By Adam Hensley
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Iowa’s losing streak stretched to four games, this time after falling to Omaha, 98-89, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The Mavericks recorded their first win against a Big Ten opponent in school history, having gone 0-11 prior to the upset in Iowa City.
For the first time since 2007, the Hawkeyes have lost four-straight non-conference games.

Iowa’s issue was not on offense; Peter Jok dropped 33 points and the team shot 41-percent from 3-point range.
When Iowa needed a stop on defense, it couldn’t buy one – a reoccurring theme for the Hawkeyes this entire season.

Zach Jackson scored a career-high 21 points for Omaha, while Tra-Deon Hollins recorded a double-double (12 points, 11 assists).

“We’ve played essentially 10 games if you count the scrimmage and the exhibition game,” head coach Fran McCaffery said. “We haven’t defended in any of them. We have outscored people in four or five of them, but we haven’t really competed defensively like you’re going to need to with the caliber of teams on your schedule. So that has to change.”

Omaha beat Iowa in the following categories — field-goal percentage, turnovers, total rebounds (offensive and defensive), second-chance points, bench points, points in the paint, fast-break points, steals, and assists.

“In practice, we play really good defense, but once the light turns on, I don’t know what it is,” Jok said. “We definitely can [turn things around]. It’s all about effort, to be honest. Once you go out there everybody has to take it personally. Including me, we all have to take it personally on defense.”

McCaffery stuck with the same starting lineup he utilized against Notre Dame — Jordan Bohannon, Jok, Isaiah Moss, Nicholas Baer, and Cordell Pemsl.

Just like in the loss to the Fighting Irish, Bohannon and Pemsl stepped up on offense. The two combined for 38 points.

“It seems to be every game is the same thing,” Pemsl said. “We’re giving up easy layups, we’re giving up offensive rebounds, teams are getting as many offensive rebounds as we’re getting defensively. I think that it’s a mindset now at this point. We’ve all been playing basketball since we were 6, 7 years old. Everyone knows how to play defense, it’s just whether or not we want to or not.”

However, aside from Jok, Bohannon, and Pemsl, no other Hawkeye scored more than 5 points.

In games where Iowa’s bench has been held in check, the Hawkeyes have lost. Against Omaha, it was the same story.

Six players came off the bench for Iowa. In total, the group scored 9 points.
Ahmad Wagner brought Iowa’s only energy off the bench, grabbing offensive rebounds in bunches (7 offensive boards in the game).

McCaffery noted that besides Wagner, he wasn’t pleased with anyone’s play off the bench, including Christian Williams and Dom Uhl, two players who lost their starting spots.

Still, the focus is on the defensive side of the ball.

Wagner believes that last season the Hawkeyes strong suit was on defense. He explained that while this team is quicker and faster than last season’s, one major asset lacking is in post defense.

“I feel like this team can still come together and fill the void [Adam Woodbury] left,” Wagner said. “Whoever is in there being our big guy, whether it’s Cordell, when Tyler [Cook] gets back, myself, Dom, I feel like we’re all capable of doing it. We just need to step up.”

Iowa will face Stetson next. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. at Carver on Dec. 5.