Rutgers @ Iowa preview
Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Last Meeting ( Jan 2, 2021 ) Iowa 77, Rutgers 75
Another second-half lead evaporated for Iowa during a Sunday loss at Indiana, same as it did during a Jan. 21 setback against the Hoosiers and two other defeats since.
An inability to close out opponents suddenly is plaguing the Hawkeyes, who have lost four of five and fallen out of the Top 10 entering a Wednesday game against No. 25 Rutgers in Iowa City.
With time winding down on the regular season, No. 15 Iowa (13-6, 7-5 Big Ten) senses the urgency and realizes the importance of reversing course.
"When you're losing four out of five and each one you had a lead, that just sucks, and it's unfortunate," Hawkeyes leading scoring Luka Garza said. "Right here is down the stretch. These next eight games, that's the last stretch. So I think what we do now is going to show the character of this team, and hopefully we'll put some wins together and get on a roll towards the Big Ten tournament."
A jumper from Armaan Franklin with 1.8 seconds left Sunday boosted Indiana to a 67-65 victory against Iowa. Garza and Joe Wieskamp paced the Hawkeyes with 18 points apiece.
Garza scored 16 points after the break as foul trouble kept him on the bench for the final 12 minutes of the first half.
"I just can't put my team in that position," Garza said.
Although a performance closer to Garza's scoring average of 25.5 points may have helped put Iowa over the top, the team also clamored for a far bigger impact from its bench, which produced just five points and zero field goals in 61 combined minutes Sunday.
Iowa continues to work around a lower-leg injury to CJ Fredrick, who has missed three of the past five games while playing sparingly in the other two. Coach Fran McCaffery said that has created a series of adjustments for other players.
"I just think it's guys being out there on the floor more in those situations and getting to the point where they can make plays," McCaffery said. "You can work on that, and we will."
Rutgers (11-6, 7-6 Big Ten) enters on a four-game conference winning streak, the longest since the program joined the Big Ten for the 2014-15 season.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off 76-72 home win against Minnesota on Thursday. In a game that featured 22 lead changes, Rutgers seized the last one on Geo Baker's jumper with 1:01 to play.
"Every single day, we're trying to make a new piece of history," said Baker, who scored 16 points to lead three Scarlet Knights in double figures. "Those last couple of possessions, we dug deep."
Myles Johnson posted his fifth double-double of the season, contributing 14 points and 12 rebounds, helping Rutgers shoot 53.1 percent, its best effort from the field in conference play this season.
Iowa was ranked No. 10 when it defeated then-No. 14 Rutgers 77-75 on Jan. 2 in Piscataway, N.J. Garza scored 15 of his 25 points after halftime, and the Scarlet Knights' season-long struggles at the free-throw line continued as the team made just 4 of 12 foul shots.
--Field Level Media