Iowa hoops: Making the Grade, Big Ten Week 3

It's hard to imagine two games that could have been farther apart in terms of execution, success and growth for the Iowa men's basketball team. On one hand, there was the win over then-No. 19 Purdue in which the Hawkeyes were efficient and effective on both ends. Then there was whatever happened Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena against Northwestern, in which Iowa was routed from all angles.

Each week of the season, we'll break down the Hawkeyes' offensive and defensive performance and give them grades, as we'll as highlight each player who contributed significantly and his individual performance. This week's Iowa Hoops: Making the Grade highlights Games 18 and 19 against Purdue and Northwestern.

Schedule/Results

Iowa vs. No. 19 Purdue; W, 83-78

Iowa at Northwestern, L, 89-54

Offense

CWhy: If this grade was based on the Purdue game? A. Just on Northwestern? F. So, we meet in the middle.

The Hawkeyes were sensational offensively, specifically in the second half, against the Boilermakers. After trailing at halftime, Iowa put up 1.323 points per possession and shot 66.7 percent from the field en route to the comeback victory. Set plays and motion actions were particularly effective, all while ball movement was flowing well. While Peter Jok did his thing, the rest of the team played clean, active basketball on that end.

Fast forward to Sunday, and apply basically the opposite thoughts to the Hawkeyes' offense. Iowa's Adjusted Offense for the Northwestern game was 0.771 points per possession. Everything was labored, nothing was easy. The Hawkeyes looked to the rim, but couldn't finish like they had. A spurt from the second unit in the second half aside, the offense lacked precision and energy.

They thought games like that were behind them, but this week was a stark reminder of the growing process. That leads us to…

Defense

DWhy: The defense, which followed basically the same pattern from the Purdue game to the Northwestern game.

The Boilermakers had a great first half with 47 points and 1.679 points per possession while it appeared the Hawkeyes were going to have similar issues with open shooters and in foul trouble. But Iowa turned that around in the second half to get Purdue's overall Adjusted Offense back to 1.099 for the game, and most importantly, protected the rim well and rebounded effectively. Caleb Swanigan and Isaac Haas had to work hard for everything, while Iowa capitalized on every mistake – many of which they forced.

Against Northwestern, the turnaround never showed up. The Wildcats controlled the glass thanks to Hawkeye players not marking men when shots went up and box outs being basically non-existent. Motion, ball movement and screens got shooters wide open. Dribble penetration was back. Spacing was off, and defenders were often stationary. As Tyler Cook put it, Iowa struggled with, 'our mental focus and toughness. They were more locked into what they wanted to do, and unfortunately we let them do what they wanted to do; so that's why the night went their way.'

Things were generally easy for Northwestern throughout the game in a disconcerting regression.

Players (in last two games)

* To view more data, click here.

Peter Jok, guard – Coach Fran McCaffery and Jok both acknowledged he had some level of back injury that left him sore enough that he had to come out of the Northwestern game, but Jok said after the game he didn't want to use that as an excuse for how he played. Like the team, his two games were near polar opposites. He couldn't have been more dynamic against Purdue. Against Northwestern, he was never really a factor. His not being a factor is only made more concerning by the mysterious back issue, which joins his season-long shoulder annoyance.

Tyler Cook, forward – Other than the next guy we'll get to, Cook was the only player who found some kind of rhythm against Northwestern – even if the student section in Welsh-Ryan Arena beat the 'airball' chant to death. He was effective offensively in both games – particularly getting to the line Sunday – and had probably his best game as a Hawkeye against Purdue. Like everyone, though, his defense wasn't great against the Wildcats – he missed boxouts on multiple possessions and didn't protect the rim like he did against Purdue.

Ryan Kriener, forward – Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity. He came in against Purdue after Dom Uhl got hurt (hold that thought) and played like he'd always been in the rotation. He got another chance to back that up against Northwestern and poured in a career-high 14 points. If there's any concern, it's that his 6 of 7 shooting were all jumpers but one (his first bucket off a post feed), because he'll need to be effective in the post if he's to get extended minutes. But ultimately, his contributions this week will earn him more minutes, period.

Jordan Bohannon, guard – The good: He had nine assists to just one turnover against Purdue and hit a pair of 3-pointers in that game that were in crucial moments. The bad: He had three turnovers Sunday against Northwestern, a pair of which came during the Wildcats' 20-3 run. His confidence remains an asset, but it led to a few times he quickshot the ball Sunday – something McCaffery has rightly pointed out hurts more than helps in many cases.

Christian Williams, guard – He barely played against Purdue – thanks to the aforementioned play from Bohannon in that game – but finished at the rim where he couldn't a few other times this season. He played more Sunday, and had one of the better plays of the second half (see: one of the few good plays) when he got a steal and layup off an inbound.

Nicholas Baer, guard – He dealt with some foul trouble against Northwestern, but even before that wasn't the same level of effective as he'd been in most other games he's played this season. That's in line with most of Iowa from Sunday, to be fair. Also in line (like Jok, for example): he had 10 rebounds against Purdue and was great defensively – particularly blocking 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas.

Cordell Pemsl, forward – His scoring output this week didn't reflect his full impact on the Hawkeyes, especially against Purdue. His eight rebounds and defense in that game shined a light on his growth in those areas. But, again, like most everyone, that wasn't the case Sunday. Multiple times, he tried moves in the post but dribbled or spun himself into impossible positions and either turned it over or was forced to make a crazy pass to keep the ball alive.

Ahmad Wagner, forward – This is one of the guys who might see his minutes dip if Kriener is going to play more consistently, as McCaffery hinted after the Northwestern game. He didn't play a ton against Purdue, and while it was a little more against Northwestern, his contributions have been streaky.

Isaiah Moss, guard – He had an injury he was dealing with, too, against Purdue that led McCaffery to sit him to start the second half of that game. He hasn't looked as aggressive or effective in any half since the first half at Nebraska, and his minutes have dipped a bit as a result. Iowa needs him to be that kind of effective if Jok has off/down nights like he did Sunday.

Brady Ellingson, guard – Saw only five minutes in the win against Purdue and only got one shot. He played more in the blowout at Northwestern, and got some good shots in rhythm, but couldn't get any to follow. Like Moss, his contributions will only help to alleviate pressure on Jok, but it hasn't happened with consistency yet.

Dom Uhl, forward – Unfortunately for Uhl, his Rutgers performance from last week stands as an outlier for his season and not the shift in performance he and his coach were hoping for. He was contributing against Purdue before hurting his thumb on a dunk attempt, and apparently it's bad enough he didn't play against Northwestern. His minutes are going to go to Kriener until he's healthy.

Upcoming Games

Iowa vs. No. 25 Maryland, 6 p.m. Jan. 19 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (ESPN)

Iowa at Illinois, 8 p.m. Jan. 25 at State Farm Arena, Champaign, Ill. (BTN)

Iowa vs. Ohio State, 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (ESPN2)

Previous weeks: Games 1-2, Games 3-4; Games 5-7; Games 8-10; Games 11-13; Games 14-15; Games 16-17

*Full disclosure on grades: First things first, that's by subjective view after covering and re-watching games. Second, grades are an aggregate of the week, based on an 11-point scale. A is worth 11, A- 10, and so on through F, which is 0. Offense and defense are given a grade for each game and then averaged for the week.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com