Observations: Hawkeyes Blow Out Northwestern

Iowa Tops Wildcats, 82-61, Monday Night

Iowa's Keegan Murray makes a move against Northwestern's Elyjah Williams on Feb. 28, 2022 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. (Rob Howe/HawkeyeNation.com)

Five observations from Iowa’s 82-61 win over Northwestern on Monday night.

SAYING GOODBYE

Jordan Bohannon has gone through plenty of his own Senior Nights in his career.

This one didn’t start out to be emotional. But when Bohannon left the court for the last time with three minutes to go, he made sure to kneel and kiss the Tigerhawk logo on mid-court.

“I really wasn’t that emotional before the game,” Bohannon said. “After the game, everything hit me.”

Bohannon is the Big Ten’s all-time leader in 3-point goals and Iowa’s all-time leader in assists, and he’s built a career of hitting big shots.

Northwestern coach Chris Collins has seen that more than a few times, and he saw it again in this game. Bohannon made four 3-pointers, part of a night of 13 threes for the Hawkeyes.

“I don’t even know how many years Bohannon’s been here,” Collins quipped.

Bohannon heard plenty of people tell him after the game that he had a great career.

“There’s still a lot left here,” he said. “A lot of memories we can make.”

CONNOR’S HOT SHOOTING

Connor McCaffery had 17 points for the Hawkeyes, making 5-of-9 3-pointers.

It was the second consecutive game in which McCaffery has scored in double digits. He’s scored 74 points this season, but 28 of those have come in the last two games.

“I think it’s just a little bit mental, I think it’s like a mindset,” said McCaffery, who is 8-of-12 in 3-point shooting over the last two games.

McCaffery got the start because his brother, Patrick, sat out the game with a hip injury. He played almost 33 minutes.

McCaffery said he’s always been a “pass first” player.

“It’s just how I’m wired,” he said. “And I don’t think that’s ever going to change. It definitely comes down to being more aggressive, thinking about it more, attacking the offensive areas of my game where I can shoot, pass, dribble, whatever. It’s just, like I said, kind of a mindset thing.”

KEEGAN, AGAIN

It felt lost in the emotion of the night, but Iowa sophomore forward Keegan Murray quietly put on an impressive show.

Murray had 26 points and 18 rebounds, his eighth double-double of the season.

Collins knew his team didn’t have an answer for Murray.

“He’s so unique,” Collins said. “He does everything. I don’t what kind of player you put on him. He gets out on transition and he runs. He makes threes. He drives you from the perimeter. And he posts mismatches on the inside, and he’s a monster on the glass.”

Then Collins smiled.

“Other than that,” he joked, “he stinks.”

He got serious again.

Murray, he said, “is an incredible talent.”

FEBRUARY FANTASTIC FINISH

Iowa won its fifth consecutive game, a streak that is coming at the right time of the season.

The Hawkeyes went 7-1 in February. They’re now 21-8 overall, 11-7 in the Big Ten.

“They’re not a team anybody wants to play right now,” Collins said. “They’re as hot of a team as there is in the conference, and they’re peaking at the right time.”

THE DEFENSE ISN’T RESTING

Northwestern scored just 17 first-half points, the Wildcats’ lowest total in a first half this season.

The Hawkeyes held them to 22.2 percent shooting in the first half, 37.5 percent for the game. They also outrebounded Northwestern 50-35.

“They got in some passing lanes, they forced us into some steals, they sped us up a bit,” Collins said. “They’re competing on (the defensive end). They’re unique, because they have length. They’re doing a lot of switching. They’re active with their hands. With a lot of switching, it’s hard to run actions against them.

“I think they’re really competing on that end of the floor. You can see that. Their talk is good, they have a lot of veteran guys who have played in big games. You can see their confidence is sky high.”