Hawkeyes control Big Ten destiny despite loss to PSU

The Hawkeyes (20-7, 11-4 Big Ten) struggled making shots, defending the perimeter and holding on to the ball in a 67-59 loss to Wisconsin on Wednesday.

The Badgers shot well Wednesday night, using 51.9-percent shooting in a closely contested first half to head to the break with a lead, even if it was a small one of just a point.

Shortly after a pair of free throws by Iowa senior forward Jarrod Uthoff cut the Hawkeyes’ deficit down to one, the Badgers drained another 3-pointer when junior forward Nigel Hayes connected to extend Wisconsin’s lead to 62-58 with 1:42 remaining.

Peter Jok led Iowa with 21 points, but 17 of them were in the first half.

As for the Hawkeyes (20-7), this was their second straight defeat and they sit one game behind No. 18 IN for first place IN the conference standings, dropping to 11-4 IN league play.

Adding an extra spark was the Wisconsin bench and the effort led by the high-flying Khalil Iverson and Jordan Hill. Zak Showalter and Vitto Brown each had seven points. It was UW that stepped up its game when the pressure was on. The Badgers forced the Hawkeyes’ top combo into 8-for-25 shooting as Iowa shot just 32.7 percent and scored.

UW’s ninth victory in its past 10 games was as impressive as any because Iowa was 13-0 on its suddenly reinvigorated home court. Those 15,000 fans can’t play defense, or can’t shoot, or can’t score.

In the two matchups previous year against Iowa, Hayes averaged 15 points on a combined 11-for-19 shooting. In that span they are 7-2 against the spread, but both failed covers came in their last two games. Iowa will now travel to Columbus for a battle with a hungry bubble team in Ohio State.

Wisconsin became the first team to knock off the Hawkeyes in Iowa City this season and at ten-and-five in the Big Ten, clinched a winning conference record for the 16th straight season, equaling the longest streak in Big Ten history (Purdue also had a run of 16 straight seasons from 1972-88).

Statistically, Iowa remains one of the Big Ten’s best perimeter defenses, ranking second in 3-point percentage (30.4 percent).

Wisconsin’s reserves outscored Iowa 23-4 in the Badgers’ 67-59 win.

Jok had a terrific night scoring with 21 points for the Hawkeyes.

“We need (Nicholas) Baer, Dom (Uhl), Brady (Ellingson) to step up and take some of the pressure off of Jarrod and Pete because Woody (center Adam Woodbury) will go back and get it for you”, McCaffery said.

“For our guys to be able to come in here, with as good a team as (Iowa coach Fran McCaffery) has, to be able to play and answer them punch for punch so to speak I thought really showed the maturity of our guys and how much they’ve grown in the 60, 70, 80 days since December 16 when I took over”, Wisconsin interim coach Greg Gard said. Sumner’s free throws pushed the lead to 12 points with 8:10 go, and Xavier led by as many as 14 down the stretch.

Over the last five games the Badgers have registered double digit offensive rebounds three times. “Woody did a great job of going back and getting us second opportunities”.