Iowa’s Uthoff says it best with his performance

IOWA CITY - Jarrod Uthoff doesn't say much, but when he does, he says it best on the basketball court.

Uthoff, a 6-foot-9 junior, produced one of the season's best performances for Iowa in a 71-65 upset at No. 18 Ohio State last Tuesday. In 36 minutes, Uthoff knocked down 6 of 11 shots and a career-high four 3-pointers for 18 points. He grabbed seven rebounds, including three on offense. He added five assists and a block in 37 minutes.

Every one of his baskets had impact before halftime. In the opening minutes, Uthoff's 3-pointer pushed Iowa ahead by eight. When Ohio State surged at Iowa with a 7-2 run midway through the first half and the Hawkeyes (10-4, 1-0 Big Ten) floundering with four consecutive missed shots, Uthoff drilled a 3-pointer to extend the lead to six. After missing a power dunk with Iowa leading by 10, Uthoff bounced back in that possession with a jumper to boost the lead to 12. One trip later, after Ohio State's Marc Loving hit a 3-pointer, Uthoff countered with his own triple.

But for pure impact, nothing matched a crucial two-possession sequence late in the game. With Iowa leading 65-60, senior guard Josh Oglesby passed to senior Aaron White on the block, who immediately flipped the ball to Uthoff in the right corner. Without hesitation, Uthoff popped a 3-pointer to boost Iowa's lead to eight. Uthoff then committed a foul that led to an Ohio State three-point play but bounced back with a jumper on Iowa's next trip up the floor.

'He's been playing great,” Oglesby said. 'He's been playing with some great confidence and just to hit some key shots, the one in the corner off a ball screen where he's kind of fading away. Obviously I'm proud of him, and he had a great game.”

'He's capable of doing that every night,” Iowa guard Mike Gesell said. 'He's a special player. He's match-up nightmare, someone that long, that athletic and that dunk he missed was unbelievable. Just a guy like that, he's being extra aggressive and we want him to keep being as aggressive as he was being.”

As usual, Uthoff said little about his performance. When asked about his 3-pointer in the corner, Uthoff replied, 'It was one of those times where I felt like taking a shot, and I just took it.”

Uthoff's execution led to superlatives on ESPN2's broadcast. During the game, color analyst Fran Fraschilla said, 'Uthoff is the one guy on this Iowa team to me is the one X-factor. I think he can be a 15-, 16-, 17-point scorer.”

That's not a surprise to those who have watched him from his days at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, where he was the state's Mr. Basketball in 2011. His skill set and length are a mismatch for most defenders at both ends of the floor. Uthoff can play inside or outside. He ranks 11th in the Big Ten with 6.6 rebounds, scores 11 points a game (28th) and blocks 1.5 shots a game (11th). He's second in all three categories for Iowa. He leads the Hawkeyes with 24 3-pointers and already has 18 steals, seven more than last year's total.

What has changed with Uthoff from last year is his mind-set. At times he was apprehensive and passed up open shots to get others more involved. By default he became a complementary player, averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds. But Coach Fran McCaffery saw him as an impact player. That started with installing an aggressive approach at both ends of the floor.

'To me, the only challenge I've put before him is play as hard as you possibly can on every possession,” McCaffery said. 'Don't coast and rely on your shot blocking. Get over toward the ball. Don't wait and let the guy flash in front of you and then go try to block this shot. I think he's figured out that.

'He's also at the point in his career where he's stronger, he's in better shape, his stamina is better. So he's more able to impact the game with that kind of energy level. I just give him a couple of rests here and there, and his impact on the game is immeasurable.”

Uthoff began his career at Wisconsin but transferred after redshirting his freshman season. He sat out at Iowa in 2012-13 and was restricted from earning a scholarship. He didn't play for two years before last season, when he averaged nearly 18 minutes a game.

This year he plays nearly 27 minutes an outing, a number that figures to increase. He's also doubled his shots per game from five to 10. He's had strong scoring performances, like 20 points against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden. But even when his shot hasn't fallen, he's kept shooting and affected the game in other areas.

'You go back to the Carolina game,” said McCaffery, referencing Uthoff's 2-of-13 shooting performance in a road win. 'He took the same shots (as he did against Ohio State); he just didn't make them. But he impacted the game with 11 rebounds and five blocks. That's what I've tried to get him to do play the game at an incredibly high intensity level and you're going to impact the game positively, whether your shot is going in or not. Usually it will.

'Sometimes he'll turn a shot down, an open shot to shoot a contested shot. He'll do that sometimes and I'm OK with that because he'll make contested shots. He's one of the few guys out there that have the ability to do that. He's 6-9, he's long, he'll shoot it right in your face sometimes.”

Perhaps most important, Uthoff's demeanor never changes. There's no difference in his reaction from hitting a 3-pointer or missing one. That, in many ways, defines Uthoff whether he talks about his team or himself.

I think it's going to be the same,” Uthoff said. 'To keep a level head. Never get too high, never get too low. Try to keep our mind-set the same.”

'He is who he is. He is a unique guy,” McCaffery said. 'Typically he doesn't get rattled by anything. I think by virtue of how aggressive he was that is who he needs to be. He can be a special player in this league. In the last two games, I think he has been spectacular. That is the challenge before him. He has to continue to do that.”

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