JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Iowa’s trip to Indianapolis was cut short on Friday afternoon when they ran into one of the best basketball teams in the nation.
The Hawks kept pace early, but the Spartans asserted their muscle and benefited from a torrid shooting pace in the first half en route to a 92-75 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.
Michigan State was simply that good and got whatever they wanted inside in the first half which led to 70% shooting from the floor. They finished the game 32-55 (58.2%) and enjoyed a +12 advantage on the glass. MSU outscored Iowa 44-20 in the paint, including 28 first half points on the inside.
The Hawkeyes committed just two first half turnovers and nearly shot 50% themselves, but the Spartans were just too much to handle inside. It didn’t matter if Iowa ran a 2-3 zone or went man to man, they didn’t have an answer for MSU’s size and strength.
For the game, Iowa was 23-53 from the floor and 10-20 from three-point range. Josh Oglesby led Iowa with 20 points, including 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. More on that in a bit.
It may well have been the last game in an Iowa uniform for Matt Gatens. He scored 10 points on 1-6 shooting. Michigan State did a good job of keeping an eye on him all day long. If there is such a thing as ‘The Ultimate Hawkeye’, Matt Gatens is in the discussion.
Zach McCabe started hot for Iowa, hitting three long range shots in the first half. He ended with 13 points. Devyn Marble scored 13 for Iowa, along with eight for Melsahn Basabe and seven for Aaron White.
Back to Oglesby for a minute. I’ve noticed a bit of a trend with him as it relates to scoring this year. He has topped double figures on six occasions, four of those outbursts coming in games where Iowa lost by double digits. In those four games (Creighton, Clemson, at Indiana and MSU today), he made 17 of 24 from beyond the arc.
This means that in the rest of the games he played in this year he made 27 of 95 three-point shots, or a 28.4 shooting percentage. The kid can shoot, but he needs to bring that ‘nothing to lose’ mindset with him from the minute he walks onto the court, learning to flip that switch right away and not just when Iowa is behind and you are able to throw caution to the wind.
He reminds me a bit of former Hawkeye Jeff Moe, who was an excitable player, at times out of control with his body. Oglesby gets into ruts like that where he can get out of control on the offensive end of the floor. I attribute that to being a freshmen and it’s something he can definitely reign in and pick his spots. He also needs to realize when he has an open look at a three, he needs to shoot it. No need for the head fake and drive, because he’s much more likely to make the three than he is to do damage on dribble drives in this league.
With the loss, Iowa’s record falls to 17-16 on the season. Iowa will wait to see if it earns a bid to the NIT on Sunday evening, a prospect that seems unlikely. While there are no Big Ten rules prohibiting league members from playing in the CBI, the scuttlebutt is that Iowa might not have an interest in that tournament.
We’ll be writing a lot about this basketball program in the coming weeks as things are certainly looking up for the first time in five years.
The Hawks kept pace early, but the Spartans asserted their muscle and benefited from a torrid shooting pace in the first half en route to a 92-75 victory that wasn’t as close as the final score would indicate.
Michigan State was simply that good and got whatever they wanted inside in the first half which led to 70% shooting from the floor. They finished the game 32-55 (58.2%) and enjoyed a +12 advantage on the glass. MSU outscored Iowa 44-20 in the paint, including 28 first half points on the inside.
The Hawkeyes committed just two first half turnovers and nearly shot 50% themselves, but the Spartans were just too much to handle inside. It didn’t matter if Iowa ran a 2-3 zone or went man to man, they didn’t have an answer for MSU’s size and strength.
For the game, Iowa was 23-53 from the floor and 10-20 from three-point range. Josh Oglesby led Iowa with 20 points, including 5-7 shooting from beyond the arc. More on that in a bit.
It may well have been the last game in an Iowa uniform for Matt Gatens. He scored 10 points on 1-6 shooting. Michigan State did a good job of keeping an eye on him all day long. If there is such a thing as ‘The Ultimate Hawkeye’, Matt Gatens is in the discussion.
Zach McCabe started hot for Iowa, hitting three long range shots in the first half. He ended with 13 points. Devyn Marble scored 13 for Iowa, along with eight for Melsahn Basabe and seven for Aaron White.
Back to Oglesby for a minute. I’ve noticed a bit of a trend with him as it relates to scoring this year. He has topped double figures on six occasions, four of those outbursts coming in games where Iowa lost by double digits. In those four games (Creighton, Clemson, at Indiana and MSU today), he made 17 of 24 from beyond the arc.
This means that in the rest of the games he played in this year he made 27 of 95 three-point shots, or a 28.4 shooting percentage. The kid can shoot, but he needs to bring that ‘nothing to lose’ mindset with him from the minute he walks onto the court, learning to flip that switch right away and not just when Iowa is behind and you are able to throw caution to the wind.
He reminds me a bit of former Hawkeye Jeff Moe, who was an excitable player, at times out of control with his body. Oglesby gets into ruts like that where he can get out of control on the offensive end of the floor. I attribute that to being a freshmen and it’s something he can definitely reign in and pick his spots. He also needs to realize when he has an open look at a three, he needs to shoot it. No need for the head fake and drive, because he’s much more likely to make the three than he is to do damage on dribble drives in this league.
With the loss, Iowa’s record falls to 17-16 on the season. Iowa will wait to see if it earns a bid to the NIT on Sunday evening, a prospect that seems unlikely. While there are no Big Ten rules prohibiting league members from playing in the CBI, the scuttlebutt is that Iowa might not have an interest in that tournament.
We’ll be writing a lot about this basketball program in the coming weeks as things are certainly looking up for the first time in five years.
