IOWA CITY -- After back-to-back losses, Iowa earned its first win in nearly two weeks, defeating New Orleans 104-57. Five Hawkeyes reached double-figures, several end-of-the-bench rotation players saw the floor for extended minutes and Iowa is one step closer to Big Ten Conference play.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
Back in the Win Column
Iowa hadn't won a game since its 80-79 victory on a last-second shot by Josh Dix to defeat Northwestern on December 3. Following two losses to AP Top 25 teams the Hawkeyes are back in the win column and controlled the game from the tip.
"This one felt really good," Pryce Sandfort, who finished with ten points, said postgame. "We set the tone right away, and got up big right away, That felt good."
The Hawkeyes trailed for all of 27 seconds to start the game and then took a 57-29 lead into the break and cruised to the near-50-point victory.
Coming off the close losses to Michigan and Iowa State, Fran McCaffery was impressed with his team's ability to get back to business.
"It's a professional group," he said postgame. "They were locked in on Friday and Saturday. We practiced hard. The scout team was terrific. They had a very, very professional approach to this game."
Professional the to tune of Owen Freeman scoring 22 points, Payton Sandfort chipping in 15 points with five rebounds and four assists, Brock Harding putting up 13 points and six rebounds and Josh Dix adding 13 points and four assists.
The win and the hefty margin of victory should serve as a catalyst for confidence moving ahead to the Hawkeyes' matchup with Utah on Saturday.
"There's no question about that," McCaffery added. "We know the next game is going to be a difficult one. We played them last year in the NIT. They're a really good team and a really good program with veteran guys. It should be a great atmosphere up there."
Cooper Koch Back on the Floor
For the first time in three weeks, forward Cooper Koch stepped foot on the floor. The freshman from Peoria, Illinois, had missed the previous four games due to an undisclosed medical issue. In his first game back, he put scored six points on 2-of-6 shooting, adding five rebounds and two assists over 21 minutes.
"I've been working through it," Koch said. "I'm just happy to be back here. I'm taking it day-by-day and seeing how the rest of the season goes."
Koch said he values his minutes on the court even more, following his recent absence.
"After sitting out and watching practice, you really miss it and appreciate it when you're actually out there," he said. "Once you start sweating and going up and down the floor a few times, it just comes back naturally."
McCaffery, who had initially planned to play Koch against Iowa State, was happy to get him on the floor again.
"It's great to see him [out there]," McCaffery said. "He wants it so bad. He's worked really hard, and he's a terrific player. He's a big part of our team, and we're rooting for him to stay healthy."
Luckily, Koch didn't feel any major affects on his fitness on Sunday.
"I didn't notice him being tired," McCaffery said. "I asked him at halftime, and he said 'I'm a little tired, but I'm okay.' He's going to give you everything he's got. He's going to give you effort and push through. We just listen to the trainers and doctors at that point, if there's a reason to take him out. I didn't see one."
Of course, his teammates are happy to have him back, too.
"He's a great shooter, and a really good rebounder, too," Sandfort said post game. "He's always in the right spots, and he's going to give you good minutes every time he's in there."
Big Ten Play Can't Start Any Sooner
Adding wins to the resume is great. A win is a win -- even a 50-point win over the No. 346 team in the KenPom rankings -- and early victories like Sunday's for Iowa can potentially help get confidence back and get young guys or players at the end of the bench some much-needed time on the court.
But let's be honest. These games aren't exactly fun. Winning by such a large margin was fun in high school, when there wasn't so much money wrapped up in programs like this. When there weren't thousands of people out to watch games -- and when there could be a lot more.
It's a well-discussed storyline that Iowa men's basketball has an attendance problem. Blame whatever you want -- seats not close enough to the floor, apathy from a fan base that hasn't seen a Sweet 16 appearance in a quarter century, other entertainment options, etc.
Seven of Iowa's 11 games have also been against mid-to-low major teams, and I understand -- a large contingent of high-major programs do the same thing -- but wow, seeing Carver Hawkeye Arena at one-third capacity gets old fast.
Big Ten play can't get here soon enough.
UP NEXT: Iowa will face off with Utah in a 2023-24 NIT rematch. The game will be played in the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on December 21 at 5 p.m. and broadcast on Big Ten Network.
