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By JAMES ALLAN
hawkeyesports.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — There won’t be any lingering effects from Sunday’s 35-point road loss when the University of Iowa men’s basketball team returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday night.
“It was a tough loss, but you can’t let it linger,” said senior guard Peter Jok of the 89-54 loss at Northwestern. “You have to move on. Every game is tough; we have to learn from it, watch film, and focus on Maryland.”
The Hawkeyes host Big Ten-leading and the 25th-ranked Terrapins at 6 p.m. (CT). Maryland is 16-2 overall and 4-1 in league play, winning three straight and nine of 10 games since falling 67-65 at home to Nebraska on Jan. 1.
“This is the first time we’re going through this, we’re going to have our ups and downs,” said freshman Jordan Bohannon. “At the end of the day we’ve already be through 18 games, so we know what it’s like in the Big Ten. We have to have that consistent mindset each day.”
Iowa is looking to regroup, the same way it did following its Big Ten-opening 89-67 loss at No. 15 Purdue on Dec. 28. The Hawkeyes responded with wins in three of four games, including an 83-78 revenge victory over the Boilermakers on Jan. 12.
All three wins came on Mediacom Court; Iowa has won seven straight home games and is 10-2 at this season.
“I don’t know what it is (about home games),” said Bohannon. “I don’t know if it is us being young or us liking having a home crowd, but we feed off their energy.”
The Hawkeyes are capable; look no further than the win over Purdue or home victories over No. 25 Iowa State and Michigan.
“We know what we’re capable of doing, we just have to do it,” said Bohannon. “It’s a lot easier to say it than to go out and do it, but we are capable of winning the (big) games. At the end of the day, it comes down to the effort we give and how much we feed off each other.”
Bohannon and the Hawkeye backcourt will have to contend with a lightning quick Maryland duo. Guard Melo Trimble has shifted to the off guard position where he is averaging a team-best 17.2 points.
Point guard Anthony Cowan is averaging 11.1 points, while Justin Jackson (10.2) and Michael Cekovsky (10.0) are also in double digits.
“Cowan is bullet quick and crafty,” said UI head coach Fran McCaffery. “Now you have two guys (Cowan and Trimble) that are coming at you 100 miles an hour, getting in the lane, and they’re not just fast guys. They can score and shoot, so you have to pick them up early.
“You can’t keep backing up because they’ll make you pay for that. They both get rid of the ball and they find Kevin Huerter and (Damonte) Dodd at the rim with a lob. They have multiple people they can throw the ball to.”
After being limited to 21 minutes and four points at Northwestern because of back tightness, Jok says he is healthy and good to go against Maryland. Junior Dom Uhl is day-to-day with a thumb bruise, and senior forward Dale Jones could be available Thursday.
Tickets are available for Thursday’s game by visiting hawkeyesports.com or calling 800-IA-HAWKS. The game will be televised on ESPN with Rece Davis and Jim Calhoun on the call.
