Hawkeyes have a few issues heading into Big Ten play
The Big Ten overall has had one of its worst non-conference seasons this year. Iowa is one of those teams struggling. The Hawkeyes are 8-6 including losses to Northern Iowa and Drake. Susan Harman of the Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that Iowa has struggled rebounding the ball and has shot fewer free throws this season.
“Our dribble-drive defense and our (rebounding) are still issues that we’re having a hard time getting corrected, and we have to get that corrected pretty quickly because our next two opponents (MSU and Illinois) have a plus-10 on the backboard,” Alford said Saturday.
Iowa averages 34 rebounds to its opponents’ 35. The disparity has been more pronounced against good teams. Drake out-rebounded Iowa by 18, Northern Iowa did so by 10, Alabama by eight, Villanova by six.
Iowa is shooting fewer free throws than its opponents but is making 77 percent. Alford wants his guards to be more aggressive in taking the ball to the basket in hope of going to the free-throw line or passing to an open big man inside. Point-guard play has normalized with the return of Mike Henderson.