3 Takeaways: Here we go again

IOWA CITY — As Michigan State dribbled out the clock at the end of a 75-61 blowout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, ESPN announcer Jay Bilas amplified the sentiments of Iowa's entire fan base with a pointed analysis.

'I think Iowa is a good basketball team, and I think this is a good program,' Bilas said during Thursday's telecast. 'Fran McCaffery and his staff do a great job, but this is the kind of game that Iowa needs to win to move to the next level as a program.

'When you get a team like Michigan State on your home floor and especially with the first half that Iowa played, you've got to come out like gangbusters in the second half. None of these Iowa players have beaten Michigan State and this was, in my judgment, a golden opportunity.'

Iowa (11-5, 2-1 Big Ten) gave up an 11-point lead in a series-record ninth straight loss to Michigan State. It was a chance for Iowa to remain in a first-place tie with Wisconsin atop the Big Ten standings. But, most importantly, the Hawkeyes squandered an opportunity to prove they were tough enough to match their recent nemesis. Instead Iowa got bullied for loose balls, rebounds, second-chance baskets and late-clock situations.

The Hawkeyes ended the first half on a 27-10 run and grabbed 18 of the half's final 26 rebounds. Then, inexplicably, Iowa's energy crashed as Michigan State intensified its efforts. Despite a double-digit lead and a raucous crowd, Iowa lacked energy in the second half against the Spartans, which McCaffery and his players acknowledged.

'We weren't talking as much, we weren't energizing enough like we were in the first half or the beginning of the second half,' Iowa junior Jarrod Uthoff said. 'We didn't have enough energy.'

Michigan State (11-5, 2-1) shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half and drilled its first eight 3-point attempts. The Spartans moved the ball efficiently, collecting 11 assists on 16 baskets. Michigan State outscored Iowa 47-22 in the second half. The Hawkeyes managed just nine baskets and missed their last seven 3-point attempts. Center Gabe Olaseni (18 points) was the only bench player to score. The others were 0-for-3 from the field in a combined 45 minutes of action.

As inconsistent as the Hawkeyes played, there remains a consistency of issues that recur in defeats. According to Matt Benson of Stats, Inc., Iowa has blown 25 halftime leads over the last five seasons, third most among Division I programs and most among major-conference schools. Against formerly or currently ranked opponents this year, Iowa has been outscored 84-27 from halftime through the first media timeout. In that frame through those eight games, Iowa has nine turnovers and eight were allowed by post players. Iowa shot 17 of 52 and committed by 21 fouls.

That's not a new trend. In its final five games last year — all against power-five competition — Iowa was outscored 49-15 over the same span.

Iowa's confidence and body language wavered as Michigan State accelerated its pressure Thursday. Those topics have been discussed the last two seasons and were addressed publicly by North Florida Coach Matthew Driscoll last month. Yet they continue, which both Bilas and BTN analyst Stephen Bardo highlighted on Thursday.

'It's not really about scoring; it's about toughness,' Bardo said on BTN's 'Basketball and Beyond.' 'You cannot allow a team like Michigan State to take your heart.'

2. White flight.

Iowa forward Aaron White notched his lowest scoring output this season with eight points against Michigan State. He took only four shots and despite his prowess as an 86.3 percent free-throw shooter, he hit just 3 of 6 from the free-throw lane.

White never seemed to get going. He took just one shot in the first half and played just 11 minutes. In a battle of two top Big Ten power forwards, Michigan State's Branden Dawson held the clear edge with 14 points and 15 rebounds. White finished with four rebounds.

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery credited Dawson in part for White's struggles.

'I certainly think some of it,' McCaffery said. '(White) didn't seem to get going early. He didn't seem to have his usual energy level. If you remember, we took him out early. We never take him out that early. We just wanted him to settle down, relax. I think he was hyped. I think he was really tired.

'We put him back in, and he was a little better. But he certainly wasn't himself.'

White's biggest impact play came early in the second half when he dunked on Iowa's second possession and then drilled a 3-pointer to keep Iowa's lead at 11 points. The rest of the way he was largely ineffective and even missed two consecutive free throws.

He bristled when it was suggested his teammates should have got him the ball more often.

'I didn't deserve the ball,' White said. 'I didn't play well enough to where my teammates should have been looking at me. So I'm not going to say that. Yeah, you do get into a little bit of a rhythm as you get shots but I wasn't ... I don't know what was going on. I didn't get into the flow. I'm not going to say I wanted the ball more, looking back at how I played.'

White is the only player in Iowa history with at least 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 150 assists and 100 steals. He's the school's all-time leader in free throws made and ranks 11th in career scoring. In breaking down Iowa's performance, BTN analyst Stephen Bardo called White 'a very good player' but said 'that's not the type of effort you want to see from a senior.'

'(White is) not the type of guy you can ride on his back,' Bardo said on 'Basketball and Beyond.' 'He's not an alpha-dog type.'

3. Pounded on the boards.

After amassing an 18-15 rebounding advantage in the first half, Iowa failed to maintain its aggressive efforts on the glass after halftime. Iowa collected just 11 total rebounds in the second half, including only seven defensive boards. Michigan State, conversely, grabbed 20 and 16 were off Iowa misses.

Iowa elected to play Gabe Olaseni over Adam Woodbury for most of the second half. Olaseni has elevated into a key offensive threat with 18 points in back-to-back games. Olaseni is an effective shot blocker with 32 this season. But Woodbury is an underrated defender in the post and Iowa missed some of his toughness in the second half.

'That's one of the things, you look back and say I should have played Woody more,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'Gabe was rolling. He was active. He was really good on ball screens. He was moving his feet. He was an offensive threat.

'Then, of course, our offense is struggling, so you leave Uthoff, Olaseni, Whitey, you leave your offensive guys out there.'

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com