Tom's preview
https://iowa.n.rivals.com/news/hawkeye-tip-time-15
The Hawkeyes look to bounce back from their first loss in conference play when they host Northwestern on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. We have your complete preview and a prediction on the outcome.
Northwestern Wildcats (15-7, 3-6) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (16-4, 7-1)
Tip Time: 2:06 p.m.
TV: BTN – Wayne Randazzo and Stephen Bardo on the call.
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
History: Iowa leads the overall series between the two schools 114-59. The Hawkeyes also hold a 66-18 advantage over the Wildcats in games played in Iowa City, including the last three. Iowa has 26 wins over Northwestern in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which is the most over any school. Iowa won the last meeting between the two schools 69-52. Fran McCaffery is 6-6 against the Wildcats during this tenure at Iowa. Chris Collins is 2-3 against Iowa in his time leading the Wildcats program.
THE LINE: Iowa is a 13 point favorite.
THE LINEUPS
NORTHWESTERN
Alex Olah – 11.3 ppg
Aaron Falzon – 9.3 ppg
Tre Demps – 13.7 ppg
Sanjay Lumpkin – 4.6 ppg
Bryant McIntosh -15.0 ppg
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 9.0 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.4 ppg
Peter Jok – 14.7 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 8.7 ppg
Mike Gesell – 9.0 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff looks to bounce back against the Wildcats.
USA Today Sports
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jarrod Uthoff – Thursday night was Uthoff’s worst game of the season. The senior and potential All American was just 2-13 from the floor and 0-3 from three point range in the loss to Maryland. Bumps in the road will happen during a season and Uthoff had first single digit scoring game all season. It also marked just the second time this season where he failed to make a three point field goal. How will he respond to the poor game on Sunday? Did Maryland reveal a way to defend him differently that future opponents will be able to exploit? We will certainly find out those answers very quickly when the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats take the floor. Uthoff is the ultimate flatliner on the court. You have a tough time telling if he’s scored 30 in a half or 3 points. That mentality will probably serve him well heading into this game because he seems to be able to flush a bad game and not live on his past success no matter the situation. As Iowa chases a potential Big Ten title, they are going to need Uthoff to return to form starting with this game.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons vs. Bryant McIntosh – If you watch Northwestern play, the head of the snake, so to speak, is their point guard and McIntosh is a good one who plays at a level beyond his years. McIntosh has basically been their point guard since he arrived on campus last year and he has done just about everything from scoring to dishing out assists. Clemmons is Iowa’s top defensive guard and did a terrific job on Thursday night against Melo Trimble from Maryland. The senior guard has also been picking up his scoring. In the past three games he has reached double figures and that is the first time in his career he has done that. The big part of this matchup is Clemmons guarding McIntosh. If Clemmons can shut him down then Northwestern is going to have a tough time on the offensive end of the floor.
STATS AND NOTES
The Hawkeyes saw their 13 game regular season winning streak end on Thursday night when they lost at Maryland. Iowa came into the week ranked 3rd in the Associated Press College Basketball Poll. Jarrod Uthoff was recently named to the midseason Wooden Player of the Year watch list. He is now a 1,000 point scorer and with 1,042 career points, he is now 42nd on that list. Uthoff has 148 career blocks, including 57 this season. His 148 blocks is tied with Melsahn Basabe for 5th on Iowa’s all-time list. Mike Gesell has 984 career points and is nearing 1,000 career points. He would be the 45 player in Iowa Basketball history to reach that number. Gesell has 484 career assists, which is 5th all-time at Iowa. When Gesell reaches 1,000 career points and 500 career assists, he will be one of five players in Iowa Basketball history to reach both those numbers. That list includes Jeff Horner, Andre Woolridge, Dean Oliver, and B.J. Armstrong. Iowa is 4-0 in games on Sunday’s this season and they are 7-0 on games played on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes are also 10-0 this season at home.
THE PICK
Northwestern comes into this game in a tailspin. They have lost their last two games to Indiana and Michigan State by 32 and 31 points. And the Wildcats have also lost their last four games, so a once promising season built on a pretty soft non-conference schedule is starting to slide. This game feels like a turning point type game in that if Northwestern could win, they could start to once again entertain making their first NCAA Tournament ever, even with a lackluster RPI. But, if they lose, then it sure feels like their post season hopes begin and end with the NIT.
For Iowa, this will be an interesting game simply because it was their first loss in more than the month. How will the Hawkeyes react to the loss to Maryland? Will it linger? Can they get their shooting touch back after shooting a season low 21% from three? This is a real test to see if this Iowa team is built for the long haul and if they can keep themselves in the Big Ten title race.
The game is sold out and the Hawkeyes fans should provide the necessary energy and in the most recent home games, Iowa has gotten off to several very good starts. That will be important in this game simply because if the Hawkeyes jump out early any lingering doubt about this team will be erased almost immediately.
Having said that, I think you have to ignore the last two games where the Wildcats were basically run over by two very good teams playing very well. One thing to remember is on January 19th, Northwestern went to Maryland and played them very close to the final minute before falling by six points. Iowa fans have seen Northwestern teams come to Iowa City early in Fran McCaffery’s tenure and shot lights out and they also knocked off the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament a couple of years ago.
Bottom line, this isn’t a game that Iowa can just show up and win. The Wildcats have size and a pretty decent inside game with the return of Alex Olah and freshman Derrick Pardon. They have a very good young point guard in Bryant McIntosh who plays with a lot of confidence. And they have some very good wing shooters in Trey Demps, Aaron Falzon, and Scottie Lindsey. Having said that, the only real path for the Wildcats to win this game is they have to have one of those games where the three ball is falling at a very high rate and percentage.
Iowa has a very mature team and it would be a surprise if the loss on Thursday lives in their minds on Sunday afternoon. Having this game at home really should help them as well. The Hawkeyes should get back on track with a strong performance, but it won’t be easy because this feels like a back against the wall type game for Northwestern. IOWA 78 NORTHWESTERN 65
https://iowa.n.rivals.com/news/hawkeye-tip-time-15
The Hawkeyes look to bounce back from their first loss in conference play when they host Northwestern on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. We have your complete preview and a prediction on the outcome.
Northwestern Wildcats (15-7, 3-6) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (16-4, 7-1)
Tip Time: 2:06 p.m.
TV: BTN – Wayne Randazzo and Stephen Bardo on the call.
Location: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
History: Iowa leads the overall series between the two schools 114-59. The Hawkeyes also hold a 66-18 advantage over the Wildcats in games played in Iowa City, including the last three. Iowa has 26 wins over Northwestern in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which is the most over any school. Iowa won the last meeting between the two schools 69-52. Fran McCaffery is 6-6 against the Wildcats during this tenure at Iowa. Chris Collins is 2-3 against Iowa in his time leading the Wildcats program.
THE LINE: Iowa is a 13 point favorite.
THE LINEUPS
NORTHWESTERN
Alex Olah – 11.3 ppg
Aaron Falzon – 9.3 ppg
Tre Demps – 13.7 ppg
Sanjay Lumpkin – 4.6 ppg
Bryant McIntosh -15.0 ppg
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 9.0 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.4 ppg
Peter Jok – 14.7 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 8.7 ppg
Mike Gesell – 9.0 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff looks to bounce back against the Wildcats.
USA Today Sports
PLAYER TO WATCH
Jarrod Uthoff – Thursday night was Uthoff’s worst game of the season. The senior and potential All American was just 2-13 from the floor and 0-3 from three point range in the loss to Maryland. Bumps in the road will happen during a season and Uthoff had first single digit scoring game all season. It also marked just the second time this season where he failed to make a three point field goal. How will he respond to the poor game on Sunday? Did Maryland reveal a way to defend him differently that future opponents will be able to exploit? We will certainly find out those answers very quickly when the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats take the floor. Uthoff is the ultimate flatliner on the court. You have a tough time telling if he’s scored 30 in a half or 3 points. That mentality will probably serve him well heading into this game because he seems to be able to flush a bad game and not live on his past success no matter the situation. As Iowa chases a potential Big Ten title, they are going to need Uthoff to return to form starting with this game.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons vs. Bryant McIntosh – If you watch Northwestern play, the head of the snake, so to speak, is their point guard and McIntosh is a good one who plays at a level beyond his years. McIntosh has basically been their point guard since he arrived on campus last year and he has done just about everything from scoring to dishing out assists. Clemmons is Iowa’s top defensive guard and did a terrific job on Thursday night against Melo Trimble from Maryland. The senior guard has also been picking up his scoring. In the past three games he has reached double figures and that is the first time in his career he has done that. The big part of this matchup is Clemmons guarding McIntosh. If Clemmons can shut him down then Northwestern is going to have a tough time on the offensive end of the floor.
STATS AND NOTES
The Hawkeyes saw their 13 game regular season winning streak end on Thursday night when they lost at Maryland. Iowa came into the week ranked 3rd in the Associated Press College Basketball Poll. Jarrod Uthoff was recently named to the midseason Wooden Player of the Year watch list. He is now a 1,000 point scorer and with 1,042 career points, he is now 42nd on that list. Uthoff has 148 career blocks, including 57 this season. His 148 blocks is tied with Melsahn Basabe for 5th on Iowa’s all-time list. Mike Gesell has 984 career points and is nearing 1,000 career points. He would be the 45 player in Iowa Basketball history to reach that number. Gesell has 484 career assists, which is 5th all-time at Iowa. When Gesell reaches 1,000 career points and 500 career assists, he will be one of five players in Iowa Basketball history to reach both those numbers. That list includes Jeff Horner, Andre Woolridge, Dean Oliver, and B.J. Armstrong. Iowa is 4-0 in games on Sunday’s this season and they are 7-0 on games played on the Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes are also 10-0 this season at home.
THE PICK
Northwestern comes into this game in a tailspin. They have lost their last two games to Indiana and Michigan State by 32 and 31 points. And the Wildcats have also lost their last four games, so a once promising season built on a pretty soft non-conference schedule is starting to slide. This game feels like a turning point type game in that if Northwestern could win, they could start to once again entertain making their first NCAA Tournament ever, even with a lackluster RPI. But, if they lose, then it sure feels like their post season hopes begin and end with the NIT.
For Iowa, this will be an interesting game simply because it was their first loss in more than the month. How will the Hawkeyes react to the loss to Maryland? Will it linger? Can they get their shooting touch back after shooting a season low 21% from three? This is a real test to see if this Iowa team is built for the long haul and if they can keep themselves in the Big Ten title race.
The game is sold out and the Hawkeyes fans should provide the necessary energy and in the most recent home games, Iowa has gotten off to several very good starts. That will be important in this game simply because if the Hawkeyes jump out early any lingering doubt about this team will be erased almost immediately.
Having said that, I think you have to ignore the last two games where the Wildcats were basically run over by two very good teams playing very well. One thing to remember is on January 19th, Northwestern went to Maryland and played them very close to the final minute before falling by six points. Iowa fans have seen Northwestern teams come to Iowa City early in Fran McCaffery’s tenure and shot lights out and they also knocked off the Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Tournament a couple of years ago.
Bottom line, this isn’t a game that Iowa can just show up and win. The Wildcats have size and a pretty decent inside game with the return of Alex Olah and freshman Derrick Pardon. They have a very good young point guard in Bryant McIntosh who plays with a lot of confidence. And they have some very good wing shooters in Trey Demps, Aaron Falzon, and Scottie Lindsey. Having said that, the only real path for the Wildcats to win this game is they have to have one of those games where the three ball is falling at a very high rate and percentage.
Iowa has a very mature team and it would be a surprise if the loss on Thursday lives in their minds on Sunday afternoon. Having this game at home really should help them as well. The Hawkeyes should get back on track with a strong performance, but it won’t be easy because this feels like a back against the wall type game for Northwestern. IOWA 78 NORTHWESTERN 65
