The beat at 9 Iowa this season was his defense, which Sunday the game with Ohio State no. 4 in the 80th position at national level in custom defense efficiency at KenPom. Put more simply, the Hawkeyes began their showdown with the Buckeyes admitting 248 at national position in points per game at 73 and a humble 22-point defeat at No. 3 in Michigan.
But the Hawkeyes bounced back against Ohio State with a 73-57 victory showing that they can still play some defense. The Buckeyes (18-7, 12-7 Big Ten) were selected as a projected No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament, but for the first time this season did not score 60 points against an Iowa team that is now five of its last six did not win games.
When they met earlier this month, the state of Ohio won 89-85, but the Hawkeyes (18-7, 12-6) looked like a different team this time. Iowa shot Ohio State just 5-of-17 from three-point range after giving up 14 yards in the first event. Iowa also held Ohio State star EJ Liddell for the final 13:35 without a basket. Liddell led Ohio State by 15 points. However, Luka Garza led the Hawkeyes with 24 points and 11 rebounds and was assisted by a 19-point performance from Joe Wieskamp.
The victory keeps the Hawkeyes in the fight for a double farewell to the Big Ten tournament, which begins on March 10 in Indianapolis. Iowa could strengthen its position for the event as it concludes the regular season with games against Nebraska and Wisconsin on Thursday and Sunday. Ohio’s last scheduled game in the regular season is Saturday against Illinois in a power play with the late season that could have consequences in the race for the final No. 1 in the NCAA Tournament.
Buckeyes role
There is no shame in losing to Michigan, Michigan and Iowa as the state of Ohio has done in the last three games. It’s just life in basketball’s cruelest conference. But the timing of the Buckeyes’ recent slide is far from ideal with the national season. This is a team that won ten of 11 games between January 9 and February 18 thanks to a strong attack, and the hot series brought the Buckeyes to the projected number 1 seed line. The team is undoubtedly on its way to a favorable position in the Big Dance, but it’s hard to see that the state will support Ohio in a No. 1 position.
The current slide places a big emphasis on the upcoming game in Illinois. The state of Ohio won the first event 87-81, but the Illini have since won nine out of ten and are currently playing clearly better basketball, even with star guard Ayo Dosunmu recently on the sidelines with a broken nose.
Iowa’s second star
Wieskamp has consistently been Iowa’s second scorer behind Garza this season, and this team looked unbeatable on Sunday with both at the same time. The duo made a combined 17 of 29 attempts off the field, including 7 of 12 shots from the three-point series. Before Sunday, Wieskamp had made just 2 of the ten three-point attempts over Iowa’s previous two games, but his return to the Buckeyes was a good reminder that this team is the best if it is not a one-man squad. When Wieskamp strikes, it prevents opponents on Garza from collapsing and opens the floor for the entire offense.
Life without Nunge
The Hawkeyes learned on Friday that rugby center Jack Nunge will miss the rest of the season with a torn meniscus that was lost against Michigan on Thursday. The 6-foot-11 junior is the team’s leading scorer, and his latest setback in an injury career could be Iowa morale.
Instead, Iowa faced the challenge of playing without him. First-year forward Keegan Murray averaged 16.3 minutes per game, but he scored 21 points on Sunday and made an impressive contribution with eight points, five rebounds, two steals and a block. Garza also played 38 minutes, which was the most he has recorded in a game since playing 39 in a loss in Minnesota on Christmas Day. Playing without Nunge is going to be a challenge, but Iowa has shown that it just has to work out well.