JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
On Saturday afternoon, at at time when many Iowa fans were still shaking the cobwebs out of their heads from yesterday's late night loss by the football team in the Insight Bowl, the Hawkeye basketball team gave them a huge thrill.
This basketball team needed something. They needed a payoff for the hard work they have put in since November. They needed a key win this season to help propel them the rest of the gruelling Big Ten season.
They got it on Saturday in one of the biggest snake pit's in college basketball, beating #11 Wisconsin in the Kohl Center 72-65.
Wisconsin entered this game leading the nation in scoring defense and had not allowed any opponent to score more than 53 points this season. Wisconsin entered this game with a 59-1 record in their last 60 home games against unranked conference foes. Iowa entered this game without a win at Wisconsin since 2000.
The bench led the way for the Hawkeyes, with Aaron White and Bryce Cartwright doing a lot of damage. Iowa scored 37 points off the bench in all, with White netting 18 points in 20 minutes and Cartwright playing the best game of this season with 17 points, five assists and one turnover in 31 minutes.
Cartwright was a catalyst for Iowa in the second half. When players from both teams were sucking wind, Cartwright was running past everyone as though they were wearing cement shoes. He hit several clutch shots and his ability to drive and dish was big in this game, too. Iowa has really been missing this sort of play from this position, as he is quicker than Devyn Marble and can get deeper off the drive.
White was very fun to watch, too. 18 points in 20 minutes is excellent production, and he was a big part of why Iowa was able to stay close and then pull away in the second half, hitting treys, putbacks and free throws.
Devyn Marble was downright enormous over the final two minutes, hitting a pair of enormous buckets after Wisconsin threatened to get too close. He finished with seven points but all of them were huge, playmaker-type shots like his dad used to knock down.
Matt Gatens scored just six points but had a team high 12 rebounds. Melsahn Basabe added 14 points and nine rebounds, but a late game technical could have spoiled this Hawkeye party. Iowa was up by 12 points with 3:25 to play when Basabe was called for a foul, shoved a Badger and was slapped with a technical. Wisconsin made all four free throws and scored a two-point basket, giving them a six-point possession as they cut the lead in half and brought the Kohl Center back to life. But it was Marble who came down and hit a fadeaway playground style jumper to push the lead back to eight.
The Badgers pulled to within three-points with :47 to play after a steal off full court pressure, but it was another Marble jumper that gave Iowa five-point cushion with just :21 to play.
This young team needed a win like this. They needed to prove to themselves that they can play some good basketball and hang in there with the best teams in this league. They needed something to hold on to.
They have that now, with Fran McCaffery's second win over a Top 11 ranked team in Iowa's last 17 games (dating back to Iowa's regular season finale against Purdue last year)
The Iowa fans also needed something like this to take their minds off the disappointing finish to the 2011 football season. This will help in that area for at least a little bit.
There is no respite for these Hawkeyes, however. Their next opponent is another road game, at Minnesota on Wednesday.
GAME NOTES: Iowa had 10 turnovers to eight for the Badgers....Wisconsin hit just 3-28 shots from beyond the arc in this game, where Iowa was 2-6...both teams attempted 17 free throws, which as much as you can ask for in a Big Ten road game. Iowa was 12-17, Wisconsin was 14-17....Iowa out rebounded Wisconsin 41-39 but the Badgers were +5 on the offensive glass....Iowa shot 49.2% for the game against one of the best defenses in the nation, including 57.7% in the second half.
This basketball team needed something. They needed a payoff for the hard work they have put in since November. They needed a key win this season to help propel them the rest of the gruelling Big Ten season.
They got it on Saturday in one of the biggest snake pit's in college basketball, beating #11 Wisconsin in the Kohl Center 72-65.
Wisconsin entered this game leading the nation in scoring defense and had not allowed any opponent to score more than 53 points this season. Wisconsin entered this game with a 59-1 record in their last 60 home games against unranked conference foes. Iowa entered this game without a win at Wisconsin since 2000.
The bench led the way for the Hawkeyes, with Aaron White and Bryce Cartwright doing a lot of damage. Iowa scored 37 points off the bench in all, with White netting 18 points in 20 minutes and Cartwright playing the best game of this season with 17 points, five assists and one turnover in 31 minutes.
Cartwright was a catalyst for Iowa in the second half. When players from both teams were sucking wind, Cartwright was running past everyone as though they were wearing cement shoes. He hit several clutch shots and his ability to drive and dish was big in this game, too. Iowa has really been missing this sort of play from this position, as he is quicker than Devyn Marble and can get deeper off the drive.
White was very fun to watch, too. 18 points in 20 minutes is excellent production, and he was a big part of why Iowa was able to stay close and then pull away in the second half, hitting treys, putbacks and free throws.
Devyn Marble was downright enormous over the final two minutes, hitting a pair of enormous buckets after Wisconsin threatened to get too close. He finished with seven points but all of them were huge, playmaker-type shots like his dad used to knock down.
Matt Gatens scored just six points but had a team high 12 rebounds. Melsahn Basabe added 14 points and nine rebounds, but a late game technical could have spoiled this Hawkeye party. Iowa was up by 12 points with 3:25 to play when Basabe was called for a foul, shoved a Badger and was slapped with a technical. Wisconsin made all four free throws and scored a two-point basket, giving them a six-point possession as they cut the lead in half and brought the Kohl Center back to life. But it was Marble who came down and hit a fadeaway playground style jumper to push the lead back to eight.
The Badgers pulled to within three-points with :47 to play after a steal off full court pressure, but it was another Marble jumper that gave Iowa five-point cushion with just :21 to play.
This young team needed a win like this. They needed to prove to themselves that they can play some good basketball and hang in there with the best teams in this league. They needed something to hold on to.
They have that now, with Fran McCaffery's second win over a Top 11 ranked team in Iowa's last 17 games (dating back to Iowa's regular season finale against Purdue last year)
The Iowa fans also needed something like this to take their minds off the disappointing finish to the 2011 football season. This will help in that area for at least a little bit.
There is no respite for these Hawkeyes, however. Their next opponent is another road game, at Minnesota on Wednesday.
GAME NOTES: Iowa had 10 turnovers to eight for the Badgers....Wisconsin hit just 3-28 shots from beyond the arc in this game, where Iowa was 2-6...both teams attempted 17 free throws, which as much as you can ask for in a Big Ten road game. Iowa was 12-17, Wisconsin was 14-17....Iowa out rebounded Wisconsin 41-39 but the Badgers were +5 on the offensive glass....Iowa shot 49.2% for the game against one of the best defenses in the nation, including 57.7% in the second half.
