Iowa's Jarrod Uthoff ends regular season with strong performance

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery had a sense Jarrod Uthoff would play with his usual blend of proficiency and reckless abandon a day before the senior forward sizzled for 29 points in a 71-61 win Saturday night at Michigan.

'He was really like himself (on Friday),' McCaffery said. 'I thought he had great practice days up to this game. I thought last game (against Indiana) he was closer. You say, 'Oh, that wasn't his usual game,' but he still had 18 (points) and eight (rebounds). That's a sign of an All-American. You get 18 and eight and it was, 'He didn't have a great game.'

'I think his mind-set was to come out aggressive again like he did before. When he's playing like that, it changes everything for us.'

Uthoff, a Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate, started off in fine fashion. He knocked down his first three shots — a jumper and two 3-pointers — and paced the No. 15 Hawkeyes (21-9, 12-6) to an early 15-5 lead.

'It definitely boosted my confidence,' Uthoff said. 'Seeing it go through the rim especially deep ones like that definitely helps.'

Every time the Wolverines inched closer the rest of the first half, Uthoff answered for the Hawkeyes.

Michigan scored on consecutive layups, then Uthoff came through on a drive. Michigan cut Iowa's lead from 10 points to one, then Uthoff drilled a 3-pointer. In the second half, Uthoff hit a pair of jumpers to halt a mini-Michigan run. Then with Iowa holding a six-point lead and less than 90 seconds remaining, Uthoff iced the game with a traditional three-point play.

Iowa center Adam Woodbury inbounded the ball from midcourt, and Uthoff broke toward the Michigan basket. Woodbury passed to Uthoff, who had two steps on every defender, and he raced to the basket. Uthoff scored and was fouled. Uthoff converted the free throw, and gave the Hawkeyes a 67-58 lead with 1:22 left.

'There's various options in that play. It's all a function of where they are,' McCaffery said. 'We were in that mode of, 'OK, if they all come up then you can send someone long and you can go a different direction.' It's not just get it in to Mike (Gesell).'

'I actually read the defense and just cut,' Uthoff said. 'There was nobody on the other side of the court there and Woody found me.

Uthoff, who was named a finalist for the Wooden Award, finished with 29 points, his most in a Big Ten game. He hit 11 of 19 shots and four 3-pointers. He also totaled seven boards, four steals, and three blocks. With 81 blocks, Uthoff joins Acie Earl and Erek Hansen as the only Hawkeyes with more than 80 in a season. Uthoff joins LSU's Ben Simmons as one of only two players with those numbers in a game this year.

'He couldn't miss (Saturday) and that's a point guard's dream when he gets going like that,' Gesell said. 'I just kept loading him up.'

Uthoff ends the regular season ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring (18.8), first in blocked shots (81) and ninth in rebounding (6.5).

The game was pivotal for Iowa entering the postseason. The Hawkeyes had lost their previous four games after starting Big Ten play 10-1.

'It's definitely a confidence booster,' Uthoff said. 'We expect to win every game, so it's not a surprise we won this game.'

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