Iowa Basketball: Takeaways from dominant win over Maryland

The Iowa basketball team defeated Maryland Thursday night in a dominant performance on both ends of the floor. Takeaways from the win.

It was a slow start for the No. 5 ranked Iowa basketball team (10-2) on Thursday evening against Maryland (6-6) on the road, but in the end the better team prevailed. The Hawkeyes defeated the Terrapins by a final score of 89-67 in what amounted to be the most dominant performance for Iowa in Big Ten play this season.

The Hawkeyes got down by 10 early in the first half, but proceeded to go on a 20-0 run en route to double-digit halftime lead. At one point, Maryland led 19-9. By halftime, it was 44-26 in favor of Iowa. Needless to say, the Hawkeyes found their footing after a lack of energy in the first 10 minutes.

Here are the biggest takeaways and observations from Iowa’s convincing win:

• Welcome back, Connor McCaffery. After injuring his ankle in Iowa’s last game, McCaffery was healthy enough to suit up. His presence was noticed right away. He finished with six points, five rebounds and 10 assists.
• McCaffery is one of the best passers in the Big Ten. The precision on some of his passes is insane.
• Thank Iowa’s bench for providing the spark the team needed to jumpstart an early comeback after falling behind 19-9. Jack Nunge, Joe Toissaint and Keegan Murray helped provide a much needed burst of energy after checking in around the 12-minute mark in the first half.
• A nice homecoming win for Luka Garza, who’s from the Washington D.C. area. The Hawkeyes got their first win at Maryland with Garza on the team.
• Garza finished with 24-7-4 in another ho-hum performance.
• Murray has been one of the best stories of the season for Iowa. He continues to impress every single game. He finished with 12 points and five rebounds and was rock solid on the defensive end.
• The Hawkeyes got a lot from their bench, and not just in garbage time. Patrick McCaffery showed up with some solid minutes tonight (10 points), while Murray, Nunge and Toussaint all played pivotal roles, as well. Iowa got 33 points from their bench.
• Jordan Bohannon was cold in the first half, but finished with 18 points after knocking down six 3-pointers.
• Nice defensive effort overall from the Hawkeyes. Toussaint had six steals.
• Iowa is now on a three-game winning streak and holds a 4-1 record in the Big Ten.

Up next: the Hawkeyes host the No. 16 Minnesota Gophers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, Jan. 10. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 pm CT on Big Ten Network.