After a much-needed 85-79 victory over Washington on Saturday from Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa basketball (15-13, 6-11 Big Ten) was blown out of the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill., in an ugly 81-61 loss vs. Illinois (18-11, 10-8) on Tuesday night.
Offensively, the Hawkeyes shot 24-for-57 (42.1%) from the floor, including 6-for-18 (33.3%) from beyond the arc and 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the charity stripe. Defensively, Iowa forced just five Illinois turnovers, including one steal and two blocks blocks. Unfortunately for Iowa, they gave up the ball 16 total times, which Illinois was able to convert into 17 points off those turnovers.
While both teams had their own scoring runs in the first half, with the halftime score at 37-30 in favor of the Illini, the Hawkeye offense went ice cold in the second half and was swept off the floor at the end of regulation.
With the loss a potential blow to the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten Tournament qualifying hopes, here are three thoughts gathered from Tuesday’s loss.
Iowa Could Not Stop Illinois Center Tomislav Ivisic
The Hawkeyes didn’t have any defensive answers for Illini center Tomislav Ivisic on Tuesday, a the 7-foot-1 center finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 (69.2%) shooting, including 2-of-5 (40%) from beyond the arc and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the charity stripe.
Although the Hawkeyes have been treading water without Owen Freeman, Isivic’s offensive impact against Iowa clearly exposed the talent gap disparity caused by Freeman’s absence.
Brock Harding Carried the Hawkeyes, Payton Sandfort Was Cold
Brock Harding was Iowa’s leading scorer on Tuesday night, scoring 16 points on a 6-for-12 (50%) shooting performance from the floor, 2-for-4 (50%) from deep, and 2-for-2 (100%) from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Payton Sandfort couldn’t continue his impressive offensive production from the past two games, as he was held in check by only scoring just seven points on 2-of-10 (20%) from the floor, 1-for-6 (16.7%) from long-range and 2-for-2 (100%) from the stripe.
For the Hawkeyes to avoid possibly missing out on the Big Ten Tournament, they will need both offensive weapons to contribute in the regular season’s home stretch.
Another Second Half Letdown
As has been an unfortunate and frustrating theme for the Hawkeyes in the second half of the season, Iowa could not mimic their first-half play during the final 20 minutes once again.
On Tuesday, Iowa shot 11-for-27 (40.7%) from the floor, 4-for-11 (36.4%) from deep, and 5-for-6 (83.3%) from the charity stripe for a total of 31 points in the second half. While that does not seem all that bad, Illinois was able to shoot 16-for-28 (57.1%) from the floor, 6-for-15 (40%) from deep, and 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the charity stripe for a total of 44 second-half points.
While Illinois did make some contested shots, the inability of Iowa to slow an opponent in the second half has doomed the Hawkeyes more often than not.
The Hawkeyes will remain on the road as they travel north to Evanston, Ill., for a critical Friday night matchup vs. Northwestern (15-13, 6-11) from Welsh-Ryan Arena that pits two teams vying for inclusion into the Big Ten Tournament.
The game is set for an 8 p.m. CT start and will be broadcast on FS1.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Three thoughts following Iowa basketball’s loss vs. Illinois
