Takeaways from No. 6 Iowa’s blowout loss at No. 8 Maryland
Last night the Iowa Hawkeyes were bad and the Maryland Terrapins were really good. There is your takeaway.
Alright fine, I won’t end the story there, but that is seriously what the final takeaway from this game feels like. Sometimes a scoreline can be misleading, but a 96-68 loss really does say everything.
Iowa were just straight up beaten in this one. It did not look like two top 10 teams playing in a fierce conference battle. This also did not look remotely close to the Hawkeyes’ 96-82 win over the Terps back in the beginning of the month.
Everything simply went right for Maryland and wrong for Iowa. Before we push this game far out of our minds ahead of the final regular season rematch against No. 2 Indiana on Sunday, here are the five takeaways from this big defeat at the hands of Maryland.
Iowa Had More Turnovers Than Made Field Goals
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
I mean… that just says it all doesn’t it? Twenty-four turnovers to only 23 field goals made is never going to win you basketball games, especially against the eighth-ranked team like Maryland. The Terps had half the giveaways as Iowa.
Iowa Couldn't Shoot Despite Shooting a Lot...
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
So all night Iowa shot, and shot, and shot… and the shots just didn’t go in. Despite their 38 three-point attempts, the Hawkeyes only made 11 from deep. That is a horrendous 28.9% on a lot of volume.
While Maryland Couldn't Miss
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
The Terps, meanwhile, made three more threes on 12 less attempts. Truthfully, Maryland could not miss in this one. Leading scorer Brinae Alexander cashed six shots from deep en route to her 24 points.
Iowa Still Can't Win at College Park
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Once again, Iowa cannot figure out Maryland on the road. The Hawkeyes are now 0-5 at College Park since the Terps moved to the Big Ten. With performances like this, you just wonder when the heck they’ll ever be able to figure it out at Maryland.
Nothing Should Be Taken For Granted in March
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
This should be the main takeaway of the game. Not that Maryland kicked Iowa’s butts or that they were much better. No, not that at all. The big takeaway is that nothing is guaranteed in postseason basketball. Iowa was riding high into this one, with only one loss since the first of January. That loss was a close one against conference winners Indiana.
While Iowa handily beat Maryland in their last game, that doesn’t matter. The 22 wins currently on Iowa’s record do not matter when it comes to postseason basketball.
Not for the Big Ten Tournament and certainly not for the NCAA Tournament. It’s why we all love March Madness. Anyone can beat anyone. While the loss stings at the moment, it is a fantastic reminder of this for Iowa ahead of the postseason.
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