By Adam Hensley
As the regular season draws to a close, Iowa can’t focus on the Big Ten Tournament just yet. Two games remain on the schedule, and the first stands as arguably the toughest test this season.
The Hawkeyes (16-13) will travel to Madison, Wisconsin, to face the Badgers (22-7) in an 8 p.m. contest on ESPN today.
Despite the Badgers’ reign at No. 2 in the Big Ten, they’re definitely beatable — a late-season slump has handed Wisconsin four losses in five tries.
Prior to Feb. 25, the No. 24 Terrapins found themselves sliding down a slippery losing slope (four losses out of six tries) before Iowa added one more for good measure.
Iowa, on the other hand, hammered out two-consecutive compelling performances against Indiana and Maryland recently; the Hawkeyes seem to be firing on all cylinders at a perfect time.
“We were really connected offensively in terms of sharing the ball,” head coach Fran McCaffery said.
As a team, the Hawkeyes dished out 17 assists (with only 11 turnovers) but made the most of their possessions, especially from beyond the 3-point arc.
Iowa made 16 3-pointers, the most in a conference game this season; Iowa made 16 3-pointers in its previous three games before heading to Maryland.
Freshmen Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook put on a clinic in front of the College Park crowd.
Bohannon’s 8 3-pointers (24 points total) helped Iowa’s long-ball cause, while Cook’s dominance in the paint both offensively (21 points) and defensively (10 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block) left Maryland searching for an answer.
“He ran the floor, he posted hard,” McCaffery said. “We’re going to go to him, he’s our guy.”
Peter Jok didn’t get to the line as he did against Indiana, shooting only two free throws against Maryland compared with his 22 makes from the line versus Indiana. But even with an off-shooting night from the field, the defense couldn’t leave him alone, opening up opportunities for his teammates.
“Teams have been really locking in on Pete,” McCaffery said. “If you do that, others have opportunities to make shots and step up.”
Jok’s presence also gives the Hawkeyes a higher probability of snagging offensive rebounds, because the defense plays up by the 3-point line rather than crashing the glass.
“Putting the pressure [Maryland] did on Peter Jok, you have opportunities [to get offensive rebounds],” McCaffery said. “The defenders are aware of where he is. They’re over, they’re helping shooting — whether it be a ball screen or a down screen — you have a chance to go back up and get them.”
It’s all about getting extra possessions, something Iowa must do against Wisconsin’s stifling defense.
The Badgers allow the 11th fewest points in the nation: 62.1 a game (for comparison, the Hawkeyes give up 77.7 points a game, 297th in the nation).
Iowa’s defense will have its hands full, to say the least.
Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ, one of the conference’s best forwards, averages 14.1 points per game, along with 9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks.
Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes also balance the Badgers’ methodical scoring approach. Both players average more than 13 points a game and shoot better than 40 percent from the field.
Following Iowa’s game in Madison, the Hawkeyes will host Penn State for the regular-season finale on March 5 at noon.
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