In Chad Leistikow’s recap of the Iowa Hawkeyes’ blowout of the Michigan State Spartans, he noted Iowa’s stretch of five wins in six games with an average margin in those wins approaching 20 points (19.8).
That level of dominance has seen the Hawkeyes rise in KenPom’s rankings 8 spots ($) since the double overtime loss at Penn State, with defense being the story. They’ve risen from 103rd to 81st. The adjusted expected margin change is more ... marginal at 2.85 points/100 possessions, so it overstates the improvement a bit given that would translate into a basket’s difference in the average Iowa game (70 possessions).