Week in Review: Kelly -- WOW

Who is this Jake Kelly guy? He certainly doesn’t look like the same person whose early play was marked by inconsistency. He’s not the same guy who failed to register double-figures in points in 14 of his first 24 games. Since taking over for Jeff Peterson at the point, Kelly has flourished.

“He’s a very good dribbler,” Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said after Saturday’s game. “He’s like a snake. He’s a serpentine. He’s crafty as can be. He slides around guys and it doesn’t look like he’s moving that fast. He’s 6-5 and when he gets into the lane, it’s hard to get up with him because he’s crafty.”

Kelly’s averaged 20.4 points per game over the last five games, while playing stifling defense. Against Michigan State Wednesday night he single-handedly kept Iowa in the game with 23 points, creating his own shots when Iowa looked to have nothing going on offense. Kelly was able to help Iowa get within five late in the game on the road against one of the best teams in the country before losing 62-54.

Had Iowa been able to knock down a few more open 3-pointers, the game may have been different. Bawinkel’s 1-for-6 night from downtown proved crucial. Many of his attempts were wide-open.

Iowa then completed their winless conference road record by bowing down to Northwestern at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Kelly again shined for the Hawkeyes giving Iowa a 39-32 lead with 11 minutes left in the game. But a barrage of 3’s allowed the ‘Cats to regain the advantage. Michael Thompson converted on three straight 3-pointers that led to Northwestern seizing control and a 55-49 victory.

Both Jarryd Cole and Cyrus Tate struggled down low. The duo went a combined 3-for-11 from the field, missing on mostly point blank shots. The two did not play assertive enough in the paint. The Wildcats managed to swat seven shots despite a lack of a true shot blocker. And for the second straight game, Bawinkel shot just 1-for-6 from deep.

Kelly’s Last Five Games:

@ Wisconsin -- 36 min, 17 pts, 4 rebs, 2 asts, 7/9 fgs, 5 to’s
Purdue -- 38 min, 19 pts, 5 rebs, 1 ast, 8/17 fgs, 2 to’s
Michigan -- 45 min, 23 pts, 8 rebs, 9 asts, 8/17 fgs, 2 to’s
@ Michigan State -- 40 min, 20 pts, 5 rebs, 4 asts, 7/13 fgs, 6 to’s
@ Northwestern -- 40 min, 23 pts, 5 rebs, 3 asts, 8/17 fgs, 2 to’s

Road Nightmares
Once again Iowa came up short on the road. The Hawkeyes finished 1-11 on the road and 0-9 in conference road games. They’ve had several chances to secure a road win, they just haven’t made the key plays down the stretch. They had opportunities to win on the road against Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana and Northwestern. Next year Iowa should have the experience and the talent to snatch a few in enemy territory.

Up Next: Mar. 3 vs. Ohio State; Mar. 7 vs. Penn State

The Hawks face two winnable home games this week. Both Ohio State and Penn State will come into Carver in need of victories to enhance their NCAA Tournament chances. Expect both games to be close as Iowa lost by only three at Ohio State and by four at Penn State. A pair of wins could give Iowa some nice momentum heading into the Big Ten Tournament and next season. It would give Todd Lickliter and his staff a chance to tout the progress of the program and show fans that Iowa basketball isn’t hopeless. Iowa should win at least one of its final two.

Predictions:
Ohio State 57, Iowa 55
Iowa 54, Penn State 51