Rutgers Basketball: 3 keys for Scarlet Knights to upset No. 15 Iowa

2. The Hawkeyes were plagued against IU by decisions regarding Garza – and Rutgers can cause a repeat of that

It is no secret that Iowa’s loss to Indiana was met with controversy regarding Fran McCaffrey’s decision to bench Luka Garza eight minutes into the first half after Garza picked up his second foul – and keep him on the bench for the remainder of the half.  McCaffrey’s subsequent postgame comments after being asked about it only fueled the fire – but it may have also produced a key for Rutgers.

When Garza was benched, the Hawkeyes were leading by 10 – but the Hoosiers embarked on a 29-14 run over the final 12 minutes to take a 33-31 lead at halftime.  Obviously, the Hawkeyes were still in a position to win – they maintained a double-digit lead six minutes into the second half – but that stretch during the first half may have been the difference in this being a blowout win for Iowa – or just a win at all.

It was not that Garza was not effective, either – he still scored a game-high 18 points in 27 minutes of play.  But that 18 point total is one of the lowest of his season, he uncharacteristically struggled from the floor (6-14, 2PT) and the big man hauled down a season-low two rebounds.

Shutting down Garza is critically important for Rutgers, especially considering he put in a game-high 25 points (8-9 2PT, 1-2 3PT, 6-7 FT) against the Scarlet Knights when they met last time.  His presence inside largely caused Rutgers to shoot below their season average inside (45.8%) – but the Scarlet Knights still relied heavily on two-pointers, outscoring Iowa in both 2PTers (22-48 to Iowa’s 19-38) and 3PTers (9-23 to Iowa’s 7-18).

The Scarlet Knights lost that game at the free-throw line, an area where they have struggled all season long, making their inside game that much more important.  No team in the Big Ten relies more on two-pointers than Rutgers, who see 56.2% of their offense come from 2PTers – compared to just 29.2% on 3PTers and 14.6% on free-throws.

It is no coincidence that in Rutgers’ five-game losing streak, the Scarlet Knights went 104-233 (44.6%) on two-pointers – and saw that mark jump drastically during their four-game winning streak to 78-131 (59.5%).  Contrarily, Iowa is allowing teams to shoot 49.0% (73-149) in their four recent losses – while, in their lone win, they held Michigan State to just 39.0% (16-41).

Rutgers’ inside shooting – much like it did with rebounding – begins with Myles Johnson, who is shooting 66.7% (66-99) on two-pointers, the 47th-best mark in Div. I.  Johnson is coming off one of his best games of the season, pouring in 14 points (7-8 2PT), hauling down 12 caroms, blocking three shots, and snagging two steals against Minnesota.  Johnson enjoyed success against Garza in the earlier meeting, recording a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Rutgers was, obviously, still in the game with Iowa even with Garza scoring 25 points – but forcing McCaffery’s hand early on could greatly benefit the Scarlet Knights in their second meeting.  Garza picked up just one foul in their prior tilt and subsequently played a game-high 35 minutes.  If the Scarlet Knights are able to get Garza into foul trouble quickly, then that would – obviously – benefit a team greatly that relies so heavily on two-pointers.