Game Awards: Iowa Basketball Crushes Ohio State At Home

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa basketball improved to 12-10 on the year and 4-5 in conference play with their 85-72 win over Ohio State on Saturday night.

Iowa basketball played one of their best games of the season against Ohio State on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes controlled the game from start to finish in their 85-72 win at home. The Buckeyes only lead in the game was 2-0 to start the game.

All of Iowa’s problems on their previous three-game losing streak disappeared in front of a packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena. They played with intensity from the start, limited Ohio State’s open looks and shared the ball on offense.

It led to a much-needed win to keep the Hawkeyes in the middle of the Big Ten standings at 4-5. The Hawkeyes are now tied with Penn State and just a half game behind Michigan, Michigan State and Indiana for fifth in the conference. With Rutgers and Nebraska next on the schedule, the Hawkeyes are still in the Big Ten race.

Iowa finally has a game they can build on, too. It’s their first win since January 12 and could help them win their first road game of the season on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at who stepped up in Iowa’s win on Saturday night.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Starter of the Game: Tyler Cook

Tyler Cook had a bounce back game against Ohio State. He didn’t have as big of an impact on the glass, but his offensive game reemerged in his 16 minutes of action. Cook finished with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting and one rebound.

With Ahmad Wagner starting over Cordell Pemsl, Cook saw more chances on offense to start the game. He still missed two shots and turned it over once in the first two minutes of the game, but the Hawkeyes still made a conscious effort to get him involved.

Cook scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half, shooting 4-of-6 from the field. Ohio State had no answer for him in the paint, including on a big put-back dunk to start the second half.

He also made the second three of his career late in the game to cap off his first double-digit scoring game in the past three games.

Tyler Cook only went 2-of-5 from the line, turned it over twice and committed three fouls, but he was active on defense and showed glimpses of his elite offensive potential.

Also, he didn’t solely rely on put-backs or layups. He stepped outside of the paint and showed confidence in his shot.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Bench Player of the Game: Brady Ellingson

Brady Ellingson‘s 17 points against Ohio State is the third highest scoring mark of his career and highest in his Big Ten career. Ellingson hadn’t scored in double-figures since December 28 against Purdue and only had 11 total points in the previous seven games.

Ellingson is known for his random outbursts on offense, though. It’s being a consistent scorer that causes him problems. Although, on Saturday, Ellingson proved why Fran McCaffery continues to play him every game in hopes that he can catch fire like he did against the Buckeyes.

Everyone of Ellingson’s shots looked like it was going in. He finished the game shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep. His five made threes are a new career-high.

Aside from leading the game in scoring, he played a bench-high 25 minutes and recorded four rebounds, three assists and one steal, too. The Hawkeyes let him run the offense a couple of times, even though he airballed a deep three in the first half that was clearly out of his range.

Ellingson’s scoring, especially in the first half when he had 11 points, helped pave the way for a big offensive game from Iowa. The Hawkeyes scored 15 points in less than five minutes when Ellingson first entered the game and scored a quick eight points.

On a night where Peter Jok, the Big Ten’s leading scorer, sat out, Brady Ellingson helped pick up the slack and gave Iowa a reliable scoring option. Now, it’s a matter of if he can consistently score.

Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

Please Be Better: Isaiah Moss

After not playing in the second half against Illinois, Isaiah Moss stayed in the starting lineup and saw 19 minutes against Ohio State. He recorded six points and two rebounds, but he struggled shooting all night outside of a two-minute stretch.

From 7:12 to 5:12 remaining in the second half, Moss scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting and 2-of-3 shooting from the line. In his other 17 minutes of playing time, Moss missed his other six shots and recorded just two rebounds but one turnover and three fouls.

The good news is he played aggressive on offense and looked for his shot. After not attempting a shot in six minutes against Illinois and attempting four or less shots in four of the previous five games, Moss attempted eight against Ohio State. They just didn’t fall.

With Brady Ellingson having a huge game, Dom Uhl playing well with six points, six assists and five rebounds, and Peter Jok returning to action sometime this year, Isaiah Moss can’t afford to string together bad games without seeing his minutes take a hit.

Iowa didn’t need his scoring against Ohio State, as they scored 85 points for the first time since January 5 against Nebraska, but a fifth straight game of making fewer than 50 percent of his shots could lead to a decrease in minutes.

There is time for Moss to re-find his shot, but right now he’s struggling to find his shot.

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