Takeaways from Iowa’s historic comeback win over Michigan State
That was fun! Every once in a while, a finish to a game is so great that it reminds us why we invest so much time, energy and emotion into being a fan in the first place.
Toss the Iowa (18-11, 10-8 Big Ten) comeback win over Michigan State (17-11, 9-8 Big Ten) into that category. For those that stayed in attendance, that was a special one inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Here’s five takeaways from Iowa’s 112-106 overtime win over the Spartans.
It was historic
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Seriously, Iowa erased a 13-point deficit with 1:34 to play. Think about that. That’s insane.
Perhaps even more incredibly, the Hawkeyes rallied back from 11 points down with 55 seconds remaining. Iowa became just the fourth team to ever win when trailing by 11-plus with less than one minute left to play.
The Hawkeyes joined UNLV over San Diego State in 2005 (down 11 with 59 seconds left), Texas A&M over Northern Iowa in 2016 (down 12 with 33 seconds left) and Nevada over New Mexico in 2017 (down 11 with 59 seconds left).
Iowa connected on six 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds of regulation
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
Over the course of the final 90 seconds of regulation, Iowa knocked down six 3-pointers. That included connecting on each of their final four 3-point attempts of regulation.
Of course, Payton Sandfort had the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game into overtime. He had a pair of made 3-pointers in the final 90 seconds of the second half.
Connor McCaffery had a pair as well and both Kris Murray and Patrick McCaffery each knocked down a trey, too.
The Hawkeyes' offensive glass work was instrumental, too
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So many things had to play out just right for Iowa to make this a possibility. Obviously, Sandfort’s heroics once again and just the six made 3-pointers in general were a big part of it.
Percentage-wise, Michigan State was actually really good from the foul line in the closing moments of the second half. The Spartans knocked down 10-of-12 free throws, but Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard each missed one and that opened the door for a Hawkeye comeback for the history books.
Don’t let it get lost in translation either what Iowa did on the offensive glass. The Hawkeyes earned extra opportunities with three offensive rebounds in the closing moments to pull off this rally.
An offensive rebound meant a Kris Murray and-1, a Sandfort offensive rebound resulted in two made free throws for himself and a final offensive rebound got Murray another look from three which he made.
How clutch is Sandfort?
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Sandfort had another terrific shooting day, burying 6-of-10 3-pointers, including a pair in the frantic end of second-half rally. He’s also developing a habit for big shots in big moments for the Hawkeyes. Remember his four-point play against Michigan anybody?
Three-headed monster led the way
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Tony Perkins was fabulous in this one for Iowa, notching a career-high four made 3-pointers. He finished with 24 points. Kris Murray led the way for the Hawkeyes with 26 points and Sandfort added 22.
Iowa got it done in OT
Joseph Cress/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK
It felt like a foregone conclusion that Iowa was winning the game once the Hawkeyes forced overtime, but that really wasn’t a given. There’s plenty of times teams force the bonus session and then don’t back it up.
Give Iowa credit. It paid off the historic rally by Perkins’ and Murray’s contributions in overtime to secure the 112-106 win.
Defense still has to be better
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Iowa pulled off a miraculous, magical comeback. It’s huge for the direction of the season. That’s not lost here.
But, Iowa also can’t lose sight of the fact that it escaped a terrible situation that its poor defense created. The Hawkeyes simply can’t continue to allow opponents to find easy looks and shoot 59.3% from the floor and 73.3% from 3-point distance and expect to have any sort of meaningful success.
Huge for the résumé
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There may still be work to be done. Namely, just don’t completely collapse in these final three. With this win over Michigan State, though, Iowa could probably do that and have a great chance now to still get into the NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. This win was that important for Iowa’s postseason hopes.
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