Fran McCaffrey (file photo)
If the Iowa Hawkeyes end up playing in the NIT this past week will be a major factor. The Hawks dropped their second straight head scratchier with a 66-61 overtime loss to a Northwestern team that had not won a Big Ten game since New Year’s Eve.
Iowa shot only 32 percent for the game against the Wildcats zone and misfired on a number of key free throws in the extra session. “I thought we attacked the zone really well, that wasn’t our problem, our problem was defense,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery says. He says they only at 4 turnovers in 45 minutes and had great looks at the basket, so offense was not the problem.
McCaffery says they gave up too many 3’s and were helping where help wasn’t needed and leaving people open for 3’s. “Just very disappointed in our defensive intensity and execution,” McCaffery says.
McCaffery says the Hawks did not play defense until it was desperation time late in regulation. “What you have to understand is you can’t fiddle around and then says ‘okay now we are going to crank it’,” McCaffery says. Jarod Uthoff scored 25 points but he was the only Hawkeye in double figures as they fall to 6-6 on the season.