No. 8 Creighton Too Much for Hawkeyes

Blue Jays Race By Visiting Iowa, 92-84, Tuesday in Omaha

Nov 14, 2023; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; Creighton Bluejays guard Baylor Scheierman (55) scores against Iowa Hawkeyes forward Ben Krikke (23) in the second half at CHI Health Center Omaha. (Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports)

The first road test for Iowa this season was a sign of where the Hawkeyes are, and where they can go.

The 92-84 loss to No. 8 Creighton on Tuesday in the Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup in Omaha showed that the Hawkeyes can keep pace with the best teams in the nation, but still have work to do in the coming months.

The two teams were tied at 43 at halftime before Creighton opened the second half with an 18-6 run. The Bluejays’ largest lead in the second half was 80-63 with 9:17 to play before the Hawkeyes (2-1) roared back, getting to within five points in the closing 86 seconds.

Creighton shot 63 percent in the second half, while Iowa shot 51.5 percent.

The takeaways from the game:

KRIKKE’S BIG NIGHT: Iowa forward Ben Krikke talked before the season how he wanted to have a mid-range game, and that shot was deadly in this game.

Krikke finished with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting, constantly finding openings in the middle of Creighton’s defense.

Krikke came to Iowa after leading the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring at Valparaiso. He has brought that offense with him, and is going to be a tough frontcourt cover for opposing defenses this season.

FRESHMEN ON THE ROAD: This was the first road game for Iowa’s four freshmen — Brock Harding, Owen Freeman, Ladji Dembele and Pryce Sandfort — and there were mixed results.

Freeman and Dembele each had eight points, showing no hesitation in taking big shots. Freeman was 4-of-7 from the field, while Dembele was 3-of-4, including making both of his 3-point attempts.

Harding didn’t score, missing both of his shot attempts, but had three assists against one turnover. Sandfort had two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

This is what life is going to be like on the road in the Big Ten, and getting an early taste will pay dividends.

SOLID PERKINS: Tony Perkins has always been at his best in these kinds of environments, and he was again in this game.

Perkins had 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding six rebounds and three assists. He hit a critical 3-pointer with 2:12 left in the game, getting the Hawkeyes to within 89-82.

For the Hawkeyes to survive in these games, they’ll need Perkins’ toughness and experience.

SINGLE-DIGIT TURNOVERS: Iowa has not had a double-digit turnover game yet this season.

The Hawkeyes had just seven turnovers, only one in the second half.

Iowa likes to play at a fast pace, which can lead to a lot of mistakes, but this team hasn’t shown any sign of carelessness yet this season.

NEGATIVE NUMBERS: The Hawkeyes were outscored 42-24 in the paint. They were outrebounded 38-30, and gave up 32 bench points.

Creighton also had an advantage in fast-break points, 19-5.