Quick Hits: Iowa overwhelmed in Hilton, fall to Iowa State
The Hawkeyes were jumped from the beginning and outmatched on Thursday night inside Hilton Coliseum as they fell 90-65 to in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa couldn’t keep pace and Iowa State’s energy, effort and intensity were levels above what the Hawkeyes brought to Ames.
Hilton was jumping from the get-go and players could feel the intensity of the rivalry hours before the game was tipped off. Iowa State relentlessly attacked the rim to set the tone. Twenty of Iowa State’s first 24 points came inside the paint. The other four came from the free throw line. Iowa launched nine three-pointers in the first nine minutes while Iowa State only attempted one.
Throughout the years, the hallmark of a Fran McCaffery coached team was low turnovers and high assist numbers. Iowa State blitzed the Hawkeyes and got them out of their comfort-zone. Iowa had eight turnovers in the game’s first 11 minutes. Six of those were Iowa State steals.
The Cyclones took full control and kept Iowa at arms’ length. Iowa continued to settle for mid-range shots and three-pointers while Iowa State attacked. The Cyclones outscored Iowa 30-2 in the paint through the game’s first 20 minutes.
Things wouldn’t get better in the second-half. Iowa State’s physicality and dominance were too much for the Hawkeyes. Fran McCaffery teams are usually pretty level-headed and consistent on offense, but there was nothing going on Thursday. Iowa would battle foul trouble through the majority of the game, but it wouldn’t matter
Iowa was out-hustled, out-toughed and out-executed in all aspects on Thursday night. In a sea of negativity, freshman post Owen Freeman continues to look like he could become that next great post player. After a sloppy start, he showcased two-way versatility with a couple nice post moves and a couple blocks on the other end. Freeman finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Iowa State’s Robert Jones finished with 18 points (6-of-6) and six rebounds while Iowa State was led by Keshon Gilbert with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Star(s) of the Game:
Payton Sandfort- For the second straight game, it’s tough to find a couple players that truly stood out, but Sandfort did some good things. He scored nine of Iowa’s first 12 points. The Hawkeyes need to find some consistent weapons on offense. Sandfort is a guy that’s capable of putting up nearly 20 points an outing.
Throughout the past few years, Iowa has had a go-to guy in Luka Garza, Keegan Murray and Kris Murray. This season, the Hawkeyes are still searching for somebody to become that go-to scorer. Iowa has a variety of players that are capable of scoring, but nobody has emerged as the guy they’ll go-to when they need a bucket.
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Quick Hits: Iowa overwhelmed in Hilton, fall to Iowa State
The Hawkeyes were jumped from the beginning and outmatched on Thursday night inside Hilton Coliseum as they fell 90-65 to in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa couldn’t keep pace and Iowa State’s energy, effort and intensity were levels above what the Hawkeyes brought to Ames.
The Hawkeyes were jumped from the beginning and outmatched on Thursday night inside Hilton Coliseum as they fell 90-65 to in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa couldn’t keep pace and Iowa State’s energy, effort and intensity were levels above what the Hawkeyes brought to Ames.
Hilton was jumping from the get-go and players could feel the intensity of the rivalry hours before the game was tipped off. Iowa State relentlessly attacked the rim to set the tone. Twenty of Iowa State’s first 24 points came inside the paint. The other four came from the free throw line. Iowa launched nine three-pointers in the first nine minutes while Iowa State only attempted one.
Throughout the years, the hallmark of a Fran McCaffery coached team was low turnovers and high assist numbers. Iowa State blitzed the Hawkeyes and got them out of their comfort-zone. Iowa had eight turnovers in the game’s first 11 minutes. Six of those were Iowa State steals.
The Cyclones took full control and kept Iowa at arms’ length. Iowa continued to settle for mid-range shots and three-pointers while Iowa State attacked. The Cyclones outscored Iowa 30-2 in the paint through the game’s first 20 minutes.
Things wouldn’t get better in the second-half. Iowa State’s physicality and dominance were too much for the Hawkeyes. Fran McCaffery teams are usually pretty level-headed and consistent on offense, but there was nothing going on Thursday. Iowa would battle foul trouble through the majority of the game, but it wouldn’t matter.
Iowa was out-hustled, out-toughed and out-executed in all aspects on Thursday night. In a sea of negativity, freshman post Owen Freeman continues to look like he could become that next great post player. After a sloppy start, he showcased two-way versatility with a couple nice post moves and a couple blocks on the other end. Freeman finished with 11 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Iowa State’s Robert Jones finished with 18 points (6-of-6) and six rebounds while Iowa State was led by Keshon Gilbert with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Payton Sandfort- For the second straight game, it’s tough to find a couple players that truly stood out, but Sandfort did some good things. He scored nine of Iowa’s first 12 points. The Hawkeyes need to find some consistent weapons on offense. Sandfort is a guy that’s capable of putting up nearly 20 points an outing.
Throughout the past few years, Iowa has had a go-to guy in Luka Garza, Keegan Murray and Kris Murray. This season, the Hawkeyes are still searching for somebody to become that go-to scorer. Iowa has a variety of players that are capable of scoring, but nobody has emerged as the guy they’ll go-to when they need a bucket.
Sandfort finished with 14 points (all in the first half) and six rebounds.
The Hawkeyes entered Thursday averaging fewer than nine turnovers a game. They had 12 of them in the first half.
Things aren’t going to get easier, but Iowa is returning home to host Michigan for its Big Ten home opener. Going down 0-2 to begin conference-play can put the Hawkeyes in an early hole. And after the past two games, Fran McCaffery’s crew will have to find a way to get right.
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Iowa Football Recruiting: Five top targets who could be next to commit to Iowa in the 2025 class
A couple of Iowa’s top targets in the 2025 class could be making decisions in the next couple of months. Here are five that could be candidates to do so.
The Iowa football staff is focused on retaining players from this year’s roster at the moment as the staff continues to survey the transfer portal to find players that will fit next year’s roster and be immediate impact players.
Iowa seems to be done with scholarships in the 2024 class at this moment, but you never know who might emerge on the radar.
With the 2024 class nearing its conclusion as signing day approaches, the Iowa staff is starting to shift its focus to the 2025 class. Iowa has two commitments in the class in Sycamore (Ill.) three-star linebacker Burke Gautcher and Pleasant Valley three-star offensive lineman Joey VanWetzinga.
The Hawkeyes lost a commitment earlier this fall from Cedar Rapids Kennedy four-star offensive lineman Nick Brooks, though Iowa still has a chance to get him back in the class, but things have been dead silent on that end.
As Iowa turns its attention to the 2025 class with high school recruiting, let’s take a look at five names we think could be the next commit for Iowa in the 2025 class.
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