The Hawkeyes played admirably while losing twice last week. Thursday night saw Iowa drop to then ninth-ranked Michigan State 71-56. On Saturday no. 20 Illinois out-dueled Iowa 62-54.
Moral victories are for losers but Todd Lickliter's squad showed progress. Michigan State's athletes ran circles around the Hawks at times and shot exceptionally well (51.9 percent). Iowa turned it over a managable 14 times while getting a solid effort from Jarryd Cole (10 points and eight rebounds).
It wasn't that the Hawks played poorly, Michigan State was just too much for the young Hawks. Iowa needed to be near flawless to win, and they weren't. They needed to make more than 30.8 percent (8-26) of their threes and capitalize on free throws where they were just 4-for-9.
The eight point loss at Illinois was actually more enouraging than discouraging. Iowa fought closely from start to finish. They never trailed by double-digits and actually led by four late in the first half. Cole again asserted himself nicely, especially in the first half when he scored all of his 10 points. Unfortunately for Iowa, Cole wasn't the same player in the second half as he was plagued by foul trouble. Jeff Peterson turned in a quality performace as well, registering 12 points, 6 assists and no turnovers.
Some quick observations:
1. Iowa has gone cold from beyond the arc. They've shot only 30.8 (28-91) percent from deep over their last four games. Devan Bawinkel is just 4-for-19 (21 percent) in his last eight games.
2. Rebounding is a major issue. Michigan State outrebounded Iowa 35-28 and similarly, Illinios out-numbered Iowa 35-22 on the glass. Cyrus Tate cannot be back soon enough.
3. Matt Gatens is shooting more. Well, it's hardly a trend considering it's just two games. But he did take 21 shots combined in the last two games. If he can get 10 shots per game, Iowa will be much better.
4. Perhaps David Palmer's two monster games were a fluke. No one expected 20 points and eight boards per game but what happened? He's scored only 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in his last three games.
Up Next: Feb. 4 @ Indiana; Feb. 7 vs. Northwestern.
The Hawks actually stand a legitimate chance to win twice this week. Going to Indiana is a potential nightmare, however. No one wants to be the first to give Indiana (5-15, 0-8) its first conference victory. You can bet Lickliter is telling his team that the Hoosiers have been close to knocking off several Big Ten teams at home.
Northwestern is no gimme either. The 'Cats are on a roll, winners of four out of five. Iowa must play well, even at home, to get a win in this one.
Predictions:
Iowa 67, Indiana 62
Iowa 61, Northwestern 58
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I think you are being highly optimistic in predicting a pair of victories this week for Iowa. Still without Tate, the team's offensive efficiency has suffered dramatically and then have been physically dominated over the course of the last two weeks. Palmer, I agree, was a fluke in his 40-point stretch over two games but it would be nice to see him continue even the smallest production. There is no doubt this team will improve in the off-season with so many young players, but another 1-1 week will make Iowa's chances of even making the NIT seem like a real stretch.
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