Iowa just seems to have Rutgers’ number.
Perhaps more than any other team in the Big Ten, the Hawkeyes have been a thorn in the Scarlet Knights’ side since they joined the conference. Following Sunday’s 93-82 defeat at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Rutgers has lost three consecutive games, six of its last seven meetings and 10 of their 13 matchups with Iowa since the 2014-15 season.
Similar to how the Scarlet Knights have dominated Indiana in the last four years under head coach Steve Pikiell, the Hawkeyes have owned Rutgers in the same time frame.
Geo Baker was part of a handful of those losses, along with a pair of wins over Iowa. In an appearance on the Field of 68 on Sunday night, the former star guard for the Scarlet Knights says the way Fran McCaffery’s team runs its offense makes them tough to stop.
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On Sunday, Rutgers’ defense — which entered the day ranked second nationally in defensive efficiency on KenPom — allowed a season-high 93 points against the high-powered Hawkeyes. The second-highest total given up by the Scarlet Knights also came against Iowa in a 76-65 loss at Jersey Mike’s Arena earlier this month. Across the two games, Iowa shot at a 47.1% clip (24-of-51) on three-pointers.
“Everything is very efficient and deliberate with Iowa (offensively),” Baker said. “They’re constantly moving. I remember having to chase Jordan Bohannon around and it felt like there was never a second I got to rest on defense. You think about Rutgers, the way they play, you have your hands in your gap, your foot over from your man and you’re packing it in to make sure there are no driving lanes. With Iowa, if you look at the ball for a second, someone is cutting, backdooring, moving. It’s just constant motion which, again, is a tough matchup for Rutgers overall. It’s been like that the past couple of years. I always matched up bad with them, too.”
Led by all-Big Ten forward Kris Murray (21.9 points per game), Iowa has the second-most efficient offense in the Big Ten during conference play and plays at the highest-pace in the league; its average possession against Big Ten opponents lasts 16.1 seconds, per KenPom. It’s why the Hawkeyes average 75.9 points per game in the first half of league play, including 84.5 points in two games against Rutgers.
“Just the way they run, honestly,” Baker said of what makes the Hawkeyes hard to guard. “Today we saw it, Rutgers would get a basket and Iowa came back and got an and-one. If you’re not alert on defense, communicating, if you’re not ready to play, (they’ll take advantage). They run great sets to get their guys open. You see it with Kris Murray, you saw it last year with Keegan Murray, everything is within the offense, so it’s not like its an easy scout where it’s ‘oh, we need to defend Kris Murray 1-on-1, we need to defend Keegan Murray 1-on-1.’ No, this dude is going to run straight to the paint, post you up and try to outtough you. Now, it comes down to mano-y-mano, how tough are you on the defensive end? How alert are you on the defensive end? Today, I think Rutgers just wasn’t alert enough to get the stops it needed to get.”
How much does Baker like this Iowa team?
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He was asked by Field of 68 host John Fanta the following: “If Purdue’s the clear-cut favorite in the Big Ten, you get to pick another (Big Ten) team that you trust to do something in March …”
Baker did not hesitate.
“I like Iowa,” he said. “I was high on Iowa preseason too, and if you think back to last year, this is around the time where they started to pick it up a little back (before winning a Big Ten Tournament title). Patrick McCaffery just came back. The way their offense is, they’re always going to be in games. They’re going to find ways to score. I really like this Iowa team a lot. And in terms of March, you have to think about it, there’s not a real scout. You get one day to prepare for the team you’re going up against. In terms of making a run in the tournament, I can see Iowa as the team other than Purdue who can make it.”
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.
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