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It wasn't always pretty but the fresh-faced Hawkeyes had enough firepower to outrun and outmuscle Kennesaw State. Everyone except Maishe Dailey (redshirt?) and the injured Dale Jones got in tonight.
Peter Jok did Peter Jok things by scoring whenever he damn well pleased, dropping 27. Ahmad Wagner showed off a new and improved dribble drive game to finish with 12 points to go along with 4 blocks. Freshman Cordell Pemsl looked quite solid as well, finishing with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Fans were probably expecting a lot more scoring-wise out of Tyler Cook. He only had 6 points and was pretty much challenged every time he touched the ball. But he also grabbed 10 boards and his aggressive nature and athleticism cannot be taught. He just needs some polish. Fans will need to be a bit patient and be ready for some inconsistency.
As far as improvements, Iowa got outrebounded. That is absolutely unacceptable for a size mismatch like this one. I remember one in particular where 6’9 Dom Uhl got outhustled by 6’2 Kendrick Ray. Not good. In addition, the offense felt clunky and without rhythm many times, especially in the second half. The Hawks just took advantage of their superiority in length and athleticism. Plenty to work on, but no reason for panic either.
The Hawks’ next game is against Savannah State on Sunday at 2:30, who got blown out by Iowa State 113(!)-71 tonight. Let’s hope the Hawkeyes finish off Savannah’s unpleasant trip to Iowa.