There were not a lot of big expectations for last year’s Iowa Hawkeye basketball team.
When you lose one of the greatest players ever in Luka Garza it’s hard to replace that talent. Plus, Joe Wiescamp, a three-year starter and an all-Big Ten selection went pro. The Hawkeyes were predicted to finish ninth in the Big Ten.
Good thing the players didn’t read the predictions.
The Hawks finished 26-10, 12-8 in the Big Ten and fourth. They shocked the basketball world by winning four straight games in the Big Ten tournament, including the championship.
I sat down with assistant coach Kirk Speraw, two weeks before he retired, and talked about the season.
Iowa started its run in the Big Ten tournament crushing Northwestern 112-76. That might have been the Hawks’ best all-around game all season.
They shot 61% from the floor (43-70), 65% from three (19-29) and outrebounded the Cats 45-18.
“That was such an efficient game for us offensively,” said Speraw. “We were playing good defense too. It was one of the best offensive performances that I’ve been involved with.”
Next up was Rutgers and the Hawks prevailed, 84-74.
Keegan Murray had 26 while Tony Perkins and Jordan Bohannon scored 16.
Iowa was 25-27 (93%) from the free throw line.
“Rutgers is a hard team to play because they play so good defensively,” said Speraw. “We played pretty good defense and we were solid on offense.”
Iowa beat Indiana for the second time 80-77 for their third straight win.
Keegan Murray played 39 minutes and led the Hawks with 32.
Patrick McCaffery and Bohannon dropped in 16 and 12 respectively. Bohannon hit the game-winning shot on an unbalanced three that banked in as time ran out.
The Hawks shot 83% (10-12) from the free throw line.
“That was another one of those games that our guys never gave up,” said Speraw. “Then JaBo hits that shot. We ran a play for him. He didn’t get the look but he pulled out one of his late-game heroics which he’s been known to do.”
Of all the teams I didn’t want to see in the finals, Purdue was the last team I wanted Iowa to play. They had 7-4 and 6-11 centers and beat the Hawks twice during the season.
Iowa got outrebounded, 48-30, and the Boilermakers had more points in the paint (38-28), but the Hawks came through with a 75-66 win picking up their third Big Ten tournament title.
“We got drilled in the first game we played against them,” said the coach. “The same thing happened the second time we played them. It wasn’t the best matchup because they shoot the ball so well and have those two big guys inside. Our guys were really active in that game and we had a lot of deflections and created turnovers. I thought Purdue was a Final Four team.”
Iowa is the only Big Ten team to win the title twice by winning four games in four days, also winning in 2001.
Regular season
The season had its up and downs.
The ups would be wins over Indiana (three times), Ohio State, Michigan State and Purdue in the Big Ten championship.
The downs would be losses to Iowa State, Illinois (twice), Penn State (2 OT) and Richmond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks opened the season with seven straight wins.
“We had a pre-conference schedule that was good for a young team,” said Speraw. “It helped Keegan. He played surprisingly well during that stretch. We opened with two of the top teams in the Big Ten (Purdue and Illinois both losses).”
Iowa was 7-1 in February, the most wins in February since winning all eight games in February 1981.
The Hawks finished the season 4-1 getting knocked out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 67-63 by Richmond.
“They were a veteran team that had a tough year and they really played well in their conference tournament,” said the coach. “They played exceptionally well against us and we were off a little bit. We didn’t have the same bounce and pop we did four days before. We had open looks but the shots weren’t falling. I thought we had a chance to make a good run.”
The team
Keegan Murray announced he would be going to the NBA and is projected a high first-round pick. At 6-8, 225 he checks all the boxes. He’s athletic, can run the court, is a good ball-handler, can shoot the three, is a good rebounder and shot-blocker. Murray led Iowa in scoring (23.5), rebounding (8.7), blocked shots (68) and steals (45).
“The thing that’s most impressive about the year Murray had is that he improved in all areas,” said Speraw. “He was bigger, stronger, worked hard in the weight room, ball handling better, his shooting better but the thing to me the most impressive about Keegan was how he handled things mentally. He led the nation in scoring in the first half of the season and was in the mix for Player of the Year. He never let that bother him at all.”
Kris Murray averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and had 31 blocked shots, second behind his brother Keegan. He had a season-high of 29 against Indiana, shot 39% from three and 71% from the free-throw line.
“Kris is a good shooter,” said the coach. “Kris has the ability, he’s got the length and he has the skills.”
Philip Rebraca started all 36 games and was second on the team in rebounds averaging 5.6 per game. He shot 53% from the floor and was third in blocked shots with 24.
“Philip gained confidence during the year and will be a much better player next year,” said Speraw. “He was a big reason we played so well down the stretch.”
Tony Perkins started the last 15 games and was third in steals with 24. He shot 45% from the floor and 80% from the foul line.
“He’s got a really good feel for the game,” Speraw said. “He’s a guy that can make plays. I expect him to step up next year.”
Ahron Ulis played in 35 games, shot 79% from the free throws line and was second in assists with 73.
“He also has a good feel for the game,” said the coach. “He’s a solid defender and he’s going to have a really good future here.”
Patrick McCaffery started 32 games, averaged 10.5 points and shot 71% from the free throw line.
“He’s got this uncanny ability to finish those drives,” said Speraw. “He can score in a variety of ways.”
Payton Sanford played 34 games and shot 94% (15-16) from the free throw line.
“He’s not just a shooter,” Speraw said. “He’s a great cutter. He’s a really good motion guy. He’s going to be good.”
Conner McCaffery is back for his sixth year and will be a good leader.
“He’s a tough defender and really knows the game,” said Kirk. “He can play all five positions.”
Iowa is bringing in three new players. I’ll talk more about them next fall.
I’ll miss talking to Speraw, a good coach and a great guy.
