Big Easy for Hawkeye men against New Orleans, a fast, furious start and 104-57 win

IOWA CITY — There was no self-pity, no lack of motivation, no messing around.

The Iowa men’s basketball team didn’t have any apparent emotional hangover from its 89-80 home loss to Iowa State Thursday. The Hawkeyes came out Sunday afternoon and swamped New Orleans at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 104-57,

Not that the result was unexpected. New Orleans came here with a 2-6 record, had some lopsided losses, and was a 31.5-point underdog. Still, you couldn’t say Iowa didn’t pick itself up and dust itself off before dusting off the Privateers.

Iowa (8-3) shot 67.7 percent from the field in the first half and finished with a glowing 62.7 percent. It made 14 of 29 three-pointers.

More good stats: The Hawkeyes had 28 assists. Seven of their players blocked shots for a total of 11. They outrebounded their opponent for the first time in the last seven games.

In a nutshell, they came to play.

“You know, we lost a tough one (against Iowa State),” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. “If we had one it, you’ve got to do the same thing. You’ve got to lock in for the next one. The next one is every bit as important as the last one.

“So, what’s your leadership like? It’s great with Payton (Sandfort) and Josh (Dix) and those guys. They were locked in on Friday, they were locked in on Saturday. We practiced hard. The scout team was terrific. We had a very, very professional approach to this game.”

Iowa had a 13-4 lead in the game’s fourth minute. A 13-0 run made it 29-11, it was 57-29 at halftime, and so forth.

The shooting was excellent, the transition game produced 38 points, the bench players got some playing time to spread their wings. It was medicine for the Hawkeyes’ souls, for sure.

Especially freshman wing Cooper Koch, who looked good in the early going of this season before missing four games with a health issue he hasn’t disclosed.

“It wasn't that severe,” Koch said, “just something that I've been dealing with and been working through.

“I’m just happy to be back out here, taking it day by day, seeing how the rest of the season goes.”

Koch didn’t just come back, he played 21 minutes and had 6 points and 5 rebounds.

“He's going to give you everything he's got,” McCaffery said. “He’s going to give you effort. He’s going to push through. We just listen to the trainers and doctors if there’s a reason to take him out. I didn’t see one.”

It’s been musical chairs for the Hawkeyes, health-wise. Seldom have they had everyone available for a game. Backup forward Seydou Traore sat this game out with an ankle issue from the last game. Freshman forward Chris Tadjo took an elbow to the chest and played just five minutes.

The starters, though, got through the game unscathed. They put the hurt on the Privateers, combining to make 29 of their 39 shot attempts. Sophomore center Owen Freeman was 10-of-12 and tied his career-high of 22 points.

Sandfort had 15 points, Dix and Brock Harding 13, Pryce Sandfort 10. Harding got his season-average in assists with six.

Iowa’s next game is Saturday against Utah (7-2) in Sioux Falls, S.D., at 5 p.m. Its next home game is Dec. 30 against New Hampshire (2-11).

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