IOWA CITY — Iowa men’s basketball got back into the win column on Sunday after two consecutive losses that went down to the wire.
The first came on the road against Michigan. The Hawkeyes rallied from deficits in the first half and second half before a potential game-winning 3-pointer from Pryce Sandfort came up short.
The second came in the Cy-Hawk rivalry against Iowa State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Cyclones didn’t lead until about three minutes left in the game but made more plays in crunch time to come out on top.
On Sunday, there was no drama against New Orleans, nor heartbreak.
Iowa cruised to a 104-57 win over the Privateers to improve to 8-3.
Video: Iowa coach Fran McCaffery reacts to win over New Orleans
Fran McCaffery discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s 104-57 win over New Orleans.
Iowa was not at full strength on Sunday, which has been the case for most of the season. Seydou Traore participated in pregame warmups but was unavailable for the contest. Traore had missed two games due to an ankle injury before returning for Iowa’s matchup with Iowa State.
Iowa had five players score in double figures — Owen Freeman (22), Payton Sandfort (15), Josh Dix (13), Brock Harding (13) and Pryce Sandfort (10).
Drew Thelwell had nine points, three rebounds and four assists.
The Hawkeyes were smoking hot offensively, shooting 63% from the field and 48% from 3-point range. Meanwhile, New Orleans was just 37% from the field and 17% from deep.
“I would say it’s a professional group,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of Iowa’s ability to respond. “We lost a tough one (to Iowa State). If we had won it, you’ve got to do the same thing. You’ve got to lock in for the next one. The next one is every bit as important as the last one … So what’s your leadership like? It’s great with Payton and Josh and those guys. But they were locked in on Friday, they were locked in on Saturday. We practiced hard, the scout team was terrific and had a very, very professional approach to this game.”
For the second consecutive game, Iowa went with Thelwell in the starting lineup. Iowa coach Fran McCaffery made the change for the Iowa State game, which warranted strong results, and stuck with it on Sunday. That meant Ladji Dembele came off the bench for the Hawkeyes.
“It’s a terrific lineup,” McCaffery said of the starting unit. “The issue is always going to be rebounding, especially if you play a team that has a more traditional four and five. That could be problematic. We’ll deal with that then.”
Freshman Cooper Koch made his first appearance since Nov. 22 against Utah State. He was out for three games, then available for the Cy-Hawk rivalry but did not play. On Sunday, he returned to game action, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds off the bench.
“It’s great to see him,” McCaffery said. “He wants it so bad. He’s worked really hard, terrific player, big part of our team. I’m just rooting for him to continue to stay healthy.”
Video: Cooper Koch makes return to game action in win over New Orleans
Cooper Koch discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s 104-57 win over New Orleans.
After getting minimal playing time against Iowa State, Pryce Sandfort provided a boost off the bench, scoring 10 of Iowa’s 32 bench points. Because of the large margin, a few of other Hawkeye reserves saw extended action, including Carter Kingsbury, who had six points.
“When guys get hurt, no hesitation with Carter Kingsbury,” McCaffery said. “He is a warrior, he’s smart, he’s been around, so he knows what we’re doing and he’s versatile. He can put it on the deck, he has a little pull-up game, he can get to the rim, he can make threes.”
Video: Pryce Sandfort scores 10 points off bench in win over New Orleans
Pryce Sandfort discusses a variety of topics following Iowa’s 104-57 win over New Orleans.
In the big picture, this game probably doesn’t mean much. New Orleans is now 2-7 with a KenPom ranking near the basement of Division I basketball. Sunday was just Iowa getting some reps and beating up on an inferior opponent.
Iowa is down to just two games before the calendar turns to 2025. One is a marquee game. The other is not.
The Hawkeyes are off until Saturday when they play Utah at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This will be Iowa’s fourth and final higher-level non-conference opponent of the regular season. Iowa is 1-2 in those types of matchups this season — with a win over Washington State and losses to Utah State and Iowa State.
“Obviously, we know the next game is going to be a difficult one,” McCaffery said, referencing Utah. “We played them last year in the NIT — a really good team, a really good program, veteran guys. So it should be a great atmosphere up there.”
Iowa plays host to New Hampshire on Dec. 30 before starting Big Ten play Jan. 3 at Wisconsin.
Follow Tyler Tachman on X @Tyler_T15, contact via email at ttachman@gannett.com
