DECEMBER 11, 2020  //  IOWA CITY, IA  //  CARVER HAWKEYE ARENA

372 WORDS  //  2 MINUTE READ

There is not anything I can write that you can't read in your average Iowa Hawkeye website or print media.  I can only write that it is a privilege to watch this team play basketball.  In these unprecedented times, very few people are allowed into Carver Hawkeye Arena and I somehow have worked my way onto this list.

The drive to Iowa City and back alone may get boring and tiresome but each time I have watched the Iowa Hawkeyes play basketball, it has been worth it.

Tonight I can name 3 things that made me so happy to be in attendance...

1. Luka Garza played only 7 minutes in the 1st half.  I don't care that he had only 2 personal fouls, it seemed odd.  Then the nation's leading scorer just went off in the 2nd half, especially from the 3 point land, and scored 34 points against the Iowa State Cyclones.  He was a disgusting 5 for 5 from the arc.
2. At about the 12:45 mark in the 2nd Half during a timeout, Coach McCaffery laid into his team about their intensity, focus, and rebounding.  The Iowa Hawkeye team responded to their coach and absolutely dismantled the Cyclones for the rest of the 2nd half
3. Austin Ash hit a 3 pointer.  This kid is one of my favorites on the bench.  Always cheering on the team and being the best teammate he can be.  When he checks in, I get happy.  When he hit that 3-- the bench went wild.  That shows how much the team knows how important he is to the team.

Some notes from the game:

• Iowa defeated Iowa State 105 - 77.  It was Iowa's 3rd straight victory over the Cyclones.
• The 105 points scored was the highest points scored by a team in the series.
• Iowa now moves to 5-0 to the Over TOTAL (159) on the season.
• Iowa (-14) moves to 4-1 Against The Spread on the season.

• Luka Garza's 34 points were the most points scored by a Division I player who has played less than 20 minutes in a game over the last 25 seasons.
• Tonight’s win was Fran McCaffery’s 450th career win as a head coach. He has 199 victories as Iowa’s head coach.

Iowa will play Norther Illinois next Sunday at Carver Hawkeye Arena.