In the Hawkeyes’ 72-69 loss to Ohio State that bounced them from the Big Ten Tournament, there were a couple of plays that the team will desperately want back. From Isaia Howard dribbling the ball off himself on a fast break opportunity to Cooper Koch fouling a Buckeye late after Iowa got a crucial stop, there were plenty of “Can we get that play back” moments in this game.
The most divisive moment of the game pertained to the Hawkeyes’ final offensive possession. Trailing by three with seven seconds left to play, Ben McCollum called his final timeout to draw up a play to tie the game. Inbounding from the frontcourt, the ball went to Brendan Hausen, who threw up a wild corner three that clanked off the top of the backboard and out of bounds. Game over, Iowa loses.
The play was very confusing to watch in the moment, as a fading-away corner three from a guy who’s barely played recently doesn’t seem like the most high-percentage look. After the game, Hausen and McCollum were asked about that final possession and what they thought happened.
In his press conference McCollum made it clear that Ohio State was intending to foul right away, so trying to get a quick shot up to draw a foul and get three free throws was a workable strategy. The foul wasn’t called, leading to what looked like a bad miss and a frustrating defeat. The Buckeyes did a good job taking Stirtz out of the play, and Iowa wasn’t able to make a play to extend the game.
“He fouled me,” Hausen said in the locker room after the game. “They said they were going to foul coming out of the huddle, I heard him say it and he grabbed me. Unfortunately, the ref probably had a bad angle on it, it is what it is. The play had multiple options and I just happened to be open.”
“We knew we weren’t going to be able to get Bennett the ball and we knew they were going to foul because they were screaming,” McCollum said. “To be honest, I think they tried to foul him… that’s why he tried to shoot that. It looked worse than it actually was, you’ll see the kid reach and kind of shove him, so he [Hausen] shot it knowing that he was going to get fouled. It was actually a pretty crafty move… it was a pretty vet move.”
The Hawkeyes now await their NCAA Tournament fate, with the selection show happening on Sunday. Iowa seems like a lock to make the tournament as an eight or nine seed, which should lead to an entertaining first-round matchup next week. Coverage of the Big Ten Men’s Tournament is brought to you by Muscatine Power and Water, serving the community since 1900. Get more info at mpw.org
