By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – In case you haven’t noticed, there is an interesting storyline developing on the Iowa men’s basketball team besides Keegan Murray’s emergence as a star player.

Iowa’s second unit, and more specifically backup guards Tony Perkins and Ahron Ulis, are playing as well, or in some cases, better than starting guards Jordan Bohannon and Joe Toussaint.

That was especially true in Monday’s 87-83 loss to Illinois as Perkins and Ulis scored 16 and 11 points, respectively, while Bohannon and Toussaint scored four and two points, respectively.

Perkins and Ulis also both played 24 minutes, while Bohannon and Toussaint played 17 and 16 minutes, respectively.

Perkins also outscored Bohannon 14-4 in Iowa’s 77-70 loss at Purdue last Friday.

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery has shown a willingness to use Perkins and Ulis if they’re playing well and expect that continue against undefeated and 17th-ranked Iowa State on Thursday in Ames.

It doesn’t really matter who starts for Iowa because Fran McCaffery relies heavily on his bench during the course of a game.

Matchups have a lot to do with who plays, but it ultimately comes down to who is playing better at a given moment.

And in several games this season, Perkins and Ulis have been more effective than Bohannon and Toussaint.

Whether that happens against Iowa State remains to be seen. But one thing is certain; Fran McCaffery won’t hesitate to use his two backup guards if he feels they’re playing better.

A lot could depend on how Bohannon is shooting from the perimeter because when he’s hot and getting open looks, there are few better at making 3-pointers.

Bohannon was thought to have played his last game at Hilton Coliseum in 2019 when he helped Iowa to an 84-68 victory by scoring 12 points.

He marked the occasion after the game by leaving a pair of his game shoes on the floor of Hilton Coliseum with the following message written on one of the shoes:

“To ISU, Thanks for Memz. He added his initials and his jersey No. 3.

But now two years later, Bohannon will return as a 24-year old sixth-year senior, and as the Big Ten’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals.

He plays more at shooting guard after switching from point guard in the offseason, but with the 6-foot-4 Perkins playing so well on both ends of the floor, Bohannon is now sharing the position, causing his minutes to decrease.

Bohannon still is capable of having a big scoring night as he showed against Virginia when made six 3-point baskets and led Iowa with 20 points in the 75-74 victory on Nov. 29 in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“You know, he’s always going to have the green light,” Fran McCaffery said of Bohannon. “We’ve got to do a better job of freeing him up, finding opportunities for him to get shots. I don’t want to put it on him. I think we got to put it on us to get him shots and and find him openings.”

But now when Bohannon’s shots aren’t falling, or if he’s struggling to get open looks, Fran McCaffery has the luxury of switching to Perkins.

It’s the same at point guard where if Toussaint struggles, the 6-3 Ulis is a reliable option.

Fran McCaffery spoke highly of Ulis during a zoom conference with the media on Wednesday.

“He’s always been a guy that plays under control,” Fran McCaffery said. “And the beautiful part of that is, he’s a really good athlete. So he’s got speed and quickness and he can create. He can create havoc on the other side with his ability to drive the ball and make plays and be creative.

“But he’s got a keen sense of when to go, when not to go, when to move it or when to drive it, when to shoot it. He’s a thinker. He’s not a mistake maker. So I’ve been really impressed with him and his development. And the thing about it is I think he’ll keep getting better.

Perkins isn’t near the shooter that Bohannon is from perimeter, but Perkins excels as a defender and his offensive game is starting to blossom. He can score on the perimeter or use his strength to get to the basket.

Ulis and Toussaint both excel on defense, and both have shown that they can lead the offense.

The 6-0 Toussaint is starting for the first time as a Hawkeye, and so far his performance has been up and down. His quickness has helped to make Iowa better defensive team, but Toussaint has struggled at times on offense.

And when he does, Ulis is there to help pick up the slack.

Iowa has four guards that Fran McCaffery trusts in the heat of battle, and that’s encouraging.

It might take all four playing well for Iowa to defeat the surging Cyclones, whose new-look roster under first-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger is filled with some familiar faces from Big Ten country.

Former Minnesota guard Gabe Kalscheur and former Penn State guard Izaiah Brockington are two of Iowa State’s key players as senior transfers.

They are among three Iowa State players who average double figures in scoring, led by Brockington at 16.0 points per game. He also leads Iowa State in rebounding at 7.5 per game.

Kalscheur is averaging 12.1 points per game and freshman guard Tyrese Hunter is averaging 11.6 points per game, and a team-best 5.4 assists.

Fran McCaffery is very impressed with how smoothly the transition has happened on the court under Otzelberger, who used to be an Iowa State assistant coach.

“The first thing is they have a new team. And it’s not easy to do, by any means to get a new group to play with the cohesion that they that they’re playing with,” Fran McCaffery said. “So it’s a credit, you know, to their coaching staff and the players, for that matter, all of them combined.

“I mean, they got a veteran group, they’re new. But, you know, they’ve got some really good players. They really bought into the defensive concepts, and they’re playing really well together at both ends. But you know, if you know these guys, you look at the roster, they got good players.”

Iowa is in the midst of a difficult five-game stretch and is 1-2 at this point.

The team will have eight days off for finals weeks before facing Utah State on Dec. 18 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

So, Iowa will either be basking in the joy of having ended Iowa State’s unbeaten streak during final weeks, or dealing with a three-game losing streak.

That’s a big difference.

Keegan Murray led Iowa with 19 points against Illinois after having missed the Purdue game due to a right ankle injury. He lacked some of his explosiveness against Illinois, but still played 30 minutes and had three steals and two blocks.

Where Murray struggled against Illinois was on the boards where he grabbed just two rebounds for a team that was outrebounded by a 52-23 margin.

Neither Perkins, Ulis nor Bohannon had a rebound against Illinois, while Toussaint had two.

Perkins isn’t near the shooter that Bohannon is from perimeter, but Perkins excels as a defender and his offensive game is starting to blossom. He can score on the perimeter or use his strength to get to the basket.

Ulis and Toussaint both excel on defense, and both have shown that they can lead the offense.

Keegan Murray, meanwhile, has shown that he can lead the country in scoring, which he currently is doing at 23.9 points per game.

Fran McCaffery said Keegan Murray felt pretty good after the Illinois game from a physical standpoint, so to have him at close to 100 percent against Iowa State will, obviously, be huge for Iowa.

Despite coming off back-to-back losses, Fran McCaffery likes his team’s effort.

“We’re playing hard. I mean, I’m pleased with how we’re competing,” he said. “We have to execute a little bit better against teams like we’ve played the last two games. We did it against Virginia. We didn’t do it the last two games. We’re playing another ranked team, that’s undefeated, on the road. It’s another great opportunity. I think that’s how we view it.”

Iowa vs. Iowa State

When: Thursday, 8 p.m.

Where: Ames, Hilton Coliseum

TV: ESPN2

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series: Iowa holds a 47-27 advantage in the Iowa State series. Iowa has won four of the last five meetings. The Hawkeyes snapped an eight-game losing skid in Hilton Coliseum two years ago, posting an 84-68 win in Ames. The home team has won 15 of the last 18 in the series, dating back to 2004, with the Cyclones winning in Iowa City in 2010 and 2015 and the Hawkeyes winning in Ames in 2019.
The Cyclones own a slim, 19-18, advantage in games played at Ames. Iowa State has won eight of the last nine meetings in Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa will be facing one of the most improved teams in college basketball in the 17th-ranked Cyclones, who are 8-0 under first-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Iowa State finished 2-22 last season and was winless in 18 conference games.