Following a tough home loss to Minnesota on Jan. 21, the Iowa men’s basketball team and its coaching staff walked off the floor in a stunned silence. Forward Payton Sandfort, usually filled with upbeat, positive energy, could barely raise his voice above a whisper during his postgame press conference.
“I know it’s gonna feel good when we figure it out,” Sandfort said after the game.
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Two weeks later, Sandfort and the Hawkeyes remain stuck in neutral and are now losers of five out of their last six contests after a hard-fought 80-61 loss to Purdue on Tuesday evening. Though the results haven’t improved, Sandfort’s reaction on this night was different.
The disappointment on the senior’s face was evident, but he was able to crack a slight smile during his postgame remarks. That’s because Sandfort has been in a bad slump lately, especially from his trademark three-point line. The forward knocked in only 26 percent of his triples over the last three games, but came out on fire against the Boilermakers.
Sandfort’s struggles in the first half of games have been well-documented over the course of the year, but he quickly nailed his first three of the contest two minutes into the game. That simple bucket proved to be enough to Sandfort going, and he continued to score from all areas of the floor.
We see you, @payton_20_
#Hawkeyes
pic.twitter.com/ayp6SvQrZv— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 5, 2025
One of the most common phrases in the game of basketball is the “contagious shooting” effect. When one player finds his rhythm, it passes over to the next man, and that next man up against Purdue was third-year guard Josh Dix.
Like Sandfort, Dix has also been mired in a brutal scoring slump, averaging only 4.6 points per game over his last three contests, a far cry from his usual average of 13.3 points per game. But all of those woes were quickly placed in the rearview mirror early, as he collected Iowa’s first five points of the game.
“He [Sandfort] finds me all the time when I’m open,” Dix said. “I just love playing with him. And I felt like our motion game to start the game was really good, and then just our ball movement, the whole team came out inspired.”
The duo’s hot start didn’t surprise anyone on the Iowa bench, especially head coach Fran McCaffery.
“They’ve been great all year long,” McCaffery said. “They were ready to go tonight. Both of them were spectacular and I’m not surprised.”
The Hawkeyes led by as many as seven points in the first half, but the Boilermakers fought back to tie the game at 36 heading into the break. Iowa missed some chances to extend its lead, but it likely could have trailed by 10 or more points if it weren’t for the strong contributions of two of its top stars.
Purdue showed why it is a top-10 team by racing out to a 10-point lead to begin the second half, but the Hawkeyes wouldn’t go away thanks to the shooting of Dix and Sandfort. The duo seemed to answer every Boilermaker run, combining for 28 points in the period.
Purdue maintained a slight edge for most of the half, but Dix and Sandfort nearly engineered an incredible comeback in the waning minutes. Trailing by eight with 3:48 to play, Dix nailed a tough jumper while being fouled and knocked in the ensuing free-throw to cut the deficit to five. The junior added a pair of free-throws later on to slice the Boilers’ lead to just three. Iowa didn’t get any closer after that, but it certainly had plenty of chances down the stretch.
An impressive block by second-year point guard Brock Harding paved the way for an open transition three for Sandfort, but it clanked off the front of the rim. Purdue couldn’t corral the rebound, giving the Hawkeyes another opportunity for the tie. Dix had an open look on the ensuing in-bounds pass, but his attempt was long. The Boilermakers scored on their next possession, and Iowa’s comeback hopes were dashed.
The Hawkeyes remain a long shot to make the NCAA tournament, and Tuesday’s loss didn’t help those odds, but Iowa is still proud of its valiant effort against one of the nation’s best teams. They might not have even competed without Sandfort and Dix, who finished their nights with 23 and 27 points, respectively.
“We really competed, and I’m proud of the guys that really stepped up,” Sandfort said.