Game 21: Iowa Recap

We're going to keep it short just because there's no point in writing the same thing over and over. Penn State went into chilly Iowa City and put on yet another atrocious display on offense. You might see the overall output was a surprising 67 points, but that number doesn't do justice to the first 30 minutes. Too many wasted possessions led to too many runouts for the Hawkeyes and the Lions weren't able to muster a big enough run to put real pressure on Iowa.

It's a shame, really, because the way Iowa played, they were ripe for an upset.

Penn State turned the ball over 18 times in the first 31 minutes of the game, many of them were unforced - stepping out of bounds, illegal dribbles, lazy passes. They once again sent Iowa to the foul line at an incredibly alarming rate - 68.8 FTR as the Hawkeyes attempted 33 free throws. The Nittany Lions were also dominated on the boards as Iowa grabbed 45% of their misses.

It was one of the ugliest games of basketball of the year, as neither team made any favorable impressions throughout. A flurry of points at the end of the game made the statistics respectable, even in Penn State's case. For the first time in conference play, the Lions averaged over 1.0 PPP (1.02). Conversely, Iowa finished at 1.19 PPP courtesy of their solid performance at the charity stripe (28-33, 84%).

Not much to build on individually, although Jon Graham continues to play great defense (2 more blocks tonight) and did score 6 points in 17 minutes. DJ and Jermaine reached their averages but it was struggle to get there (35 points on 31 shots and 8 turnovers). Who knows what's to do with Ross Travis, who had another abysmal game. The sophomore went 0-7 from the floor and continued to take questionable shots. The only look he seemed to take in rhythm off a nice pass resulted in an airball. The Lions can't afford to leave him on the bench while he figures out his game, but he clearly can't play through his struggles either.

The Lions get the weekend off. We'll see you next week for their best chance remaining for a conference win - at home vs. Purdue.