Rutgers men’s basketball unable to stop Iowa’s offense in 86-77 lose

Rutgers men’s basketball lost to Iowa on Saturday.

On Saturday, Rutgers men’s basketball returned to action for the second time in January. The Scarlet Knights could not get back in the win column as the Hawkeyes emerged with an 86-77 win.

While Rutgers played much better in the second half, their rally fell short. For the second straight game, Clifford Omoruyi scored less than ten points and Aundre Hyatt only scored nine. However, there was one bright spot in Mawot Mag.

The Melbourne native led Rutgers in scoring with 24 points. He was also a menace on the boards with ten rebounds. After missing the start of the season due to injury, Mag showed against Iowa why Rutgers was eagerly awaiting his return.

 

As the Hawkeyes rolled to their eighth win of the season, they took advantage of Rutgers mistakes. The Hawkeyes scored 16 points off turnovers and 38 points in the paint. While Iowa had its fair share of ball control issues, it minimized its mistakes in the second half.

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Offensively, the Hawkeyes were led by the talented duo of Ben Krikke and Payton Sandfort. Krikke added 19 points to his resume and Sandfort had 24 points in 32 minutes of action.

With their 14th game of the season in the books, Rutgers will now turn their focus to their match-up with Indiana on Tuesday.

Payton Sandfort named to Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List

As the men’s basketball season approaches, Payton Sandfort finds his name attached to a prestigious preseason watch list.

Suddenly, Payton Sandfort is no longer the wide-eyed, sharpshooting youngster. Now, he’s one of the Iowa Hawkeyes‘ seasoned vets heading into the 2023-24 men’s college basketball season.

Sandfort has appeared in 67 career games and started seven last season. Alongside senior guard Tony Perkins and redshirt senior forward Patrick McCaffery, Sandfort will be expected to be one of Iowa’s key night-in, night-out performers.

Last season, Sandfort averaged 10.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game on 40.4% field goal shooting, including 34.3% marksmanship from 3-point range. The 6-foot-7, 215 pound junior netted 14 double-figure scoring games last year, including six contests with 20 or more points. Sandfort also had seven double-figure scoring games as a freshman.

When he’s hitting from deep, Sandfort can be downright lethal for opposing defenses to have to deal with. As a result, Sandfort finds his name among 20 players named to the prestigious Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award Preseason Watch List.

Sandfort joins Ohio State‘s Jamison Battle, Michigan State‘s Coen Carr, and Wisconsin‘s Tyler Wahl as Big Ten forwards named to the preseason watch list.

Over the course of his Hawkeye career thus far, the Waukee, Iowa, native has authored some incredible games and singular moments. Sandfort has demonstrated a knack for the heroics, too.

Last season, Sandfort drained a 3-pointer while being fouled in the final minute of regulation to register a four-point play that sent Iowa into overtime during an eventual 93-84 win over Michigan inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Then, a little more than six weeks later, Sandfort was back at it again, electrifying the Carver crowd with a game-tying 3-pointer that capped an 11-point rally in the game’s final 55 seconds versus Michigan State. That sent the game into overtime, where Iowa wound up with a rousing 112-106 win over the Spartans.

Now, the charge will be bottling those types of heroics up and then delivering the consistency on a nightly basis.

Iowa tips off its exhibition season on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network Plus versus Quincy from inside Carver. Then, on Nov. 7 at 7 p.m., Iowa officially opens its 2023-24 campaign versus North Dakota with the game also set to stream on B1G+.

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Iowa Hawkeyes 2023-24 Snapshot Profile: Payton Sandfort

Expected to be one of Iowa’s big three in 2023-24, how much can Payton Sandfort elevate his game and the consistency of it?

If there is a returning player who you should really feel excited about on this Hawkeyes team, it’s Payton Sandfort.

The 6-foot-7 guard and forward was a player projected by many to become a breakout star last year. The sophomore breakout, unfortunately, didn’t really come.

Sandfort wasn’t a bad player by any means, but he didn’t necessarily carve out a starting role. He improved, but wasn’t a consistent game-changer quite yet.

I think the disappointment around Sandfort not really becoming the guy last year has unfairly dampened the excitement he deserves. He wasn’t bad at all last year, winning the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Award. He doubled his points total from his freshman year as well. There were some great flashes, and funnily enough, his best moments came in conference play where he shot a cool 39% from 3-point distance.

The Waukee, Iowa, native really started to come into his own down the stretch last year, registering big performance after big performance. He scored 22 points in that crazy win over Michigan State, followed up by 16 points against Indiana.

He made over five threes in both contests. In the NCAA Tournament game against Auburn, Sandfort actually led the Hawkeyes in scoring off the bench with 21 points. This was despite a bit of an off-shooting night from deep.

With two years of Big Ten experience under his belt, Sandfort knows the things he needs to improve on. We want to see a bit more consistency on offense and a bit less streakiness from deep.

Given what he showed last year, Sandfort has a big opportunity to make his presence known to the college basketball world nationally this season.

Takeaways from Iowa basketball’s foreign thumping of Paris All-Stars

Iowa men’s basketball got its overseas stay started with a 123-77 blowout of the Paris All-Stars. What are the takeaways for the Hawkeyes?

The Iowa women were not the only basketball team to travel to Europe this week. While Caitlin Clark and Co. were busy crushing it in Italy, the men started off their European tour in Paris, France. Iowa basketball opened up their foreign tour with a 123-77 victory over the Paris All-Stars.

All 11 Hawkeyes scored in the blowout win, with a few notable performers leading the way. The Hawkeyes worked through some issues early on, and head coach Fran McCaffery was able to get a good first impression of his young squad early in August.

While the victory is great to see, no matter who the opponent is, the performance is really what matters here. This early into the preseason, this was a great chance to get our first takeaways of the new team. Here is the recap from the 123-77 victory over the Paris All-Stars.

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Hawkeye Heroics: Twitter reacts to Iowa’s miraculous rally over Michigan State

Iowa authored an all-time comeback versus Michigan State, rallying to top the Spartans, 112-106. Here’s the best social media reactions.

How about that for a game folks?!

If you tuned out for the ending of this one, you certainly weren’t the only one. This game felt like such a guaranteed loss that you had fans filing their way out of Carver with basketball still left to be played.

Another team played outstanding against Iowa, a recurring theme all season of opponents just putting it all together whenever against Fran McCaffery’s boys. The Spartans shot out of their mind in this one, over 70% from beyond the arc. That is pure insanity, and only happens against Iowa of course. Tyson Walker had a career game for Michigan State. Again, everyone has their career game against the Hawkeyes.

The one really felt like the final blow on Iowa’s season. Three straight losses in a row where they simply had no answer for their opponents. Iowa couldn’t stop anything on defense, proving to be the complete inverse from the Ferentz-led football squad. Kiss the NCAA Tournnament goodbye folks.

Then everything changed, and it all started with a stare-down. You can question coach Fran McCaffery’s behavior on the court all you want, and many did when they saw him in a deadlock stare with the official. Just another Fran McCaffery melt-down as the team crumbles around him.

They did not crumble though. Iowa just started hitting everything, and they completed a comeback for the ages, winning 112-106 in overtime over Michigan State. The Hawkeyes were down 93-81 with 1:23 left to play, and still down 96-86 with less than a minute remaining. With some extremely hard work on the boards and a little bit of magic, Iowa stormed back and really saved their season.

You saw a dramatic shift from fans on social media during the dying embers of this contest. From pure destitution at the seemingly lost season to pure elation at what quickly became a “where were you when this happened” moment. Here are the best social media reactions through that journey.

PHOTOS: Iowa men’s basketball roasts Bethune-Cookman to open 2022-23 season

All five starters finished in double-figure scoring, including Tony Perkins’ game-high 16. Here were the best photos from the season opener.

Iowa wasted no time illustrating promise for the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season. All five Hawkeye starters finished with double-figure scoring, including point guard Tony Perkins who finished with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-9 field goal shooting.

“Tony Perkins has aggressiveness. He has skills. He is shooting the ball outside. He is driving the ball. He always had a pull-up game. He is getting to the rim. We put the ball in his hands a little bit more, so now he has more space, and he is even more effective.

“Five assists and one turnover, that is the thing that impressed me the most. When you put him at the point, you are going to have to give it up, and he does. But he did that from the first day he got here. He said, yeah, he was a scorer, he was a scoring guard, but you can put the ball in his hands. He will just get better,” Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery said of Perkins’ performance.

Filip Rebraca also recorded his 20th career double-double, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

“He is aggressive offensively, he is aggressive in his ball-screen defense, he is aggressive in post defense. He is aggressive on the glass and running the floor. He is taking the ball, dribbling it, driving it and finishing the play, posting hard.

“Quite frankly, all the stuff he did when he was at North Dakota. He was dominant. For us he was really good. His role was different. We got to keep him here, and now he has taken charge. That’s what I wanted him to do. It was always in there, and now you’re seeing it,” McCaffery said of Rebraca.

Meanwhile, Kris Murray had 14 points, Payton Sandfort had 13 and Patrick McCaffery finished with 12.

With the win, Iowa begins its season 1-0. The Hawkeyes have now won 12 consecutive season openers, 78 of their last 83 nonconference home games and improved to 92-3 when holding opponents to fewer than 61 points during McCaffery’s tenure.

There are plenty of takeaways and Hawkeye social media was certainly delighted to have Iowa basketball back. It was a fun night from inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Take a look back at the season debut that was through these sensational still photos.

Iowa Hawkeyes ranked No. 21 in 247Sports’ preseason college basketball rankings

It’s almost time to tip off the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season. According to 247Sports, Iowa starts as the nation’s No. 21 team.

You can tell a season is right around the corner when the market becomes flooded with preseason rankings. Everyone loves a good set of rankings, especially as they try to get a gauge on teams before they step on the court. Nothing boosts your self worth quite like correctly predicting who the top teams will be in advance!

247Sports’ Kevin Flaherty and Isaac Trotter recently took their hand at predicting the field, releasing their college basketball preseason rankings. Coming in as the 21st ranked team in the country is the reigning Big Ten Tournament champion in Iowa.

This could be one of Fran McCaffery’s better defensive teams, and if Kris Murray makes the expected leap to All-Big Ten caliber player, the scoring will be there as well. Patrick McCaffery, Tony Perkins and Payton Sandfort can all put the ball in the basket. – 247Sports.

Iowa is one of only three Big Ten schools featured on the list, Illinois ranked 15th with Indiana a place behind.

The Associated Press also only ranked three Big Ten teams in their initial top 25, notably leaving Iowa on the outside looking in. According to the AP voters, Indiana is the highest-ranked Big Ten team at No. 13, followed by No. 22 Michigan and No. 23 Illinois.

It will once again be a tough competition for the conference crown, but it seems the national media is not expecting a national champion to come from the Big Ten this season.

There is a lot of projection in regards to Iowa this upcoming season, making it understandable why they are a bubble top-25 team heading into the season. Of course, the notable departure is All-American forward Keegan Murray. The fourth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings, Murray would’ve been a National Player of the Year most other seasons.

A lot of pundits are projecting twin brother Kris Murray to fill his brother’s shoes as the star of the team, but, of course, that is still just a projection for now. Murray is following a similar career arc to his brother Keegan, performing really well when given a chance at extended playing time last season. We will have to see if he can handle the limelight as the true No. 1 option for Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery.

The other biggest projection, as Kevin Flaherty breaks down for Hawkeye Insider and 247Sports, is the team’s defense.

Fran McCaffery’s bunch lost All-American Keegan Murray, who likely would have been National Player of the Year in a number of other seasons. But he brings back an experienced roster from a team that appeared to figure things out defensively as the season went on, something that could make this 2022-23 bunch better than its predecessors.

Iowa has not had a top 70 defense in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency since the 2015-16 season, and if the Hawkeyes can find a way to keep the offensive train rolling while buffing up on the defensive end, Iowa could compete for a Big Ten title. Iowa certainly appears to boast plenty of firepower. – Flaherty, 247Sports.

That progression on the defensive side of the court is probably the biggest key for Iowa in 2022. While the team loses Keegan Murray, they still return a lot of experienced players who can put the ball in the hoop. Fourth-year forward Patrick McCaffery averaged a hair over 10 points per game last year, and is getting some breakout buzz in his own right ahead of the season.

Payton Sandfort showed a lot of scoring potential off the bench last year, especially as a shooter hitting 36% of his 3-point attempts. You can go down the roster list and find potential breakout candidates: Kris Murray, Patrick McCaffery, Dasonte Bowen, etcetera.

There are a lot of things to be excited about with this team, but a ton to prove as well. They’ll have plenty of opportunities to show why they’re a top team right away, with Seton Hall, Clemson, and Duke scheduled early in the season.

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2023 4-star small forward Pryce Sandfort commits to Iowa Hawkeyes basketball

Iowa men’s basketball’s 2023 recruiting class received a jolt, earning a commitment from four-star small forward Pryce Sandfort.

Iowa men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery and his staff landed one of their top targets in the 2023 class. Pryce Sandfort out of Waukee Northwest High School in Iowa committed to the Hawkeyes.

With the Sandfort commitment, Iowa now has three pledges in its 2023 class.

According to On3, the 6-foot-7, 190 pound Sandfort is the nation’s No. 99 player, the No. 22 small forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa in the 2023 class. On3 also has Sandfort ranked as a four-star commit.

Meanwhile, ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports all rate Sandfort as a three-star prospect. 247Sports ranks Sandfort as the nation’s No. 135 player, the No. 29 small forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa. Rivals regards Sandfort as the No. 135 player nationally and the No. 37 small forward. Lastly, ESPN has Sandfort as the No. 39 power forward and the No. 2 player from Iowa.

Sandfort chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Clemson, Drake, Davidson, Nebraska, Seton Hall and Washington State. The Waukee native was also receiving interest from Gonzaga, Iowa State and Wake Forest.

Sandfort caught up with HawkeyeReport’s Blair Sanderson of Rivals to share why he committed to Iowa.

“Before my visit, I was talking to my parents and I was telling them there is no way I’ll commit after it. I wanted to take a lot of visits and decide after that. But on the visit, it just felt like home. I didn’t want to be anywhere else or visit anywhere else. I fell in love with the campus and the vision that coach Fran (McCaffery) and coach (Matt) Gatens had for me. Also, I had a great time hanging out with the guys,” Sandfort told Sanderson.

He also liked how the staff envisioned his future in Iowa City.

“They see me fitting in perfectly with how they want to play. Playing fast, shooting a lot of threes, all of that. They see me playing the 1-3 or 4. Fran has told me before, he sees me coming in as a freshman and making 60 threes and having a big role right away. Obviously, it’s all up to me and how hard I work,” Sandfort told Rivals.

It’s a huge get for the Hawkeyes. Sandfort, the younger brother of current Hawkeye Payton Sandfort, joins Owen Freeman and Brock Harding as the third commit in Iowa’s 2023 class.

Here’s a look at Pryce Sandfort’s junior season highlights courtesy of QuadVisual on YouTube.

Iowa Hawkeyes safely in the 2023 NCAA Tournament in Joe Lunardi’s summer Bracketology

A summer Bracketology? You better believe it, and the Iowa Hawkeyes are safely in the 2023 NCAA Tournament per ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

It’s never too early to start thinking about next year!

While we are nowhere near the start of the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season, it’s still right in season for ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi to start piecing together his March bracket.

In his most recent version of Bracketology, Iowa is in with one of the last four byes of the tournament, landing as the No. 10 seed in the East region. The Hawkeyes’ opening date would be against seventh-seeded Saint Louis with a likely date against No. 2 seed Texas looming after that.

Iowa is one of seven Big Ten teams that Lunardi currently has making the Big Dance. That’s tied for tops nationally of any conference according to Lunardi’s projections, joining the Big 12, Big East and SEC as seven-bid leagues.

In addition to Iowa, Lunardi has No. 7 seed Purdue and No. 8 seed Ohio State in the West region, No. 6 seed Illinois and No. 8 seed Michigan State in the East region and No. 4 seed Indiana and No. 7 seed Michigan in the South region.

For the Hawkeyes, Lunardi is expecting a bit of regression from the past two seasons. Iowa was a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament and a No. 5 seed last year entering March Madness after winning the Big Ten Tournament title over Purdue, 75-66.

Over the past two seasons, Iowa basketball has lost their star player. Luka Garza was possibly the greatest player in Hawkeyes history, a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus All-American. He graduated on to the NBA at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Then, Keegan Murray broke out and was also a consensus first-team All-American. He also probably should have been won the Big Ten Player of the Year last year. Instead, he goes down as Iowa’s highest-ever draft pick, going fourth to the Sacramento Kings in the 2022 NBA draft.

That’s two straight years that Iowa has to replace a historic player. While that’s routine for a team like Duke that rules the top-10 player recruiting list every year, it is a tough task for a team like Iowa. There are a lot of returning pieces coming back, including potential breakout star Kris Murray.

“Well, first of all, I’m really excited for him. First time in his life that he hasn’t played with his brother. He accepted the challenge of coming back,” Head Coach Fran McCaffrey said in a recent interview about the returning Murray. “As I said before, he bet on himself. A lot of guys, if they have a two-way, they take it. He could’ve gone to a two-way if he wanted, but he wanted to come back. He loves his teammates and he wants the responsibility that’s going to be placed on him. And he’s ready for it, he’s worked hard for it and I’m excited for him.”

The Hawkeyes open their 2022-23 season on Nov. 7 at home against SWAC opponent Bethune-Cookman.

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‘His teammates will love playing with him’: Fran McCaffery on Sacramento Kings’ Keegan Murray

Iowa’s Fran McCaffery raved about Keegan Murray’s fit with Sacramento, saying “his teammates will love playing with him.”

Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery was telling anybody who would listen that Keegan Murray would take a backseat to no player in this recent 2022 NBA draft class.

What others passed up was the Sacramento Kings’ gain with the No. 4 overall selection. Jacob Keppen immediately broke down why Murray was a great fit with the Kings from day one, and his 2022 NBA Summer League performances have done nothing to disappoint those proclamations.

Over three games in the 2022 California Classic Summer League, Murray averaged a league-best 19.7 points per game, shot 51.1% from the floor and 43.8% from 3-point range and grabbed eight rebounds per contest.

Through his first two games in the NBA 2K23 Summer League from Las Vegas, Murray averaged 21.5 points per game, shot 44.4% from the floor and 40.0% from 3-point distance and grabbed six rebounds per game.

Those numbers are set to go up after Murray dazzled in his most recent game with 29 points, seven rebounds and four steals in an 86-80 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Of course, that matchup featured Murray against No. 2 overall pick Chet Holmgren. In one Summer League game, it wasn’t close who the better player was on this particular night.

In short, he’s been as advertised. It’s no surprise to McCaffery who caught up with Jason Ross of Sactown Sports 1140.

Here’s everything McCaffery had to say about Murray’s Summer League showings so far.