Iowa hoops: Making the Grade, Week 7

The non-conference schedule ended with some interesting basketball. Iowa played really well twice and pretty good the other game, but most importantly ended the non-conference slate – for the most part – the way they wanted to. The last two opponents may not have been world beaters, but the Hawkeyes elevated their play regardless.

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 11, 12 and 13 against Northern Iowa, North Dakota and Delaware State.

Schedule/Results

Iowa vs. UNI; W, 69-46

Iowa vs. North Dakota; W, 84-73

Iowa vs. Delaware State; W, 89-57

Offense

A-Why: It's hard to find flaws in an offense that shoots better than 50 percent (50.3 percent combined in the last three games) and amasses 1.120 points per possession. Iowa did that in the final three games of the non-conference, in a display of continued efficiency.

The games against North Dakota and Delaware State were what was expected: a more talented, athletic team doing its thing against defenders who were overmatched. Even the Fighting Hawks, who used a good scheme and physical play to frustrate the Hawkeyes, didn't have answers. But what Iowa did against UNI – a second straight game against the pack line defense – was the most impressive offensively. The Panthers play the pack line as well as anyone, and Iowa exposed UNI in a few spots.

Iowa's motion offense – nothing complicated – created open shots, and when it didn't, individuals did. Peter Jok's crossover that put Jeremy Morgan on the floor will make more than a few highlight tapes. Cordell Pemsl's up-and-under layup has become a standard, but should be appreciated.

The biggest issue, though, remain turnovers. More than 13 per game in the last three is concerning, especially when 17 of the 40 total turnovers came against the 339

^th

-ranked team on KenPom – a Delaware State team that ranks 275

^th

in turnover percentage. Making routine plays more difficult and being casual with the ball has been an problem – and prompt great, justified frustration from Fran McCaffery. The time for being able to get away with that kind of thing has passed.

Defense

BWhy: Iowa was the underdog for the Hy-Vee Classic game against Northern Iowa. The Panthers had just recently hit 20 3-pointers and seemed to have found a rhythm offensively. That changed on a Saturday in Des Moines.

This is the part where I point out that, yes, UNI missed open shots. A lot of them, in fact, in a first half that saw just 16 points scored – a season-low for the Iowa defense. But as McCaffery pointed out after the game, a lot of what caused the Panthers' struggles had to do with what the Hawkeyes were doing. It was the best defensive effort of the season in terms of helpside defense and closeouts. It was the best in terms of points per possession allowed (0.708).

Iowa still is flawed defensively. Opposing guards still can get to the rim and into the paint. Shooters still can get open. But these last three games, in an extension from the Stetson and Iowa State games, all of those things have been harder on opponents. Increasingly, there was a help defender at the rim for those dribble-penetrating. Post defense was very good, especially against UNI. Klint Carlson and Bennett Koch – both of whom had frustrated defenses earlier in non-conference – were all but eliminated from the game, and Pemsl and Ahmad Wagner had a great deal to do with that.

At 0.803 points per possession allowed over the last three games, it's the best stretch of the year for the defense, and got the Hawkeyes below 1.000 points per possession for the season (KenPom). All of this, and how legit the improvements are, will be on full display starting Wednesday against Purdue.

Players (in last three games)

* To view more data, click here.

Peter Jok, guard – It remains funny how Jok can have 18 points and it be considered an off night. He wouldn't accept the premise that North Dakota's physical defense made him off, but it would be hard for anyone to shoot with consistency or find decent looks when you're bumped and shoved on most possessions. Jok's scoring deservedly gets the attention, but aside from Ahmad Wagner, he might be the best rebounder on the team right now. He won the Jeremy Morgan matchup and looked fine after landing hard on his hip vs. Delaware State. The end of non-con was eventful for him.

Jordan Bohannon, guard – It seems, to this point, as if at least one time per game, Bohannon will have an inexplicable turnover. There have been times where he simply loses control of the ball out of bounds or botches a seemingly easy pass. It's confounding because, for the most part, the freshman is in control when he's on the floor. That kind of thing should work itself out, but better teams will make Iowa pay for those kinds of mistakes.

Cordell Pemsl, forward – We've all been late for things, and yours truly won't rake a guy over the coals for it considering my punctuality on a regular basis. But Pemsl got the message, presumably, after being pulled from the starting lineup against North Dakota. He remained effective around the rim, but not so much from the free throw line. Line Bohannon's random weird turnovers, that could haunt the Hawkeyes if it's not corrected.

Isaiah Moss, guard – Despite a few offensive fouls, Moss showed himself in transition on multiple occasions. Many players either go too hard or too tentatively when running in traffic, but Moss seems to have great body control at speed, and a solid finishing ability. He's still rough around the edges all the way around, but he's having a net positive impact on both ends.

Ahmad Wagner, forward – His offensive output has steadily improved since he moved into the starting lineup, and peaked with the Delaware State game, where he was 5 of 5 from the field and finished with 12 points and four rebounds. He'll never be the top offensive threat for Iowa, but games like that – and being the kind of effective he was against UNI – show he can come through when the first options don't pan out. Oh, and that tip-slam-that-wasn't was pretty cool.

Brady Ellingson, guard – Lost amid all the craziness after the North Dakota game was a very good game from this guy. His 10 points came up huge on a night where Jok wasn't hitting and the Fighting Hawks were throwing a ton at Iowa defensively. He did exactly what is needed from him – make open shots to supplement the Iowa offense. Most importantly, he did it in back-to-back games.

Nicholas Baer, guard – Call him a supersub, call him the spark off the bench; call him whatever. Nicholas Baer, once again, showed he'll do whatever is asked of him and will do it until he can barely stand up anymore. Against UNI, it was score and rebound. Against Delaware State, it was defend and rebound. No matter what, he did it well. That's become a trend.

Dom Uhl, forward – Uhl's effect on the game hasn't been seen on the stat sheet. He showed improved defense this week – his backside help against UNI in particular. But sometimes what goes on the stat sheet matters, right? Iowa needs him to step up, as an upperclassman, especially now.

Christian Williams, guard – He got a chance at extended run against Delaware State, and while Iowa obviously will play much tougher competition going forward, it was a good chance for him to see the ball go through the net – and to attack the rim. He played off the ball a bit, and was decent in that effort this week.

Upcoming Games

Iowa at Purdue, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 28 at Mackey Arena, West Lafayett, Ind.

Iowa vs. Michigan, 1:15 p.m., Jan. 1 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena

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

*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.