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Video: Fran McCaffery discusses Iowa’s thrilling win over Northwestern
Fran McCaffery discusses Iowa’s thrilling win over Northwestern to open Big Ten play.
IOWA CITY — Josh Dix felt like the shot might’ve been short.
Payton Sandfort did not.
Down by two to Northwestern with 5.8 seconds remaining, Iowa basketball inbounded the ball from its own baseline and saw its possession headed toward a tailspin.
“It didn’t look good with what we had going,” Sandfort said.
Sandfort alertly called a timeout with 0.8 seconds left, giving Iowa a chance to reset.
On a sideline out-of-bounds play, Dix tried to set a back screen for Owen Freeman and then popped out way beyond the arc — probably closer to the midcourt Tigerhawk logo than the 3-point line — before firing away a shot.
“It felt good,” Dix said. “I didn’t know if it was short, though. It felt like maybe it was short. But it felt like it was straight on.”
Sandfort was pretty convinced it had enough mustard on it.
“It didn’t look short,” Sandfort said. “That’s all I could see. Because I decoyed to the corner. I was just praying that it went in.”
It splashed through the net, trading in what could’ve been a devastating collapse for a thrilling 80-79 victory.
Far too often last season, moments like Tuesday’s looked too big for Iowa. The Hawkeyes met the moment against Northwestern through obvious flaws and limiting injuries. Making that the norm can propel the team toward its ambitions this season.
“It’s not easy,” Sandfort said, describing the final shot’s difficulty level. “That’s the simplest way to put it. But he’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with and he made it look easy. What he did is not easy, especially with what’s on the line.”
Video: Chris Collins on why Josh Dix’s game-winner looked familiar
Chris Collins discusses Northwestern’s heartbreaking loss to Iowa.
Iowa (7-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) played a far from perfect game in its Big Ten opener against Northwestern on Tuesday.
The 17-point advantage Iowa built during the first half dissipated after the break. The Hawkeyes’ field goal and 3-point percentages took a turn for the worse in the second half. Not to mention shooting a paltry 6-of-13 (46.2%) from the free throw line after halftime. Iowa looked like a shell of the team it was during the first 20 minutes of play.
Northwestern took a six-point lead, its largest of the game, with a little more than two minutes remaining.
This was the type of game that Iowa faded away in far too often last season.
The Hawkeyes blew second-half leads against Maryland (twice), Illinois, Indiana and Penn State. It was indicative of a young team, which featured four freshmen in the regular rotation, working through growing pains.
Iowa won some close games last season — it found firmer footing in the latter stages of the schedule, delivering victories in crunch time against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Northwestern. But it didn’t happen with the frequency necessary to make the NCAA Tournament.
The challenge is turning those lessons into actual wins this season.
Iowa has now done that on multiple occasions.
The Hawkeyes came up with big defensive stops in a win over Washington State. Despite blowing a double-digit lead Tuesday, Iowa rallied to convert on its final five shots from the field, including Dix’s buzzer-beater.
Iowa stumbled against Utah State. But the Hawkeyes have come through in two of the three late-game situations so far this season.
“We just never wavered,” Sandfort said Tuesday. “Everyone in the huddle was talking about (how they) believe. It worked out. Even the Washington State game, we got big stops down the stretch and did a lot of good things to be able to win that game. You’re gonna have to win close games, especially when you’re not playing your best.”
Video: Payton Sandfort explains alert timeout to set up Josh Dix game-winner
Payton Sandfort discusses Iowa’s thrilling win over Northwestern to open Big Ten play.
Iowa also did it without a full roster available.
A pair of key bench contributors were out Tuesday: Manhattan transfer Seydou Traore and freshman Cooper Koch. Playing shorthanded has emerged as a theme. Through eight games this season, Iowa has piled up a remarkable number of absences.
Scholarship players who have already missed at least one game this season include:
- Dix
- Freeman
- Chris Tadjo
- Even Brauns
- Riley Mulvey
- Traore
- Koch
But Iowa has persevered — with Dix being a great example. He injured his wrist against Washington State and has played through it after missing just one game. Dix hit the game-winner on Tuesday while being what he described as probably around 80-90% healthy.
“There were some guys that didn’t get in tonight that were ready to go,” Sandfort said. “A lot of us guys had to play a lot of minutes. It sucks that we’re going through it. It’s made things really challenging. But everybody goes through it. It’s not an excuse. It’s something that you deal with in athletics and life. So I’m proud of the way the guys have stepped up.”
Video: Josh Dix talks game-winning 3-pointer vs. Northwestern
Josh Dix discusses Iowa’s thrilling win over Northwestern to open Big Ten play.
Iowa has to get healthier, yes. But also play better, no doubt. That should be tested soon. Tuesday was the first of three consecutive power conference opponents the Hawkeyes are set to face. Michigan, which just beat previously undefeated Wisconsin, is on deck. That’s followed by a matchup with No. 5 Iowa State.
Playing with the inconsistency it did against Northwestern could put Iowa at risk of beatdowns in the next two games.
But Iowa can find solace in the fact that it rose to the occasion when it mattered most Tuesday. If the Hawkeyes can turn that into a regular trait, it can be a serious weapon as the season goes on.
“We didn’t have our best stuff tonight,” Sandfort said. “But when you can win a Big Ten game without your best stuff and doing some uncharacteristic things, it’s always a good thing.”
Dix led Iowa with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Sandfort had 20 on 6-of-14 from the field. Freeman added 16.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at [email protected]
