Three thoughts following Iowa basketball’s rough loss vs. Northwestern

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Looking to rebound from an ugly 81-61 loss to Illinois on Wednesday, Iowa basketball (15-14, 6-12 Big Ten) suffered another defeat Friday night at Northwestern (16-13, 7-11) by a score of 68-57 in front of an energetic Welsh-Ryan Arena crowd in Evanston, Ill.

Offensively, the Hawkeyes shot 21-for-58 from the floor, including 8-for-25 from beyond the arc and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Defensively, Iowa again had a rough game, forcing only seven Wildcats turnovers, including four steals and one block.

While the game’s score never seemed to get out of control for the Hawkeyes, the Wildcats’ defensive presence kept Iowa at arm’s length for most of the night.

Unfortunately for Iowa, the loss now makes the Hawkeyes’ road to securing a bid to the Big Ten Tournament much harder. With two games remaining, the Hawkeys are in 16th place in the conference, with both USC and Minnesota holding the head-to-head tiebreaker were either to lose their next game.

With the disheartening loss sending Iowa on a somber trip back to Iowa City, here are three thoughts from Friday’s game.

Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix were ineffective offensively

Feb 28, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Nick Martinelli (2) defends Iowa Hawkeyes forward Payton Sandfort (20) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

An almost worst-case offensive scenario occurred for the Hawkeyes on Friday as both Payton Sandfort and Josh Dix were held under double-digits by Northwestern’s tenacious defense.

The two leading scorers for Iowa combined to shoot 6-for-25, including 2-for-11 from 3-point range.

While credit must be given to Northwestern for forcing the two into difficult shots, the off-night from both of them significantly hampered the Hawkeyes’ ability to match the scoring of the Wildcats.

Northwestern center Matthew Nicholson was a problem

Feb 28, 2025; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Northwestern Wildcats center Matthew Nicholson (34) defends Iowa Hawkeyes forward…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/three-thoughts-following-iowa-basketballs-125049698.html

Author : Hawkeyes Wire

Publish date : 2025-03-01 12:50:00

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