Lickliter frustrated with defense

Todd Lickliter has preached defense in his three seasons as Iowa's men's basketball coach. It's only natural that he'd find more aggravation with that side of the court when discussing the team's 62-50 loss to Texas-San Antonio on Sunday.

With Iowa (0-1) trailing by two points early in the second half, Hawkeyes point guard Cully Payne was in position to take a charge against the Roadrunners' Morris Smith IV. Instead Payne was whistled for a blocking foul - his third of the game - and was sent to the bench. Texas-San Antonio then posted a 14-0 run and coasted to the win.

“I wish that we'd get over there and take a charge and not swat at the ball. I wish that would happen,” Lickliter said. “If we don't start doing that, we're going to struggle. If we don't step up and make those type of plays ...

“How many charges did we take tonight? Maybe two or three? There were probably 15 for the taking. If we don't do that, there's a good chance it's going to be a long season. There's no excuse for it.”

Lickliter was pleased and frustrated with the team, especially when it came to defense. He liked the effort and how his players competed. But it was the fundamentals that kept him talking.

“We closed out half a dozen times with our hands down,” he said. “We didn't affect the shot in any way. They didn't honor us, they didn't respect us - it was them and the rim. If we do that ... they're going to shoot it in, that's what guys do.

“On the opposite end, I thought they were up in us. We didn't get real clean looks. Maybe that's why we shot 18 percent (from 3-point range).”

Iowa does have a quick turnaround, which could help the team move past the loss. The Hawkeyes host Duquesne (1-0) tonight as part of the CBE Classic. Duquesne finished 21-13 last year and competed in the NIT. The Dukes return four starters, including junior forward Damian Saunders, who scored 17 points and grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds along with five assists and four steals, in an 85-62 season-opening win against Nicholls State.

“Luckily we don't have much time to think about it,” freshman guard/forward Eric May said. “We're jumping right into a Tuesday game, moving forward. We're not dwelling on this.”

“We've lost before,” junior post Jarryd Cole said. “It's not the first time we've lost. We're not the first team in the country to lose. We've just keep our heads up, keep positive, and things will be corrected.”