Hawkeyes Set for Sunday Matinee at Minnesota

Iowa Looks for Second Big Ten Win in a Row

Iowa’s starting lineup huddles up before the opening tip against Indiana on Jan. 13, 2022 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

It’s been a year since Iowa has played Minnesota and, well, a lot has changed with the Gophers.

New coach, new staff, almost an entirely new roster.

“It can’t get any more different,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said on Saturday.

And so far, what new coach Ben Johnson is doing is working.

The Gophers are 10-4 overall, 1-4 in the Big Ten, heading into Sunday’s 1 p.m. home game against the Hawkeyes (12-4, 2-3).

“I think the impressive thing is, is the job (Johnson has) done, and just getting a group of guys that are talented but getting them all to buy in and play together,” McCaffery said. “I think that's the hardest thing, you know, is there are 1,800 people in the (NCAA’s transfer) portal. You can get guys if you want to refill your roster, you can do that. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But he got pieces that fit and they're competing. They're playing together. And they're playing very confidently.”

Jamison Battle leads the Gophers in scoring at 17.9 points per game. Payton Willis, a transfer from College of Charleston, averages 15.8 points. E.J. Stephens, who left Lafayette, averages 11.3 points.

Battle, a 6-foot-7 sophomore forward, played two seasons at George Washington, where he started 43 games.

“I mean, he's, you know, he's always been a great shooter,” McCaffery said. “But I think he has really developed his game. As he's matured, he's also incredibly confident in his offensive ability. So he can get his shot and he can make shots in a variety of ways. He’s kind of a multi-dimensional offensive threat.”

The only holdover from last season who plays is forward Eric Curry, who averages 8.7 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds.

Putting together a new roster can have plenty of challenges, but McCaffery noted how the Gophers have overcome those.

“I mean, you got guys who were the best players on their team,” McCaffery said. “At some level, you're going to have to make some sacrifices as well, which they've done.”

The Gophers opened the season with 10 wins in their first 11 games, including a win at Michigan. But they have lost three consecutive games, and they’re coming off a 71-69 loss at Michigan State on Wednesday.

Minnesota is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring defense, allowing 65.3 points per game. The Gophers lead the conference in 3-point defense, allowing just 27.7 percent.

“They recognize it's an important component in the game,” said McCaffery, whose team shoots 35.4 percent in 3-pointers. “We have to continue to try to do what we do, which is push the ball and move the ball and not settle for contested shots. We’ve got to be smart with our shot selection, our ball movement, our execution.”