The Garza Streak: A Look Behind The Numbers
It is an impressive streak.
Iowa's Luka Garza has scored 20 or more points in nine consecutive Big Ten games, the most for a Hawkeye since Fred Brown in 1971.
The streak comes at a time where there is ample video available for scouting — 24 games of tape for coaches to study.
At times, it seems as if Garza has seen 24 kinds of defenses.
"I'm pretty much used to anything," he said.
He's getting used to the attention.
The numbers he has posted this season — 23.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game — have made him a candidate not just for Big Ten player of the year, but also for national player of the year.
It's not something Garza thinks about.
"I think in the past, I let it affect me when people started talking about me more," Garza said. "Now I think I have kind of like blinders on to what I do, what I want this team to be able to achieve. That stuff doesn't really affect me — I never try to be too high or too low based on how people are talking about me.
"I think I work too hard to let that affect me."
A look behind some of the numbers in the current streak:
• Garza has scored 224 points, an average of 24.9 points.
• He is shooting 82-of-162 from the field (50.6 percent).
• Garza is 16-of-38 (42.1 percent) in 3-pointers.
• He has five games of 25 or more points, including a 33-point game against Michigan on Jan. 17.
"When you're talking about him, he's got an unbelievable skill set but a relentlessness about him that he's always had," McCaffery said. "I think what you're seeing is a guy that is improving, because the more experienced he gets the better he is.
"He knows how to score, he knows how to get open. He's not a big mistake guy. We're going to him, and I think he is a very confident guy by nature. The better he plays and the more we go to him and the more stuff we run for him and his ability to perform well when he's getting all kinds of stacked defenses, whether it be just everybody crowding him or doubling him in different ways. He's handled that extremely well. That comes from I think having a really keen intellect to play this game."
One of his more interesting games came on Jan. 14 against Northwestern, when he scored 27 points in 24 minutes. He went 25 minutes, 4 seconds, without a field goal as he got into first-half foul trouble, then scored 14 minutes in a span of 4:06.
"Sometimes he'll go stretches without scoring and he won't score for a while," McCaffery said. "He doesn't hunt shots. He's not that guy. It'll come. He has confidence that we'll get it to him and he'll make things happen.
"Seemingly at the end the game he's going to have numbers, and that's what the great ones do."
The Hawkeyes have seven regular-season game remaining, including three one-plays against Indiana (Thursday), Ohio State (Feb. 20) and Michigan State (Feb. 25).
Among the four other opponents Iowa has already played this season:
• Garza had 21 points and 10 rebounds against Minnesota on Dec. 9.
• He had 34 points and 12 rebounds against Penn State on Jan. 4.
• He had 26 points against Purdue on February 5.
• He had 25 points and 10 rebounds against Illinois on Feb. 2.
"He just keeps grinding, and he knows we'll collectively be intelligent with how we approach him," McCaffery said. "So we're going to run stuff for him, run stuff for other people. If you run something for somebody else and he misses the shot, he'll get the rebound and put it back in. It's not like, 'Well, why didn't you run it for me?' That doesn't matter to him. Whatever the play dictates, that's what he does."
The numbers will keep growing, and the attention will magnify.
"I think he's making plays for other people more than he ever has," McCaffery said. "I think the freedom we give him is good, and he enjoys that. He enjoys being a winning guy. It's always interesting. I always say it, but, you know, when you're that guy, you end up getting the publicity anyway when you're not even looking for it."
