Game Awards: Iowa Basketball 84, North Dakota Fighting Hawks 73
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
A look at who played well and who didn’t in Iowa’s win over North Dakota
Iowa basketball‘s 84-73 win over North Dakota, which moved them to 7-5 on the season and gave them their fourth straight win, became minuscule to Fran McCaffery refusing to shake hands with Brian Jones, North Dakota’s head coach, after the game.
A flop by Quinton Hooker that led to a technical foul on Jordan Bohannon with 37 seconds left seemingly started Fran McCaffery’s displeasure. It escalated when North Dakota ripped the ball out of Nicholas Baer‘s hands as time expired and down 11 to try to get one last layup.
McCaffery didn’t appreciate it and stormed off the court yelling and waving for his team to follow. Everyone, including the broadcasters, were confused, but eventually Iowa followed their coach without shaking hands.
North Dakota, down 11, tried to beat the buzzer.
Fran McCaffery wasn't a fan, so he had Iowa walk off the court. https://t.co/PLkItzgxq0
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 21, 2016
McCaffery didn’t give a long explanation after the game. He simply said that he did not like how the game ended.
Some will say that he blew up and was throwing a tantrum. Others will say he was trying to make sure nothing escalated in the handshake line. There’s no way to really know what he was thinking, but if McCaffery truly felt a scuffle could have broken out then he made the right move.
As far as the game, there were positives and negatives. Dom Uhl started in place of Cordell Pemsl after Pemsl was late to shoot around. That said, Pemsl still played 24 minutes and almost recorded his first double-double with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Iowa’s defense started slow. They were able to get into the lane and find open shooters on offense, but their poor transition defense led to North Dakota only trailing 14-12 almost eight minutes into the game.
With the help of better defense, Iowa went on a 16-0 run to blow the game open and take a 37-18 lead. Although, North Dakota answered with a 10-0 run and pulled within nine.
An Isaiah Moss dunk, which will be on highlight reels at the end of the year, gave Iowa a 41-30 halftime lead, though.
If you were wondering, yes, @imoss38 can throw it down for @IowaHoops.#BTNStandout https://t.co/wWSUkDiqHZ
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) December 21, 2016
The Hawkeyes allowed North Dakota to hang around in the second half, as they missed a lot of free-throws and their defense started to struggle again. Iowa made just 23-of-34 free-throws against North Dakota, but an 11-2 run to give Iowa a 75-59 lead put North Dakota away for good.
Peter Jok tied for a team-high 18 points and made all 10 free-throws, but he struggled shooting from the field. He shot just 4-of-15 and missed all three of his three-point attempts. Plus, he committed four fouls. He added eight rebounds and four assists, too.
The Hawkeyes’ defense had their good moments, but they also had their bad moments. Their offense continues to prove to be one of the best in the Big Ten this year, but they still need to defend in transition to be successful.
Still, the Hawkeyes showed a lot of toughness by stopping North Dakota’s runs and never letting them back in the game. It further shows that this is not the same team than even a couple of weeks ago.
Here is who played well and who didn’t in Iowa’s win.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Player Of The Game: Jordan Bohannon
Iowa needed someone to step up with Peter Jok’s shot not falling, and Jordan Bohannon took the task head-on. He and Jok tied for a team-high 18 points, but Bohannon was a lot more efficient from the field.
He made 5-of-9 shots from the field and 2-of-4 from three. He even went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. His shot selection contributed to his efficient scoring, as well as North Dakota being honed in on stopping Jok and leaving other shooters open.
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Bohannon’s three assists and three turnovers isn’t the production Iowa usually gets from him, but he didn’t force passes. Jok struggling from the field contributed to his six game streak of recording at least four assists ending. Bohannon can make the pass but he can’t record an assist unless the shot goes in.
Plus, he played solid defense on Quinton Hooker. Besides the technical foul called on him late in the game, where he needs to show more restraint even if Hooker is grabbing him, Hooker didn’t get into a groove all game. He finished with 18 points but shot just 4-of-10 from the field.
Iowa is a much better team when Bohannon is looking for his outside shot and making threes. He played 34 minutes against North Dakota, which will likely become normal considering Christian Williams‘ inconsistent play.
Jordan Bohannon is quickly turning into a legitimate scoring threat alongside Peter Jok. Against North Dakota, he showed that he’s more than just a passer and three-point shooter.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Bench Player Of The Game: Brady Ellingson
This could easily go to Cordell Pemsl, who recorded nine points and 11 rebounds, or Nicholas Baer, who recorded eight points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, but Brady Ellingson played his best game since scoring 10 points against Rio Grande Valley.
By Christian Williams only seeing six minutes off the bench, it shows that Fran McCaffery isn’t afraid to stretch his starter’s minutes out if the bench isn’t producing. Iowa has options in their backcourt, which puts Brady Ellingson in a tough spot, especially since he’s been struggling lately.
Ellingson scored more than five points for just the third time this season and ended a seven game streak of scoring five points or fewer. He shot 4-of-5 from the field and made both of his free-throws, as he went for 10 points.
He only recorded one rebound and assist, but that’s not the part of his game that will buy him minutes off the bench. Iowa needs him to be a serviceable defender and an aggressive scorer.
North Dakota left Ellingson open, and he took advantage. He attempted at least five shots for the third time this season and made multiple shots for just the fourth time. He didn’t hesitate when he was open, and it paid off.
Ellingson won’t average 10 points per game or be a great scorer off the bench this season, but he can be productive and give the Hawkeyes a boost. He has a chance to be an important piece off the bench for Iowa, but he has to have more game like this where he’s not afraid to look for his shot.
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Please Be Better: Dom Uhl
Dom Uhl got the starting nod with Cordell Pemsl late to shoot around today. It could have given him a confidence boost and led to him earning more minutes, but it might have had the opposite effect.
Uhl had some good moments. His lone basket came in the paint after a nice post move. He also had three assists, including a couple that set up easy layups or dunks. Plus, Uhl grabbed four rebounds, including a possession where he grabbed two offensive boards.
Still, all of that became overshadowed by his two turnovers and two fouls in just 15 minutes.
During a 10-0 run in the first half and 8-2 run by North Dakota in the second half, Uhl missed three shots, turned it over once and committed a foul. By no means is it all Uhl’s fault, but he was on the floor during Iowa’s two worst stretches of the game and didn’t look great.
Besides, he only shot 1-of-4 from the field and missed his only three-point attempt, despite North Dakota daring him to shoot. Many times North Dakota would play off of Uhl and give him a wide open three. Instead of shooting it, he would always look to pass or try to get into the lane.
The worst time was when he was wide open in the second half and started to shoot, but, as he was in the air, he quickly passed it to Peter Jok, who had a man on him. The Hawkeyes eventually settled for a contested Jok three before getting the offensive rebound and having Bohannon knock down an open three, but it shows the lack of confidence Uhl is playing with.
Sure, he’s now shooting just 20.8 percent from behind the arc, but he can’t pass up open threes to make a bad pass at the last second. It allows his defender to act as a free safety on defense since teams know he won’t shoot it.
Dom Uhl’s role on the team is still trying to be found, but two points, four rebounds and three assists doesn’t instill a ton of confidence in the struggling forward.
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