Tom's preview.
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The second time around for the Hawkeyes won't be as easy as the first. On Wednesday night, Iowa faces a Penn State team they easily handled just two weeks ago, but this time it will be in Happy Valley, which has proven to be a tough place to win over the years. We preview the contest and offer up our prediction for tonight's game.
Iowa Hawkeyes (20-4, 11-2) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (12-13, 3-9)
Tip Time: 5:30 p.m.
TV: BTN – Kevin Kugler and Shon Morris on the call
Location: Bryce Jordan Arena
History: Iowa holds a 28-14 edge in the series between the two schools. The Hawkeyes have won 8 of the last 11 meetings with the Nittany Lions. Iowa beat Penn State two weeks ago, 73-49 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won their last meeting in State College last season, 81-77 in overtime. Penn State holds a 10-9 advantage against Iowa in games played in State College. Fran McCaffery is 8-3 against Penn State. Pat Chambers is 2-6 against Iowa.
THE LINE: Iowa is a 10 point favorite
THE LINEUPS
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 8.4 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.8 ppg
Peter Jok – 15.8 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 9.2 ppg
Mike Gesell – 8.6 ppg
PENN STATE
Jordan Dickerson – 3.2 ppg
Julian Moore – 4.6 ppg
Brandon Taylor – 16.5 ppg
Peyton Banks – 10.0 ppg
Shep Garner – 13.3 ppg
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brandon Taylor – In the first meeting between Iowa and Penn State, the Nittany Lions leading scorer had an off game from the floor, making just 7-20 shots and he was 0-3 from three. He still ended up with 15 points and 11 rebounds, which is good, but he was playing the power forward position and Jarrod Uthoff’s length gave him plenty of problems. Since that game, Penn State has changed their starting lineup and Taylor is now beginning the game at the three, which means he won’t have to contend with Uthoff out of the gate. He’s still going to probably play some at the four, but it’s an interesting move for Pat Chambers team and perhaps that leads to more scoring opportunities in this game. After that off shooting game against the Hawkeyes, Taylor really responded and put up 24 points, including 4-9 from three point range. He was a real difference maker in that upset win and on Wednesday night he’s going to have to be really good again if Penn State is going to have a chance to pull off their second straight home win over a ranked opponent.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons vs. Shep Garner – In the first meeting, Clemmons did what he has done to several other Big Ten guards who can score, he shut them down. Clemmons held Garner to just 8 points on 4-12 from the floor and including 0-5 from three. It’s probably unlikely that Garner will be held down again to this level, especially at home. Although, since his 22 point game against Michigan, Garner is 11-39 from the floor in the past three games and he’s 0-16 from three in those contests. The 5-12 from three against Michigan seems to be an outlier for Garner, who hasn’t made more than two three’s in a game other than that one since January 5th against Minnesota. Clemmons has been on a scoring spree of late, reaching double figures in seven of Iowa’s last eight games. During that stretch, he’s averaging 12 points a game, which is three above his season average. It will be important for Clemmons to keep Garner in check and also provide double figure points on Wednesday evening.
STATS AND NOTES
They are currently ranked 4th in the Associated Press Poll and 6th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The last time Iowa was in 1st place in the Big Ten this deep into a season was February 23, 2006. Iowa has six wins this season over RPI Top 50 teams. Iowa has now won 20 or more games in four straight seasons for the first time since 1996-1999 seasons. The Hawkeyes have five wins this season over AP Top 25 teams. Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff is on the late season Wooden Award Watch list. Uthoff moved up to 28th on Iowa’s all-time scoring list, tied with Bobby Hansen and Kevin Kunnert. He now has scored 1,145 points. He has also moved up to 4th in Iowa’s all-time blocked shots list with 164 blocks. He has 74 blocked shots this season, which ranks 7th on Iowa’s all-time list for a single season. Mike Gesell scored his 1,000th career point last week. He is the 45th player to achieve that in Iowa Basketball history and now has 1,020 career points. Gesell also dished out his 500th assist in Iowa’s last game. He is the fifth player in school history to have scored 1,000 points and dished out 500 assists. Iowa is 2-0 this season in games played on Wednesday night. The Hawkeye are 10-0 this season in games played on the Big Ten Network.
THE PICK
The Hawkeyes hit the road to play Penn State on Wednesday night and if you ask the Iowa players, they will tell you to ignore the result from two weeks ago because the Bryce Jordan Center is always a tough places to play. They found that out last year when Penn State took Iowa to overtime before the Hawkeyes prevailed.
As Fran McCaffery pointed out on Tuesday morning in his teleconference with reporters, it’s highly unlikely that the Nittany Lions are going to go 1-20 from three point range again. Penn State is simply a better team when they are playing at home than they are home. Indiana found that out recent when the Hoosiers were upset on a Saturday night.
It is interesting that Penn State has made a change to their lineup from two weeks ago, going a bit bigger with Dickerson in the starting lineup, which moves Taylor to the three spot. How much they play this bigger lineup, leaving Taylor at the wing will be something to watch. Also, Josh Reaves, a very talented freshman guard, has returned from a bout with mono. He’s only been averaging in the teens in terms of minutes and he doesn’t score a whole lot, but he’s a bigger and physical guard that can present a challenge. In the first meeting, Iowa’s size and length gave Penn State issues and it appears that on paper that won’t be quite as big of an advantage this time around. But, again, how much they play with the bigger lineup is still a question mark.
For Iowa, the task is pretty simple, they haven’t suffered what you would call a bad loss this season. Sure, they have had losses, five of them to be exact. But, each of them have been to good teams that will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. A loss Wednesday night would classify as a bad loss, especially with the one game lead in the race for the Big Ten title.
The Hawkeyes will need their bench to return to better form. In the first meeting, Iowa had 28 points from their bench, including 24 from the trio of Uhl, Wagner, and Baer. Since that game the Iowa bench has scored 14 points in three games.
Iowa will also need another strong game from the dynamic duo of Uthoff and Jok. They will need to keep Adam Woodbury on the floor to combat the size Penn State is playing with right now.
This game won’t be a walk in the park like the first meeting. Pat Chambers teams always seem to play tougher at home, so Iowa is going to need to show the road mental toughness that they have shown most of this season. It won’t be easy, but Iowa will get out of Happy Valley with a happy result.
IOWA 68 PENN STATE 60
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The second time around for the Hawkeyes won't be as easy as the first. On Wednesday night, Iowa faces a Penn State team they easily handled just two weeks ago, but this time it will be in Happy Valley, which has proven to be a tough place to win over the years. We preview the contest and offer up our prediction for tonight's game.
Iowa Hawkeyes (20-4, 11-2) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (12-13, 3-9)
Tip Time: 5:30 p.m.
TV: BTN – Kevin Kugler and Shon Morris on the call
Location: Bryce Jordan Arena
History: Iowa holds a 28-14 edge in the series between the two schools. The Hawkeyes have won 8 of the last 11 meetings with the Nittany Lions. Iowa beat Penn State two weeks ago, 73-49 in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes won their last meeting in State College last season, 81-77 in overtime. Penn State holds a 10-9 advantage against Iowa in games played in State College. Fran McCaffery is 8-3 against Penn State. Pat Chambers is 2-6 against Iowa.
THE LINE: Iowa is a 10 point favorite
THE LINEUPS
IOWA
Adam Woodbury – 8.4 ppg
Jarrod Uthoff – 18.8 ppg
Peter Jok – 15.8 ppg
Anthony Clemmons – 9.2 ppg
Mike Gesell – 8.6 ppg
PENN STATE
Jordan Dickerson – 3.2 ppg
Julian Moore – 4.6 ppg
Brandon Taylor – 16.5 ppg
Peyton Banks – 10.0 ppg
Shep Garner – 13.3 ppg
PLAYER TO WATCH
Brandon Taylor – In the first meeting between Iowa and Penn State, the Nittany Lions leading scorer had an off game from the floor, making just 7-20 shots and he was 0-3 from three. He still ended up with 15 points and 11 rebounds, which is good, but he was playing the power forward position and Jarrod Uthoff’s length gave him plenty of problems. Since that game, Penn State has changed their starting lineup and Taylor is now beginning the game at the three, which means he won’t have to contend with Uthoff out of the gate. He’s still going to probably play some at the four, but it’s an interesting move for Pat Chambers team and perhaps that leads to more scoring opportunities in this game. After that off shooting game against the Hawkeyes, Taylor really responded and put up 24 points, including 4-9 from three point range. He was a real difference maker in that upset win and on Wednesday night he’s going to have to be really good again if Penn State is going to have a chance to pull off their second straight home win over a ranked opponent.
KEY MATCH-UP
Anthony Clemmons vs. Shep Garner – In the first meeting, Clemmons did what he has done to several other Big Ten guards who can score, he shut them down. Clemmons held Garner to just 8 points on 4-12 from the floor and including 0-5 from three. It’s probably unlikely that Garner will be held down again to this level, especially at home. Although, since his 22 point game against Michigan, Garner is 11-39 from the floor in the past three games and he’s 0-16 from three in those contests. The 5-12 from three against Michigan seems to be an outlier for Garner, who hasn’t made more than two three’s in a game other than that one since January 5th against Minnesota. Clemmons has been on a scoring spree of late, reaching double figures in seven of Iowa’s last eight games. During that stretch, he’s averaging 12 points a game, which is three above his season average. It will be important for Clemmons to keep Garner in check and also provide double figure points on Wednesday evening.
STATS AND NOTES
They are currently ranked 4th in the Associated Press Poll and 6th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The last time Iowa was in 1st place in the Big Ten this deep into a season was February 23, 2006. Iowa has six wins this season over RPI Top 50 teams. Iowa has now won 20 or more games in four straight seasons for the first time since 1996-1999 seasons. The Hawkeyes have five wins this season over AP Top 25 teams. Iowa’s Jarrod Uthoff is on the late season Wooden Award Watch list. Uthoff moved up to 28th on Iowa’s all-time scoring list, tied with Bobby Hansen and Kevin Kunnert. He now has scored 1,145 points. He has also moved up to 4th in Iowa’s all-time blocked shots list with 164 blocks. He has 74 blocked shots this season, which ranks 7th on Iowa’s all-time list for a single season. Mike Gesell scored his 1,000th career point last week. He is the 45th player to achieve that in Iowa Basketball history and now has 1,020 career points. Gesell also dished out his 500th assist in Iowa’s last game. He is the fifth player in school history to have scored 1,000 points and dished out 500 assists. Iowa is 2-0 this season in games played on Wednesday night. The Hawkeye are 10-0 this season in games played on the Big Ten Network.
THE PICK
The Hawkeyes hit the road to play Penn State on Wednesday night and if you ask the Iowa players, they will tell you to ignore the result from two weeks ago because the Bryce Jordan Center is always a tough places to play. They found that out last year when Penn State took Iowa to overtime before the Hawkeyes prevailed.
As Fran McCaffery pointed out on Tuesday morning in his teleconference with reporters, it’s highly unlikely that the Nittany Lions are going to go 1-20 from three point range again. Penn State is simply a better team when they are playing at home than they are home. Indiana found that out recent when the Hoosiers were upset on a Saturday night.
It is interesting that Penn State has made a change to their lineup from two weeks ago, going a bit bigger with Dickerson in the starting lineup, which moves Taylor to the three spot. How much they play this bigger lineup, leaving Taylor at the wing will be something to watch. Also, Josh Reaves, a very talented freshman guard, has returned from a bout with mono. He’s only been averaging in the teens in terms of minutes and he doesn’t score a whole lot, but he’s a bigger and physical guard that can present a challenge. In the first meeting, Iowa’s size and length gave Penn State issues and it appears that on paper that won’t be quite as big of an advantage this time around. But, again, how much they play with the bigger lineup is still a question mark.
For Iowa, the task is pretty simple, they haven’t suffered what you would call a bad loss this season. Sure, they have had losses, five of them to be exact. But, each of them have been to good teams that will be playing in the NCAA Tournament. A loss Wednesday night would classify as a bad loss, especially with the one game lead in the race for the Big Ten title.
The Hawkeyes will need their bench to return to better form. In the first meeting, Iowa had 28 points from their bench, including 24 from the trio of Uhl, Wagner, and Baer. Since that game the Iowa bench has scored 14 points in three games.
Iowa will also need another strong game from the dynamic duo of Uthoff and Jok. They will need to keep Adam Woodbury on the floor to combat the size Penn State is playing with right now.
This game won’t be a walk in the park like the first meeting. Pat Chambers teams always seem to play tougher at home, so Iowa is going to need to show the road mental toughness that they have shown most of this season. It won’t be easy, but Iowa will get out of Happy Valley with a happy result.
IOWA 68 PENN STATE 60
