Bryce Cartwright the linchpin for Iowa basketball turnaround

IOWA CITY - Bryce Cartwright was last year's savior for the Iowa men's basketball team.

Cartwright was an unheralded junior-college transfer brought in to back up both guard positions. When original starting point guard Cully Payne went down early last year, Cartwright stepped into that role and became the team's hard-nosed leader. Cartwright led the Big Ten in assists during league action and was counted on to further improve his game this season.

But Cartwright has struggled in Iowa's first five games this year. He missed much of Iowa's defeat to Creighton with an illness and largely was ineffective against Campbell in a 16-point loss Wednesday. Cartwright was 2-of-8 from the field for four points in 26 minutes. He dished two assists and had three turnovers.

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said Wednesday he's unsure why Cartwright has yet to play at the level that distinguished him most of last season.

"I'm at a loss for that answer," McCaffery said. "I wish I had that answer for you. But I will tell you this, he's a good kid, and he's smart, and he's better than he's playing.

"So it's incumbent upon me and my staff to get it out of him. Because we are not getting it out of he or Melsahn (Basabe) right now, and it's my responsibility, it's our responsibility to get the best out of players and get them to play up to capability, and we are not doing that."

Cartwright also is at a loss for why both he - and the team - has struggled this year. He admits Iowa's loss to Creighton had "a little carryover" in Wednesday loss to Campbell and "we can't have that.

"We  just got to keep fighting," Cartwright said. "We've got to find a way to keep digging and digging and digging."

Iowa - and Cartwright - have a chance to move past those losses Saturday at home against Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne (2-1).