86 Days to B1G Basketball: Iowa Cruises Overseas

Iowa recently wrapped up their last game in Europe, winning decisively in all three games since we last checked in on the Hawkeyes.

First up was the Swiss All-Stars, who proved no match for Iowa. The Hawkeyes opened up a massive lead early and coasted to a 125-56 blowout. Iowa had six players reach double figures, with Luka Garza’s 24 points leading the way. Iowa’s defense forced an impressive 33 turnovers and held the Swiss All-Stars to a lowly 30.6% field goal percentage. They also out rebounded the Swiss by a 68-43 margin.

“I thought the way we came out tonight was really good. Our defense was substantially better for the whole game than the other night,” said head coach Fran McCaffery.

Following the Swiss was the Milan All-Stars, who didn’t fare much better. Trailing by 16 at the half, Milan could only muster 20 points in the second half. Luka Garza once again paved the way with 25 points and 11 rebounds, while three other players reached double figures. Iowa was a bit sloppy with the ball, committing 20 turnovers, but they held Milan to under 30% shooting from the field.

Iowa’s last game in Europe saw the Hawkeyes dominate the Vicenza All-Stars defensively, holding them to 49 points. Vicenza committed 23 turnovers while being held to 27.3% from the field. On the offensive side of the ball, Luka Garza (surprise, surprise) led the way once again with 24 points and 14 rebounds. The only other Hawkeye to reach double figures was Tyler Cook, who added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Iowa was a bit sloppy with the ball, but shot 50% from the field. That was particularly impressive as they only hit 4 of their 21 three pointers.

Overall McCaffery was satisfied with the trip.

“We accomplished what we wanted to in a lot of different ways. Everybody played, we played different combinations, we had phenomenal practice sessions, and we got opportunities for our incoming freshmen to contribute in a big way.”