Iowa senior center Luka Garza entered Friday night’s game against Iowa State averaging 29.5 points and 28.3 minutes per game this season. He scored 30-plus points *in the first half* of consecutive games against Southern (36 points) and Western Illinois (30 points).
.@LukaG_55 now has his second-straight first half with 30+ points. 🤯
The @IowaHoops star is in mid-season form already. pic.twitter.com/3OgYrjWnVw
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 4, 2020
And he continued to put up ridiculous numbers in No. 3 Iowa’s 105-77 win over Iowa State.
After missing 11 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, Garza went off for 25 points in the second half. He finished the night with 34 points on 13-of-14 shooting from the field, including 6-of-7 from three-point range. At one point in the second half, he had scored Iowa’s 21 straight points, and he even pulled out the Jordan shrug after his sixth three.
Who can hold this man? 🤷‍♂️
Not Iowa State, as @LukaG_55 has made his last 11 shots and has 25 points (and counting) in the second half alone. That's #B1GStandout worthy for @IowaHoops. 🔥
đź“Ť @AutoOwnersIns pic.twitter.com/AxfNtlQcYi
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) December 12, 2020
🎯🔥 @LukaG_55 has a career-high SIX three-pointers tonight for @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/rCMG1Z4XvC
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 12, 2020
Garza did all of that in just 17 minutes played! Over the last 25 seasons, Garza’s 34 points are the most for a D-I player that played under 20 minutes in a game.
Luka Garza only played 17 minutes tonight vs Iowa State and scored 34 points. That is the most points scored by a D-I player who played less than 20 minutes in a game over the last 25 seasons.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2020
The only time Garza didn’t go off on offense was against No. 16 North Carolina on Tuesday, when he scored 16 points on 6-of-20 shooting from the field. But he still pulled down 14 rebounds and had four blocks in the 93-80 win over the Tar Heels.
Garza was named the Sporting News National Player of the Year last season, as well as the Big Ten Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. That’s after he averaged 23.9 points and 9.8 rebounds on the season. He came up just short for the Naismith Award (for the top player in college basketball), which was given to Dayton’s Obi Toppin.
But with the way he’s playing right now, Garza is the clear favorite for the Naismith (and many other awards) this time around. And what’s more important than the individual accolades is that Garza has the 5-0 Hawkeyes as one of the national title favorites.
