Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions: Game Preview

The Iowa Hawkeyes welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions on Wednesday night to kick off the second half of the Big Ten schedule.

I refuse to say that it gets easier now for the Hawkeyes because every game inside the Big Ten conference slate is tough. Penn State proved that last year when they knocked off Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. However, the schedule does it get more favorable over the course of this upcoming week. They’ll kick things off tomorrow night against the Penn State Nittany Lions (11-11, 2-7) in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes were placed on the regional cover of Sports Illustrated for the second time in this academic year. The Iowa football team was also on the cover after they had won their 11th straight game this past fall.

On sale this week. First time since 1966 (George Peeples) an Iowa hoops player on the cover of Sports Illustrated. pic.twitter.com/ygtvck07hw
— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) February 2, 2016

Jarrod Uthoff talks about how it’s a team honor and not an individual honor even though he is the primary focus on the front page.

"“To me, it’s about us, the Hawkeyes, and what we’ve accomplished as a team, it’s not about what I’ve done as an individual.” – Jarrod Uthoff, hawkeyesports.com"

While it has been a team effort for a majority of the year, the Hawkeyes wouldn’t be where they are right now without the leadership of Uthoff.

On the flip side, the Nittany Lions haven’t been to Iowa City in the past three years. The Lions are currently riding a 3 game losing streak, including a 20 point loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus, OH on January 25th. They currently have three players who average double figures and are led by Brandon Taylor, who averages nearly 17 points per game. Shep Garner (14 points) and Payton Banks (11 points) are the other Lions that notch double figures in points per game.

Iowa won at Penn State last year by four points in overtime, but suffered a loss in the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes have won 7 of the last 10 meetings over the Nittany Lions and will look to build on that as they put their 11-0 home record on the line.

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The Lions are averaging around 66 points per game, but allowing 69. The Hawkeyes average 85 points per game at home with an average margin of victory of around 17 points. When you consider this past Sunday, the Hawkeyes seem to be in some kind of zone. Possibly even upset about the loss in College Park, MD.

PSU is obviously going to rely heavily on the three players that average double figures. However, they don’t have much help after that. I imagine Iowa will go zone on the Lions and use their length to disrupt the offense. Penn State ranks last in three point field goal percentage shooting 30% from behind the arc, so a zone would make sense. They also rank last in assists per game at 9.6 per game which means they don’t share the ball well.

The Lions don’t rebound well either, and that is something Iowa excels in. On paper, Iowa should obliterate the Nittany Lions, but the games aren’t played on paper.

Next: Hawkeyes Remain In AP's Top 5

If Iowa comes out and plays the way they’ve played all year long, they’ll dominate the game. The first 1,500 fans will receive a throwback Fran McCaffery bobble head tomorrow night, which just so happens to be the 100th Big Ten game he’s coached in (50-49). With the football team being honored at the halftime break, I expect it to be a sold out crowd inside Carver Hawkeye Arena.

Tomorrow’s game will tip off at 6:00 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPNU.

Stay locked into Dear Old Gold for constant coverage of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Penn State Nittany Lions: Complete Game Preview

By Dylan Burn | Feb 2, 2016

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