”

Penn State didn’t shy away from being aggressive early on. Head coach Pat Chambers’ team led 10-3 at the first TV timeout. They unraveled from there, though. The Hawkeyes went on a 14-0 run and led 34-26 at halftime.

The Nittany Lions battled back in the second half — at one stage they were down just three — but Iowa’s depth and a couple of decent runs sealed the victory.

Junior Melsahn Basabe was inserted into the starting lineup for the first time this season with freshman Anthony Clemmons on the bench, and the move paid off for head coach Fran McCaffery. Basabe posted a double-double: 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“He’s been very efficient,” McCaffery said of Basabe. “He makes his free throws, he sticks his nose in the glass, gives you a low-post presence, and defensively he’s just so far ahead where he used to be.

“What you’re seeing is a guy, as a result of that, has more confidence in himself. Which is great.”

There are still questions to be answered for the Hawkeyes. At this point last season, McCaffery’s squad had recorded wins against Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Consistency has been an issue, as there have been countless hot-cold spurts from players.

Prime example is Mike Gesell. The freshman point guard had the game of his career just four days ago at Purdue (18 points, 4 rebounds), but didn’t score any points and had three turnovers against Penn State.

RPI is a determining factor in terms of postseason play — Iowa is currently No. 84 in that category; 68 teams make the NCAA tourney.

Iowa’s next three contests are at Minnesota, at Wisconsin, and home against Northwestern. Perhaps the most crucial three-game stretch of this season. If the Hawkeyes want to reach the Big Dance this spring, all of these games are crucial.

Very.

“We have to go into these games with a warrior mentality, and not miss a beat,” Basabe said. “We have to have the confidence that we can win these games.

“It’s a battle on so many levels in this conference. Tonight proved that. You got to be ready for it.”

The post Iowa hoops hold off PSU, but postseason outlook still fuzzy appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Though many casual college basketball fans–and certainly those at Assembly Hall Tuesday night–may have been stunned by Wisconsin’s win, it’s not surprising to those who have been observing Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan impart his skills on his team the past 12 years.  Wisconsin’s consistently dependable defense and thoughtful shooting have been Ryan’s recipe since he first arrived in Madison.

Consider that Ryan’s Badger teams have made the NCAA Tournament all 12 years he’s been head coach.  He has made the Sweet 16 four times, the Elite 8 once, and won the Big Ten regular season and conference tournament championship multiple times (he won both during the 2007-2008 season).  He has won almost 72% of his games in the Big Ten.  That winning has left not one of his 12 teams below fourth place in the Big Ten.  Ryan also won four national championships at the Division III level with Wisconsin-Platteville.

Iowa’s relationship with Ryan and his teams has been downright miserable until last year.  Iowa hadn’t swept Wisconsin since 1995 and lost nine straight games in Madison before a shocking 72-65 win over the #11 Badgers on New Year’s Eve of 2011.  Iowa completed the unexpected sweep in late February of last year, 67-66, behind another 30-point frenzy by Matt Gatens.  Admission was free that day for students.  They turned out in force and gave Carver a real advantage.  Imagine that?

Outside of last season, though, most of the Hawkeyes’ games against Wisconsin–under Steve Alford and Todd Lickliter–had been wretched blowouts.  Perhaps things are changing under Fran McCaffery, but no team ever has the upper hand over Ryan for very long.  And some have had no hand at all in the series as of late.  Indiana, for instance, has now lost 11 straight to Ryan to give him a 17-3 career record against the Hoosiers.

This game will be just as tough for Iowa as the Indiana and Michigan State games were, if not tougher.  Iowa lost both of those contests at home by four points or less, but Wisconsin has a special way of punishing its opponents off turnovers because Ryan’s players do not return the favor: Wisconsin commits the fewest turnovers per game than any team in 345 Division 1 teams (8.9 per game).  The young Hawks seem to turn the ball over more when things aren’t going well, but also display frustrating habits like turning the ball over in transition.  Guards Anthony Clemmons and Mike Gesell have, on multiple occasions, heaved the ball out of bounds when attempting the fast-break lob down the court.

If Iowa wants to win, it must slow down its game and play Wisconsin’s style.  It seems unlikely that an Iowa squad averaging about 65 points per game in Big Ten play is going to suddenly unleash 80 on one of the country’s most disciplined teams.  Iowa must also knock down more than a handful of three-point baskets if it hopes to come out on top. That means Josh Oglesby has to be in rhythm.  Devyn Marble and Zach McCabe are also equipped to hit threes, but a hot Oglesby increases Iowa’s chances to win dramatically.  That was the case at Northwestern (he was the only one who made a three-pointer, going 4-of-9).  Iowa’s players and fans don’t realistically believe that a Big Ten regular-season championship is in store this year–especially after an 0-3 start–but a win over Wisconsin is a big step toward the team’s first NCAA Tournament birth since 2006.

The post Hawks eye first place Badgers at home appeared first on KRUI Radio.

That’s what the Iowa men’s basketball team was seeking early on in the second half on Monday night, and that’s what the Hawkeyes received from Mike Gesell.

With the game tied at 34 all early in the second half, the freshman point guard embarked upon the most clutch sequence of the contest. In a span of a few minutes, he broke the tie with a long 3-pointer, recorded an assist on an Aaron White dunk, made an easy layup, and hit another 3-pointer to increase the deficit.

Iowa wouldn’t trail again after that. The Hawkeyes maintained their margin the rest of the night to defeat Central Michigan, 73-61, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“We executed substantially better as the game went on,” head coach Fran McCaffery said.

The Black and Gold (2-0) carried over their offensive struggles from the first half — where they shot just 35 percent — to the second, and Central Michigan (0-1) proved to be a formidable opponent in the early stages.

Then Gesell took over.

He missed only two shots all of the second period, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He also added in 5 assists and 3 rebounds.

“When Mike’s in a rhythm, he’s almost un-guardable,” freshman guard Anthony Clemmons said. “You got to stick with the hot hand, and that was Mike tonight.”

Iowa needed as much production as it got from Gesell, too. Starting forward Zach McCabe and reserve shooting guard Josh Oglesby each posted goose eggs — they were a combined 0-of-5 from the field.

But as a team, the shooting improved mightily in the second half, thanks in part to a smaller lineup consisting of Gesell, Clemmons, Devyn Marble, Aaron White, and Melsahn Basabe. After the Gesell 3 to break the 34-34 tie, those five pushed Iowa to a 24-9 run before the Chippewas called timeout and regrouped.

“I think we have good chemistry together,” Marble said of the smaller lineup. “We’re all unselfish. We try to run the floor and get each other open shots. It’s been a joy.

Gesell was the leader, though. Again, in the second half: 4-of-6 shooting.

“I was really struggling in the first half,” Gesell said. “But I knew I had to be aggressive … we were complacent as an offense. Once we started attacking [Central Michigan’s] defense more, we really opened things up.”

Even the head coach was impressed — very.

“He was just too good,” McCaffery said. “He didn’t look rattled at all.”

The post Gesell and smaller lineup power Hawkeyes past CMU appeared first on KRUI Radio.