Harty: Penn State never really stood a chance
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The most impressive thing about the Iowa men’s basketball team’s performance against Penn State on Wednesday besides Adam Woodbury’s rebounding is that the Nittany Lions never stood a chance.
Fifth-ranked Iowa pretty much had its way from start to finish while rolling to a 73-49 victory at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Hawkeyes bolted to a 14-4 lead and never were threatened again. The lead swelled to 28 points in the second half, which allowed Iowa coach Fran McCaffery to empty his bench down the stretch.
“It’s very important to get out to a good start and get the momentum going early and get our confidence going and get the flow going really early,” said senior forward Jarrod Uthoff, who led a balanced Iowa attack with 14 points. “And you saw that today.”
What fans saw on Wednesday is a veteran Iowa team that takes nothing for granted or any opponent lightly. The Hawkeyes were ready from the opening tip because all that mattered to them on Wednesday was defeating Penn State, which fell to 11-12 overall and 2-8 in the Big Ten.
“I thought we really were locked in to throwing it ahead and attacking in transition,” McCaffery said. “You can do that, but you’ve got to do it. It’s much better to do it after stops. We were getting stops.”
The Hawkeyes led 45-26 at halftime, which helped set the stage for the 2015 Iowa football team to be honored during intermission. The Iowa football players received a standing ovation from fans as they took the court at halftime.
The Iowa basketball team then picked up where it left off in the first half by scoring the first six points in the second half.
Woodbury only scored five points and he also missed three of his six free throws and committed two turnovers.
And yet, you could argue that the 7-foot-1 center was Iowa’s most valuable player on Wednesday because of his work on the boards where he grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, including 10 in the first half.
“He was spectacular all night long because they were hard-earned traffic rebounds,” McCaffery said. “That’s the thing about Penn State. They are coming after the ball when it comes off the rim, so you have to be able to get traffic rebounds and be strong with the ball. Because even if you get it, they are going to come after it.”
Woodbury tried to downplay his dominance on the boards.
“I was fortunate, the ball bounced my way a couple times and they missed some shots,” he said. “That’s pretty much how I can sum it up. I got in the right place at the right time.”
Woodbury was in the right place at the right time mostly because he busted his butt to get there. The Sioux City native never lets up on the court, nor does he back down from anybody.
Woodbury has been that way since joining the program as a heralded freshman. His statistics have improved this season, mostly out of necessity.
Former all-Big Ten forward Aaron White used up his eligibility last season and isn’t around anymore to take rebounds away from Woodbury. White ended his career as Iowa’s third all-time leading rebounder.
“He took a few away from me, that’s for sure,” Woodbury said of White. “I’ve just gotten a little more of an opportunity this year and more stats.”
Senior guard Anthony Clemmons also continued his solid play by scoring 12 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Clemmons and Woodbury both appear to be saving their best for last as Hawkeyes. Their senior leadership has been crucial to Iowa’s success.
“To be able to play with a guy like that who is willing to get every board and sacrifice his body down there, it’s great,” Clemmons said of Woodbury.
Iowa, with records of 18-4 overall and 9-1 in the Big Ten, kept pace with Indiana for first place in the conference. The Hawkeyes now will head back on the road for a game at Illinois on Sunday.
“The last couple times we have played them, they have been really good, really close, really hard-fought games,” McCaffery said of Illinois. “So we have to be ready for that one.”
It’s likely that the Hawkeyes will be ready for Illinois because they seem determined to live in the moment.
Penn State coach Patrick Chambers was the latest Big Ten coach to rave about Iowa’s potential after Wednesday’s game. Northwestern coach Chris Collins also praised the Hawkeyes after his team’s 85-71 loss to Iowa this past Sunday.
“It makes you feel great, because, obviously, I know Chris really well,” McCaffery said. “I know Pat really well. I have a lot of respect for those guys. So for them to say that is greatly appreciated.”
The praise from opposing coaches is also well-deserved.