By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – On the rare occasion when Iowa senior Peter Jok struggles offensively, he usually responds in dramatic fashion in the next game.

So Maryland, you’ve been warned.

The Big Ten’s scoring leader was held to a season-low four points in Sunday’s 89-54 loss at Northwestern.

Jok was slowed by a stiff back against the Wildcats and it marked the first time this season that he has failed to score in double figures and just the fourth time he has scored 13 or fewer points.

On the three previous occasions, Jok responded in the next game by scoring 30, 42 and 25 points.

He told reporters before practice on Tuesday that he was feeling better.

“Last game was one of the first times it’s tightened up all year,” Jok said of his back. “But I’m good right now. I feel better.”

Jok has stressed to his younger teammates the importance of moving on from the Northwestern beat-down and not letting it linger. He is Iowa’s lone senior starter, along with four freshmen.

“We’ve just got to take in what happened this last game and get ready for Maryland,” Jok said.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery is confident that his senior sharpshooter will bounce back against the 16-2 Terrapins.

Jok is Iowa’s leader, so when the team gets pounded, it reflects poorly on him.

“I just think he's a competitor,” McCaffery said. “Obviously, he does consider himself the leader of this team. But any time he plays poorly, he takes it personal, and that's what the great ones do. They should. I never want them to feel blame. I'm not going to blame them. I don't want anybody else to blame them.

“And at some point you don't want them to blame themselves too much because sometimes they can be the biggest problem you have is they're too tough on themselves. But to be upset about a loss and feel responsible and want to make sure it doesn't happen again, that's what you want.”

Defenses are now designed to stop Jok, who constantly faces double and sometimes even triple teams. Combine that with the Big Ten’s reputation for being physical and each night becomes a challenge for Jok.

McCaffery reminded reporters on Tuesday that former Iowa all-Big Ten guards Matt Gatens and Devyn Marble experienced the same treatment. They also were marked men on the court and took a beating at times.

“The reality is this: they did it to Gatens, they did it to Marble,” McCaffery said. “Everybody does it to the other team's best player. That's what happens. He's no different than anybody else. He's a tough guy. I'm not worried about that. He's had some injuries, and they have lingered. But he's as tough a guy as there is playing through that stuff.”

McCaffery said Jok was willing to go back in the Northwestern game, but McCaffery figured it wasn’t worth the risk after the score became lopsided.

“I would have put him back in,” McCaffery said. “We got down by a certain number of points, at that point, I wasn't putting him back in. If that game was in the balance, he was going back in. He was good to go.”

Thursday’s game against Maryland will feature two of the Big Ten’s top players in Jok and Maryland senior guard Melo Trimble, who leads the Terrapins in scoring with a 17.2 per-game average.

Trimble excels at getting into the lane and drawing shooting fouls.

“It's hard to keep him out of the lane because that's where he gets fouled,” McCaffery said. “He gets fouled when he gets in the lane, so you've got to do the best you can. Everybody tries it. He's got an incredible burst. He's got the ability to play upright and still go by you, which is rare, so you'd think he's not going to go and then he goes, and that will draw some fouls. You've just got to try to tall up as best you can and keep your hands off his hip, you know, chop down, things like that.”

Maryland has won nine of its last 10 games and is 3-0 in true road games.

The Terrapins are similar to Iowa in that Trimble is the only returning starter from last season’s team that finished 27-9 overall. Jok is Iowa’s only returning starter. Maryland also starts three freshmen, including former Iowa recruiting target Kevin Huerter, a 6-7 guard from Clifton Park, N.Y.

Thursday’s game will only be Maryland second visit to Carver-Hawkeye Arena and the sixth meeting overall between the two teams. Iowa defeated Maryland 71-55 on Feb. 5, 2015 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

 

Operation Bounce Back

Peter Jok has been held to 13 or fewer points in four games this season, including a season-low four points in Iowa's last game at Northwestern on Sunday. On the first three occasions, he responded by scoring at least 25 points in the next game.

Nov. 13 – Savannah State, 13 points; Nov. 17 – Seton Hall 30 points

Nov. 25 – Virginia, 13 points; Nov. 26, Memphis 42 points

Dec. 28 – Purdue, 13 points; Jan. 1, Michigan 25 points

Jan. 15 – Northwestern, four points; Jan. 19, Maryland, ?

 

Maryland vs. Iowa

When: 6:04 p.m., Thursday

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena

TV: ESPN

Records: Maryland is 16-2 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten; Iowa is 11-8 and 3-3.

Wear gold: Fans are being encouraged to wear gold to Thursday’s game as part of a “Gold Out” promotion.