Iowa 96, Chicago State 53
The Hawks looked good tonight. They also looked sloppy and soft.
The Hawkeye men’s basketball team won its opening game for the first time since 2008. Despite the blowout, I stayed until the end to take it in — then ran out the east doors to Ramp 3 (?) to beat traffic.
Yep, traffic. With increased interest in the basketball program comes increased traffic before and after the game, which is a welcome inconvenience. The announced attendance was above 12,000, but that was the paid attendance; the actual number of fans who showed up was probably around eight or nine thousand, and that included two thousand Dance Marathon students who probably got in for free. Regardless, it was a pretty decent crowd. It is much better than what it was a few years ago, but still not as big as in the ol’ days.
Freshman Aaron White recorded a double-double in his first official game as a Hawkeye. Nineteen points and 10 boards is a damn good performance, but it obviously came against a less talented Chicago State team. Regardless, White appears to be the kind of inside-outside combo that filled the roster during the Dr. Tom years, which the Hawks are in desperate need of. Another freshman, Josh Oglesby, struggled from the field, but is still impressive. McCaffery played his freshman a lot, including Gabe Olaseni, which was a good sign. The Hawks also pressed a lot in the first half, disrupting Chicago State’s rhythm and causing a ton of turnovers. In all, Chicago State turned the ball over 27 times to the Hawks’ 10. Also notable: the Hawks were 27-32 from the free throw stripe. Awesome.
Oh, and Devyn Marble can dribble and pass. Who knew? He has improved a lot and must have worked his ass off during the off-season.
Defensively, the Hawks conceded a lot of easy points. They allowed the Cougars to drive the ball into the lane for uncontested lay-ups. (At the other end of the court, Chicago State was challenging every drive. White, who made it a point to go strong to the basket after having his first lay-up rejected on Sunday, struggled closed to the hoop. Even the breakaways were broken up.) In the end, though, the Hawks won easily. There is still work to do, but I came away impressed.
The Hawkeye men’s basketball team won its opening game for the first time since 2008. Despite the blowout, I stayed until the end to take it in — then ran out the east doors to Ramp 3 (?) to beat traffic.
Yep, traffic. With increased interest in the basketball program comes increased traffic before and after the game, which is a welcome inconvenience. The announced attendance was above 12,000, but that was the paid attendance; the actual number of fans who showed up was probably around eight or nine thousand, and that included two thousand Dance Marathon students who probably got in for free. Regardless, it was a pretty decent crowd. It is much better than what it was a few years ago, but still not as big as in the ol’ days.
Freshman Aaron White recorded a double-double in his first official game as a Hawkeye. Nineteen points and 10 boards is a damn good performance, but it obviously came against a less talented Chicago State team. Regardless, White appears to be the kind of inside-outside combo that filled the roster during the Dr. Tom years, which the Hawks are in desperate need of. Another freshman, Josh Oglesby, struggled from the field, but is still impressive. McCaffery played his freshman a lot, including Gabe Olaseni, which was a good sign. The Hawks also pressed a lot in the first half, disrupting Chicago State’s rhythm and causing a ton of turnovers. In all, Chicago State turned the ball over 27 times to the Hawks’ 10. Also notable: the Hawks were 27-32 from the free throw stripe. Awesome.
Oh, and Devyn Marble can dribble and pass. Who knew? He has improved a lot and must have worked his ass off during the off-season.
Defensively, the Hawks conceded a lot of easy points. They allowed the Cougars to drive the ball into the lane for uncontested lay-ups. (At the other end of the court, Chicago State was challenging every drive. White, who made it a point to go strong to the basket after having his first lay-up rejected on Sunday, struggled closed to the hoop. Even the breakaways were broken up.) In the end, though, the Hawks won easily. There is still work to do, but I came away impressed.
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