Iowa rolls Illinois, now alone atop Big Ten

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A narrow stairwell divided Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery from postgame interviews and his State Farm Center locker room.

McCaffery walked the stairs and turned the corner into an Iowa well-wisher, who was thrilled to shake hands with the coach. A security guard then turned to McCaffery and said, 'With a record like that, everybody knows you.'

The Hawkeyes (19-4, 10-1 Big Ten) are flying high under McCaffery, never more so than this moment. Iowa blasted rival Illinois 77-65 on Sunday in the program's first double-digit win in Champaign since 1979. The Hawkeyes are ranked fifth by the Associated Press and could vault up a few spots after the nation's top two teams lost to unranked teams on Saturday. On Sunday, Iowa made sure it wasn't joining that crowd.

Iowa trailed for only 1 minute, 29 seconds but then opened a double-digit lead on a 12-0 run. Illinois quickly chopped its deficit to four points before Iowa cruised to another 7-0 run to take control. The Illini (11-13, 3-8 Big Ten) never could climb within seven points the rest of the way. Nothing, not the partisan Orange Krush student section or Illinois' 3-point prowess, fazed the Big Ten-leading Hawkeyes.

'All of our guys have been through it,' said Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons, who scored 10 points, pulled down six rebounds, grabbed four steals and dished two assists. 'So we know when a team makes their run, we make sure we get a good shot, we make sure we play good defense. Whenever a team makes a run, we all come together as one and make sure we get a stop that next possession.'

Iowa limited Illinois to few second-chance possessions and completely dominated the post area. The Hawkeyes had 12 offensive rebounds and scored 26 second-chance points. Illinois grabbed seven offensive boards but had just six second-chance points. That disparity was obvious entering the game, with Illinois outscored 124-73 in second-chance points. Iowa exploited that weakness all game long.

'Anytime we can get easy second-chance points that helps our team, that limits them being able to run out on us,' Iowa center Adam Woodbury said. 'So we try to clear out some glass as much as possible and get some easy ones.'

Woodbury was the key factor to Iowa's success. He scored 10 points but hauled down a game-high 14 rebounds. He also led Iowa with four assists.

'Adam has really established himself as a premier rebounder in this country, and it makes such a difference to your defense when you only give them one shot and he gets it,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'But he's also got five offensive rebounds and gave us a couple of extra opportunities, especially late.'

'I thought today was all Woody,' said Iowa guard Peter Jok, who led all scorers with 23 points. 'He had a lot of second chances, he had a lot of offensive rebounds, and he always kicks it out. All we have to do is spot up and he'll find us.

'The thing about Woody is he doesn't care about scoring. He'll do whatever it takes to win. When he gets a rebound, he's looking outside. He did a good job with rebounding and we got a lot of second chances.'

Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff (18 points, 12 rebounds) outdueled Illinois counterpart Malcolm Hill (14 points, eight rebounds) in a battle of the league's top scorers.

The Hawkeyes have won their last two games in Champaign, a feat not accomplished since 1986 and 1987. They're now 10-1 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1982. Yet, it's neither an accomplishment nor a distraction for this team.

'It means more to you guys right now than it does to us because you're able to write about it,' Woodbury told reporters. 'It's just another game for us, it really is. I know you guys are tired of hearing that but we try to keep that mentality throughout the season.'

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