Iowa Basketball: Three Improvements Needed Heading Into B10 Play
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Three things Iowa needs to work on heading into conference play
The non-conference part of Iowa basketball‘s schedule is over, and the Hawkeyes are 8-5 with ground to make up if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. Even though a lot of people are already counting Iowa out, the Big Ten isn’t as strong as in recent years, which means Iowa has a chance to add to their résumé.
Their four game losing streak seems like years ago, as Iowa ended the first part of their schedule on a five game winning streak. Wins over Stetson, North Dakota and Delaware State don’t jump off the board, but blowing out Iowa State and Northern Iowa proves that this is not the same team from the beginning of the year.
Besides, Iowa beat Delaware State by 32 points to end non-conference play and are expecting Tyler Cook to return against Purdue on January 28. It will be Iowa’s first Big Ten game this season and a great way to solidify them as a legitimate threat in the conference.
Iowa had an up-and-down start to the season, but through the first couple of months they’re still alive. The Hawkeyes are a young team trying to figure out how to play with each other, therefore they should keep getting better.
Here are three things they need to do better, though, if they want to make noise in the Big Ten this year.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Defense
Since allowing 98 points to Omaha, the Hawkeyes have made a more conscious effort on the defensive end. They held Iowa State and Northern Iowa to 110 points combined and Delaware State to a season-low 57 points on Thursday.
Iowa is a young team and will have games where their defense is lacking, but they can’t let it snowball or cost them winnable games. Earlier in the year, Iowa simply tried to outscore their opponents and made stopping them second, but that can’t happen in conference play.
Iowa scores the 24th most points per game this season at 84.6, but that’s against much worse defensive teams than they’ll see in the Big Ten. That makes their 271st ranked scoring defense a problem if their offense goes cold for a night.
The good news is that Iowa’s defensive intensity has continued to be a priority during their five game winning streak. Besides an inconsistent defensive showing against North Dakota, Iowa looks like a different team on that end. Sure, they didn’t score 80-plus points against Iowa State and Northern Iowa, but those are the types of games they’ll have to win in conference play.
Iowa throws a lot of different defensive looks at teams to help keep teams out of the paint since Nicholas Baer is their only player averaging at least one block per game at 1.1. Iowa wants to make it a jump-shooting game, and they’ve been able to do that for most of their past five games.
Iowa doesn’t have a rim protector and they only rank 86th in the nation in steals, although, defense is more than just statistics. Most of the time effort is all it takes to play good defense. Iowa has one of the better offensive teams in the conference, but they need to maintain their defensive intensity.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Free Throw Shooting
Free throws are supposed to be free points, hence their name. Although, Iowa has left a lot of points at the line this season, and it’s cost them in close games.
This season, Iowa has taken the 29th most free throws in the nation, but they’re shooting just 69 percent from the line. They’ve only shot above 75 percent four times this year and shot under 70 percent in three of their past five games.
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In blowouts, free throws become more irrelevant, however their poor free throw shooting cost them against Seton Hall earlier in the year. Seton Hall beat Iowa 91-83, but the Hawkeyes hung around a five-point deficit for much of the second half. They only shot 19-of-32 from the line, though, which hindered them from making a comeback.
While Peter Jok, Brady Ellingson, Jordan Bohannon and Isaiah Moss are all shooting 80 percent or better from the line, and Nicholas Baer is shooting 74.1 percent, the Hawkeyes’ big men have been atrocious from the line.
Tyler Cook shoots 59.4 percent, Cordell Pemsl shoots 51.8 percent and Ahmad Wagner shoots 50 percent from the line. Considering they rank first, third and fourth, respectively, in free throw attempts per game, it makes sense why Iowa leaves so many points at the line.
They don’t need to shoot 80 percent from the line, but Pemsl only making 1-of-8 against North Dakota shows the problems Iowa could run into in close games. Besides leaving points at the free throw line, teams could start doing a Hack-a-Pemsl or Hack-a-Cook when Peter Jok can’t miss from the field.
It would make them unplayable and put Fran McCaffery into a tough spot. Pemsl, Cook and Wagner are all too valuable for Iowa not to have on the floor, but it’s hard to play poor free throw shooters at the end of games or when teams foul them intentionally.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Better Lineups
Tyler Cook’s return will completely change Iowa’s rotation. Whether he comes off the bench so Iowa’s strong starting five remains intact, or he gets his job back in the starting lineup, he should receive at least the 25.7 minutes per game he saw before injuring his right index finger.
Getting Cook back will also make it easier for McCaffery to always have one or two go-to scorers on the floor. Jordan Bohannon’s minutes will continue to increase until Christian Williams shows any sign of consistent play, but Iowa can’t afford to have a lineup without Peter Jok, Cordell Pemsl or Cook.
Whether it’s due to poor non-conference competition or not having a third option in Cook, McCaffery played significant stretches without Jok and Pemsl on the floor. Iowa didn’t implode, but their offense looked stagnant at times and confused about who they needed to run plays for.
Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner and Isaiah Moss have all been solid offensive players this year, but they benefit from teams focusing on Jok or Pemsl. Iowa struggles in half-court situations at times, which makes it useful to have a player like Jok, Pemsl or Cook who can create shots for themselves. Not to mention they’re simply Iowa’s three best offensive players.
Peter Jok sits for fewer than five minutes in close games, and that’s when Pemsl and Cook should both be on the floor. So far this season, McCaffery has done a great job at keeping his team healthy and fresh, but Iowa can’t afford an offensively challenged lineup in conference play because one bad five-minute stretch could cost them.
Starter’s minutes should go up, but McCaffery hasn’t been afraid to trust his bench in close games, which is a trend he might want to keep with a young team.
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