Although Iowa won by 41 points, the first half was a lot closer than anyone anticipated. Iowa went into the break leading 39-32. Turnovers were a huge issue for Iowa as they had 11 turnovers in the first half. Iowa shot 51.9  percent from the field in the first half, and were 50 percent  from behind the arc, but the turnovers were the key reason Northwood kept it close in the first half.

Iowa went on a tear to start the second half as they opened up the half on a 19-3 run. The run came partially because Iowa trimmed down on turnovers, but Northwood didn’t make their first field goal until 12:11 left in the half. Iowa kept up the strong shooting in the second half as they went 21-44 from the field, and again shot 50% from the three point line. Northwood on the other hand couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat, shooting an abysmal 16.1% on 5-31 shooting.

Besides the turnovers Iowa had a pretty solid game. in the second half, Trey Dickerson had a fast break opportunity and unfortunately botched the layup as he was unsure whether to dunk or not while going up for the shot. The missed field goal didn’t phase the Hawkeyes as they eventually went on to win the second half by a score of 53-19.

All in all, the Hawkeyes had to shake off a few cobwebs to start the game, and their bench provided the spark the starters needed. Iowa scored 92 points on 35-71 shooting. Northwood scored 51 points on 18-60 shooting. Northwood went 11-14 from the charity stripe, and Iowa went 13-18. Iowa did a great job from 3 point land as they hit 50% of their shots and finished 9-18. Northwood went 4-10 from the 3 point line.

Iowa’s regular season gets started on November 14 as it hosts Hampton.

The post The Calm Before The Storm for Iowa Men’s Basketball appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Jok, a sophomore guard from West Des Moines, led all Iowa scorers with 16 points on six of nine shooting: two of two from behind the arc.

“Pete’s had the same sprained ankle two different times, so I think that hurt his chances to get that (starting) job,” Head Coach Fran McCaffery said when asked why neither Jok, nor senior Josh Oglesby started along side Mike Gesell at the two guard. “It’s also affected his conditioning, which you could see today, but it’s amazing he’s got 16 (points) in 17 minutes, he’s got that ability.”

This isn’t the first time Jok’s displayed his ability to light it up as he had 10 points on four of five shooting in last year’s NCAA tournament game against Tennessee. He will be a valuable asset to Coach McCaffery this season so long as he can stay on the floor: injury and off the court issues have brought concern over the past year.

However, if he can lead the charge off the bench this season, along with some other newcomers, Iowa will have 10 players who can provide valuable minutes.

Newcomers Dom Uhl, a 6’9″ freshman from Frankfurt, Germany, and sophomore transfer guard Trey Dickerson both showed tremendous upside in their Hawkeye debuts.

Uhl has the look of a freshman with a lot of muscle left to put on and a fairly raw skill set: shooting just two for nine from the field. However, his length, ball handling skills and athletic ability will be more than enough to earn him meaningful minutes as a freshman.

“His handle for a guy who’s 6’9″ is very unique he can go by anybody  he wants whenever he wants to… he sometimes gets to the rim and gets a little jammed up,” McCaffery said. “He’s got a nice touch I think what you’ll see him do is drive and finish with dunks a little more often as he gets older and stronger, and more confident in his game, his jumper needs work but it’s solid enough… he’s going to be a great player no question about it.”

McCaffery clearly has confidence in him, and so should we. Expect a modest freshman campaign from Uhl as he adjusts to the speed of the college game and continues to develop his body. But, he’s got the speed, skill, and desire to develop himself into an elite college basketball player.

Junior college transfer Trey Dickerson also provided some flare coming off the bench in his first ever game for Iowa. Dickerson flies up and down the court. His speed and athleticism are his strength, but don’t rule out this speedster’s ability to stroke it as well as he was two for two on his attempts from beyond the arc. He was three of four on the day with his lone miss on a breakaway where he got caught between a dunk and a layup and the ball got away from him resulting in a missed layup.

“He’s got a gear that most people really don’t have and that will really help our team, plus he can shoot the ball. When you’re fast and can’t shoot they can play you one way; when you’re fast and can shoot now it’s hard to guard that guy,” said McCaffery about Dickerson after the game.

Coach Fran McCaffery has quietly obtained the future of Iowa Hawkeye Men’s basketball with sophomores Jok and Dickerson as well as freshman Dom Uhl. The trio won’t be spotted in the starting line up all too often this season, but all will provide valuable scoring and athleticism off the bench for the Hawkeyes in the 2014-2015 campaign.

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