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Hawkeye legend: Luka Garza exits to applause in loss to Oregon after incredible career at Iowa

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Luka Garza will be a player remembered forever in Iowa basketball’s history. The star center was a generational talent and one of the greatest players ever to put on a Hawkeye uniform.

The Iowa star did everything he could in Monday’s game against Oregon, but it wasn’t enough to push the Hawkeyes over the Ducks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Despite a 36-point, 9-rebound performance from Garza, Iowa fell 95-80 to Oregon.

Monday’s loss brought Garza’s career at Iowa to an end.

With time expiring, head coach Fran McCaffery took Garza out of the game. He exited the contest to applause, as Iowa fans thanked the two-time B1G Player of the Year for all of his career accomplishments:

Garza ends his career as the all-time leader in scoring for the Hawkeyes’ men’s program. He’s a National Player of the Year finalist for a second-straight season and was a two-time All-American selection.

Iowa enjoyed a terrific year, finishing with a 22-9 record for the season. Before Monday’s game, Garza averaged 23.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, leading the Hawkeyes in all three categories. He totaled more than 2,300 career points in Iowa City.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB