Iowa meets the challenge without its star player
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Peter Jok is a gifted shooter and without question the best offensive player on the Iowa men’s basketball team.
There is hope without him, though.
The Hawkeyes proved that on Saturday by whipping Ohio State 85-72 before an announced attendance of 15,138 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Jok watched the game from the Iowa bench, sidelined by a stiff back that hampered his performance in the previous three games, all of which were Hawkeye losses.
His team, instead of wilting without its star player, rose to the occasion at a pivotal time in the season with Iowa mired in a three-game losing streak.
A fourth consecutive loss could have been devastating, especially since Saturday’s game was played at home. Doubt would have started to creep in if it hadn’t already on such a young team.
“I thought it was a testament to the depth and the talent that we have,” said sophomore guard Brady Ellingson, who stepped up in jok’s absence by making 5-of-7 3-point shots and scoring 17 points. “We played really well defensively and offensively.”
Iowa started three freshmen and two sophomores on Saturday, so the game was sort of glimpse into the future, but without having to pay a price.
Jok was a vocal leader on the bench during Saturday’s game, but his impact went beyond just cheering in public.
“Pete was great,” Ellingson said. “He texted us last night saying it’s huge for us no matter what and that we were going to step up and play huge today.”
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery praised Jok for his leadership leading up to Saturday’s game.
“Because some guys will do it when everybody is watching,” McCaffery said. “And he did it yesterday when nobody was watching, and he did it in the lockerroom when nobody was there.
“So that’s a good sign. I’m really proud of him there.”
There were plenty of good signs in Saturday’s game, including Iowa shooting 50 percent from the field in both halves, having four players score in double figures and six players grab at least four rebounds.
It was a total team effort at a time when Iowa needed just that.
Freshmen forwards Ryan Kriener and Tyler Cook scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, while freshman point guard Jordan Bohannon chipped in with 12.
Junior forward Dom Uhl helped in other ways with six assists, five rebounds and one steal off the bench.
“We moved the ball well from side to side and trusted each other as well, offensively and defensively” said Cook. “We got the job done today. Brady went off and Ryan came in and had a great game. And so did the other guys. A lot of guys pitched in today.”
The one thing Iowa has done well for most of the season is defend its home court. There has been an occasional hiccup, but more times than not, the Hawkeyes bring it at home, even without their star player.
Iowa improved to 10-3 at home with Saturday’s victory and 12-10 overall, including 4-5 in the Big Ten. Ohio State fell to 13-9 and 3-6.
“What you saw was just a lot more aggressiveness by other people,” McCaffery said. “And that’s what I want them to be. I want them to be more aggressive.”
As for Jok’s status, McCaffery described it as a day-to-day evaluation and didn’t give a timetable for a return.
“I think the plan is it will go for a little while, but it’s really going to be a function of how much progress does he make,” McCaffery said.
As for the once-mighty Buckeyes, they struggled big time on offense in the first half, often settling for contested jump shots that had little chance of going in the basket. Ohio State only made 11-of-32 field-goal attempts in the first half.
The days of Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and deep runs in the NCAA Tournament are long gone in Columbus, replaced by a team that is deficient in many areas on both ends of the floor.
Iowa was missing its best player on Saturday, but still led 40-29 at halftime. That says something about both teams, but probably more about the struggling Buckeyes.
That Matta had Ohio State flirting with elite status early on, but the program has been on a steady decline, at least by its standards..
Iowa had an answer every time Ohio State made a run on Saturday.
“We have to try harder,” Matta said. “We did some things defensively tonight that I’ve never ever seen us do.
“And give Iowa credit. My God did they play well. But we just couldn’t get the stops that we needed.”
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