Penn State-Iowa Basketball Preview: Can the Lions Solve Luke Garza?
Penn State's NCAA tournament hopes have grown dim in February, as the team has dropped four of five games this month. That includes a 92-82 loss to No. 4 Ohio State, a game in which the Lions led by eight points in the second half.
Penn State (7-11) is running out of time and opportunity to build a tournament resume. The Lions have five regular-season games remaining (if the postponed game vs. Michigan isn't rescheduled) and the Big Ten tournament, so they need to go on a major run.
That starts Sunday, when Penn State visits No. 11 Iowa as part of a two-game Midwest road trip (it heads to Nebraska on Tuesday). So what are the Lions playing for the remainder of the season? Forward John Harrar addressed that question after the loss to Ohio State.
Here's a look at Sunday's game.
Penn State (7-11) vs. Iowa (16-6)
When: 5 p.m. EST Sunday
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
TV: FS1
Betting line: Iowa is a 12-point favorite
About the Lions: Another shooting dry spell conspired against Penn State in its loss to the Buckeyes. The Lions opened strong enough, shooting 53.6 percent in the first half. But Ohio State was even better, shooting 65.4 percent and following with a 15-0 second-half run in which the Lions missed nine straight shots. For a team without a sustained interior scoring presence, wayward perimeter shooting can lead to a quick meltdown. Harrar has been exceptional of late, averaging a double-double over his last 11 games. Penn State certainly has relied on balanced scoring but doesn't have a consistent threat. The team has one 20-point performance (Myreon Jones' 20 vs. Wisconsin on Jan. 30) in its last six games. Further, Penn State is looking for its first Big Ten road win since February 2020 at Purdue.
About the Hawkeyes: This is Penn State's first look this season at Luke Garza, Iowa's All-American center and all-time leading scorer. Garza leads the country in scoring (24.7 ppg) and has nine double-doubles. According to Iowa, the 6-11 Garza has scored 531 points this season against teams ranked in the AP Top 25. Iowa has won its last three games after back-to-back losses to Indiana and Ohio State. Iowa has won 11 of the last 18 games in the series and is 18-4 at home against Penn State. The Lions last won in Iowa City in 2017.
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