3 Takeaways: Confusion on offense, Northwestern looms, schedule

IOWA CITY - One could chalk up Iowa's offensive woes Thursday night as growing pains.

As the Hawkeyes (15-9, 6-5 Big Ten) continue to refine their half-court offense, the team has established patience and execution as primary tenets. The players' awareness was heightened when assistant coach Kirk Speraw provided statistics that the team scores about 20 percent of the time with one or two passes and between 65-70 percent when the passes reach six or seven.

That approach worked brilliantly in a pair of blowout wins against Michigan and Maryland. But against Minnesota's intense defensive pressure, the Hawkeyes mixed quick shooting with trepidation, resulting in a 64-59 loss.

'I think the reason they looked gun-shy at times is they were trying to figure out, ‘OK, ball movement and execution with proper screening, people being open versus I'm a good shooter,'” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'That's a hard thing sometimes to master. We didn't master that (Thursday).”

Iowa led 15-11 with 9:21 left in the first half. On its next two possessions, Iowa's Dominique Uhl and Aaron White each missed shots after one pass. One led to an Andre Hollins 3-pointer to bring Minnesota within 15-14. Then the Gophers (16-9, 5-7 Big Ten) ramped up their defensive pressure, which led to disarray for Iowa's offense.

The Hawkeyes' next eight offensive possessions ended in either turnovers (six) or blocked shots (two). Iowa lacked any kind of flow, and the shooters appeared overly cautious. The Hawkeyes finished with 16 turnovers.

'We were quick shooting,” Iowa point guard Mike Gesell said. 'We weren't getting out and running and getting our transition buckets and we weren't working the ball. I think with their pressure, we were getting a little bit tentative and started turning down some open shots and got us taking bad shots at the end of the shot clock.”

'We've been on working the ball side-to side,” Iowa guard Peter Jok said. 'I feel like that's getting into our players' heads. Coach says when you're open, shoot the ball. At the same time players try to move the ball side-to-side even when they're open. They don't realize they're open. We've got to work on that.

'I feel like it might be confusing with other players. With me, I just play.”

The confusion rests with whether to take an open shot or work the defense to gain a better opportunity. For instance, Iowa shooting guard Josh Oglesby passed the ball four times in a possession that ended in a turnover. Twice Oglesby had open looks from 3-point range and instead passed the ball.

Oglesby's assist-to-turnover ratio is 37-15, so he often makes good decisions. But he has appeared apprehensive most of the year shooting the ball. Since scoring eight points against Ohio State in the Big Ten opener, Oglesby has combined for 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting. He attempted no shots in 11 minutes on Thursday.

'I'm dying for him,” McCaffery said. 'I want him to shoot it. I want him to drive it. Just trust your talent and be a player. That's all I ever tell him. He shoots it well in practice, plays well in practice. Gets in the game, he won't shoot the ball.”

McCaffery said he emphasized that point with Oglesby 'very directly” after the loss. Oglesby, a senior, last year combined for 33 points against the Gophers. In a 21-point Iowa home win, He scored 14 points on 5-of-5 shooting, including four 3-pointers, in the first half alone.

Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff, who played AAU basketball with Oglesby while both were Cedar Rapids youths, said Oglesby doesn't force bad shots and wants to get his teammates involved.

'He's marked as a shooter in this league,” Uthoff said. 'They're always aware of him. For him, open is a split-second. You can have a hand in your face. That's a tough situation. He may not think he's open and he wants a better shot for his team.”

Oglesby's struggles mirror his teammates' approach against Minnesota.

2. Northwestern looms.

Iowa forwards Aaron White and Jarrod Uthoff recall last season's brief Big Ten Tournament trip in miserable fashion.

The sixth-seeded Hawkeyes met 11th-seeded Northwestern in a first-round game that appeared more of a formality. Iowa dominated the Wildcats twice in regular-season play, winning both games by 26 points each. The bracket was set for the Hawkeyes to face third-seeded Michigan State in a Big Ten quarterfinal for the fourth straight year.

But Iowa appeared flat emotionally entering the game, and the Wildcats' physical defense stymied the Hawkeyes' offensive rhythm. In a tournament shocker, Northwestern upset Iowa 67-62. The game's result gave Iowa its sixth loss in a seven-game stretch and sent the Hawkeyes spiraling into the NCAA tournament's First Four.

Uthoff, a junior, scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds that day. It was his best game in three months, yet the result overshadowed his performance.

'I don't forget something like that,” Uthoff said. 'We shouldn't have lost.

'We lost seven out of our last eight; that was one of them included. But we were trying to make a run in the Big Ten Tournament, and we didn't get past the first game. It hurts.”

White's performance was bewildering. He scored Iowa's first five points on a 3-pointer and a lob pass for a dunk. Then he didn't take another shot in 28 minutes.

'I remember that one because I took two shots and really just let them take me right out of my game,” White said. 'I can guarantee that's not going to happen Sunday. I'm not going to let them take me out of my stuff. I'm not going to get frustrated with what's going on. I know how they try to get physical with me, but two shots in a game, obviously that's why I remember that one. That's not going to happen.”

The Hawkeyes (15-9, 6-5 Big Ten) face the Wildcats (10-14, 1-10 Big Ten) at Welsh-Ryan Arena with the chance to move past their 64-59 loss to Minnesota on Thursday. Northwestern has lost 10 straight Big Ten games in unequal fashion. Four of the Wildcats' first six Big Ten losses were by one score or in overtime. But Northwestern has gotten worn down in its last four defeats, losing by an average of nearly 16 points.

Tuesday, Michigan State dismantled the Wildcats 68-44. The Spartans built a 38-14 halftime lead and held Northwestern to just 18.2 percent shooting in the first half. But White expects a better Wildcat squad, one that shot 55 percent in the second half against the Spartans.

'Michigan State went up there and played really well, so we'll get (Northwestern's) best game,” White said. 'We'll be ready for them.”

3. Looking ahead.

With seven games left on its Big Ten slate, the Hawkeyes still are in good position to finish the regular season strong and earn a second straight NCAA tournament berth.

Iowa faced a front-loaded Big Ten schedule. The combined league record of its first 11 Big Ten opponents is 80-50 entering the weekend. The combined record of its last seven Big Ten opponents is 26-57.

Seven of Iowa's first 11 Big Ten games featured an opponent that currently has a winning league record. The teams with losing records include Michigan (6-7), Nebraska (5-7) and Minnesota (5-7, twice), who the Hawkeyes have played twice.

Four upcoming opponents - Northwestern (twice), Rutgers (home) and Penn State (away) - have a combined record of 7-40. Two opponents - Illinois (home) and Indiana (road) - are jockeying for NCAA tournament positioning just like Iowa. A road game at Nebraska (5-7) appears daunting. The Cornhuskers are 4-2 at home in Big Ten play after going 8-1 last year. Iowa never has played at Nebraska's Pinnacle Bank Arena, which opened last season.

Iowa's schedule this year is similar to the one it faced two seasons ago when it started 0-3, 2-5 and 3-7. The Hawkeyes finished with a 6-2 flourish to end its Big Ten campaign at 9-9. After a split in the Big Ten Tournament, Iowa was one of six final teams eliminated from the NCAA tournament. The Hawkeyes finished second in the NIT.

As part of the NCAA's mock selection this week, the Hawkeyes were seeded 30th overall (eight seed). The lowest seeded at-large squad was Michigan State at 44. Based on Iowa's current strength-of-schedule (15th), its RPI (36), strong wins and lack of a bad loss (Minnesota comes close, though), four wins probably gets the Hawkeyes into the NCAA tournament. Five wins clinches it.

An interesting note to the mock selection, Iowa was designated to play in Louisville, Ky., against ninth-seeded Xavier. The winner was slated to play Kentucky. Iowa State was the fourth seed in the same regional, so - hypothetically - if Iowa were to gain its greatest upset in school history, the Hawkeyes and Cyclones could play in the Sweet Sixteen. Northern Iowa was seeded fifth and sent to Jacksonville to play fourth-seeded Baylor.

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com