When the #20/20 Iowa Hawkeyes (18-5, 7-5) traveled to Evanston for their first of two games against the Northwestern Wildcats (12-10, 3-8), there were plenty of questions surrounding the team. How much can Luka Garza and Tyler Cook play? Was the win against Nebraska a sign of desperation or something more? Can the Hawkeye defense travel outside of Carver-Hawkeye Arena? Pretty much all of those questions have been answered in the month since Iowa’s win at Welsh-Ryan. Garza and Cook have asserted themselves as impressive inside forces after getting healthy. Their first Big Ten win was quickly followed by six more. And the defense does get packed sometimes and when it does it’s good enough. As the great American philosopher, Michael Lee Day said, “two out of three ain’t bad.” The same can’t really be said of Chris Collins’ Wildcats, as they’ve lost four of the last six since the two teams faced off on January 9th. Their offense is the worst in Big Ten play per 100 possessions according to KenPom (90.4) as well as raw numbers (60 points/game). Their defense ranks better at 5th in both metrics but when you’re giving up 7.6 points more than you can muster, you’re gonna have a bad time. If there’s anything positive for Northwestern, it’s that Dererk Pardon (14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds) has the type of game which has given Iowa’s interior fits. There’s been a slew of opposing bigs who have made hay against Garza, Cook, and Ryan Kriener, most recently Juwan Morgan who scored 17 points on 9 shots in 22 minutes. Fortunately, foul trouble kept him from having even bigger numbers against the Hawkeyes. While Pardon found himself in foul trouble against the Hawkeyes throughout much of the second half, he was able to have some success against Iowa with 3/4 shooting inside and 3 offensive boards. The problem? Northwestern could only get him the ball for 5 shots and a trip to the free throw line. As their premier interior scorer - no other NW player comes close to his 63.1% shooting from two - Iowa can focus their efforts on his postups. Northwestern’s inadequate outside shooting - 33.3% and 218th in the country according to Kenpom - gives teams free reign to collapse inside. The Hawkeyes also limited Vic Law (15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists) as he had 13 points in the prior game and went 0-5 from three. His three point shooting has remained off the cliff in conference play - 24% vs. 39% in non-con - so the gameplan Iowa employed against Michigan’s Charles Matthews and Indiana’s Romeo Langford is likely to remain in place for Law. An early three or two could go a long way in getting Fran McCaffery to adjust Iowa’s defense. In addition to Law, Ryan Taylor (11.4 points, 34.7 3P%) and Aaron Falzon (5.1 points, 50.0% 3P%) are a couple guys who have some potency from deep. Falzon was unavailable in the first meeting due to injury. So, where does that leave Iowa? Focus In this Mark Emmert article, he expounded on Iowa’s March possibilities. There are some good stuff in it, so I urge you to read it if you haven’t. Yet I can’t in good faith, even as the resident Fran apologist, talk up March possibilities before getting through the next week. And yet, Iowa’s Final Four goal is tied to a day-to-day mindset: “““You have to start with the end in mind.” - Sherman Dillard” - Jordan Bohannon” - Mark Emmert While the next four games are a huge opportunity for Iowa to jump up the standings, games against Northwestern and Rutgers are, in their own way, the riskiest games on Iowa’s schedule. Two losses in the next week would represent a blow to the Iowa’s resume which is largely built on no bad losses. Both teams are riding that Quadrant 2/Quadrant 3 line. It’d be nice to see the loss column stay clean in both Quads. If March aspirations sharpen Iowa’s focus tonight and Saturday, I’m here for it. If the Hawkeyes falter, it’s fair to say they might be a bit of a distraction. Full Strength As alluded above, Iowa had to “one on, one off” Luka Garza and Ryan Kriener in the first matchup between these teams. Garza was a bear down low and got to the free throw line for 11 attempts (making 10). With Cook back in the fold, Iowa has huge opportunity to build on that gameplan, especially considering Northwestern’s strength at defending the perimeter. The Wildcats have held conference opponents under 30% shooting from three (Iowa went 4/17), and that dedication has meant a higher percentage inside. 51.8% of opponent twos are finding the net, which ranks 11th in conference. In addition, the Wildcats are offering free throws at a ratio of .339 to 1 field goal attempt, also 11th. After some lackluster games in both areas, Northwestern is a perfect opponent to reassert the will down low. Isaiah Moss He remains incredibly feast or famine in his junior year. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Iowa has won plenty of games with a variety of performances from Moss. It seemed like it had really clicked for him through the Minnesota game, where he only had one conference game under 9 points in 8 games. Yet he’s posted a couple goose eggs in the last two Iowa wins on 11 shots. Against Northwestern he showed some aggression with 12 shots, many of which were in the lane. Iowa can manage around poor offensive performances from him but it would be nice to see him return to the scoring column.<doc-sep>No. 20 Iowa and Northwestern provided your Sunday evening drama in college basketball. After completing a 15-point comeback in just over four minutes, the Hawkeye's Jordan Bohannon hit a deep 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give No. 20 Iowa the 80-79 victory in Iowa City. Northwestern's Derek Pardon made the layup that pushed the Wildcats to a 72-57 lead with four minutes and 30 seconds remaining. From that point on, Iowa went on a 23-7 run to erase the deficit and steal the win at the buzzer. Junior Bohannon and freshman Joe Wieskamp caught fire, combining to score 20 points and not missing a shot over the final four minutes. Bohannon scored 13 of his 15 points in the final four minutes. Wieskamp led the Hawkeyes in scoring with 21 points. Tyler Cook added 19 points, 11 rebound double-double to help push Iowa to victory. HIGHLIGHTS: No. 20 Iowa comes from 15 points down to beat Northwestern at the buzzer Vic Law led the way for Northwestern with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Ryan Taylor contributed 16 points. The Wildcats shot nearly 52 percent from the field, four percent higher than Iowa, and outrebounded the Hawkeyes by 11. Northwestern was up 15 points with 4:30 to go, with a 99.2% win probability. The Wildcats lost to Iowa by 1 pic.twitter.com/6rJ6TKvDxN — Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 11, 2019 Iowa was 5-13 from three point range in the first 16 minutes of the game, but connected on all four of its 3-point attempts to close the game. The win pushes No. 20 Iowa to 19-5 on the season and 8-5 in conference play. The Hawkeyes sit in sixth place in the Big Ten which features six teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Iows returns to action on Saturday, February 16 at Rutgers. Northwestern falls to 12-11 on the season and 3-9 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats see Rutgers next on Wednesday, February 13.<doc-sep>
Iowa returns to action on their home-court this late afternoon as they look to take care of business against the Northwestern Wildcats. The Hawkeyes are coming off back-to-back wins against Michigan and Indiana while the Wildcats ride a three-game losing streak. Fran McCaffery's squad won the first meeting of the year 73-63 despite not having star forward Tyler Cook, who was sidelined with an ankle injury. Iowa center Luka Garza played 25 minutes but came off the bench. Freshman Joe Wieskamp has been a boost for the Hawkeyes this season. His first dominant game in the Big Ten was against Northwestern. After McCaffery called a timeout and got after his team, Wieskamp went on a personal 9-0 run to extend Iowa's lead and the Hawks never took their foot off the gas. He finished with 19 points (7-of-11 shooting) and seven rebounds. Sunday will be the fifth time Northwestern will be on the road in seven games. The Wildcats are 1-5 in road games during conference play, recording their lone victory at Rutgers (65-57) on Jan. 18. Iowa point guard Jordan Bohannon is coming off one of his best games of the season. The standout junior scored 25 points (7-of-13 shooting, 5-of-8 from three), six assists and zero turnovers. Bohannon only finished with eight points in the first matchup of the year. Hawkeye shooting guard Isaiah Moss scorched the nets against Minnesota. The Chicago native finished with 23 points and was one of the hottest names in the Big Ten. In the two games since, he has scored zero points and has missed his last 11 shots. Moss was playing his best basketball of his career up to that point. When: 5:30 p.m. (CT) TV: Big Ten Network (Brandon Gaudin (PxP) Robbie Hummel (analyst)) Online: BTN2Go Radio: Iowa Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Bob Hansen) Sirius 133 XM 195 Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena Line: Iowa -8.5 One of Iowa's point of emphasis during the first matchup was to limit the production of Northwestern senior Dererk Pardon. The Hawkeyes held the 6-foot-8 235-pound big man in check. Pardon finished with six points (3-of-5 shooting), five rebounds and fouled out after 29 minutes of play. Northwestern star Vic Law finished with 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting. The Wildcats haven't had the season they've wanted, but their defense hasn't been a big issue. Northwestern ranks first in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.291); third in free throw percentage (.736) and blocked shots (4.5); and fourth in scoring defense (64.3). In last year’s home game versus Northwestern, Jordan Bohannon made his first two free throw attempts to tie Chris Street’s consecutive free throw record (34) before missing the potential record-breaking shot on purpose. Bohannon was recognized for this selfless act at the Musial Awards last November, which celebrates the greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character. And don't forget to sign up for our HawkeyeInsider.com newsletter! It's free, and a great way to get all the latest Iowa Hawkeye football information right into your inbox.