Iowa wrapped up the non-conference portion of the 2024-25 season on Monday night by gorging on one final cupcake, dominating New Hampshire from start to finish in a 112-70 victory. With the win, the Hawkeyes improved to 10-3 on the season and finished 9-2 in non-conference action.
There was little doubt about the outcome of Monday's game, even before it tipped off. The Hawkeyes entered the game as 32.5 point favorites -- and they covered that spread with ease. Despite the absence of Owen Freeman (who missed the game while recovering from a "tweaked" ankle; it's likely that Freeman would have played against a more formidable opponent), Iowa was never in any danger against New Hampshire, who entered the game ranked 349th in the KenPom rankings.
Iowa never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on a Payton Sandfort jumper a minute into the game. The lead got to 7-0 before New Hampshire scored a point and the Hawkeyes led 15-4 five minutes into the game. The lead was 32-13 midway through the first half and 62-33 at the break. In the second half, Iowa was "held" to just 50 points, but the lead bulged to 48 at one point and was never less than 27 points. This game was a rout from beginning to end.
Ladji Dembele returned to the starting lineup in Freeman's absence and one of his better games of the season, posting 12 points, two rebounds, and a steal in almost 18 minutes. The minutes -- and the scoring -- were spread around in this lopsided contest, as 11 Hawkeye players saw the court for at least 10 minutes and no one player more than 22 minutes.
Payton Sandfort led Iowa in points (15) and rebounds (6), though he shot only 5-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-6 from 3-point range. Cooper Koch and Seydou Traore each had 14 points off the bench, with Koch showing a good touch from outside (3-of-6 from beyond the arc). Traore was one of Iowa's most productive players in his 20 minutes on the floor -- in addition to his 14 points (on 6-of-10 shooting, 1-of-3 from long range), he also had a team-high six assists, three rebounds, an assist, and a team-high three blocks. Traore's creativity and athleticism was on full display in this game.
Josh Dix and Pryce Sandfort rounded out the double-figure scorers for Iowa in this game, with both tallying 11 points. Dix was 5-of-7 from the floor (1-of-2 from 3-point range), while Sandfort went 4-of-7 from the field and was sharp from behind the arc (3-of-6). He also had four assists, tied with Drew Thelwell and Brock Harding for second-most on the team.
Iowa out-scored New Hampshire 29-9 in points off turnovers, 33-12 on fast break points, 64-38 on points in the paint (again, without Freeman), and 57-21 in bench points. This was a comprehensive and dominant win from start to finish, against an opponent who was completely and utterly overwhelmed and outmatched.
This game was so non-competitive that it basically just a dunk contest for the Hawkeyes at several points. See Chris Tadjo soar:
See Josh Dix throw it down:
Cooper Koch got in on the action too:
There isn't anything more of note to say about this game. This game was expected to be a one-sided blowout and it was indeed a one-sided blowout. Little was learned from this game, but the good news is that Iowa is finished with games like this (at least until next winter) -- meaningful competition will be arriving on the schedule (very) soon.
NEXT: Iowa takes on Wisconsin (10-3) in Madison, Wisconsin, on Friday, January 3rd (6:00 PM CT, FS1).
