Recap: Iowa Basketball Losing Streak Hits Three Games
Iowa basketball lost to the Illinois Fighting Illini 76-64
Someone forgot to tell Fran McCaffery that Jordan Bohannon is dealing with flu-like symptoms and Peter Jok has had back problems for a couple of weeks now.
To no surprise, Iowa basketball‘s offensive game plan of telling Bohannon and Jok to create offense while the rest of the team watches didn’t work in their 76-64 loss to the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The Hawkeyes are now 11-10 on the year and fell to 3-5 in conference play.
Iowa needed to show up and prove they can play on the road. Instead, they trailed 8-0 to start the game for the third straight game and fourth time in conference play.
This time, the Hawkeyes didn’t have a comeback in them.
They looked lost on offense in the first half and didn’t guard Illinois on the perimeter. Iowa shot just 37 percent from the field and 3-of-9 from the line in the first half, while Illinois shot 55.2 percent and made 6-of-11 threes. It resulted in the Hawkeyes trailing 40-24 at the half.
More from Dear Old Gold
The second half was not much better for Iowa. They cut the lead to 11 multiple times but only could cut it to single-digits once with less than four minutes left. Even then, Illinois responded with five points to bring the lead to 71-57 with two minutes left.
That said, the biggest disappointment isn’t Iowa’s third straight loss, Bohannon’s 1-of-7 three-point shooting or Michael Finke recording 17 points and five rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting for the Illini, rather McCaffery’s decision to keep Jok in the game and refusing to alter his playing time.
Jok didn’t look like himself all game. He made just 1-of-5 of his three-point attempts and finished with 10 points. Every break of action Jok would hold his back in obvious pain, which resulted in him air-balling a wide open three and missing another open three in transition.
The Hawkeyes played better with him on the bench because of his immobility and inability to create off the dribble, but McCaffery kept him in the game the whole way. It seemed more harmful than helpful, especially when Iowa trailed 74-64 with 30 seconds left and McCaffery had a chance to take him out.
Iowa needs Jok to be healthy and play like an All-American. When he doesn’t, they struggle. But keeping an injured Peter Jok in the game with hopes that he can battle through it wasn’t the best decision and might have cost Iowa a potential comeback.
Nicholas Baer tried to pick up the slack with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, but he didn’t have much help, especially in the first half. Iowa gained some life late in the second half, but not even Baer could give energy to a lifeless Iowa team at the start of the game.
If going down 8-0 to start the game wasn’t enough indication that a different starting lineup will likely be coming on Saturday against Ohio State, then McCaffery starting Christian Williams, Jok, Baer, Ahmad Wagner and Ryan Kriener in the second half should be.
Wagner tied with Baer for a team-high 12 points, and Christian Williams, who played heavy minutes for a sick Jordan Bohannon, had seven points and three rebounds.
In total, the bench scored 40 of their 60 points, and even Maishe Dailey saw playing time over Isaiah Moss, who sat the rest of the game after he subbed out within the first four minutes.
Iowa finished the game shooting a dreadful 40 percent from the field, 21.7 percent from three and 43.8 percent from the line. On the other hand, Illinois managed to shoot 44.8 percent from the field and made nine threes on the night, while also making 15-of-19 from the line.
The Hawkeyes didn’t give up, though. They didn’t play well on either end for most of the game, but they still looked interested in the game unlike during their blowout loss to Northwestern a couple of weeks ago.
Iowa will be back in action Saturday night at home against Ohio State.
