Luka Garza and Iowa Basketball looks to avoid upset against Grand Canyon

1. GCU’s post presence could cause Iowa to be uncomfortable

There are few teams as solid defensively inside as the Hawkeyes, who rank 35th in the nation in two-point defense at 45.8% – and allow teams to earn just 49.4% of their point distribution from two-pointers, which is slightly better than the Div. I average.  Those marks have been even better in Big Ten play, where the Hawkeyes clamped down and greatly improved upon their worrisome defensive woes.

But that defense will be put to the ultimate test against an unorthodox Grand Canyon lineup that features, essentially, two centers in 7-10 Asbjorn Midtgaard and 6-10 Alessandro Level.  Both lead the Antelopes in scoring at 14.0 and 13.3 points, respectively – as well as in rebounding with marks of 9.9 and 5.4.

Lever presents issues on his own, sitting with one of the team’s best two-point shooting percentages at 57.9% and owning the Antelopes’ best three-point percentage at 39.4% (28-71).  He has not been nearly as effective as of late, scoring single-digits in both of Grand Canyon’s WAC Tournament wins – but prior to that, the senior ripped off 10-straight double-digit performances to close out the regular season.

Midtgaard may be Iowa’s greatest concern, however.  At 7-foot and 270 pounds, the senior ranks 12th in the nation in 2PT%, draining 70.3% (104-148) of his shots inside the perimeter, sits in the top 100 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage and draws 5.0 fouls per 40 minutes.  The Wichita State transfer, compared to Lever, was a bit more effective in the WAC Tournament, scoring 12 in the championship tilt.  Most notably, however, Midtgaard has recorded a whopping 10 double-doubles on the season.

That tandem inside could create issues for an Iowa team that has struggled to shut down physical post play as of late.  Look no further for evidence than in Iowa’s Big Ten Tournament loss to Illinois, where the Illini’s Kofi Cockburn poured in a game-high 26 points on 11-17 shooting in just 24 minutes – in a game where the Illini were a blistering 29-51 (56.9%) on inside shots.

With the season-ending injury to Jack Nunge, the Hawkeyes lack substantial depth in the frontcourt, with the 6-8 freshman Keegan Murray serving as Luka Garza’s backup – particularly when Garza has dealt with foul trouble, which has also become an issue recently.  With Murray and the 6-6 Joe Wieskamp splitting time at power forward, the Hawkeyes have been a bit smaller in the lineup – and that could potentially pose problems against the bigger Antelopes.

Iowa, obviously, cannot allow that.  The Hawkeyes are coming off a game where they were outscored in points in the paint, 52-24, in the loss to Illinois – and that could happen again against a team that sports two centers in Grand Canyon.  If the Hawkeyes hope to come out with a win and advance to the Round of 32, they must find a way to shut one – or both – posts down.