V.J. Beachem led Notre Dame with 22 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, four in the second half, while Steve Vasturia finished with 16 points.
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Iowa Hawkeyes at Maryand Terrapins (-4, 146.5)Two of the top teams in the Big Ten – and the country, for that matter – square off Thursday when Maryland hosts Iowa in an intriguing matchup between Final Four contenders.
The game in a nutshell came with 40 seconds left, when Jarrod Uthoff rose up and hoisted an open three that would cut the Maryland lead to two points.
Nevertheless, Iowa has put itself in prime position. The Hawkeyes will surely make noise in March. There was such an obvious absence of toughness and grit in Tuesday’s overtime defeat at Wisconsin, throughout which no IU player – not even ballyhooed big man Thomas Bryant – came remotely close to defending the interior. Both teams are now ranked in the Top 10 and one is now riding a nine-game winning streak. Carter was the only other player, besides Trimble, to score in double figures against Michigan State and he has been consistent all season which is why he is second on the team with his 13.2 points per game.
The Hawkeyes are hardly a one-man show however.
“It was a good, tough game”, said junior Peter Jok.
The 6’9 Uthoff, a 48.7 percent shooter on the season, shot an abysmal 15.8 percent from the floor, for just 9 points – snapping a ideal season’s worth of double-digit outings – as he averages 18.9 points a night.
Along with Uthoff and Jok, 7-foot-1 Adam Woodbury seems to have finally found the consistency Hawkeye fans have been clamoring for since his ballyhooed arrival on campus four years ago.
For that matter, Mike Gesell probably is, too. The victor will break the current 2-2 series tie as Mark Turgeon looks for his first win against Iowa as head coach (0-2). Now a senior, Gesell has taken his game to another level.
Uncharacteristically, Iowa had more turnovers than assists (11 to 9) and was out-rebounded, 38-35.
Maryland’s size and length made it a hard night for Iowa’s All-America candidate.
The Hawkeyes can also play a bit of defense.
McCaffery, Uthoff and company will have an opportunity to do just that in a very short period of time.
Maryland still has time to rack up some marquee wins, starting with its January 28 tilt with Iowa.
Regardless of the outcome in College Park, the Hawkeyes appear to have their best outfit under McCaffery.
He may not get the accolades like point guard Melo Trimble or the looks from pro scouts that freshman sensation Diamond Stone receives, but you can always count on seeing Carter’s name on the stat sheet as one of the team’s top scorers and/or rebounders. They’re also big, deep, experienced and versatile.
To be fair, the Terrapins entered the contest without a win against a ranked opponent.
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As a result, Maryland improved to 10-0 following a loss over the past two seasons.
