AMES — It started poorly, and it only got worse.
The Iowa men’s basketball team made a slight change to its starting five for the first time this season Thursday against Iowa State. Sophomore Josh Dix made the first start of his Iowa career. He was inserted in for Dasonte Bowen, who had started the first eight games this season for the Hawkeyes.
But Dix didn’t get off to a good start, nor did Iowa. Dix committed two fouls and two turnovers in less than four minutes of game action. Bowen checked in for him. By the first media timeout, Iowa State led, 12-6.
It only unraveled more from there. Iowa was dominated in the Cy-Hawk rivalry matchup at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones defeated the Hawkeyes, 90-65. Iowa suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season. And it wasn’t just that Iowa lost, but the way that it happened. Iowa was dismantled by Purdue on Monday, 87-68, trailing by as many as 35 points in the second half. Thursday’s result marked consecutive blowout losses.
The Hawkeyes (5-4) have some serious soul-searching to do and that includes figuring out how to get their offense right.
The Hawkeyes’ fast-paced, free-flowing offense is what has delivered success under coach Fran McCaffery for years. Iowa isn’t built to beat teams with defense, a facet of the Hawkeyes’ game that has been known as a weakness. But at times this season, Iowa has looked lost at times offensively against higher-level opponents. It’s not just that Iowa has struggled to shoot the ball, but also how disjointed it has looked. The Hawkeyes shot 35.8% from the field in a loss to Oklahoma earlier this season. It shot 38.5% vs. Purdue.
On Thursday, Iowa’s offense had shortcomings yet again. Uncharacteristically, Iowa committed 19 turnovers, which led to 25 Iowa State points. The Hawkeyes shot 38.6% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. Payton Sandfort was one of the few bright spots with 14 points. The Hawkeyes’ lack of size also showed. Iowa State (7-2) outscored Iowa 46-18 in the paint. Iowa tried to adjust at halftime, putting Owen Freeman and Ben Krikke on the court to start the second half. But that didn’t do a whole lot of good. If Iowa is going to get beat in the paint, it needs to make up for that gap with its versatility. But for the second consecutive game, it didn’t happen.
The Hawkeyes have enjoyed the luxury of having an alpha scorer in recent years, from Luka Garza to Keegan Murray to Kris Murray. Entering this season, there was optimism that someone could emerge as that lead scorer to carry the load, such as returners Sandfort, Patrick McCaffery, Tony Perkins or transfer Krikke. Or maybe Iowa could be a more well-balanced scoring group than in seasons past.
But so far this season, it’s still unclear what Iowa’s formula is for success offensively. Those players have shown flashes of what they can do, but it hasn’t been on a consistent basis. The growing pains of that transition have been evident, including on Thursday. Perkins had six points on 2-for-7 shooting and McCaffery didn’t score. Iowa got some contributions elsewhere. Bowen had 13 points. Freshman Owen Freeman had 11. But it wasn’t nearly enough firepower to make up for shortcomings elsewhere.
The Hawkeyes’ defense hasn’t been very good, either. Iowa State shot 53.3% from the field and 47.1 % from deep on Thursday. Iowa State played with more intensity and energy, with a loud and supportive crowd pushing the Cyclones along.
But Iowa’s offense is how this program is built to win. And right now, it isn’t cutting it.
Even with the last two results, there still have been reasons for optimism, such as the play of Krikke and emergence of Freeman. Iowa went on the road against Creighton and put up a strong fight. But there have been far too many stretches where Iowa has looked flat or disconnected. Iowa has a long way to go, perhaps more than was expected.
If there are positive threads to pull at, one is that it’s early December. Iowa has plenty of time to get back on track. Another positive: The team has played in some incredibly tough road environments (Creighton, Purdue, Iowa State), and those experiences could help a young team mature. But that means that Iowa actually has to show growth. If not, the Hawkeyes could be in for a long season. Their next opportunity to find a W is Sunday at home against Michigan.
