Harty: A skid like this shouldn’t happen to a veteran team
The strangest thing about the Iowa men’s basketball team’s current skid is that nobody could’ve seen it coming.
There was nothing to suggest that trouble was brewing when Iowa won 12 of 13 games during a stretch that lasted from Dec. 19 to Feb. 7.
But trouble has since arrived in full force as Iowa suffered its third consecutive loss, and its fourth loss in five games, falling to Ohio State 68-64 on Sunday at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The same Iowa team that could do little wrong in December and January is now spiraling in the wrong direction, and at the worst time of the season, despite having four experienced seniors in the starting lineup.
Iowa’s slump is perplexing.
It’s maddening.
And it could get worse with Big Ten leader Indiana coming to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday, unless the Iowa players and coaches figure things out in a hurry.
“We got a senior team, but we’re turning the ball over,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said Sunday on his Learfield post-game radio show after watching his team commit 15 turnovers against Ohio State. “We’re not executing. We’re not getting to loose balls. We’re playing more tentative than we should be playing.
“So I think what we have to do is figure out as coaches to get these guys to play a little bit more solid and a little bit more aware of the importance of execution.”
You’d think that a team with four senior starters would understand and appreciate the importance of execution at this point.
But maybe not.
Because something is clearly wrong with Iowa. And if it doesn’t get fixed in a hurry, it’ll be too late.
Indiana already owns a piece of the Big Ten regular-season title thanks to Iowa losing on Sunday. The Hoosiers have won 22 Big Ten regular-season titles, including 10 since 1980.
Iowa, on the other hand, hasn’t won at least a share of the Big Ten regular-season title since 1979.
That’s why it hurts fans to watch the current team unravel. The Big Ten regular-season title was there for the taking, but something has kept the Hawkeyes from taking it.
It’s not just one or two things that are causing Iowa to struggle.
Iowa’s much-maligned bench made a decent contribution on Sunday, and the Hawkeyes also shot well from the free throw line, making 17-of-22 attempts. And yet, Iowa still lost.
The Hawkeyes continue to struggle with ball security, committing 15 turnovers in Sunday’s game.
That’s hard to explain, considering Iowa’s experience.
Iowa also only made three 3-point baskets in Sunday’s game. That’s hard to explain, considering how well Iowa shot from the perimeter as a team earlier in the season.
Iowa’s skid is hard to explain because how can a veteran team go from playing with precision and poise to playing with little of either down the stretch?
In addition to closing the game with a 12-2 scoring run, Ohio State also ended the first half with a 9-2 scoring run.
That shouldn’t happen to a veteran team like Iowa.
Injuries haven’t been a major problem. It hurt to lose 6-8 forward Dale Jones to a season-ending knee injury. But everybody else has stayed healthy.
One of the few bright spots on Sunday was the bounce-back performance of senior guard Mike Gesell who had been in a shooting slump. Gesell and senior forward Jarrod Uthoff led Iowa with 16 points apiece.
The 6-foot-2 Gesell also had two dunks, including a rim-rattling one-handed slam in which he blew past his defender to the basket.
“He was absolutely fantastic,” McCaffery said.
Gesell had a chance to tie Sunday’s game in the closing seconds, but his lay-up was blocked from behind by Ohio State forward Kieta Bates-Diop.
There appeared to be some contact, but Gesell made no excuses after the game.
“We got a good look at it and I was trying to make a play,” said Gesell, who made his 125th career start on Sunday. “I don’t know if he fouled me or not. Every time you go to the basket in the Big Ten there is contact. I was just looking to make a play.”
McCaffery also didn’t use the officials as an excuse despite what appeared to be some controversial calls or no calls. Uthoff was knocked to the floor after setting a screen for Gesell’s final lay-up attempt, but no foul was called.
"It was one of those kinds of game and you’re kind of hoping that you get the call at the right time," McCaffery said. "But that didn’t happen for us. But heck, we shot 22 free throws. So I’m not complaining about that."
The situation has reached the critical stage for Iowa, but still isn’t hopeless.
Iowa still could tie Indiana for the Big Ten regular-season title.
The Hawkeyes also have shown they can beat just about anybody when they’re playing well.
Just ask Michigan State coach Tom Izzo whose team lost twice to Iowa this season by double figures.
Iowa is faced with a quick turnaround and barely will have 48 hours to prepare for Tuesday’s game against the Hoosiers.
That’s fine with Gesell because he is eager to get back on the court.
“You love to get back out on the court, especially after a loss,” Gesell said. “That’s what you like to do. As a competitor, you like to be playing games and I know we’ll be ready. We’ve got a mature team and we’re going to look at this game as a learning experience and be better from it.”
Iowa can’t afford to have any more learning experiences. Sunday’s might prove to be one too many.
It’s hard not to think back to two years ago when the Hawkeyes unraveled, losing seven games of their final eight games. You figured the current team, which held a players-only meeting on Feb. 20, would be above having a similar collapse because of its experience and because of how well it played for much of the season.
But as we were reminded on Sunday, that isn’t the case. The current Iowa team is more vulnerable than previously thought.