3. A key part of Iowa’s win over Rutgers, Keegan Murray will have to draw much of the defense’s attention in this tilt
In what has been a pleasant surprise for the Hawkeyes, freshman Keegan Murray has put people on notice, reaching double-digits on five occasions – and, with 3PT specialist CJ Fredrick out due to injury, Murray has become a key, new member of the Hawkeyes’ starting five.
Defending him will be incredibly important for Rutgers. In the first meeting between both teams, Murray recorded a season-high 14 points (3-6 2PT, 1-2 3PT, 5-5 FT) off the bench while also hauling down a season-best nine caroms – along with three blocks and three steals. Most recently, Murray tallied 10 points at Indiana in just 16 minutes before fouling out.
No one on the roster has shot better from inside the arc than Murray with a 64.4% (38-59) clip, albeit he has struggled, compared to his teammates, from beyond the arc at 31.0% (9-29). He will almost assuredly have either Ron Harper Jr. or Caleb McConnell primarily on him, meaning both will have to work to keep him from scoring as he did against them last time – and, possibly, force him out of the game like Indiana did.
The Hawkeyes have not been the same since Fredrick’s fluctuating status due to injury – understandably so, given the sophomore leads the team in offensive rating and 3P% (26-52, 50%) – but Murray has done fairly well in filling in his starting spot in three of Iowa’s last four games.
Obviously, again, much of Iowa’s offense can produce at an extremely efficient rate – particularly between players like Garza, Jordan Bohannon, and Joe Wieskamp – but the Scarlet Knights cannot afford to let Murray go off again. In their last meeting, Garza, Bohannon, and Murray were the lone Hawkeyes to reach double-digits.
Not that long ago, the Scarlet Knights found themselves in the bubble conversation – even after appearing like one of the Big Ten’s top teams earlier on in the season. And now, back in the national ranks, they appear to safely be back in the tournament field – but a win over Iowa would do wonders in cementing their place in the field, as well as capping off their redemption arc in Big Ten play.