Where did this Iowa basketball team come from?
By Joe Albano
How did Iowa basketball wind up on top of the Big Ten?
In November if you said the Iowa Hawkeyes were favored to win the Big Ten, I would have assumed you were talking about football. Fast forward to February, with less than a month left in the regular season, and the Iowa Hawkeyes stand at No. 4 in the AP Poll and are sitting atop the Big Ten standings.
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College basketball fans probably entered this season expecting an average campaign from the Hawkeyes. Like any other middle-of-the-pack power conference team, they would dominate their easy non-conference games, go around or below .500 in conference play and maybe get lucky enough to be in the discussion for an NCAA Tournament bid.
Iowa did have some early chances to prove themselves. Two close losses to Dayton and Notre Dame overshadowed the fact that they racked up a victory against Marquette, a power conference team. A 23-point victory over a plummeting Wichita State certainly got our attention, but most of us just chalked it up as a fluke.
The eye-opener came against in their big rivalry match-up with Iowa State. Although the Hawkeyes blew a 20-point lead and lost by one, they had an undefeated Cyclones team with their backs to the wall on national television.
Jarrod Uthoff‘s 32-point performance was not enough to seal a victory, but it was enough to get the attention of the public. Their effort against Iowa State showed that the Hawkeyes had some fight, some talent and a shot to make things happen. It definitely did not solidify their status as a contender for the Big Ten or national title, but it showed they could potentially shake up the standings a little bit.
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The Hawkeyes laid low after their match-up with Iowa State, playing two games in two weeks. Both were victories over mid-major programs. It seemed as if reality had set in and the Hawkeyes had returned to their status of normality.
On December 30th, Iowa took down the undefeated Michigan State Spartans. They not only beat the Spartans, they dominated them. Iowa scored the first basket of the game, and never lost that lead. Taking down the top ranked Spartans propelled Iowa into the rankings. A skeptical voting committee put the Hawkeyes at No. 19, but they have continued to climb ever since.
Since then, Iowa has gone 9-1, their lone loss coming to Maryland. The Hawkeyes stand at 19-4 and are claimed the #4 spot in this week’s AP Poll. They are in first in the Big 10, with an impressive 10-1 record in the conference. They have racked up two wins against Purdue, one against Michigan and another over Michigan State. The Iowa Hawkeyes are in the running for a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and they are serious National Title contenders.
What makes this year’s Hawkeyes squad so compelling is their quick rise through the ranks. Iowa has always been an average program, lost amongst the power-houses in their conference. Last year the Hawkeyes had a comparatively successful season.
They notched their first tournament victory since the 2000-2001 season before losing in the Round of 32. But what exactly gave Iowa the boost to take their program to the next level this year?
The short answer is everything. The Hawkeyes are dominant in all aspects of the game this season. Their volatile offense is amongst the best in the nation, posting nearly 81 points per game. Combine that with a defense that is allowing under 70 points per game and that’s a good start. Add in the fact their starting lineup consists of four seniors and one junior, it is no surprise that Iowa is having a successful season.
The numbers show that Iowa is one of the most well-rounded teams in the NCAA. Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok lead the Hawkeyes potent offense, averaging 18.4 and 15.5 points per game respectively. They are also shooting about 47% from the floor and an impressive 40% from three-point range.
On the defensive side of the ball, Uthoff is averaging 6.4 rebounds and 7-1 center Adam Woodbury is pulling in just over 7 boards per game. If that’s not enough Uthoff is also averaging about 3 blocks per game and the Hawkeyes have held opponents to 40% shooting from the floor.
Ultimately, what it comes down to is the fact that Iowa has developed as a team. The results of this 2015-2016 season were merely dreams for the past four years. The Hawkeyes have successfully developed the nucleus of this year’s team over the past couple of seasons, and now they are reaping the benefits.
When you watch the Hawkeyes play, it is obvious that coach Fran McCaffery has molded his players to fit the system perfectly. the Hawkeyes run their offense like clockwork and play tough team defense. Sure, there are many aspects of basketball that cannot be taught such as height or athleticism.
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But the Iowa Hawkeyes embody the intangibles of basketball that have proven to be just as effective as any vertical leap. In an era where we see teams like Kentucky, who have to restock on freshmen talent every year to replace all their one-and-dones, it is somewhat refreshing to see a team like Iowa compete with the elites.