Getting right: Iowa 106, Southeast Missouri St 75

The Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3, 1-0) came out firing in a 106-75 win over the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State (5-7, 0-0). They used a 58-point first half - the best of the season - to make it a laugher for much of the game. It was Fran McCaffery’s 250th win at Iowa.

Filip Rebrača had a career night with 30 points and six assists to go along with nine rebounds. Payton Sandfort got off the schneid with 24 while Patrick McCaffery had 20. On the whole, Iowa shot

Both teams started hot, as the Hawks scored 17 points behind Rebrača and Patrick exclusively. SEMO kept pace through six minutes as they rode hot midrange shooting to keep it within 3 at 19-16. A technical foul on Chris Harris after his second three jumpstarted an 8-0 run after Connor McCaffery made two at the line. He’s up to 20 straight on the season.

Iowa’s sub-heavy lineup hit a lull after Dasonte Bowen sunk a three pointer but a Connor post-up preceded Payton Sandfort went ballistic over a four minute stretch with 17 of Iowa’s 19 points in the timeframe, including a 7-0 run over 42 seconds.

It seemed like one of those nights for him after he missed his first basket & got hit with a foul but he bounced back in a big time way. It was his first time to hit double digits since the second game of the season.

Rebrača scored six of Iowa’s 10 points after the Sandfort run to go into half with 19 and Iowa up 58-41. If there’s one nitpick of the frame, it was the free throw shooting at 10/16, though they closed going 5/5.

It was more in the same in the second half once a couple Connor free throws got the ball rolling. Rebrača added seven straight to stretch it to 67-43 as he tied his career-high. He added a couple more free throws and a dunk to get to 30. A nifty assist to a Patrick three set a career high there.

From there, the subs got in en masse* with Josh Ogundele lighting the victory cigar and Carter Kingsbury seeing the court. Riley Mulvey got back into it after a stretch of games without garbage time and getting over whatever illness he had last month.

* When Patrick checked out for good, he and Connor had a brotherly conversation.

Not much more to be said. If there remain nits to pick, it’s that Iowa’s starting guards had just 10 points on 3/9 shooting.

Next up: 12/21 v. Eastern Illinois (3-9, 0-0)