Iowa Basketball

As of today the Iowa Hawkeyes are 20-6 overall and 11-3 in the Big 10, but they are only 4-3 since a impressive win versus Purdue that put them at 16-3. They have also lost two of their last three games, and that one victory was at home by four versus a 6-19 Minnesota team. One of the losses was a sloppy game at Indiana which the Hoosiers won 85-78, and the other was an even sloppier loss at Penn State, who is just 13-13 overall. The most concerning thing in these games is that is seems like the team is either tired, or just not motivated to play. Another problem was that is seemed like the only people scoring for the Hawkeyes were Peter Jok and Jarrod Uthoff. Earlier in the season it seemed like everything was clicking and almost everyone was contributing. Certain players I feel have slipped into a role too much, it's almost like they don't want to score. Especially Adam Woodbury and Mike Gesell, Woodbury's main role is to rebound and defend the rim, and Gesell is tasked with distributing the ball. One thing that also bothers me is that often times it seems like the offensive sets are too simple and there isn't enough movement and screens. This often means that players are forced to take tougher shots which they usually miss. The offense also seems to grow stagnant when Iowa is forced to go to their bench, mainly because they don't have a good ball handler off the bench. But that is the smallest problem, because many teams that struggle with depth.

Luckily the Hawks are in the middle of a week off between games, so they should be able to rest up, and figure out what is wrong. They have a couple of tough games left on their schedule, but they control their own destiny when it comes to the Big Ten regular season crown. Plus if they win out their regular season and have a good showing in the Big Ten tournament, then they have a shot at a high seed, whether it be a one or two. 

But I could also easily see them maintaining their same lethargic energy level, and finishing the season with 8 or 9 losses, losing early in the Big Ten tournament, and getting upset early in the NCAA Tournament. I say this because two years ago a similar thing happened, and it seems like Iowa never makes it far in the Big 10 tournament or NCAA Tournament. So obviously I hope this doesn't happen, and I hope they prove me wrong.