IOWA 77, LONGWOOD 44: HEH, LONGWOOD

Well, that sure was a basketball game. Iowa had the backups in early and often as it cruised to a 77-44 victory over Longwood at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Aaron White led all scorers with 19 points, and he was one of the primary playmakers on defense as well; he logged three steals as Iowa forced 20 Longwood turnovers. The Lancers shot just 31% from the field to boot, so it's not as if the turnovers were the only thing holding the attack back.

White was the only starter who even played a majority of the game for Iowa, with 25 minutes on the court. Anthony Clemmons had 20 minutes of his own, but Jarrod Uthoff was only on the court for 17 minutes (still enough time for him to throw in 11 points) and Adam Woodbury and Mike Gesell only saw 14 minutes. All told, the Iowa bench logged 55% of the team's minutes on the day, and that's mighty fine for Fran McCaffery as he tries to develop the team's depth for the Big Ten.

The primary beneficiary of the redistribution of minutes was Dominique Uhl, who had 22 minutes on the court. Uhl didn't play particularly well—his three attempts behind the arc were at least two too many, and none went in—but it was nice to see him get long stretches and work into an offensive role.

Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons each went 0-4 today. Again, it's probably time to stop being surprised by this. For Gesell, though, this isn't just a case of not developing as a player—he's full-on regressing. As a freshman, he shot 40% from the field and 79% at the line. Those numbers dropped substantially last year and they're even worse this year: 26% from the field, 63% at the line. His minutes are still more or less steady, but McCaffery's decision to bring in Trey Dickerson is as clear a message as any that the point guard play has been substandard.

The twin towers were solid, as you'd hope against a cupcake. Woodbury notched six points and five rebounds in his 14 minutes, and Gabriel Olaseni went for 10 and six (with five blocks!) in 23.

Woodbury and Olaseni combine for virtually 40 minutes per game (39.5, if you're curious) and their combined per game totals are stellar: 16.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.1 blocks. They've combined to shoot 58% from the field and a nice 69% from the line. That is a major, major strength for Iowa and McCaffery's going to have to lean on them come Big Ten time.

So now a trip to UNC awaits on Wednesday. No pressure.