Indiana completed a season sweep of No. 8 Iowa in dramatic fashion on Sunday when Armaan Franklin drilled a jumper with 1.8 seconds to lift the Hoosiers to a 67-65 victory. Franklin was just 1-for-9 from the field when he pulled up for the game-winner, but the sophomore guard came up clutch when it mattered most. The win snaps a two-game losing streak for Indiana (10-8, 5-6 Big Ten), which had lost its last two games by a combined eight points.
The loss is the fourth in five games for the Hawkeyes (13-6, 7-5), who posted a season-low in points while playing without shooting guard CJ Fredrick for the third time in four games. Fredrick, who leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage, has been limited or absent for weeks with a lower leg injury. Without him, Iowa shot just 37% from the floor. Star center Luka Garza scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half for the Hawkeyes, but Iowa made just 2-of-10 tries from 3-point range in the second half as Indiana defenders swarmed Garza in the paint.
Trayce Jackson-Davis led Indiana with 17 points and 12 rebounds after exploding for 23 points in the first meeting less than three weeks ago. The Hawkeyes opened up a 13-point lead early in the first half and looked well on their way to securing revenge for their earlier 81-69 loss to Indiana. But the Hoosiers managed to hang around, despite poor shooting from their guards for much of the game.
"PURE!"
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 7, 2021
Armaan Franklin (@unkle44artty) hits the go-ahead bucket for @IndianaMBB. pic.twitter.com/vRMfv3Wypn
The Hoosiers entered the game as one of the "first four out" of Jerry Palm's Bracketology with just a 2-7 record in Quad 1 games. But thanks to Franklin's clutch shot, Indiana has now added another Quad 1 victory and should have a golden opportunity to reach .500 in the brutal Big Ten on Wednesday against a Northwestern team on a nine-game losing streak.
