The dichotomy was on full display near the tunnel of Carver-Hawkeye Arena the night of Jan. 21. Fresh off an upset victory, the Minnesota men’s basketball team bounded down the hall with joy and delight, a mass of burgundy uniforms impatiently waiting for a postgame celebration.
Iowa players, on the other hand, trudged off the hardwood as if held captive by the harsh, jarring reality, they created on the court – a 72-67 loss to the Big Ten’s last-place team, perhaps the most defeat for the Hawkeyes, who have lost four of their last five games. The skid hasn’t technically burst a tournament bubble, but bleakens a once promising start.
The contest against the Gophers appeared to be the perfect “get right” game for the Hawkeyes, who were coming off a disappointing West Coast trip where they never led for a second. Instead, it only exposed the hindering flaws the team needs to fix, which despite the narrow win against Penn State, continued to infect the squad in its most recent defeat to Ohio State.
With plenty of dirt to shovel until it emerges from the hole it dug itself in, Iowa’s improvement has to start with the players. Senior forward Payton Sandfort and head coach Fran McCaffery both alluded to missed calls after the Minnesota game, but officiating should only be an obstacle, never a reason for a loss.
“You’ve got to find another way to win, which unfortunately we couldn’t do,” Sandfort said.
With Big Ten powerhouses Purdue, Illinois, and Wisconsin on the horizon, Iowa needs to develop a sound strategy, one that prioritizes defense and a diversity on offense.
With senior guard Drew Thelwell a fixture in the starting lineup, Iowa will constantly have difficulties on the glass without a traditional power forward position. The Hawkeyes were outperformed on the glass in all but one conference game, six times by 10 or more. Benching Thelwell isn’t the answer, as his defensive impact is invaluable. A small lineup can make up for a rebounding disadvantage by forcing tough shots, yet oftentimes opponents will secure easy baskets via the ball screen.
With a small lineup, switching on a screen only creates opportune mismatches for the opponents. Yet oftentimes an Iowa big man, whether that be Owen Freeman or Riley Mulvey, winds up along the three-point line trying to defend a pick on the ball. As a result, their counterpart flashes to the post, where he is likely open against a smaller defender.
Even worse, two Hawkeyes will end up guarding the same player on the perimeter, which automatically leaves an open man. In the second half against the Gophers, Minnesota’s Parker Fox rolled to the right block off a ball screen without a defender near him. After he received the post pass, Iowa’s Seydou Traore had to help from the back side, leaving Traore’s assignment open on the opposite block for a dunk.
Iowa guards Thelwell and Brock Harding are high-energy guys. Fighting through a ball screen shouldn’t be a problem. On-court communication is also a must for all players.
On the other side of the ball, up-tempo scoring has been a mantra under McCaffery, but the head coach has his limits, criticizing the quick shooting of his Hawkeyes. Sandfort has played through wrist and shoulder injuries this season and is shooting a career-low 34 percent from three this season. Credit to him for staying available, but averaging a career-high 13 shots a game isn’t conducive for not being fully healthy. Early-in-the shot-clock triples from Sandfort and others can ignite a crowd, but aren’t the most reliable at a sustained offense. Utilizing screens to create mismatches or open shots, especially with Freeman down low or Josh Dix at the midrange, can have success.
Iowa players don’t lack motivation. They didn’t treat the Minnesota loss as a fluke. Thewell buried his head inside his jersey on his way off the court, knowing full well his team gave away what should’ve been an easy victory. Yet Freeman was right by his side, not about to let his teammate navigate an uphill journey alone.
“The guys in the locker room, we got guys with great character and great basketball players. So we’re going to build on this and we’re just going to come back stronger.”