Eight different Iowa players have scored in double figures to spark a 4-0 start.
As the Hawkeyes seek perfection from a five-game homestand that concludes with Chicago State’s Thursday visit to Iowa City, junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras arguably looms as the most refreshing.
A transfer from Robert Morris, where he earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors last season, the reserve welcomes the chance to earn a greater role at Iowa.
“I just go (out) there and play. It’s that easy,” Folgueiras said. “Coach makes me feel important, and I’m trying to answer to his confidence every time I’m on the court. I don’t care if I start the game on the bench, in my house, back in Spain, or wherever he wants. If I play 25 minutes, I’m OK. If I play zero and the team wins, I’m going to be OK, too.”
Folgueiras has come off the bench thus far but is making the most of his minutes, averaging a team-best 5.8 rebounds to go with 12 points per contest, second only to Bennett Stirtz (19.8 ppg).
Folgueiras paced the Hawkeyes with 16 points during a 99-70 rout of Southeast Missouri State on Tuesday, while Stirtz followed with 15. Ben McCollum became the sixth Iowa coach to win his first four games at the school but feels the Hawkeyes can give a more complete effort.
“We’ve just really got to make sure that we compete with an elite amount of energy throughout the entire game,” McCollum said.
Chicago State (0-5) could pounce otherwise. Just ask Iowa’s Big Ten brethren to the north.
Playing at Minnesota on Tuesday, the Cougars rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit, taking the lead on a Braelon Bush jumper with 7:51 to go. The Golden Gophers regrouped to close the game on a 21-7 run.
“We knew watching the film on these guys, this team plays really, really hard,” Minnesota coach Niko Medved said. “Kind of the style they play, they’re a little bit chaotic, but they really paint-collapse, and they force you to drive.”
Marcus Tankersley (16.8 points per game) and Stephen Byard (10.4) lead the Cougars in scoring. Tankersley, a senior guard, scored 16 points at Minnesota to reach 1,000 for his career.
“Marcus embodies what it means to be a leader in this program,” Chicago State coach Landon Bussie said.
