After No. 25 Iowa’s 71-52 loss at No. 8 Michigan State in their Big Ten opener, head coach Ben McCollum discussed his rotation decisions against the Spartans on Tuesday night from East Lansing, Mich.
Despite excelling on the defensive side of the court through their first seven games of the season, Iowa ran into an efficient, patient, and disciplined Michigan State offense that eventually wore down the Hawkeyes.
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In his postgame media availability, McCollum was asked why senior transfer guard Brendan Hausen never saw the floor in the second half, despite scoring seven points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field to lead the Hawkeyes in first-half scoring.
“I think we needed more driving [to the paint] and we didn’t have enough driving. So we’re trying to get to the paint a little more consistently, but we couldn’t get him in the rotation like we wanted to. So again, we just have to do a better job next game,” McCollum said.
Michigan State dominated both points in the paint and the rebounding battle on Tuesday night. The Spartans outscored Iowa in the paint, 34-18, and won the battle on the backboards, 37-18. Michigan State had 13 offensive rebounds to Iowa’s six.
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While Hausen certainly could have helped against the Spartans, the Hawkeyes will need to fix their other miscues fast, as Iowa’s next game is against Maryland (6-3) from Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Dec. 6.
That Saturday matchup with the Terrapins will be the Hawkeyes’ Big Ten home-opener, with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m. CT. The clash between Iowa and Maryland will be broadcast on FS1.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball discusses Brendan Hausen decision vs. Michigan State
