Michigan State Basketball takes on the Iowa Hawkeyes at the Breslin Center this Tuesday on Feb. 25. The Spartans are currently 18-9 overall and 10-6 in Big Ten Conference games. Iowa, on the other hand, is 19-8 overall and 10-6 in Big Ten Conference games.
Here is a scouting report on Iowa:
Placement In The Big Ten
The Iowa Hawkeyes are elite on the offensive end of the floor. They lead the Big Ten in points per game with 78.5 points per game. The Hawkeyes are third in field goal percentage, shooting 45% from the field. Furthermore, Iowa shoots 35% from deep as a team which ranks second in the Big Ten.
Iowa also ranks second in Big Ten assists per game with 17.3 per game. Note, this puts the Hawkeyes right under MSU, averaging 17.7 assists per game. Iowa is also fifth in steals per game with 6.52 and eighth in rebounds per game with 37.5.
The Hawkeyes are great on offensive but not necessarily overwhelming on the defensive end. They are ninth in blocks per game with 3.77. Also, they average just about 12.07 turnovers per game. There are certainly flaws to be found in Iowa’s game.
Luka Garza
Man oh man, Luka Garza is a beast on the basketball court. Garza is currently first in Big Ten points per game and fourth in the entire NCAA with 23.7 points per game. He is sixth in Big Ten field goal percentage, shooting 56% from the floor. Luka Garza also ranks fourth in Big Ten rebounds per game with 9.6 and ninth in Big Ten blocks per game with 1.67.
Garza is a scoring machine. Earlier in the year on Dec. 6, he scored a season-high 44 points on Michigan. He just had back-to-back 24-point games against Minnesota and Ohio State University. In the past five games, Garza has scored a staggering total of 134 points. He has led Iowa in scoring in 66% of all games so far this season. So yeah, Garza will be a huge problem for MSU in this game.
Good night and sweet dreams from Player of the Year candidate Luka Garza. #VoteGarza | #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/kYIGKv31SV
— Iowa Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 21, 2020
Versatile Backcourt Depth
Iowa boasts great players well beyond just Luka Garza. Joe Wieskamp, CJ Fredrick, Jordan Bohannon, Joe Toussaint, & Connor McCaffery range from good to very solid in terms of talent. Start with Wieskamp, who ranks ninth in Big Ten points per game with 14.9 and fourteenth in Big Ten rebounds per game with 6.1. Wieskamp rebounds the ball extremely well for Iowa and serves as a reliable, secondary scorer behind Garza.
CJ Fredrick leads Iowa and the Big Ten in three-point shooting efficiency, making 47% of his shots from deep. He also averages 10.7 points per game. Jordan Bohannon averages 8.8 points per game along with 3.3 assists per game. Joe Toussaint averages 1.3 steals per game, the most on Iowa’s roster. Lastly, Connor McCaffery leads his team with 3.8 assists per game which also ranks seventh in the Big Ten.
Each Iowa Guard provides something different for their team. As a result, Iowa is dangerous at all times on offense. You cannot simply double Luka Garza when he can kick it out to a 47% three-point shooter. No wonder this team is a Big Ten powerhouse right now.
The Spartans play against the Hawkeyes Tuesday at 7 P.M. on ESPN2.