Iowa puts efficient offense up against rested Wisconsin

Iowa and Wisconsin used their final nonconference games to work on their rotations and get reserve players some important work.The Big Ten rivals are hoping it pays off when Wisconsin hosts Iowa to resume conference action Friday night in Madison, Wis.Iowa (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) blew past New Hampshire 112-70 on Monday, the Hawkeyes’ third time exceeding 100 points this season. Six players scored in double figures, including a pair of key reserves in Seydou Traore and Cooper Koch.Traore played just his second game of December due to an ankle injury. Koch, a freshman, missed nearly a month with an undisclosed injury and is still working his way back into the fold. Both players set season highs with 14 points against New Hampshire.”I wanted to get, in particular, Coop and Seydou substantial playing time, get them back comfortable,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said postgame.Traore, a forward, added a team-high six assists, a useful skill for him to have in Iowa’s up-tempo offense.”That’s what makes him special … he makes plays for other people,” McCaffery said. “Whether it be in transition, whether he’s facing up or whether he goes (to his) back-down game. He’s incredibly unselfish (and) he’s got great vision.”Owen Freeman, Iowa’s leading scorer and rebounder (17.1 points per game, 6.5 rebounds), missed Monday’s game with a lower leg injury but is expected back Friday.

Blogs