College Sports

No. 24 Iowa routs Northwestern with record tourney showing

Posted March 10, 2022 6:00 am

By MICHAEL MAROT

Iowa guard Joe Toussaint (2) and the Iowa bench celebrate in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - No. 24 Iowa celebrated Fran McCaffery's 400th game at the school with a memorable offensive performance.

Keegan Murray scored 26 points, and the Hawkeyes broke Big Ten Tournament records for scoring, field goals and 3-pointers while running away from Northwestern for a 112-76 victory Thursday.

Murray was 11 of 16 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. Jordan Bohannon added 17 points in the most prolific offensive showcase since the tourney began in 1998 - and it wasn't even close.

'œWe can't play much better than we did tonight," McCaffery said. 'œEverything was really clicking, our shooting was really good."

The Hawkeyes broke Maryland's single-game tournament record of 97 points, set in 2016. Their 43 field goals were six more than Ohio State's mark of 37 in 2016. Both records fell on Josh Ogundele's putback with 4:33 to go.

By then the Hawkeyes already had 17 3s '“ three more than Illinois made in tourney games in 2016 and 2018.

The offensive show allowed Iowa to rest its starters for the final 7 1/2 minutes as it tries to win four games in four days for its third conference tourney crown.

'œEvery time we had a defensive breakdown, they made us pay," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. 'œI don't how anyone beats them when they're playing like that and they've been playing like that the last couple of weeks."

The Wildcats (15-16) were led by Ryan Young with 14 points and Boo Buie with 12. They had won two in a row, including a 71-69 victory over Nebraska in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday.

But Northwestern never had a chance against Iowa.

The Hawkeyes opened the game on a 17-4 run, extended the margin to 50-26 late in the first half and headed to the locker room with a 64-31 cushion.

The Wildcats couldn't get closer than 26 in the second half - until Iowa pulled the last of its starters with 7 1/2 minutes to play - and failed to reach the Big Ten quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year.

Iowa has won nine of its last 11, and 20 of its 23 wins have come by double digits.

'œEarly on, I felt like we were moving the ball really well," Murray said. 'œWe've been getting stops on defense the last few games and so we've been really good getting out and running.'ť

BIG PICTURE

Northwestern: The Wildcats seem like they are running in place as a program. With three senior starters unlikely to return next season, Collins has plenty of work to do.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes have done more than enough to get into the NCAA Tournament. If they want to improve their seeding, though, a deep run in Indianapolis would help. McCaffery's squad made a strong statement Thursday.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

A win over the Big Ten's No. 12 seed won't do much to strengthen Iowa's rÃ©sumÃ© or its hold on a spot in the Top 25. Reaching Saturday's semifinals might.

STAT PACK

Northwestern: Pete Nance scored 11 points and Robbie Beran had 10. ... The Wildcats were outrebounded 45-18.

Iowa: Bohannon moved within eight points of hitting the 2,000-point mark after making five 3s. ... Payton Sandfort had 13 points while Filip Rebraca collected 10 points and nine rebounds. ... Connor McCaffery also finished with 10 points.

UP NEXT

Northwestern: The Wildcats face a long offseason to contemplate how to right the program.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes take on unranked Rutgers in Friday's second quarterfinal game.

___

For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Iowa forward Keegan Murray (15) grabs a rebound over Northwestern center Ryan Young (15) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

CORRECTS ID TO NORTHWESTERN FORWARD PETE NANCE, NOT NORTHEASTERN GUARD QUIRIN EMANGA - Iowa guard Payton Sandfort (20) shoots over Northwestern forward Pete Nance (22) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa forward Keegan Murray (15) drives on Northwestern forward Robbie Beran (31) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery questions a call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northeastern at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa forward Filip Rebraca (0) shoots under Northwestern forward Pete Nance (22) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa's Tony Perkins (11), Joe Toussaint (2) and Iowa forward Filip Rebraca (0) celebrate on the bench in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Iowa defeated Northwestern 112-76. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Northwestern head coach Chris Collings watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Iowa at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Iowa defeated Northwestern 112-76. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer (13) shoots between Iowa guard Payton Sandfort (20) and forward Josh Ogundele (23) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Iowa defeated Northwestern 112-76. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa guard Tony Perkins (11) shoots over Northwestern forward Robbie Beran (31) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

Iowa's Connor McCaffery (30), Filip Rebraca (0) and Payton Sandfort (20) celebrate on the bench in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Northwestern at the Big Ten Conference tournament in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Iowa defeated Northwestern 112-76. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) The Associated Press

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