Iowa 68, Rutgers 62: 3 Takeaways, Highlights

IOWA CITY -- The Iowa men's basketball team fell behind by nine in the second half against Rutgers on Sunday but rallied to win 68-62 and improve to 10-7, 2-2 in the Big Ten.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

1. Flipped the switch

Iowa had 18 turnovers. The Hawkeyes gave up 40 points in the paint. They had an 8:06 field goal drought. They won, 68-62 against Rutgers on Sunday.

Against most any other Big Ten team, those kinds of stats mean a loss, but a win is a win, and it's not like Iowa will (or should, to be honest) apologize for it.

What had been a fairly lifeless performance shifted around the midway point of the second half. Dom Uhl (we'll get to him) hit a pair of free throws to snap the scoreless streak, and it seemed to flip a switch for the Hawkeyes.

Team defense and a patient offense carried them the rest of the way. What's concerning is how long that took.

2. Hello again, Dom 

Dom Uhl has had a quiet, and compared to expectations for his role this year, disappointing season so far.

But on Sunday, Uhl (10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 blocks) was one of the bright spots throughout the game for the Hawkeyes – and it was sorely needed, as evidenced by his plus/minus of plus-15 was by far the best for Iowa.

He was particularly good on the boards in the second half. His minutes and impact will continue to grow if he keeps bringing what he did Sunday.

Thoughts on the bounce-back win, Coach? January 8, 2017

Thoughts on the bounce-back win, Coach? https://t.co/7kiSZ1GUgK

— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN)

3. Consistent inconsistency 

These guys are young. We know that. These guys are inexperienced (relatively). We know that.

What Fran McCaffery expects from them is to make some mistakes and not to execute perfectly on every possession and in every game. But he needs and expects them to play hard and with good effort every time.

That didn't happen for all of Sunday's game, and it was a reason the Hawkeyes were forced to come back – the third straight game they've erased at least a nine-point deficit.

If that happens against the top tier teams in the Big Ten, Iowa will have a much, much harder time overcoming it.