Takeaways and postgame after Hawkeyes 78-75 lost in overtime versus Wisconsin
By Dallas Jones
IOWA CITY, IA – The Hawkeyes played their third game in five days Sunday night and it was far from easy. The Wisconsin Badgers came into the game 8-1 with a conference victory already under their belts.
While the Hawkeyes were riding a hot wave after defeating the Cyclones. The abcense of Kris Murray and Ahron Ulis, who was a late scratch due to a hip contusion, proved to be too much.
Here are my takeaways from Iowa’s matchup against Wisconsin and postgame video from Coach McCaffery and players:
Never say never: Most teams would be hard pressed to find their way out of a five point deficit with 20 seconds left, but the Hawkeyes made it look easy.
After a quick lay up made it a three point game, Tony Perkins came away with a steal and assist to a Patrick McCaffery that tied it up. While the Hawkeyes came up short in overtime, the late game execution of the Hawkeyes deserved to be noted.
HAWKS TIE IT UP! 🔥@patrickmccaff22 x @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/yQ9V2g2j6d
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 12, 2022
McCaffery reaching deep into his bench with injuries in the starting unit: Dasonte Bowen stepped into the starting lineup for the first time of his career tonight vs Wisconsin with Ahron Ulis (hip contusion) out.
Bowen wasn’t the only Hawkeye to see increased minutes as Carter Kingsbury entered the game at the 11-minute mark, shortly after making only his second every collegiate three.
Kingsbury played seven minutes and had an even zero plus/minus rating. Bowen played 14 out of the 20 minutes in the first half with a bucket, rebound, assist and steal in the first half.
The pair struggled in the second half, succeeding some minutes to Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort in the second half. It is clear that even with Ulis in the lineup, McCaffery’s guard rotations are very fluid.
It will be something worth paying attention to moving forward.
The McCaffery’s led the way: Connor McCaffery had his second start of the season tonight and was the only Hawkeye that seemed to be comfortable offensively in the first half (8 points and a pair of three).
Patrick on the other hand struggled mightily in the first half (5 points 2-6 fg, 0-3 3fg), but put together an impressive second half.
Patrick finished the game with 24 points, including the three pointer to go to overtime. Connor notched another double double with 17 points to go with ten rebounds and five assists.
Two veterans on an injury riddled young team were huge this game and will need to show up that way every game.
You have to be able to win multiple ways in the Big Ten: It was clear from the jump that Wisconsin’s slow play style would be trouble for Iowa. The Hawkeyes are one of the best offensive teams in the land, averaging over 80 points a contest.
The Badgers on the other hand average less than 70 points at 66.1 and are holding their opponents to even less. With that fact Iowa still saw themselves tied with the Badgers at 27 going into the half.
The Hawkeyes picked up the pace slightly, but even with overtime the Hawkeye were held to 75 points. Adjusting to injuries is never easy, but the looks that I wanted were there for much of the night.
Being able to adjust to a change of pace and stay within yourself can be what separates a good team and a great team.
Threes are worth more than twos: Hawkeye shot 4-15 from deep in the first half. 55.5% of the shots Iowa took were three’s, which is not a bad thing, unless you are shooting 26.7% from deep like the Hawkeyes.
They did not slow down the shooting in the second half. They launched another 11 in the second half, only putting down three. That brought their game total to 7-27 (25.9%), a mark that no team wants to be at.
Payton Sandfort continues to struggled as he went 0-7 from the field and 0-5 from three, but the fellow players and coaches still hold the utmost confidence in him. Similarly to much of the Hawkeye team, the looks are there, but they need to fall.
They will look to get their shooting back on track in their next matchup Saturday night against Southeast Missouri State.
Check out what both coaches and Hawkeye players had to say afterwards here: