Iowa hoops: Making the Grade, Week 2

It looked for a bit last Thursday like Iowa was going to pass the Seton Hall test, but for a few reasons, it wasn't to be. Add to that a sluggish start to the UT-Rio Grande Valley game that elicited a few choice words from Coach Fran McCaffery, and it's far from a perfect week. This was what could be a microcosm of things to come, give their inexperience.

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 3 and 4 against Seton Hall and UT-Rio Grande Valley

Schedule/Results

Iowa vs Seton Hall; L, 91-83

Iowa vs UT-Rio Grande Valley; W, 95-67

Offense

B- Why: Peter Jok has not been the entirety of the offense, no, but he's used on 28.1 percent of possessions and has taken 38.6 percent of Iowa's shots, the latter of which is 14th among all players nationally. When he knocked knees with a defender against UTRGV, the Hawkeyes' offensive lives briefly flashed before their eyes. He'll be fine, but it was a stark reminder.

Iowa runs the break well, and had success scoring with it in both games this week. The point guards (see below) have done a pretty good job taking care of the ball, with 18 assists and nine turnovers between the two. They saw more man against Seton Hall and plenty of zone again against UTRGV, and ball movement again was good. Iowa had 38 assists on 60 field goals across the two games, which is a solid number.

There were bad turnovers in both games — the ones in Sunday's game enough to frustrate fans right alongside Fran McCaffery — and questionable shot selection in both games (see: Cordell Pemsl's 3-point attempt against Seton Hall as Example A). But Iowa scored a collective 1.090 points per possession last week, down just slightly from their overall number this season. Offense has things to implement, but is much closer than the defense.

Defense

C Why: Ctrl + V Peter Jok's comments about Iowa's defense from preseason and the first two games here. I know it's already getting tired, but the first time this young roster faced an experienced, talented opponent, the Hawkeyes' defensive liabilities were on full display. That's mostly evidenced through communication and late shifts into gaps because it's not yet instinctual.

That said, much of what plagued Iowa on defense against Seton Hall wasn't just about youth. On-ball defense was bad for much of the night. The Pirates had 50 points in the paint and achieved that number on dribble penetration both in set offenses and in transition. Tyler Cook is not Adam Woodbury — both in a good and bad way. He's better offensively, sure, but isn't near the rim protector yet. He's not expected to be yet, but he, Dom Uhl and Ahmad Wagner weren't near effective enough denying shots at the rim.

The Hawkeyes allowed 1.115 points per possession Thursday. That's just a single game, sure, but Central Arkansas ranks 343rd in the nation at 1.115 ppp allowed, just for reference. Yes, Iowa only allowed 0.798 ppp against UTRGV, but the Vaqueros haven't come close to winning a game.

Players (in last two games)

* To view more data, click here.

Peter Jok, guard — He's the Big Ten Player of the Week for a reason. Offensively, it's hard to start better than he has this season — and actually could have shot better from 3-point range. He had 30 points and 11 rebounds against Seton Hall, then added 27 points in just 19 minutes against UT-Rio Grande Valley. However, his defense has not been great. He was part of the problem against Seton Hall, with woeful one-on-one defense, and help side wasn't much better. He owned that Sunday, though.

Tyler Cook, forward — Cook seemed to shake the nerves with which he started the season, especially offensively. Against Seton Hall, he saw a lot of the ball on entry passes into the post, and showed a variety of moves that had a ton of success against a very skilled Angel Delgado. UTRGV's defensive style meant that wasn't as much the case Sunday, but his jump shot was accurate. Defensively, he still has a ways to go at this level. Delgado got the best of him on more than one occasion. He also did not take great care of the ball with six total turnovers.

Nicholas Baer, guard — Baer does not have a huge role offensively — he's used on less than 16 percent of Iowa's possessions, per kenpom.com — but makes his impact in all parts of the game. His steal percentage ranks in the top 150 players in the country, and he added six steals this week. With that, he had five total assists to just two turnovers. He's a net-plus for Iowa every time he's on the floor, and affected the game positively all week.

Dom Uhl, forward — Week 2 was much better for Uhl than Week 1, and by a decent margin. He was easily Iowa's best rebounder, hauling in eight per game. His offense still hasn't found the rhythm he wants, but he found a way in both games to have an impact anyway - working well in transition and being an effective passer. Like Baer, he also has taken care of the ball, too. His interior defense wasn't great — no one's was — and his becoming better there will be vital.

Brady Ellingson, guard — Ellingson played only five minutes — nailing a 3 in transition — against Seton Hall, as McCaffery rolled with mainly a seven-man rotation there. But when he got in against UTRGV, he made the most of those 19 minutes. His shot looked as good as the first two games, and his confidence too. If he keeps shooting like that, he'll find minutes in big games.

Isaiah Moss, guard — Similar to Ellingson, Moss only played two minutes against Seton Hall, but got a lot of run Sunday. He attacks the basket with no fear, and in multiple ways. He had 14 points in 18 minutes against UTRGV, and did that in seven shots. He may not look to pass much, but if he's that efficient, he doesn't have to look anywhere.

Jordan Bohannon, guard — Shot selection, shot selection, shot selection. The Linn-Mar grad smiled when he admitted a few of the 3s he took Sunday were high school shots — not really in rhythm, rushed and probably ill-advised. But he got a lot of run Sunday, and every minute he has in these non-conference games is invaluable. He had a couple bad turnovers against Seton Hall, but for the most part has made good decisions. He had a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, including 10 total assists.

Christian Williams, guard — Speaking of assist-to-turnover ratio, Williams' was identical to Bohannon's this week. He's still in search of his comfort zone offensively, and like most of the guards, needs to take a step forward defensively, too. He's finding teammates well, though, and that's what's going to keep him on the floor.

Ahmad Wagner, forward — Wagner's usage this week was far lower than expected. He only played 10 minutes Sunday against UTRGV, which was surprising given the nature of that game. Against Seton Hall, he had little effect on offense and was part of the struggle protecting the rim. His minutes will stabilize as the season goes on, but not a great week for him.

Cordell Pemsl, forward — McCaffery said Sunday his minutes were limited to six on Sunday because he's dealing with 'a groin issue.' He only played six minutes against Seton Hall, too, and that was apparently owed to McCaffery wanting to use Wagner and Uhl more in that game. Either way, we didn't see much of Pemsl this week. As long as he's healthy, that should change.

Upcoming Games

Iowa vs No. 6 Virginia, 6 p.m. Friday, No. 25; Emerald Coast Classic, Destin, Fla.

Iowa vs Providence or Memphis, 3 or 6 p.m., Nov. 26; Emerald Coast Classic, Destin, Fla.

Previous weeks: Games 1-2

*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