Iowa Hawkeyes: The Big Ten’s Enigma
The line between winning and losing in the Big Ten and in major college basketball is razor-thin. And no team walks that line as frequently as the Iowa Hawkeyes.
As soon as the college basketball world begins to take notice of the wonderful work Fran McCaffery does, the Hawkeyes (11-5, 2-1) seem to falter. McCaffery is regarded in coaching circles as one of the better teachers of the game and his Hawkeyes are capable of exquisite play. Likewise, they are prone to epic meltdowns in the season’s most defining moments.
For example, last season the Hawkeyes were at one point 19-6 and rose as high as 10th in the national rankings. That’s when things began to mysteriously unravel.
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Iowa dropped six of their final seven games and limped into the Big Ten Tournament where they promptly exited via a 67-62 loss to Northwestern. Despite the tailspin the Hawkeyes earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in eight seasons. McCaffery’s club was relegated to the “play-in” game where they were bounced by Tennessee. An enigmatic season was brought to a blunt end.
This year’s version of the Hawkeyes has been no less of a roller coaster and it appears that when the nation begins to take notice a meltdown is imminent. Two pivotal games have been examples of how the Hawkeyes falter when a breakthrough opportunity awaits.
There is a recipe that the Hawkeyes can adhere to and flourish – sharing the basketball, ball movement, playing inside-out, getting to the free throw line and screening. And there are plenty of examples of the team following this formula even against top-flight teams in statement games. Sustaining it for two halves seems to be the issue.
Hawkeye fans surely notice the job Fred Hoiberg is doing at Iowa State. The Cyclones are laying claim to the state and have become Iowa’s flagship program. The CyHawk game is as important to McCaffery and Hoiberg’s fanbases and job status as any on the schedule.
Iowa played host to Iowa State on December 12. The Hawkeyes sported an 8-2 record coming into the game with their only two losses at the hands of Texas and Syracuse at the 2K Classic in Madison Square Garden (yet another squandered opportunity to announce themselves on the national stage).
A win over North Carolina in Chapel Hill served to negate criticisms and the Hawkeyes were set to make a statement. Further, the Cyclones would be coming to Iowa City having suspended Bryce Dejean-Jones. The table was set for a Hawkeye victory.
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An explosive second half by the Cyclones and a nearly nine minute drought between field goals doomed the Hawkeyes and they fell 90-75. And judging by the final score and the fact that the Cyclones connected on 12 three-pointers, perhaps it is the Hawkeye defense that is failing them in key moments.
But the game, especially the first half, was not without flashes of brilliant offensive basketball that followed the winning recipe perfectly.
With a very early possession the Hawkeyes demonstrate the brilliant motion offense teachings of McCaffery. The ball swings from side-to-side and players pass and cut. There are Hawkeyes curling into the lane off of effective screens and never does a player pass and stand.
The ball is entered on the low block to 7’1″ Adam Woodbury and the rest of the Hawkeyes give him room to operate. Guard Mike Gesell relocates beautifully and Woodbury finds him for a double-down, kick out three.
The Hawkeyes figured to have a major size advantage in the paint over the Cyclones, with three starters at 6’9″ or taller. Early on it was clear that McCaffery wanted to go inside and capitalize on his frontline’s size advantage.
Further, the Hawkeyes are one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country (77%). Getting the ball inside plays to that strength as well.
McCaffery often uses this baseline screening series that features two high guards and interior screening. Once again, the ball moves from side-to-side and there are very effective screens set along the baseline. The Hawkeyes play through their big men and find 6’9″ Jarrod Uthoff coming open on a solid baseline screen.
Despite these moments of brilliance and a clear game plan the Hawkeyes were out fought on their home court in the second half by the undermanned Cyclones. The enigma continued and the Hawkeys slid back to the fringes of relevancy on a national scale.
After the loss to Iowa State, the Hawkeyes compounded their enigmatic reputation by falling 56-44 on a neutral floor to Northern Iowa. UNI is a very good squad, but dropping back-to-back games to in-state rivals put the Hawkeyes at a low point. That is until Big Ten play began.
Iowa opened the Big Ten slate at No. 20 Ohio State. These are the type of games the Hawkeyes are known for losing yet they went to Columbus and notched a wire-to-wire 71-65 Big Ten road win.
They followed the win over the Buckeyes with an emphatic 70-59 beat down of Nebraska. The Hawkeyes sat atop the Big Ten standings alongside powerful Wisconsin after two games as one of only two teams with an unblemished conference record.
The buzz was back and Iowa had the Michigan State Spartans on their home floor with another opportunity to make a huge statement. The Hawkeyes took a commanding lead and closed the first half on 27-10 run, but the Spartans scorched Iowa in the second half to the tune of 47-22 en route to a 75-61 victory. The roller coaster continues.
Despite the meltdown, McCaffery’s teaching and the Hawkeyes’ brilliant offensive potential demonstrated the winning recipe even in critical moments.
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Iowa held a nine point lead at the 19:00 mark in the second half and this beautiful possession stretched that lead to 11.
When watching a well-coached motion offense team, it is at times easiest to watch one player and all his movements. In this case, watching Uthoff, who sets the downscreen towards the top of the clip to begin the possession, is the best player to follow.
Uthoff begins to screen for Peter Jok in the corner, but his defender loosens too early and Uthoff slips to the basket. That is lovely recognition by Uthoff but Gesell does not find him on the slip so Uthoff stays on the move.
He receives a pin screen along the lane line from Woodbury then a downscreen from Gesell. Ultimately he receives the ball in the mid-post area.
When Uthoff catches, Jok sets a backscreen for Aaron White and the Spartans do not communicate. The result is a thunderous dunk generated by screening, cutting, ball reversal and movement without the basketball.
Motion offense is all about recognition and at times the Hawkeyes display that ability at a high level. Here we see Iowa committed to once again get the ball inside.
This time they exploit a bad switch by Michigan State. Dominique Uhl sets a simple backscreen for Uthoff and Bryn Forbes of Michigan State switches onto Uthoff. The Hawkeyes recognize the six inch size advantage and stay four-out around the 6’9″ Uthoff and find him for an easy interior bucket.
That basket gave Iowa a two-point lead with 11:27 to play. Michigan State then hit back-to-back threes and the game was over. The deflated Hawkeyes again flunked an in-game test when a breakthrough was within reach.
Next up, McCaffery takes his Hawkeyes to Minnesota Tuesday. The Gophers are a solid team in desperate need of a win after an 0-4 start in Big Ten play.
Desperate teams play tough and with energy at home especially when facing an 0-5 Big Ten start. Iowa is a better team, but can they muster the guts to win when grit is needed most?
Following the winning formula of spacing, ball movement, screening and inside-out play has worked for them in attention-grabbing victories. And an offense that is putting points on the board may not be the reason the Hawkeyes falter when the spotlight is on them.
It is sustaining that recipe and coupling it with the type defensive intensity worthy of Big Ten elite status that still eludes them.