Iowa men face Michigan in Big Ten home opener on Sunday
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With it hard to call the second game of an 18-game Big Ten schedule a must-win, perhaps the best way to describe Iowa’s matchup with Michigan on Sunday is one the Hawkeyes cannot afford to lose.
The difference between being 1-1 and 0-2 in Big Ten play might not be much from a statistical standpoint, but from a psychological standpoint, it’s huge. Especially for a young team like Iowa, which is expected to have at least three freshmen starters on Sunday.
Part of the challenge for the Iowa players is to not let Wednesday’s 89-67 pounding at Purdue in the Big Ten opener linger and become two losses.
All that matters for the rest of this calendar year is beating a Michigan team that isn’t elite, but still is dangerous because of its ability to make 3-point shots, its ability to defend and because of John Beilein’s influence as head coach.
“His teams emphasize defense and play it well,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Beilein, who is in his 10th season at Michigan.
McCaffery also has emphasized defense this season, but his message hasn’t always been heard.
Iowa (8-6) struggled on defense early in the season, but then showed progress during a five-game winning streak before struggling against the Boilermakers.
Freshman forward Tyler Cook returned to action against Purdue after missing the previous seven games with a broken finger on his right shooting hand, and played well at times. But he also got into foul trouble and struggled on defense and with rebounding against Purdue’s massive frontline.
“We need him to get a little more active on the glass which he will be,” McCaffery said. “He’s really in a good place right now. I’d say there is a good chance he’s back in the starting lineup.”
One of the challenges for McCaffery with Cook now healthy is figuring a rotation for his frontline players. Fellow freshman forward Cordell Pemsel performed well in Cook’s absence as the starter at power forward.
However, Cook and Pemsl rarely played together before Cook was injured. Cook started the first six games, while Pemsl came off the bench.
McCaffery was asked Friday on a teleconference how Cook’s presence would impact Pemsl’s role.
“They’re going to have to figure it out and we’re going to have to figure it out,” McCaffery said. “We haven’t had a lot of game experience where that has taken place. The key is you just can’t have two guys posting up at the same time, and they both like to post up.
“But the good is news is they can play out on the floor. They both can dribble the ball. They both can pass the ball. So there are a lot of different things we can do in that sense to figure out who can play together.”
Staying out of foul trouble is another thing that Cook and Pemsl have to figure out. There is only so much that McCaffery and his assistants can do to help with that.
“I think what has to happen eventually is they have to figure out how to stay out of foul trouble,” McCaffery said of Cook and Pemsl. “And that’s one of the components of learning the process of how to be a good player when you’re a freshman.
“That’s one thing that nobody ever talks about. Where do you keep your hards? How do you move your feet? How do you anticipate the action so you’re there and not late? That’s why you’re fouling.”
Michigan enters Sunday’s game with a 10-3 record, but hasn’t played since defeating Furman 68-62 on Dec. 22 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Iowa has won four consecutive games against Michigan and its last three Big Ten home openers.
The Wolverines are mostly untested on the road this season, losing their only two true road games at South Carolina and UCLA by scores of 61-46 and 102-84, respectively.
Iowa vs. Michigan
When: 1:21 Sunday
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Records: Michigan is 10-3, 0-0 Big Ten; Iowa is 8-6, 0-1
TV: Big Ten Network