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There’s no way around it: Last night’s game against Purdue was a complete and utter disappointment. Iowa looked flat all game, never finding its groove.
The Hawkeyes lost 77-68 and shot just 37.5 percent from the floor. Luka Garza’s offensive production continued, as he scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Joe Wieskamp added 10.
I’ll be honest, stock watch isn’t going to be pretty this week. There wasn’t much to be proud of after that beatdown in Carver.
Stock up: Luka Garza
Let’s start with a positive: Garza is now Iowa’s highest scorer in a single season, and that’s something to celebrate. He’s got 712 points this season.
' : @LukaG_55 is @IowaHoops' all-time single-season scoring leader.
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) March 4, 2020
Greatness.
BTN x @USCellular pic.twitter.com/r21qCowmEP
But even Garza wasn’t perfect in the loss. He made nine of his 17 shots (53 percent). His rebounding was solid yet again, but he turned the ball over four times. It just wasn’t your typical Garza outing. He didn’t appear in a rhythm, but then again, no one did.
Stock down: Iowa’s 3-point shooting
Iowa went 8-for-30 from 3-point range against Purdue. That’s 27 percent, otherwise known as a bad shooting night.
In the second half, it seemed as though Iowa was attempting to play hero ball, forcing up some shots from deep. The 30 attempts are the third-most in a game this season.
The eight triples came from four Hawkeyes, who finished with two each: Garza, CJ Fredrick, Connor McCaffery, and Ryan Kriener. McCaffery shot eight 3-pointers, which isn’t exactly what Iowa wants out of him.
Overall, Iowa’s 3-point percentage is the sixth-worst in a game this season. What’s the fifth-worst, you might ask? The game against Purdue in West Lafayette.
Stock down: Joe Wieskamp
I’m not sure what exactly is up with Wieskamp right now. I truly believe he’s got an incredibly high ceiling and is Iowa’s most all-around dynamic player offensively. But it’s just not there.
Wieskamp scored 10 points on 3-for-7 shooting. He’s seemingly disappeared over the last five games, going 12-for-44 (27 percent shooting). He’s also committed eight turnovers during that stretch.
Wieskamp is too vital in the Iowa offense to disappear. For the Hawkeyes to make a deep run this month, he’s got to start hitting shots consistently. Iowa is at its best when he’s able to serve as a legit No. 2 threat when paired with Garza.
Stock down: Rebounding
Iowa got demolished on the boards on Tuesday. The Boilermakers outrebounded the Hawkeyes 47-33. Purdue had almost as many offensive rebounds (21) as Iowa had defensive (23). Purdue’s Evan Boudreaux led the charge with 14 rebounds. Trevion Williams had eight.
Tuesday marked the highest rebounding total allowed by Iowa this season (second was 41 to Maryland on Jan. 30). It also marked the most offensive rebounds allowed by the Hawkeyes, who hadn’t allowed more than 15 in a game this year.
Thanks to the rebounding onslaught, Purdue scored 20 second-chance points on Iowa. The Hawkeyes finished with nine.