Funny game. It seems like we lost that 2nd half by 20. Every time looked at the score we were still up by 11 or 8. I think Mich St. only gained about 4-5 Pt's on Iowa from half-time.
I was amazed by two things related to Owen Freeman. I was first surprised that we won that game with him being on the floor so little due to fouls. His absence for that long should have sunk our ship. It didn't.
Second, even with such limited minutes, he was incredibly effective when on the floor. He scored, screened, rebounded and was a rim protector. He needs to learn to be more foul savvy, but damn he is good.
That's because of their coach. They aren't making it. I see where he has 4 last byes, last 4 in and last 4 out. Iowa is currently on THE NEXT four out. But, they haven't been on any listing since November so I'm excited it's even an option. Still a pretty uphill battle IMO.
Gritty win. Especially on the road. Win your share of those and everything else being equal you will be toward the top of the conference standings.What I loved most about last night was the manner in which Iowa won. East Lansing. Tom Izzo. Crowd into it. Not many threes going down. And yet Iowa was the grittier team, showing the superior mental and physical toughness. Krikke dug out the rebound when Iowa absolutely needed it. Perkins found a way to the basket when Iowa had to have points, either getting the layup or hitting free throws.
If this team can keep showing grit, it has a chance.