JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
In Big Ten basketball, when the temperature outside the arena is a number greater than the total points you put on the scoreboard, it's never a good thing. Sure, there could be some freakish 70 degree temps in late November or early March, but for the most part, it's a sport played in frigid weather.
It was 47 degrees in Iowa City on Sunday, but much, much colder in Carver Hawkeye as Minnesota beat Iowa 62-45.
The Gophers were bound and determined to make Iowa beat it from the perimeter, and the Hawkeyes hit just 6 of 28 three point shots. I am shocked this is the first extensive zone look Iowa has seen this season, given they have just one true shooter on the team in Matt Gatens. Sunday, Gatens was 2-11.
As a team, Iowa was 16 of 47 from the floor and got to the line just 11 times. They were also outrebounded by the much larger Gophers 38-25 and the Hawks committed 17 turnovers.
Iowa has been outscoring most of its opponents in the paint this year, but the Gophers turned the tide on Saturday scoring 34 points to just 14 inside the lane.
The be brief, there weren't many things Iowa did right on Sunday, which was a real disappointment. On the heels of their outstanding performances over the past three games, I hoped stinkers like this one would be a thing of the past.
Hey, I realize every team can have a bad night and I wrote a few weeks back there would be some rough outings ahead, so I am not going crazy here.
It's just that this poor outing came on the heels of a lot of optimism and excitement. There were 12,759 fans in the arena on Sunday, and they went away having watched one of Iowa's worst outings of the year.
It doesn't take away the memory of Wednesday's overtime loss to #13 Wisconsin (who beat #1 Ohio State on Saturday). Basketball is a lot of things, including a sport where one team can match up favorably, or unfavorably, against another. Minnesota went as big as they could go on Sunday and played a salty 2-3 zone for nearly the entire way. Iowa doesn't have the shooters to make them pay, and the Hawkeyes also showed a lack of maturity and patience in trying to attack the zone. Their passes got lazy, then they forced the action into spots that just weren't there to be had.
It was a bad day. Let's hope the Hawks can shake it off and come back strong this week.
Iowa has the Thursday/Saturday combo this week; at Northwestern then home against Michigan. It's not an ideal situation for a team with just one point guard, but that's the way the schedule makers drew it up.
It was 47 degrees in Iowa City on Sunday, but much, much colder in Carver Hawkeye as Minnesota beat Iowa 62-45.
The Gophers were bound and determined to make Iowa beat it from the perimeter, and the Hawkeyes hit just 6 of 28 three point shots. I am shocked this is the first extensive zone look Iowa has seen this season, given they have just one true shooter on the team in Matt Gatens. Sunday, Gatens was 2-11.
As a team, Iowa was 16 of 47 from the floor and got to the line just 11 times. They were also outrebounded by the much larger Gophers 38-25 and the Hawks committed 17 turnovers.
Iowa has been outscoring most of its opponents in the paint this year, but the Gophers turned the tide on Saturday scoring 34 points to just 14 inside the lane.
The be brief, there weren't many things Iowa did right on Sunday, which was a real disappointment. On the heels of their outstanding performances over the past three games, I hoped stinkers like this one would be a thing of the past.
Hey, I realize every team can have a bad night and I wrote a few weeks back there would be some rough outings ahead, so I am not going crazy here.
It's just that this poor outing came on the heels of a lot of optimism and excitement. There were 12,759 fans in the arena on Sunday, and they went away having watched one of Iowa's worst outings of the year.
It doesn't take away the memory of Wednesday's overtime loss to #13 Wisconsin (who beat #1 Ohio State on Saturday). Basketball is a lot of things, including a sport where one team can match up favorably, or unfavorably, against another. Minnesota went as big as they could go on Sunday and played a salty 2-3 zone for nearly the entire way. Iowa doesn't have the shooters to make them pay, and the Hawkeyes also showed a lack of maturity and patience in trying to attack the zone. Their passes got lazy, then they forced the action into spots that just weren't there to be had.
It was a bad day. Let's hope the Hawks can shake it off and come back strong this week.
Iowa has the Thursday/Saturday combo this week; at Northwestern then home against Michigan. It's not an ideal situation for a team with just one point guard, but that's the way the schedule makers drew it up.
