A Decent Start To The Iowa Hawkeye Men's Basketball Season

This week, the Iowa Hawkeyes Men's Basketball team started their season. After making it to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year under Hawkeye star Aaron White, the Hawkeyes looked to have another great season under new key player Jarrod Uthoff after Aaron White's graduation.
Their first game of the season was Friday in Carver Hawkeye Arena against Gardner Webb. In the first half, Iowa was able to outscore the Bulldogs 41-37 through Uthoff who was able to score all of his career-high 21 points in the first half after scoring 8 of the Hawkeyes first 9 points. The Hawkeyes began the second half with a quick 8-0 run to take a double-digit lead which they maintained for the rest of the game. The Hawkeyes ended up beating the Bulldogs 76-59 after a great game from Uthoff who finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks for Iowa. Other players who had notable games for the Hawkeyes include Adam Woodbury, who scored 11 points and 6 rebounds, and Mike Gesell who finished with 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a career-high 9 assists. On a sad note for the Hawks, three-point scorer Peter Jok was forced to leave the game early in the second half with an injury.
Iowa played their second game on Sunday at Carver Hawkeye Arena against the Coppin State Eagles. The Hawkeyes completely demolished the Eagles in the first half outscoring them by 30 points to go into halftime up 52-22. The second half was a little closer after Fran McCaffery, Iowa's head coach, pulled most of his starters early in the second period. The Eagles were able to score 46 points in the second half, but were still outscored by Iowa who scored 51 points. The Hawkeyes ended the game winning 103-68, accomplishing their first 100 point game since 2013. Notable performers for the Hawkeyes include new addition to the starting lineup Dom Uhl who scored a career-high 18 points, and freshman Brady Ellingson who scored a game-high 20 points.
While the Hawkeyes have not yet played real competition yet this season, these two games have been a great chance for the Hawkeyes to gain some confidence and get a nice feel for what strategies work for them. This looks to be an interesting season for the Hawkeyes.