Iowa hoops: Making the Grade, Big Ten Week 1

Adventureland in Altoona opened a new roller coaster last year and named it The Monster. Maybe they could've named it The Hawkeye, because the first two games of the Big Ten season for the Iowa men's basketball team followed the approximate path of the new, looping coaster in central Iowa. Like that high-speed ride, the Hawkeyes' week was briefly terrifying but ultimately entertaining.

Each week of the season, we'll break down the Hawkeyes' offensive and defensive performance and give them grades, as we'll as highlight each player who contributed significantly and his individual performance. This week's Iowa Hoops: Making the Grade highlights Games 14 and 15 against then-No. 15 Purdue and Michigan.

Schedule/Results

Iowa at No. 15 Purdue; L, 89-67

Iowa vs. Michigan; W, 86-83 OT

Offense

BWhy: It certainly appears as if the first five minutes have a profound impact on how the Iowa men's basketball team plays offense. It's not like this group ever will stop shooting or stop playing the game the way they want, but seeing a few shots go in early and seeing the offense flow well right from the start seems to bode very well.

Iowa was quick shooting and turning it over from the start at Purdue. It made the bad worse because they started to press and move too quickly. Against Michigan, ball movement was crisp but patient. The Hawkeyes used more sets than usual — normally it's a high screen and more free-flowing movement — and it resulted in open shots that made their regular motion more efficient. When things got harder in the second half against Michigan, whatever seemed to be instilled early in the game came back. At Purdue, the hole was just too deep, it appeared.

Iowa has a top 50 Adjusted Offense. If guys like Jordan Bohannon, Tyler Cook, et. al can be as effective as they were, it will free up Peter Jok, and the entire team gets a lift in efficiency. As always, though, doing that once is fine, but doing it consistently is the key.

Defense

C-Why: The Hawkeyes are going to be graded on a curve all season defensively. Being good, at this point, is relative. They're going to be average to above average nationally in adjusted defense the rest of the way, most likely, and that's because the Hawkeyes are an average team at that end when it comes out in the wash.

The evidence for that comes in this week. The first half against Purdue was an F-. The Hawkeyes couldn't locate shooters or frontcourt players in the zone. Almost everything was a step behind. Whether it was dribble penetration, screen actions or basic ball movement — the skip pass was way too effective — the zone was burned repeatedly. Coming back against Michigan, much of that looked far better. While Wolverines shooters were able to get open — something bound to happen for any team taking 35 3-pointers — it wasn't as blatant as Purdue. Additionally, initial rim protection was way better on Sunday, even with the offensive rebounding woes Iowa had in the first half.

Adjusted defense for the week won't look good at 1.147 points per possession, but again, this is on a curve. Iowa was good enough defensively to win against Michigan. Maybe that's just what the bar will have to be. It'll keep moving.

Players (in last two games)

Peter Jok, guard

— His first half at Purdue, like pretty much everyone not named Nicholas Baer, was both forgettable and disappointing. From there, though, Jok was his usual exceptional self. Also exceptional is the amount of criticism he gives himself when stuff like that happens. He's well-aware of what he's responsible for, and while what happened in West Lafayette was to do with far more than him, his owning what he didn't do right is a good sign. His scoring will be the first thing most everyone talks about, but his becoming a facilitator against Michigan was a key component in the win. He said after that game he's confident in his teammates, and if they can reward that confidence, the offense only will grow.

Tyler Cook, forward

— A far from perfect return from injury, sure, but it's not exactly easy to miss a month of basketball and return to play against Caleb Swanigan, Isaac Haas, DJ Wilson and Mo Wagner. The foul trouble he found against Purdue affected how he got into rhythm, but he didn't repeat that against Michigan, which is an important thing. He was vital in the win and looked far more comfortable. In theory, that should only improve.

Jordan Bohannon, guard — I was among many who used the term 'coldblooded' to describe this guy on Sunday. If you have a better term, tweet me at @jeremiahdavis10. Otherwise, we'll stick with that. If we all had the confidence in life Bohannon does in his jump shot, we'd all be in far better places. He got the same education the whole freshman group did at Purdue, but responded as well as anyone. Those six assists and no turnovers are not only his favorite but his most important stats.

Nicholas Baer, guard

— Without Baer in the first half at Purdue, Iowa might've found itself down 33 instead of 23. He's only used on 16.5 percent of Iowa's possessions, but it feels like more. That's probably because when he touches the ball, something happens — more often good than bad. His instincts are good and they serve him well, especially in positioning himself.

Brady Ellingson, guard

— He was forced into the emergency point guard role against Michigan after Bohannon found himself in foul trouble and Christian Williams was sidelined with back issues. McCaffery said Tuesday he's cool with Ellingson running the point and not simply just bringing the ball up the floor. As for his regular role, he's shot really well recently, and his confidence has grown as a result — as evidenced by his quick trigger when he sees a window. That's a good thing for the Hawkeyes.

Cordell Pemsl, forward

— This week had to be exceedingly frustrating for him personally. He had more than one foul called against him in which he barely made contact or was incidental. He saw a few shots roll out of the rim that he got to fall earlier this year. And then there was that whole missed-dunk-turned-technical-foul at Purdue. The good news: he still rebounded well, and his rim protection looked good against Michigan.

Isaiah Moss, guard

— To expect him to have the exact impact every night he did to end non-conference play probably isn't super realistic, but it's probably fair to expect a little more than we saw from him this week. He was 0 of 4 from the field with two turnovers, no points, no rebounds and no assists at Purdue. He was better (7 points, 3 of 4) against Michigan, and probably would've had more if he played more down the stretch. Still, the Hawkeyes need him to help take pressure off Jok, and games like the Big Ten opener don't help his or Iowa's cause.

Dom Uhl, forward

— We aren't privy to what's in Dom Uhl's head, nor what conversations he has with coaches, but from appearances and stats, he sure looks to have a serious confidence issue when holding the basketball. He hesitates to shoot and doesn't look comfortable backing anyone down. His rebounding and position defensively have been OK, but neither good enough to overcome his struggles.

Ahmad Wagner, forward —

Everyone — myself included — was concerned with how Cook's return affected Cordell Pemsl, but this always was the guy whose role was going to be most affected. This week was proof of that. It's not like he'll be ignored or forgotten now, but his being able to come on the floor and impact the game without much break-in will be vital going forward.

Christian Williams, guard

— McCaffery said Tuesday whatever back issue Williams is dealing with is a new development. While his minutes have waned for Bohannon, not having him available at all is a blow for the Hawkeyes. He may not be as effective as Bohannon right now, but he knows the offense well. Missing any kind of significant time won't help a thing.

Upcoming Games

Iowa at Nebraska, 8:06 p.m., Jan. 5 at Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, Neb. (BTN)

Iowa vs. Rutgers, 3:30 p.m., Jan. 8 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena (BTN)

Previous weeks: Games 1-2, Games 3-4; Games 5-7; Games 8-10; Games 11-13

*Full disclosure on grades: First things first, that's by subjective view after covering and re-watching games. Second, grades are an aggregate of the week, based on an 11-point scale. A is worth 11, A- 10, and so on through F, which is 0. Offense and defense are given a grade for each game and then averaged for the week.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com