Iowa's guard play key against No. 25 Maryland, Melo Trimble

IOWA CITY — It's a guard's game.

That much has been true of college basketball for a while now, given the importance of 3-point shooting, running in transition and taking care of the basketball.

Led by Peter Jok, the Iowa men's basketball guard group that also includes Jordan Bohannon, Isaiah Moss, Brady Ellingson, Christian Williams and Maishe Dailey have 'performed at a very high level,' at many points this season, said Coach Fran McCaffery.

In the Hawkeyes' wins, absolutely. But McCaffery, Jok and Bohannon also acknowledged the group hasn't had the best go of it against quick, talented guards this season, and that's reflected in the losses the Hawkeyes have taken.

'I think we're OK. We've got to be better,' Jok said. 'It's a guard's game, so our guards have to do good (things). We're not bad, but we're not as good (as we could be). We've got to keep working and keep getting better.'

When it's been good, some of the best guards in the country have been held in check.

Against Iowa State, Monte Morris — among two or three considered the best point guard in the nation — was held to 10 points, five rebounds and five assists, while committing a rare two turnovers. In the Purdue rematch, Carsen Edwards and Dakota Matthias saw their numbers go from 19 and 17 points, respectively, to eight and 10.

Dribble penetration by those slashing ballhandlers drove the Hawkeyes nuts, with ball pressure and help defense a major liability. That was most recently on display Sunday against Northwestern, when Scottie Lindsey and Bryant McIntosh got to the rim with ease off the dribble. That could be said for the previous loss against Nebraska as well, when Tai Webster and Glynn Watson Jr. did the same thing.

In Iowa's 11 wins, the best performing opposing guards have averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while the Hawkeyes have outscored those teams 392-300 in the paint and held opponents to 41.2 percent shooting from inside the arc.

In Iowa's eight losses, the best performing opposing guards have averaged 19.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists. The points in the paint stat has been the reverse in losses, with opponents outscoring Iowa, 320-210. Two-point field goal shooting for opponents is at 54.9 percent in the Hawkeyes' losses.

What frustrates the Iowa players the most — as it does any of their supporters — is they've seen themselves defend well against those good players.

'Ups and downs are going to happen. We took a little step back at Northwestern, but we know what we're capable of doing as (everyone) saw with Purdue and Michigan and teams like that. We're able to play at that level,' Bohannon said. 'It's got to start with me (up top). I have to set the tone on defense and keep my guy in front of me. When there's a ball screen we have to show out and get through the screen. We have to help the helper. We did that against Purdue; we did that against other teams this year. We're capable of doing it, we just have to do it for a full 40 minutes.'

It's not going to get easier for the Hawkeyes as the Big Ten season rolls on, and Thursday's game is a prime example.

No. 25 Maryland comes to Carver-Hawkeye Arena behind 17.2 points per game from junior guard Melo Trimble, who flirted with the idea of declaring for the NBA Draft in the offseason.

His game is the exact style the Hawkeyes have struggled with the most. He gets to the free throw line a lot, drawing 5.8 fouls per 40 minutes, according to KenPom.com, and is an 83 percent free throw shooter. It's not just him, though. Freshman point guard Anthony Cowan averages 11.1 points, draws the same amount of fouls as Trimble, but has a free throw rate (his ability to get the line relative to how often he attempts to score) of 93.7 — the best mark in the nation.

'So now you have two guys that are coming at you 100 miles an hour getting in the lane, and the thing about it is they're not just fast guys,' McCaffery said. 'They can score and they can shoot, so you've got to pick them up early. You can't just keep backing up because they'll make you pay for that. But the other thing is they both get rid of the ball. A lot of those guys, they hold onto it forever and they don't make anybody else better. These two guys do that.'

How Iowa plays Trimble and Cowan, and how much production it gets from its guards on the other end, will go a long way to turning around a major setback in Evanston.

Following through on the known challenge is easier said than done, but at this point, the Hawkeyes are banking on at least knowing what they have ahead of them and that they can stop it if things come together as they have before.

'We just need to put in the full game plan and really work together as a team,' Bohannon said. 'We had lapses against Northwestern where we weren't playing five as one. We did against Purdue. We have to have the mindset we did against Purdue.'

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