Not only is the Iowa basketball team having trouble shooting the ball just bringing it up the court has become a chore. In their 0-3 start to the Big Ten race the Hawks are averaging nearly 19 turnovers. Combine that with a shooting percentage of under 43 and it is easy to see why Iowa will have trouble winning a game in the league race.
Iowa coach Todd Lickliter says you get better by getting challenged and learning what is successful and go towards that. He says they have gone against two of the best defensive teams out of the gate. Lickliter hopes the ball handling will improve as the players gain experience.
He says it’s the first time they’ve experienced this type of rotation and aggressiveness. Lickliter says the players will get better as they won’t accept what has happened. Three point specialist Devan Bawinkel is averaging under four points per game and has only attempted 48 shots all season.
Lickliter says it would help if they had someone who could break down the defense and they are struggling to find that. Things won’t get any easier for the Hawks on Saturday afternoon when they host a Michigan State team that is known for its aggressive style of defense.
Spartans coach Tom Izzo says it is hard to cover certain guys one on one and you have to have a team concept. He says everyone has to be aware of what is going on and he says his team has always been pretty good at help defense.