Indiana goals for its sixth straight win when it faces Iowa on Saturday night time at Carver-Hawkeye Enviornment. The Hawkeyes are 11-4 and 2-2 in Huge Ten video games.
Saturday’s recreation suggestions off at 8 p.m. ET on FOX:
At 13-3 general and 4-1 within the Huge Ten, Indiana has momentum coming into Saturday’s tilt in opposition to Iowa in Iowa Metropolis. The Hoosiers have received 5 straight and are 3-0 within the new 12 months in convention video games, together with Sunday’s 77-71 win in opposition to Penn State on the Palestra.
But it surely’s no secret that the competitors stage is ramping up now. The upcoming 11-game stretch shall be season-defining for Indiana. Six of IU’s subsequent 11 video games are on the highway and each recreation is at present a Quad 1 alternative. Up first is Iowa, which is 9-1 at house this season and coming off an exhilarating come-from-behind time beyond regulation win in opposition to Nebraska on Tuesday night time.
(Editor’s observe: Take heed to our preview of IU-Iowa with Tyler Tachman on Podcast on the Brink.)
MEET THE HAWKEYES
Fran McCaffery’s Iowa groups observe an analogous script every season. The Hawkeyes couple an elite offense with a not-so-good protection. This Iowa workforce has the league’s fifth-best offense and Seventeenth-best protection by way of 4 league video games.
The scouting report begins with senior wing Payton Sandfort, who examined the NBA draft waters within the spring earlier than returning for one remaining season at Iowa. The 6-foot-8 Sandfort has been streaky this season and the Nebraska recreation was the most recent instance. After going scoreless within the first half, Sandfort exploded for 30 factors within the second half and time beyond regulation to guide the Hawkeyes to a 97-87 win in opposition to the Huskers.
Sandfort is second on Iowa in scoring at 16.5 factors per recreation and second in rebounding at 5.8 per recreation. He’s taking pictures 40.3 p.c from the sphere and 34.5 p.c on 3s (113 makes an attempt). He’s additionally second on the workforce in assists, with 3.3 per recreation.
Iowa’s main scorer and rebounder is sophomore Owen Freeman. The 6-foot-10 native of Moline, Illinois, shared Huge Ten freshman of the 12 months honors final season with IU’s Mackenzie Mgbako. Freeman averages 16.7 factors, 6.3 rebounds and a couple of.1 blocked photographs in 25.4 minutes per recreation. He shoots an environment friendly 65.4 p.c on 2s.
Council Bluffs native Josh Dix is an elite shooter on the wing for Iowa. A profession 42.9 p.c 3-point shooter, the 6-foot-6 Dix had 31 factors within the win in opposition to Nebraska. Dix is 14-for-26 on 3s in Huge Ten play and is averaging 21.3 factors in convention video games.
Fifth-year senior guard Drew Thelwell transferred from Morehead State to Iowa for his remaining season of eligibility. Thelwell missed Tuesday’s recreation in opposition to Nebraska, however there’s optimism that he’ll be accessible to play in opposition to Indiana on Saturday. The 6-foot-3 makes 41 p.c of his 3s and has the perfect steal price within the Huge Ten.
A 6-foot sophomore, Brock Harding is Iowa’s level guard and main facilitator. Harding has 88 assists to simply 37 turnovers and can be a succesful 3-point shooter. He’s 18-for-46 (39.1 p.c) from distance this season.
Assuming Thelwell is out there to play, Iowa’s core bench rotation will include sophomore large man Ladji Dembele, sophomore wing Pryce Sandfort and sophomore ahead Seydou Traore.
Dembele is a 6-foot-8 ahead who averages 4.3 factors and three.6 rebounds in 16.9 minutes per recreation. He could make the occasional 3-pointer and is making 50 p.c of his 2s.
The youthful Sandfort has taken a leap in his second season. After taking pictures simply 34.7 p.c from distance final season, Pryce is 30-for-75 (40 p.c) from deep this season.
Traore is a switch from Manhattan who has been out and in of the rotation attributable to accidents. Traore has missed six video games however has been wholesome for the final three video games, together with a 14-point effort in opposition to New Hampshire on Dec. 30.
TEMPO-FREE PREVIEW
It’s no shock that Iowa is once more an elite offensive workforce. The Hawkeyes common 89.9 factors per recreation and rank twelfth nationally in 3-point taking pictures share and eleventh in 2-point subject aim share.
Iowa performs the twentieth quickest tempo within the nation and has the eighth-lowest turnover share, at 13.6, a powerful mixture. Nonetheless, the Hawkeyes don’t seize many offensive rebounds or get to the road typically, in order that they rely extremely on making perimeter photographs to win.
Iowa is 124th nationally in adjusted defensive effectivity, worst within the Huge Ten. The Hawkeyes enable their Huge Ten opponents to seize 35.5 p.c of their missed photographs by way of 4 video games. Convention foes additionally shoot 59 p.c on 2s, which is final within the league. Iowa doesn’t have the personnel to match up with Oumar Ballo within the publish, so it received’t be a shock to see McCaffery strive to remove IU’s large man and power the Hoosiers to make perimeter photographs.
WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO
The KenPom projection is Iowa by 4, with a 37 p.c likelihood of a Hoosier victory. Bart Torvik’s numbers favor the Hawkeyes by 5, with a 33 p.c likelihood of an IU highway win.
From an IU perspective, the keys are limiting live-ball turnovers, dominating the glass and limiting the quantity of in-rhythm seems to be the Hawkeyes get from the perimeter. Iowa has made not less than eight 3-pointers in 14 of its 15 video games and has eight video games with 10 or extra 3-pointers. On common, the Hawkeyes make 10.8 triples per recreation.
As their final two house convention video games have proven, no lead is secure in opposition to Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye Enviornment. In opposition to Northwestern on Dec. 3, Iowa trailed 74-68 with 1:43 left and received 80-79. And earlier this week, the Hawkeyes trailed by 15 with 14:10 left earlier than rallying to win in time beyond regulation.
This recreation is essential for each applications as every makes an attempt to stack convention wins after failing to rack up high quality wins in non-conference play.
(Photograph credit score: Iowa Athletics)
Filed to: Iowa Hawkeyes
