By Pat Harty

The Iowa men’s basketball team showed on Friday against Colorado that it still is very much a work in progress, but it also did enough to win for the fourth time in a row.

And much of the credit goes to sophomore guard Maishe Dailey, who came off the bench to score a career-high 16 points during Iowa’s 80-73 victory at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

A sellout crowd of 3,250 that included former Iowa star linebacker and South Dakota native Chad Greenway watched the up-and-down Hawkeyes finally put the Buffaloes away late in the second half.

Dailey scored five consecutive points, including making a 3-point basket that turned a 51-48 deficit into a 53-51 lead with 10 minutes, 34 seconds remaining.

His five unanswered points turned into a 17-4 scoring run and Iowa never led by fewer than four points after that.

“He’s a skilled guy, he’s smart, he’s long, he can make shots, he can make plays," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of the 6-foot-7 Dailey on the Big Ten Network post-game show. “And I just keep encouraging him to keep going off the dribble, attack, shoot the ball and don’t hesitate. And he’s been playing that way since the Cayman Islands and I’m really happy for him.”

Iowa improved to 8-6 overall, while Colorado fell to 7-4.

McCaffery praised the standing-room only crowd, which was dominated by Iowa fans, for helping the team rally in the second half after the momentum had shifted back in Colorado’s favor.

“They made that run in the second half and the crowd really got involved and our kids really responded to that,” McCaffery said. “We grew up today.”

Dailey also gave credit to the crowd for giving Iowa a home-court advantage on a neutral court.

"It was louder than a home game it felt like," Dailey said. "When we first came out for warm-ups, I really couldn't find a Colorado fan. So it was like having a sixth-man on the court. They really helped us out a lot." 

Sophomore guard Isaiah Moss matched Dailey with 16 points and they were among five Iowa players who scored in double figures.

Colorado crept to within 65-61, but then Iowa answered with a 7-2 scoring run to quell the rally.

Turnovers continued to be a problem for the Hawkeyes as they struggled to contain Colorado’s quickness on the perimeter.

A lack of consistency also has plagued Iowa all season and it happened again on Friday in the first half.

Iowa led the Buffaloes by scores 12-4, 18-8, 22-12 and 28-18, but then Colorado closed the first half with a 13-4 scoring run and only trailed 32-31 at halftime.

Dailey made a 3-point basket with 24 seconds left in the first half to give Iowa the lead at the break. However, his basket was the only field goal Iowa made in the final 7:41 of the first half.

Point guard Jordan Bohannon spent more time than usual on the bench after picking up two early fouls in the first half. His only points in the first half came on a 3-point basket with 8:54 remaining.

Connor McCaffery replaced Bohannon in the first half and helped to stabilize the offense with his ball handling and passing. Connor also made a conventional 3-point play to give Iowa a 28-18 lead in the first half.

Considering Iowa’s lack of depth at point guard and that Connor has played well off the bench, it seems odd that redshirting him still is being considered.

Fran McCaffery said a decision would be made after Friday's game on whether his son redshirts this season. Connor McCaffery still is eligible to redshirt under NCAA rules, but would lose that option by appearing in one more game.

It would seem that Iowa needs Connor McCaffery to play this season in order provide depth at point guard and to allow Bohannon to play off the ball some.

But with Dailey now emerging as a viable option off the bench, Iowa’s backcourt depth is improving, along with its record.

"I think we're really an improving team," Dailey said. "We didn't really know what our roles were. We just knew we were really good individuals and we had to trust each other as the season went on and now we're coming together as a team." 

Iowa will play its final nonconference game against Northern Illinois on Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena before returning to Big Ten action against Michigan on Jan. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa is 0-2 in conference play after losing to Penn State and Indiana earlier this month.