If Iowa’s final game before Christmas was any indication, junior transfer Alvaro Folgueiras might be about to play up to the form that earned the forward the Horizon League Player of the Year honors a season ago at Robert Morris.
During the Haweyes’ 94-39 blowout of Bucknell on Dec. 20 in Des Moines, Folgueiras scored a season-high 17 points — 13 in eight first-half minutes — and led the team in scoring for the third time this season.
Folgueiras and No. 25 Iowa try to conclude nonconference play on a high note Monday when they host UMass Lowell in Iowa City.
There were some that thought that Folgueiras would offer a similar impact from the transfer portal to starting guard Bennett Stirtz, who followed first-year coach Ben McCollum from Drake and leads his new team with 16.7 points, 5.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 36.4 minutes per game.
That hasn’t happened yet as Folgueiras averages 9.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 19.1 minutes per game as a reserve.
However, metrics suggest Folgueiras might be about to progress to the numbers he finished with last season. The native of Spain averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists while hitting 54.8% from the field and 41.3% on 3-pointers as Robert Morris won the Horizon title and the automatic NCAA bid.
“I’ve just got to make sure that I know what the coaching staff wants from me,” Folgueiras said. “I’ve been doing a fairly intense job these last few weeks on just keeping it simple.”
McCollum said Folgueiras’ transition from one program to another is more complicated than that. The coach said Folgueiras’ adjustment to a new system, plus his absence from summer workouts because of playing for Spain’s under-20 national team, has been a prolonged process.
“You have to de-program and re-program, and get him to play the style that we’re at,” McCollum said. “Specific to him, it’s probably the workload is the trickiest part.”
The Hawkeyes (10-2) are a prohibitive favorite to improve to 8-0 at home against the River Hawks (5-9), who come to Iowa after an 88-76 loss on Dec. 21 at Boston University. They are 1-8 on the road and own just two wins over Division I opposition.
Texas State transfer Austin Green scored 20 points in the defeat and leads the team in scoring at 15 points per game, converting 63.2% of his field-goal attempts. JJ Massaquoi (10.6), Darrel Yepdo (10.3) and Xavier Spencer (10.0) also average in double figures.
UMass Lowell averages 78 points and sinks 47.5% from the field. but defense has been an issue. The River Hawks are permitting 79.8 points per game and allow the opposition to can 45.6% of its shots from the field, along with 35.6% on 3-pointers.
The River Hawks have yielded at least 80 points in a game seven times and 100 twice — at then-No. 4 UConn and at Wake Forest. But coach Pat Duquette says there has been improvement in recent games.
“We still have to keep getting better but I’m happy with where we’re at,” he said. “I’m just happy that these guys have kept fighting and stayed together.”
This will be the first matchup between UMass Lowell and Iowa.
