After three easy wins, third-ranked Iowa faces much tougher challenge against North Carolina
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – One of the most storied programs in the history of men’s college basketball will play at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Tuesday, but as the lower ranked team, as the team without the preseason favorite for National Player of the Year, and as the underdog.
North Carolina (3-1) is currently ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll, which is 13 spots behind third-ranked Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (3-0) are led by All-America senior center Luka Garza, who is considered the favorite to win National Player of Year, and who has scored at least 30 points in the first half in each of the past two games.
Carver-Hawkeye Arena would normally be rocking and packed during Tuesday’s game, which is part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
But with the United States in the grips of a global pandemic, the circumstances are from normal, and that could work to North Carolina’s advantage since the arena will mostly be empty.
“I think in some ways it’s easier because you don’t have the crowd going crazy,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams Williams said Monday on a zoom conference. “The other team scores two baskets in a row and you can’t hear what the call is and guys get nervous and the whole bit.
“So it’s easier from that standpoint. But the guys that have been around a long time, I’ve told them I’ve never lost a game because of the building. It’s usually because that other team was really good.”
North Carolina, when it comes to tradition and success, is arguably among the top two or three programs in the history of men’s collegiate basketball.
Williams is in his 19th season at North Carolina and 33rd season overall as a collegiate head coach. He has led North Carolina to NCAA championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017, nine ACC regular season championships and three ACC Tournament titles.
Williams also has the fourth most wins by a Division I coach behind Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim and Bob Knight.
Williams was an assistant coach under the legendary Dean Smith at North Carolina in the 1980s and helped recruit Michael Jordan to North Carolina in the early 1980s.
Williams was also hugely successful as the head coach for Kansas before returning to coach the Tar Heels.
As for his current team, it’s talented as usual, especially on the frontline, but also inexperienced in the backcourt with two freshmen starters.
Iowa will definitely have the edge in experience, and the Tar Heels will definitely have their hands full with trying to defend Garza, who can score near the basket or from 3-point range.
“He’s really good, that’s the first thought,” Williams said of the 6-foot-11 Garza. “He’s a guy that just got better and better and better every year. I think he’s grown some since he got to the college level.”
Williams then pointed out that Garza made 14-of-15 field-goal attempts in a game this season.
“It’ll be a load for us and our young big guys to try to guard a big who’s really skilled, who’s very well experienced in playing and doing those kinds of things,” Williams said. “Fran (McCaffery) does a great job with his team and they’ve got a lot of weapons. But there’s no question that Garza you’ve got to try to cut down his percentage first. That’s your job, is to try to cut down his percentage first.”
Tuesday’s game will be a chance for Iowa to make a statement, whereas North Carolina will have a chance to show that it can live up to the enormously high expectations that always surround the program.
Iowa had three lopsided victories in its first three games against vastly inferior opponents. The circumstances will be much different on Tuesday against North Carolina.
“These big-time games really help you to see where you’re at, and we have a great opportunity tomorrow night to go out there and show what we really can do,” said Iowa sophomore guard C.J. Fredrick. “And I think we’re all really excited about the opportunity.”
Garza was virtually unstoppable in the first three games, and has been dominant on offense since the start of last season.
However, against North Carolina, he will be matched against a deep and talented frontline led by Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot, both of whom stand 6-10 and are athletic.
North Carolina has six players on its roster who are 6-10 or taller.
“I think this game is definitely unique with the versatility of their bigs and how many bigs they do have and their depth,” Garza said.
With Garza expected to draw multiple defenders, fourth-year sophomore forward Jack Nunge could be a key factor in Tuesday’s game because of his length.
The 6-11 Nunge will only be playing in his second game this season after having missed the first two games following the death of his father. He scored 18 points against Western Illinois in his season debut last Thursday.
“I think it’s going to be huge,” Garza said. “Obviously, we’ll see me and (Jack) on the floor together and that just helps our team and you change our team. His ability to rebound and get on the glass is going to help us a lot.”
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery called Tuesday’s game an important game for Nunge because of North Carolina’s size and depth on the frontline.
“I think getting Jack Nunge back and watching him assimilate into everything that we’re doing so easily based on the incredibly difficult circumstances he’s faced has really been impressive and heartwarming in a lot of ways,” Fran McCaffery said. “But if you just focus on the basketball side of it, he’s a difference maker for us, against anybody, but especially when you’re playing against a team that has that many bigs.”
Garza said rebounding and stopping North Carolina’s transition will be two huge factors in Tuesday’s game.
“It’s the biggest part of the game for us, stopping their offensive rebounding and their transition,” Garza said. “Those are the main two focuses and that’s how they beat teams.”
North Carolina’s only loss this season came against Texas on a last-second shot in the championship game of the Maui Invitational.
And even without fans in the arena for Tuesday’s game, Williams knows his team will face a daunting task against the Hawkeyes.
“Watching them on tape, and looking at their stats, this may be as difficult a job as we’ve ever had on the road,” Williams said.
Iowa vs. North Carolina
When: Tuesday, 6:35 p.m.
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV: ESPN
Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network
Records/rankings: North Carolina is 3-1 and ranked 16th in the Associated Press poll; Iowa is 3-0 and ranked third in the AP poll.
Series: Tuesday will be the fifth overall meeting between the two programs. Iowa posted wins in Chapel Hill in 1989 (98-97) and 2014 (60-55) and in Iowa City in 1989 (87-74). North Carolina’s lone victory in the series came in the 2004 Maui Invitational Championship Game (106-92)