Hawkeye Hoops Advances in NIT
A tournament that a lot of teams turned down felt like another opportunity for Iowa’s men’s basketball team to keep playing.
The Hawkeyes aren’t done yet.
Payton Sandfort had a career-high 30 points and Ben Krikke had 24, 21 in the second half, as Iowa defeated Kansas State 91-82 in the first round of the NIT on Tuesday night.
Iowa (19-14) advances to the second round against Utah in Salt Lake City on Saturday or Sunday.
What was coming next didn't matter to the Hawkeyes. They’re still playing.
“Honestly, that was some of the most fun I’ve ever had,” said Sandfort, who had 22 points in the first half. “I had a blast, and I think I looked like it, too.”
“We were getting more basketball,” Krikke said. “I couldn’t be more happier about that.”
Several programs turned down chances to play in the NIT — Indiana and St. John’s were among them — but the Hawkeyes, and the Wildcats (19-15) seemed to embrace the chance to have a postseason spot.
“You can spend the whole offseason talking,” Sandfort said. “I don't know why teams want to end that early, because we got to go out there and I got to play with my brothers again and play in front of what was an amazing crowd. Like, it wasn't, it wasn't, but everybody there seemed like they were having fun. They were loud.
“I had a blast playing basketball. You never know what life is going to bring. So given that opportunity to play again is something I was thankful for.”
With only two days to sell tickets after Sunday’s bracket announcement, a crowd of 4,532 showed up for the game. Still, Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was impressed.
“Our players and coaches really appreciated that,” McCaffery said. “They were loud, they were engaged, they were into the game. And it clearly made a difference in our energy level and I just I'm really appreciative and very thankful for their efforts.”
The Hawkeyes led almost the entire game. They made seven of their first 11 shots and led by as much as 13 points in the first half before leading 50-39 at halftime.
Sandfort was the one who led the opening surge, making his first three 3-pointers.
“He was at the top of the scouting report,” Kansas State coach Jerome Tang said. “We had a big picture of him. In fact, our coach who did the scout referred to him as ‘their Caitlin Clark.’ And I don't know that he could have given a better description.”
That’s big praise for Sandfort — Clark was among the fans in attendance, by the way — but what McCaffery liked about Sandfort’s game was what he did in the second half when the Wildcats began focusing on him.
“He just kept screening and moving and getting people open,” McCaffery said.
The Wildcats’ concentration on Sandfort allowed other Hawkeyes to get open. Krikke especially thrived, going 8-of-11 from the field.
Kansas State made two runs at the Hawkeyes, getting to within three points at one point, then took advantage of a cold shooting stretch from Iowa to get within 72-67 with 8:54 to play. But Iowa went on a 9-3 run, with Krikke scoring six points and Sandfort hitting a crucial 3-pointer from the right side.
Sandfort tied a career high with 12 rebounds. Krikke had 11 rebounds.
Dai Dai Ames led Kansas State with 16 points.
