Apparently Alford learned something from Bobby Knight along the way when he was at Indiana. Iowa plays almost the exact same offense that Texas Tech does and many of the principles that Alford uses in his coaching style come from Knight. When it came down to it on Tuesday, Iowa was just better at executing at both ends of the floor.

While Pierre Pierce again had a solid game for the Hawkeyes, he was not the driving force in the win. Without looking around the net, I am sure that 6'11" center Erik Hansen was given big credit for the victory and deservedly so.

Hansen had 6 blocks in the game, and he probably got his hand on at least 5 other shots without getting credit for the deflection. He added 9 points mostly coming in the second half when Iowa was safely in the lead. His biggest contribution on the offensive end was 6 offensive rebounds which let Iowa keep possession of the ball for multiple shot attempts. Obviously, because of the big presence inside, which Texas Tech had no answer for, Hansen was dominant at the defensive end. Together with Greg Brunner, they clogged up the lane using a combination of a strong 2-3 zone and man to man defense. The 2-3 zone was killer for Texas Tech in the first half. They had no way to get the ball inside and time after time down the floor they would be forced to pass around the outside and attempt to stay clear of the big men. This caused an abnormal amount of turnovers for the Red Raider team, many of them coming on traveling calls as Texas Tech players tried to get separation from the tough defense. They ended the first half with 16 turnovers which led to 12 Iowa points and a very red faced head coach.

If you want the driving force on offense, it wasn't Mr. Pierce either. That would be Adam Haluska. Haluska started the offense for the Hawkeyes by grabbing their first 8 points of the game and jetting them to a 10-3 lead on Texas Tech. The first six minutes of the game totally belonged to him. He was able to get free when Pierce was well covered and either dish the ball away or score. Had Haluska not picked up his second foul about nine minutes into the game, Iowa would have put the game away in the first half. It was obvious that the offense just ran slower without him on the floor. Pierce was their sole focus and Texas Tech was able to concentrate on him. It wasn't that there weren't other options on offense. Jeff Horner had some nice drives from the baseline but was terrible shooting from elsewhere on the floor. Brunner also contributed when he could. By far though, Haluska drove the offense and shot 7 for 9 including 3 for 3 beyond the arc. Add in four free throws and he had himself a 21 point night.

My player to watch for future games is Alex Thompson. Thompson came into the game with 7:40 to play in the first half to rebound off some Texas Tech free throws. Thompson looked a little rough around the edges, but that can be expected for a freshman. At 6'9", he will be a force to come for the Hawkeyes inside and if he is ever on the court at the same time as Hansen, opposing teams better hope they have some three point shooters. Thompson needs some work on his passing which was not as crisp as you would want from the big man as he feeds it back outside to the shooters. He did have a nice look boarding the ball and reigned in 5 over his 11 minutes. Coming out of Ames, Iowa, it is amazing that Iowa State didn't get this guy. If Tim Floyd or Larry Eustachy were still the coach for the Cyclones, you know that Thompson would have been wearing red this season and maybe Haluska might not be on the Iowa team.

Sure it is only one game, but this is one game that Texas Tech will want to forget. Despite playing well for most of the game on the defensive end, being competent at keeping Iowa on the outside and shooting from long distance, they did not have the same success at the offensive end. Freshman guard Martin Zeno looked like a freshman on the floor. He had 4 turnovers and only two assists. He constantly was forcing the ball inside and then would get beat back on defense. At the same time, Jarrius Jackson was the only offensive option on the floor for the Red Raiders who could accomplish anything. By the second timeout of the game, it was clear that if he didn't touch the ball, the Texas Tech team was not going to score. It took them 9 minutes to finally get a man solidly in the lane, and he was called for a three second violation.

The highlights for the Red Raiders were few. Devonne Giles outbattled 3 Iowa players to get an offensive rebound at one point. There were times when Ronald Ross's defense was enough to frustrate the taller and faster Pierce. Zeno did throw some nice feeder passes. Jackson did manage a great drive through the middle of the lane to the hoop, but it came in the final minutes when most of Iowa's main players were already on the bench watching the walk ons play. Bobby Knight has a lot of work to do before Wednesday night's game against Georgia State. Maybe he can call Steve Alford and get some tips on running his offense.