Iowa Basketball: 3 takeaways from dominating win over No. 4 Ohio State

3. Connor McCaffery has not nearly been as effective as of late – and needs a resurgence before the tourney

In what is one of the few concerning areas of Iowa’s performances as of late – and, notably, in this game – the play of junior Connor McCaffery has not necessarily been up-to-par – or, at least, to what he showcased earlier on in the season.

McCaffery has never been much of a scorer while at Iowa – he is averaging just 4.8 points for his career – but instead, he has served primarily as a facilitator, averaging 3.5 assists during his time with the Hawkeyes.  Again, that much is true this season, as well – he has just two double-digit point games on the year, but also has one double-digit assist performance.

McCaffery was exceedingly efficient at the start of the season, with his first six games yielding offensive ratings over 100.  By comparison, however, since scoring 16 points in the February 13th win at Michigan State, McCaffery has endured four-straight games where his offensive rating was under 100.

Against the Buckeyes, McCaffery was held to just two points and two assists – all the while committing four fouls in 23 minutes of play.  Again, McCaffery is not a scorer by any means – but his lack of contributions in Iowa’s last four tilts, particularly compared to the beginning of his junior campaign, is a bit concerning.  In the win over Ohio State, McCaffery was just a plus-4 in the box score, tied for lowest on the team alongside Jordan Bohannon.

It obviously has not mattered too much considering Iowa is 3-1 in those four games where his offensive rating was sub-100, but the Hawkeyes are deadliest when everyone is on board and contributing – and that includes McCaffery.  If the junior can return to the level of play he was at in the opening months, then Iowa – paired with its flourishing defense – could be one of the scariest teams in all of college basketball.

The Hawkeyes will take their resume-building win into a March 4th tilt against Nebraska, before closing out the regular season with Wisconsin.  If the Hawkeyes win-out – which, considering how they are playing now, is very much possible – then Iowa could very much be in line for a 2-seed ahead of Selection Sunday.