Keegan Murray dropped 32 points while going 8-10 from deep and grabbing 8 boards, while Jordan Bohannon had a damn-near buzzer beater to send Iowa to the Big Ten Championship game for the first time of Fran McCaffery’s career.
The win also sends Indiana packing, awaiting its fate on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament.
It was a game of superstars, between Murray and Indiana’s Trace Jackson-Davis. The two combined for 63 points, and Keegan sat just one minute. Iowa needed him for all the other 39.
This one started about as bad as an Iowa fan could’ve asked. It took over three minutes for the Hawkeyes to record their first field goal while the Hoosiers built a 15-3 lead, capitalizing on Iowa shooting 1-10 from the floor until Fran finally, mercifully, called a timeout with 14:10 to go in the half.
Whatever he drew up at the break worked, as Iowa immediately went on a 14-2 run. The Murray brothers were responsible for all those 14, including back-to-back-to-back-back threes (that’s 4X, three of which from Keegan).
Iowa tasted its first lead of the game with 6 minutes to go following a truly outstanding finish by Keegan—set up by who else but his twin brother.
It's like they've been playing together their whole lives
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 12, 2022
The @keegan3murray & @KrisMurray24 connection is real for @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/Rlc3k5hFFu
Indiana then went on a little 7-0 run itself, until Bohannon made his first long ball of the game to more or less stop the bleeding.
Iowa had little answer for Indiana’s TJD in the first half (and the whole game), where his 16 points buoyed a 26-12 scoring advantage for the Hoosiers in the paint. He ate Filip Rebraca’s lunch early and often, but in fairness he still feasted while Iowa transitioned to zone.
An Indiana 3 with 7 seconds left put an exclamation point on a good first half for the Hoosiers and gave them a 38-32 advantage at the break.
The second half wasn’t much of a seesaw affair as TJD and Xavier Johnson gave Iowa fits in the paint, ballooning Indiana’s scoring advantage there to 50-24 overall for the contest.
I found the emblematic moment of the game to be around 6 minutes to go following a 3-point play from Pat McCaffery. Iowa made a great defensive play on the other end of the court after a missed 3 from Miller Kopp, but Kopp ended up with the ball again after a loose ball situation, and nailed the shot to make 65-58 bad guys. This is usually when we see our boys wilt.
But this Iowa team is built different.
Keegan and Pat generated Iowa’s offense until Tony Perkins completed a three point play to make it 71-68 with 3:20 to go.
Bohannon then pulled up to knot it, and TJD was (rightfully) called for a charge to all of a sudden swing this thing in Iowa’s advantage for the first time all game.
Keegan made a 3 the next possession to give Iowa its first lead of the half, this with under 2 minutes to go.
They wouldn’t give it up.
Another Bohannon 3 was followed by 4 straight points from Xavier Johnson, who knotted the game with 30 seconds to go at 77.
Back-to-back 3s @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/hPfxmv1UJ8
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) March 12, 2022
Iowa had the chance to milk the clock and take the lead with almost no time left on the final possession. With about 10 ticks left it looked like the Hawkeyes squandered a chance to put this game to bed as Indiana clogged the lane in what looked like something drawn up for Perkins.
Bohannon got the ball with 3 seconds left.
Heave.
Glass.
Unn.
Yins.
OH MY GOODNESS! @JordanBo_3 FOR THREE @IowaHoops takes the lead! pic.twitter.com/grm7nK4qP4
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) March 12, 2022
The rest
- Not the best game for Rebraca, who had little answer for... anyone or anything. Luckily, I don’t think Iowa will face Trace Jackson-Davis again.
- Iowa shot 14-32 from deep, which is about the minimum I feel like Iowa needs to be at.
- 10-12 from the line, tho.
- The Hawkeyes were out-rebounded 36-30. It felt like a million more than that.
- These Hawks, man.