Iowa-UNI breakdown: Defense defines both teams

DES MOINES - Outside of a blocked shot, there's nothing less SportsCenter-worthy in college basketball than old-fashioned, solid defense. Yet little else determines the outcome of a game quite like preventing your opponent from scoring easy baskets.

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery saw his team unravel defensively last year in a stretch of seven losses in Iowa's final eight games. The Hawkeyes led at critical juncture in each outing only to have its defense stumble. That led to a renewed emphasis on defense during the off-season, and it has paid off so far.

Iowa (8-3) ranks 12th nationally - and first in the Big Ten - in field-goal percentage defense. Opponents sink just 35.6 percent of their shots, an upgrade from last year's 41.5 percent. Six opponents have shot worse than 33 percent from the field. Iowa has played against four ranked opponents and held three below their scoring average. Last week's 90-point effort by Iowa State proved to be the outlier.

'I don't know that we did anything specific other than emphasize what we didn't do last year,” Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'You can show it to them empirically and show them the numbers and show them the clips, but at some point you have to decide, are we going to be a team that stops people or are we going to be a team that trades baskets? Because if you're trading baskets, you're usually losing.”

Northern Iowa (9-1), which faces Iowa on Saturday as part of the Big 4 Classic at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, also has adjusted nicely on the defensive end this year.

Defense traditionally serves as the foundation of UNI basketball under Ben Jacobson. But last year the Panthers overcompensated for a rules interpretation allowing for more freedom of movement. They practiced differently, and it showed.

Last year, the Panthers' defense gave up 69.3 points a game, nearly six points more than the previous season high under Jacobson. That led to re-evaluation in the off-season and a return to the team's traditional dogged defense.

'(The rules changes) impacted the way with which we practice,” Jacobson said in the summer. 'I felt like it took away aggressiveness at the defense end. We're going to go back to all of the drills we used in the past. If we have to adjust, we will. I think that especially from aggressiveness, constant for us, we got off to a bad start. That is on me as a head coach.”

This year the Panthers are giving up 59 points a game and have held seven of 10 opponents under 55 points. UNI allowed opponents to shoot 44.2 percent last year. Through 10 games, UNI's opponents shoot 40.1 percent.

It's not like either team has played perfect defense. In a 90-75 loss to Iowa State, the Hawkeyes allowed 53.1 percent shooting. UNI allowed 47.1 percent shooting a 93-87 double-overtime game at Virginia Commonwealth. But the commitment to defense remains strong

'I'm proud of our guys in the sense that they played better defense,” McCaffery said. 'We didn't play better defense (against Iowa State). I think in that game in particular a lot of focus was on the beginning of the second half, where we didn't play well. But we didn't play well for 40 minutes. We got outplayed for 40 minutes. Our defense wasn't what it needed to be in either half, nor was our offense. So we had a lot of work to do in that regard.

'But I do think we are more committed to being a better defensive team.”

Here's a breakdown of Saturday's Iowa-Northern Iowa match-up:

1. Backcourt

. Both teams routinely shuffle six or so players among the guard and wing slots. Northern Iowa goes three-deep at point guard with Deon Mitchell, Wes Washpun and Wyatt Lohaus. Iowa also has versatility at the point with Mike Gesell, Anthony Clemmons and Trey Dickerson, who will play after suffering a knee injury last week in practice. Many of those players have flexibility and will line up alongside one another in the back court.

Washpun, a red-shirt junior, has become a star for Northern Iowa this season. He comes off the bench to average 12.2 points a game. He shoots 60 percent from the floor and has hit 8 of 10 from 3-point range. He's a strong rebounder with 3.9 a game. He also has 33 assists and 12 steals. He also has shot 49 free throws and made 36.

'His first step is really quick and obviously as a lefty it's hard making him go right,” said Iowa guard Josh Oglesby, who played with Washpun at Cedar Rapids Washington. 'But obviously we're going to have to force him to go right because some of his points after watching the VCU game, he's going left a lot. Watching him growing up, he likes to go left.”

Mitchell, the starting point guard, has struggled shooting at 28.6 percent. Lohaus averages 15 minutes and 3.9 points a game.

Gesell and Clemmons open the game side-by-side but both are positionally ambidextrous. Gesell averages 6.3 points and Clemmons 5.9. Both hover around 22 minutes a game.

At shooting guard for UNI, Matt Bohannon is tied for the team high with 14 3-pointers. Wing players Jeremy Morgan and Paul Jesperson average 6.7 and 4.2 points, respectively. Iowa counters off the bench with Peter Jok (5.5 ppg) and Josh Oglesby (4.2 ppg) off the bench. Small forward Jarrod Uthoff (11.1 ppg) logs 25 minutes a game at the wing but Jok also will see time there. Freshman Brady Ellingson has played in just five games but has hit four of six 3-pointers.

The backcourts are comparable from 3-point range. UNI's six players have knocked down 50 of 146 3-point attempts (34.2 percent), while Iowa's are 61 of 188 (32.4 percent). The significant offensive difference between the backcourts comes from two-point shooting. Northern Iowa's backcourt hits 50 percent from all non 3-point shots, while Iowa's sinks just 36 percent. Iowa's backcourt takes much better care of the basketball with 140 assists to 63 turnovers. UNI's backcourt has 77 assists to 64 turnovers.

Advantage: Even

2. Frontcourt.

Iowa has a significant size advantage over the Panthers with its four primary posts standing 7-foot-1, 6-10, 6-9, 6-9. The Hawkeyes also get more statistical production from its foursome of Aaron White (15.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), Adam Woodbury (8.0, 5.9 rpg), Gabe Olaseni (8.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Dominique Uhl (3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg). White ranks second nationally in free throws made (69) and 11th in free-throw attempts (78). Woodbury has improved his midrange jumper and passes extremely well out of the post. Olaseni is a tremendous athlete who can block shots and match up with opponents of any size. Uhl has shown vast improvement since the start of the season.

Northern Iowa matches White with Seth Tuttle (14.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the Missouri Valley Conference preseason player of the year. Tuttle (6-8) is tenacious in the post, a good free-throw shooter and on occasion can step out and shoot a 3-pointer.

'He's a good player, he's gotten better each year he's been there,” White said of Tuttle. 'He plays at a very aggressive level. High intensity, rebounds, shoots, makes plays for others. Coach even said if you watch him now, he's almost playing like (Wisconsin center) Frank Kaminsky. He'll take guys out, he'll spin off the block, he's got an array of moves. The good thing for us is we've got two good centers that we can put on him.”

Nate Buss (6-9) is match-up nightmare in the post. He averages 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds but has hit 10 3-pointers. Senior Marvin Singleton is a tough guy inside with 6.3 rebounds and 5.1 points a game. Bennett Koch (the brother of Adam and Jake) puts up 2.7 points a game.

The three primary post players for each team are strong free-throw shooters so cherry-picking at the end of the game won't do either team any good. Singleton (56.5 percent) and Woodbury (60.9) are on the low end.

Advantage: Iowa

3. Intangibles/other.

Both teams are motivated equally but for different reasons. Northern Iowa's lineup is filled with in-state players who were passed up initially or eventually by the Hawkeyes. Jeremy Morgan and Wyatt Lohaus played at Iowa City West and are the sons of former Hawkeye standouts. Matt Bohannon hails from Marion and his father played football at Iowa. Wes Washpun, who spurned a later offer from Iowa for Tennessee, was a high school teammate of Iowa's Josh Oglesby at Cedar Rapids Washington. Seth Tuttle, the Missouri Valley Conference's preseason player of the year, hails from Sheffield, Iowa. This game allows those athletes a chance to compete against a Big Ten school in which many rooted for growing up.

Iowa's players have endured a week of aggravation following a 90-75 loss to Iowa State. The Hawkeyes preferred to compete immediately afterward but semester exams gave the team eight days between games. There's no doubt Iowa's players will want to avoid losing their other scheduled in-state rivalry game this year. But even more important, they want a good performance against a strong opponent to regain confidence.

The teams have split their last 12 games, which includes Iowa's 80-73 win in Des Moines in the inaugural 2012 Big 4 Classic. They did not meet last year for the first time since 1987.

This year, both teams have played strong competition in difficult environments. UNI has faced potential NCAA tournament teams in Stephen F. Austin, Richmond, George Mason, Denver and Virginia Commonwealth. Iowa has played ranked opponents Syracuse, Texas, Iowa State and North Carolina.

Each team values possessions differently so the total number of rebounds is moot. Both teams hold a three-rebound edge per game on their opponents.

Advantage: Even

KEY MATCHUP

Iowa's posts vs. Seth Tuttle. Iowa's tandem of Olaseni and Woodbury will present problems because of their diverse skill sets and tenacity. But if one player can measure up it's Tuttle. If he can draw with those two in rebounds and points, it's a win for Northern Iowa. It will negate a height advantage and allow the Panthers' waves of guards to hit attack Iowa's backcourt. If Iowa gets Tuttle in foul trouble, the Hawkeyes have a chance to run roughshod in the post.

KEY STATISTICS

SCORING/OPP:

Iowa 72.3/58.1; UNI 69.4/59.0

FG%/OPP FG%:

Iowa 42.0/35.6; UNI 48.0/40.1

3PT%/OPP 3PT%:

Iowa 30.3/28.0; UNI 38.5/31.3

FT%:

Iowa 76.0; UNI 71.5

LIKELY STARTERS

Iowa:

G Mike Gesell (6-2); G Anthony Clemmons (6-2); F Jarrod Uthoff (6-9); F Aaron White (6-9); C Adam Woodbury (7-1)

Northern Iowa:

G Deon Mitchell (6-1); G Matt Bohannon (6-4); G Jeremy Morgan (6-5); F Marvin Singleton (6-6); F/C Seth Tuttle (6-8)

KEY RESERVES

Iowa

: C Gabe Olaseni (6-10); G Josh Oglesby (6-6); G Peter Jok (6-6); G Trey Dickerson (6-1); F Dominique Uhl (6-9)

Northern Iowa:

G Wes Washpun (6-1); Paul Jesperson (6-6); F Nate Buss (6-9); G Wyatt Lohaus (6-2); F/C Bennett Koch (6-9)

BOTTOM LINE

Both teams defend. Both teams play with intensity. Both teams are deep. Both teams hit their free throws. Both teams are motivated coming off losses. Both teams have been ranked. Iowa takes care of the basketball better, while UNI's guards hit a higher percentage from the field. UNI wants to slow it down and work every possession, while Iowa wants to speed up the tempo.

The outcome of this game comes down to one clear factor: can Iowa hit open jumpers and 3-pointers. If the Hawkeyes do, like they did two years ago against the Panthers, Iowa will win. If Iowa's guards continue to struggle from the field, the Panthers will win. It's almost that simple.

Prediction: Iowa 63, UNI 61

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com