It’s time to recognize the job Fran McCaffery has done at Iowa this season. It was far from a given that the Hawkeyes would be a game out of first place in the best conference in the country in early February, but after the Hawkeyes beat Illinois 72-65 on Sunday, that’s where they stand.
This would not have been a surprise at the end of last season. But by the time fall arrived, there was some real uncertainty as to what to expect from this team. Last year, the Hawkeyes had one senior – reserve Nicholas Baer, a good but hardly irreplaceable player – and nearly completed an amazing comeback in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They won 23 games and went .500 in an improved Big Ten. But as the off-season wore on, more and more developments happened that were not in their favor, so the questions mounted.
Jordan Bohannon had an uncertain future after off-season right hip surgery; ultimately, his left hip then developed a lot of pain, and he opted to call it a season after 11 games and get surgery. Tyler Cook, a double-double threat every time out, left for the NBA Draft and was not drafted, subsequently bouncing back and forth between the NBA and the G League. Isaiah Moss, the team’s most improved player last year, transferred to Kansas.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Jack Nunge suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in late November after the games got going, so by mid-December they had already lost two players for the season due to injury.
But the Hawkeyes put forth a solid non-conference showing with wins over Texas Tech in Las Vegas, at Syracuse, at arch rival Iowa State and Cincinnati. The only losses were to DePaul and San Diego State, the latter in Las Vegas. And while they started Big Ten play 1-3, they have won six of seven since then, including wins over Maryland, Michigan, Rutgers, Wisconsin and now Illinois.
Luke Garza’s emergence has been the big story. He was a solid big man his first two seasons, but he’s en route to being an All-American this season as he averages a double-double of 23 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and also blocked 1.7 shots per game. His shooting percentages are up from the field as well, with the only place of any real decline being at the free throw line, which is no small matter but also not big enough to overshadow where he has made a monumental jump. He had 25 points and 10 rebounds on Sunday.
It doesn’t get easier, naturally, as three of the next four and four of the next six are on the road. The Hawkeyes don’t have to look far for a sign of how fleeting success can be this season, as at one time Ohio State had some people saying they deserved to be on top of the polls. But with all this team has been through since the end of last season, letting up shouldn’t be an option.
Side Dishes
St. John’s, like DePaul, just can’t seem to win in the Big East of late. On Sunday, they led by as many as 17 before Georgetown rallied for a 73-72 win. The Hoyas had lost three in a row before becoming the latest “get well” opponent for the Red Storm, who drop to 2-8, with the two wins coming against DePaul.
UCLA took care of Utah 73-57 on Sunday to get to 5-4 in Pac-12 play, getting 22 points from Tyger Campbell. It’s not a resume win by any stretch, but as the Bruins pick up wins and show overall improvement, Mick Cronin’s work takes shape there.
The Horizon League has gotten a little more interesting thanks to Sunday’s action in Wisconsin. League leader Wright State was upended 92-89 at Green Bay, while Northern Kentucky picked up a 65-56 win at Milwaukee to move within a game of the Raiders at 8-3.
Highlighting the MAAC slate was Monmouth moving into first place with a 90-84 win over Rider, and right behind the Hawks are young St. Peter’s, who moved a half game back with an 85-80 win over Siena.
South Dakota kept pace with others atop the Summit League by going on the road and edging Omaha 81-80, getting 27 points and seven rebounds from Tyler Hagedorn.
After a bizarre incident on Saturday night, Houston has suspended guard DeJon Jarreau for a game after more video shows he bit Cincinnati forward Mamoudou Diarra while going for a loose ball. Jarreau encountered some contact and lost control of the ball, and as he went down he appeared to bite guard Keith Williams’ leg, but that was not the action in question. Instead, it was in a tussle for the ball after that where Jarreau bit Diarra on the leg, and officials saw what appeared to be a bite mark there. Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson insisted after the game that Jarreau did not bit him, but he saw the same video clip many others saw with him going down near Williams. When he saw video showing the incident with Diarra, he suspended Jarreau for a game as it was clear that it happened. In a statement, he went in to this detail, and also said that he apologized to Cincinnati head coach John Brannen for his post-game comments and the incident itself.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s a light night as usual on Monday, with just over a dozen games on tap.
- The highlight early on is an ACC clash as Florida State hosts North Carolina (7 p.m.)
- There’s also a key matchup in the Patriot League as Bucknell hosts Lafayette (7 p.m.)
- It’s a busy night in the MEAC, including a big game as NC Central hosts Norfolk State (7 p.m.), while Coppin State visits Howard, Maryland-Eastern Shore goes to Delaware State and North Carolina A&T hosts South Carolina State, all with a 7:30 p.m. tip.
- The SWAC is busy a bit later on, with Texas Southern at Alabama State, Grambling visiting Mississippi Valley State, Prairie View A&M traveling to Alabama A&M and Arkansas-Pine Bluff hosting Jackson State, all tipping at 8:30 p.m.
- The Big 12 takes over later on as Kansas State has the tall task of hosting Baylor and Kansas hosts a Texas team that really needs some momentum and another resume win (9 p.m.)
- The final game of the night is in the Big Sky, where Sacramento State hosts Idaho (10:05 p.m.), while a bit earlier, Northern Arizona hosts Eastern Washington (8 p.m.)
