In neutral-court game, Iowa expects fan advantage over Washington State

Field Level Media|published: Thu 14th November, 14:52 2024

Nov 12, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery reacts during the second half against the South Dakota Coyotes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

After watching Josh Dix score 23 points on just 10 shot attempts Tuesday night in a 96-77 rout of South Dakota, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was full of praise for the 6-foot-6 guard.

"Josh seemed like he made every shot," McCaffery said. "When he gets going early, he's a handful. We started going to him a little bit. Typically, we get it to him organically with our offense. He's such a complete player. He never rattles. He plays well at both ends."

Dix and the Hawkeyes will try for a 4-0 start Friday night in Moline, Ill., where they play fellow unbeaten Washington State in the John Deere Quad Cities Hoops Showdown.

While it will be Iowa's first game away from home, it will be a de facto home game for the Hawkeyes. Moline is just over the Iowa-Illinois border, about an hour east of the Hawkeyes' campus.

The main storyline will be whether the team can continue its scalding 3-point shooting.

After sinking 18 3-pointers in a win over Southern, Iowa followed up with 13 against South Dakota, giving the team 41 in three games. It's not a case of saturation shooting, either. The Hawkeyes are shooting 41.0 percent from distance.

Washington State (3-0) has gotten off to a fast start under first-year coach David Riley. The Cougars' latest win came Monday night when they blasted Idaho 90-67. Five players scored in double figures, led by Nate Calmese with a game-high 18 points.

Riley has changed the team's style of play significantly, going to a more up-tempo approach. So far, Washington State is averaging 93.7 points per game and has seven players averaging in double figures.

"I think we're gonna have a balanced attack," Riley said. "When you look at our stats the last few years, we've had five or six guys near double figures."

The Cougars' defense probably played its best game Monday night, limiting Idaho to 36.5 percent field goal shooting and blocking 10 shots.

This will be the second meeting of the teams. Iowa won the first one 61 years ago in Pullman, Wash., by a 74-66 score.

--Field Level Media