111 points for Hawks? Yes, really

The opponent called timeout after a transition hoop gave the Iowa Hawkeyes a 47-24 lead Sunday afternoon. There was 4:56 left in the first half.

Count how many things in those two sentences sound weird. Transition hoop, a 23-point lead, and the really big ones: 47 points with almost 25 minutes to play.

Who knows how many games these Hawkeyes will win this season, because in many ways, they're still boys in a men's Big Ten Conference. But if you didn't believe it before, a 111-66 exhibition win over outmanned, Division II Illinois-Springfield absolutely proves the days of mind-numbingly patient basketball are long, long gone around Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It's actually fun to watch Iowa basketball again.

“I can't promise 111 every game,” said Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery. “But we're going to try, I'll tell you that.”

“Like Coach has been saying all along, we're going to play fast,” said Iowa's Cully Payne. “But it's been like ‘Well, is it really going to happen?' Tonight was the first night where we proved Coach isn't just talking. We're backing it up.”

Iowa had a 57-29 halftime lead. There were 13 full games last season under Todd Lickliter in which the Hawks finished with 57 or fewer points.

Iowa pushed the ball when it got a rebound or turnover, and point guards Payne and junior-college transfer Bryce Cartwright showed no hesitancy in driving to the hoop in the half court. If you thought you had a good shot, you took it.

“Style wise, it went from hard to easy,” said Payne, who combined with Cartwright for 16 points and 15 assists to just two turnovers. “This is easy. It's just reading.”

“That was a little preview,” said Cartwright. “This is what we want to bring every game. Easy transition buckets, all that kind of stuff.”

And Matt Gatens is still out of commission with a hand injury and Jarryd Cole has a bad foot.

“When you're scoring the ball like that, you (can) look back and say ‘Well, we quick shot the ball too many times,'” McCaffery said. “But we had very few contested shots today, and that's the key. When you're playing up tempo, do you have good players taking shots in rhythm in their range? Are they good shots for them? Then it really doesn't matter when it appears in the shot clock.”

The starting five was Payne, Cole, Eric May and freshmen Zach McCabe and Melsahn Basabe. McCaffery said he felt May would be one of the guys to most benefit from the increased tempo, and it sure looked like it considering his 21 points in 25 minutes.

But it wasn't just him. The 6-foot-7 Basabe (19 points, eight rebounds) showed quickness and athleticism around the hoop and McCabe (10 points) an intelligent, inside-outside game. Freshman Devyn Marble (11 points, eight boards) had his moments as well.

“Once you get out there, it's just playing basketball,” Basabe said of his collegiate debut. “Yeah, it's a bigger stage and higher competition. But basketball players know when you start ballin,' you're just ballin.'”

Again, all this was against a D-II club that went 11-13 last season and also is breaking in a new coach. The regular season begins next Sunday at home against South Dakota State.

But this was at least a good start, and an entertaining one.

“We got the ball going, sharing the ball with each other,” McCabe said. “I think fans will like the high (number) of points we get and had today.”

[imagebrowser id=411]