As the final horn and a couple of loud pops echoed around the cavernous Gainbridge Fieldhouse court, the Iowa Hawkeyes quickly and quietly exited into their locker room. The same way they entered, the same way they played.

At the same time, a downpour of blue and white confetti rained from the rafters. The colors of the UCLA Bruins. The colors of the Big Ten champions.

Some scores don’t tell the full picture of what happened in a game. UCLA 95, Iowa 41 certainly does.

While the Bruins are a Big Ten college basketball team on paper, in practice, they are a collection of soon-to-be professionals, getting their last licks in on the rest of the college basketball world.

Four of UCLA’s starting five are projected top 10 picks in the upcoming WNBA draft. It’s a roster that boasts Big Ten Player of the Year Lauren Betts, First Team All-Big Ten Kiki Rice, Second Team Gabriela Jaquez, and Gianna Kneepkens.

“Most of us have one or two go, but they have a lineup like that,” Iowa head coach Jan Jensen said.

UCLA didn’t just beat Iowa. Beat is when you lose by 10. A blow out is when you lose by 20. Brutalized is 30. There isn’t even a word to describe a 51 point loss.

And this was the championship game. In theory, between the two most deserving, battle tested squads.

UCLA’s quarterfinal against Washington on Friday was close for three quarters, until the Bruins pulled away to win 78-60. Their semifinal bout with Ohio State was stress free the entire way through, finishing 72-62 Bruins.

Iowa cruised to a 64-58 win in their quarterfinal game vs Illinois that only looked close in garbage time. Then on Saturday, the Hawkeyes put together one of their best fourth quarters of the year to pull away from Michigan 59-42. 

“In that fourth quarter, to start it, I just had everybody do a zen moment,” Jensen recalled.

After the championship game opened with a Taylor Stremlow three pointer, the ensuing 13-0 Bruin run snapped the Hawkeye flow state. Iowa never recovered.

“If you let that margin get a little too great, you can never really ever shrink it,” Jensen said. 

Against a team like UCLA, there is zero margin for error. Not when your basketball team contains nine freshmen and sophomores. Not when UCLA has eight seniors and grad students. Not when you shoot 21% from beyond the arc and UCLA shoots 50%.

Throughout the second half, a steady stream of Iowa fans made their way to the exits at each break. As they did, “Carver East” felt more and more like East L.A.

The Bruins never let up. They closed out the game making nine of their last nine baskets. Iowa went one for nine in the same stretch.

At the end, there were no tears as the Hawkeyes left the court. Just stunned silence. A reality check for a group with all the momentum in the world.

If the semifinal win against Michigan was the best game of the year for Iowa, the championship was by far the worst. The 51 point margin of victory was the biggest ever in a Big Ten Championship game. It was the largest margin of defeat for Iowa in 50 years. 

“Disappointments and setbacks make losers bitter, but they make winners better,” Jensen said after the game. 

There’s no doubt Iowa will be better when they host the first two games of their March Madness run in two weeks. When their run inevitably leads them into another national championship contender, though, is when they’ll need to prove it.

The post Powerless in Indianapolis: UCLA Dismantles Iowa in Big Ten Tournament appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A streak of sunny and rather warm days in early November ended with a depressing gray and chilly downpour, making it an uncomfortable environment to play in. Later, that would clearly become a key factor. The Hawkeyes got off to an extremely slow start on all fronts, quarterback Mark Gronowski anchoring down the offense in some poor passes and decisions. Oregon soon drew first blood when a long snap on Iowa’s second punt of the evening went soaring over the head of Rhys Dakin. Dakin sprinted back and did some quick thinking, batting the ball in the endzone and then booting it out to surrender two points. Although the yellow laundry was thrown, they’d rather two points than dish out a free touchdown to the Ducks.

The defense for Iowa looked strong in the first quarter, with Oregon’s opening offensive drive seeing three balls hit the turf from the arm of star quarterback Dante Moore. Later on, Iowa defensive back Deshaun Lee hawked and intercepted a pass on a crucial defensive stop. Following the takeaway from the Hawkeyes, the Ducks ran the football for majority of the game, wanting to sway away from passing to a banged up wide receiver room. The rushing attack dominated for the Ducks, as they put up a whopping 261 yards on the ground. Four different players rushed for over 40 yards. Senior Noah Whittington led the way with 118 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. The Ducks lone touchdown came on an outside run from Dierre Hill Jr. who found his way into the endzone for a 19-yard score. 

Iowa found life in their responding drive, as Gronowski dropped a deep ball right into the hands of Jacob Gill for a 38-yard gain, taking them inside Oregon’s 5-yard line. On the next play, Gronowski hit a wide open D.J. Vonnahme, the Hawkeyes leading receiver, for a touchdown. This scoring drive would spark life into Mark Gronowski, as he would shake off his previous mistakes. We had a ball game in Kinnick. 

On their first offensive drive of the second half, Iowa marched into the red zone. A touchdown would be monumental with them trailing 12-7. But a fumble from Kaden Wetjen, recovered by Oregon, swept the breath out of the Hawkeye faithful. It was dead silent in the sold out crowd. The Ducks found three points on the ensuing drive, thanks to a Dante Moore 49-yard rush that set them up for a field goal. 15-7.

Early in the 4th, the Hawkeyes ran into a 4th & 5 from the Oregon 40. Expecting Rhys Dakin to trot onto the field, fans were surprised to see Drew Stevens come out, and a little uneasy remembering the last time Kirk Ferentz sent out his field goal unit for a long try. But Stevens put ease into Kinnick. He nailed a career long, and program best, 58-yard field goal, making it a 15-10 game. Iowa wasn’t going away easily.

Derailed by penalties, Oregon struggled to find life on their next drive. Forced to punt, they pinned Iowa on their own seven yard line. A 93-yard drive was needed out of Iowa, which for a Kirk Ferentz led offense, felt like a distant and unattainable dream. But dreams can come true. Served with great protection, Gronowski found his earlier touchdown scorer, Vonnahme, for a long 40-yard gain putting Iowa already into Ducks territory. The crowd, soaked from pouring rain, was going berserk. 

Iowa continued to chug. They converted a 4th & 3 on a pass over the middle pass to Reece Vander Zee. Heart attacks were inevitable in Kinnick. On the next play, Iowa’s leading rusher Kamari Moulton bowled down to the Oregon 10 yard line. Oregon stood tall, all the way until 4th & goal at the 3-yard line. For Iowa, it was now or never. For Gronowski specifically, it was now. Out of a five-wide package, on a designed draw, he quickly stepped away from pressure and cruised into the endzone untouched for the touchdown. Against all odds and an incredible 93-yard scoring drive, the Hawks had the lead. 

The crowd, lively for a moment, dulled again after a miraculous two point conversion catch made by Kamari Moulton was called back. Leading by one, the pressure was on Phil Parker and his defense. While Dante Moore had handed the ball off the majority of the game, he wasn’t afraid to sling it. Moore would dart a ball to Malik Benson, covered tightly by TJ Hall up the right sideline. Benson would haul it in on a beautifully placed ball from his quarterback to put Oregon in field goal range. The remaining seconds ticked away as the Ducks chipped closer and closer. Ducks kicker Atticus Sappington trotted out for a 39-yard game-winning attempt. A dream scenario for any kicker. Sappington was perfect on the night, and needed just one more. On a miraculously clean snap and hold amidst pouring rain and a crazed Kinnick, his kick pierced through the goalposts. He remained perfect, and the Ducks came away with the victory, 18-16. 

Not all stories can have happy endings. Mark Gronowski has brought some unthinkable life into the team, especially the offense. There was genuine hope this team would find a playoff spot. But in a win or die situation, the Hawkeyes fell just short to Oregon, postseason play now completely out of the equation. Iowa, already bowl-eligible, looks to finish out the year strong. They’ll fly to California to take on a ranked USC team on Saturday.

The post The “Duck” Hunt for Playoffs Falls Short appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Fireball shooters and crushed cans litter the wasteland. Puddles of alcohol begin to evaporate. Popcorn kernels stick to the bottom of shoes. Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters have long since departed for downtown. There’s bar cover to beat, after all. This game has been over since it first appeared on the schedule.

It’s nothing out of the ordinary. The final score reads Iowa 47, UMass 7. It’s a typical non-conference, early season beatdown.

Despite this, head coach Kirk Ferentz receives an orange Gatorade shower. Hugs. Pats on the back. Handshakes. Reporters flock towards him, yellow media bibs flapping as they stride. 

Ferentz entered the game tied with Woody Hayes as the winningest coach in Big Ten History. Now with win number 206 under his belt, he stands alone at the top.

There’s a who’s who of Iowa nobility at this game. Barbara Wilson, the president of the university, walks by on the field and smiles. Women’s basketball coach Jan Jensen takes a picture with students in the crowd. Lisa Bluder waves as she walks through the tunnel.

The Soccer team is here. The volleyball team is here. The men’s basketball team is here. And despite all of this support, everywhere you look, there’s also someone calling for Kirk Ferentz to lose his job.

“I don’t respect Kirk Ferentz because I think he’s a total fraud as an elite coach,” SEC analyst Paul Finebaum said last month. “The guy has done nothing other than being mediocre and pedestrian.”

Or just check the Iowa vs UMass highlights comments section. “Kiek needs to retire, I’m tired of mediocracy,” SKIBUM67 writes matter-of-factly, misspelling Kirk’s name in the process.

But you get the sense from listening to his players and his peers that they view him in a very different light.

Kirk Ferentz’s resume looks different than those of other legendary coaches. There are no national titles. No recent playoff births. You can count the number of conference championships on one hand. His legacy doesn’t present itself on the side panel of his Wikipedia page. It’s made up of intangibles.

Over 1000 players have come through the Iowa program under Ferentz’s eye. 94 of them were drafted. 220 found their way onto NFL rosters. “Most of them like me better after they leave here, I think,” Ferentz jokes.

“ He’s just like the perfect Midwestern guy,” quarterback Mark Gronowski said. “He knows so much about the game, knows so much about life and sports in general.”

This is the disconnect. Hearing Ferentz talk, how can you not love the guy? Watching Ferentz’s team play, how can you not demand change?

Most nights, Iowa’s offense looks archaic. The pass concepts are simplistic. The identity of the team revolves around winning in the trenches. It’s a defense first system.

Tonight, things looked different. Mark Gronowski opened the game with three consecutive play action passes, including a 45-yard strike to Sam Phillips and a 20-yard touchdown to Seth Anderson. 

Iowa held a 20-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, and sat comfortably at 30-7 come halftime. 

Iowa’s utility man Kaden Wetjen bounced back from a rough outing against Iowa State to deliver his most electric performance to date, running laps around the Minutemen kick coverage unit.

He gained 39 yards on his first punt return and took an end around 20 yards to the house before the first quarter ended. In the second, he added another 40-yard punt return. 

His biggest play came in the third quarter. Drifting back to the five yard line to field the punt over his shoulder, Wetjen split a pair of Minutemen defenders, then worked his way across the width of the field to the right sideline. Around the 30 yard line, he cut back to the inside, slipped a couple of arm tackles, and outran the rest of the defense to score.

In the end, it went down as a 40 point win for the Hawkeyes. While Iowa fans celebrated a dominant performance on both sides of the ball, detractors pointed to the caliber of opponent. They say where was this last week against Iowa State. Do it against a Big Ten opponent, then we’ll talk.

In the press room, tripods compete for space like trees in a forest. Bulky news cameras are fastened in place. Discarded suit jackets rest on top of backpacks. Roughly 50 people pack into the poorly ventilated space. Most are there to turn a story. A select few just want to hear what Ferentz has to say about 206.

After some words from athletic director Beth Goetz, Ferentz stands at the podium with a fresh white polo and a smile.

At one point, he fields a question about what he’s built as a head coach. He recalls a time when his wife suggested the idea of changing schools every ten or so years. “She’s probably right. She’s right about most stuff,” he laughed. “The flip side is you think about what you miss.”

“Believe me, the season is what it’s all about, but once you get past the football, there’s a lot more to it,” he said. “If you move around, you miss out on those opportunities. It’s just not the same.”

The post Alone at the Top appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Tuesday evening was a historic night in program history as the Hawkeyes capped off Jersey Retirement Night with a dominating 86-60 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Recognition of Hawkeye greats Roy Marble, Chuck Darling, and Murray Wier set the scene, as they officially had their jerseys hung in the Carver-Hawkeye Arena rafters shortly before tipoff. Michigan State won the tip and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead off of a hookshot from leading rebounder, Marcus Bingham Jr. This would end up being Michigan State’s only lead of the game as Iowa’s offense came out hot, led by none other than Keegan Murray. Keegan led all scorers with 28 points on 10-12 shooting. Jordan Bohannon and Kris Murray were the two other Hawkeyes that got in double figures, both with 11 points. Iowa hit twelve three-pointers, seven of which came in the first half. This is an impressive feat considering Michigan State is the No. 1 ranked three-point defense in the country. 

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The 2021 National Player of the Year, Iowa legend, and current Detroit Piston, Luka Garza, had his moment of celebration during halftime in front of his first crowd in Carver since before COVID, as #55 was retired forever. Watch the unveiling of #55 here.

Iowa continued the festivities through their performance in the second half. Keegan had a monster and-1, and gave a rare nod of emotion towards Garza sitting court-side. His twin Kris Murray’s third straight three-pointer in a span of 2:12 lifted the roof off Carver-Hawkeye. 

One of Tom Izzo’s first comments when he entered the postgame conference was a compliment for the packed Carver crowd, saying how “It felt like an ambush. [The] place was hopping.” With many in the public voicing their concerns about what the University needs to do to make Carver a better home environment, it is encouraging that Hawkeye fans showed up on Tuesday when the team needed it most. Izzo lauded Keegan Murray and Fran’s work with this team after losing players like Garza, Wieskamp, and Nunge, saying “he’s as good as any player [he’s] seen in a while… you start talking about the National Player and Coach of the Year–I think it might reside in Iowa City.” This is a huge endorsement from a veteran coach who has seen and coached talents such as Draymond Green and Denzel Valentine. Izzo also emphasized how impressed he was with  players such as Joe Toussaint, Tony Perkins, Ahron Uhlis, etc. as sub-guards, giving them the title of “MVPs of the team.” Even though they are not the highest scoring players on the court, their intensity and ability to pass, rebound, get steals, etc. are vital to the teams success. 

As much as Iowa’s offense shined, this was one of the most gritty defensive games of the season. Iowa forced 12 turnovers and held Michigan State’s starting five to 19 total points. When the Murray twins were asked what they felt has changed about the teams demeanor and intensity the past few games, Keegan said they have been “better at executing in the first half,” and have a higher “commitment to rebounding.” The last half of the season has not been kind to Iowa schedule-wise, but this team is playing their best basketball at the right time. If the Hawkeyes continue this full 40 minute effort on both sides of the ball, they are destined to make a deep run in March. ESPN bracketologist, Joe Lunardi, currently rates Iowa as a seven-seed in the NCAA tournament, while others rate the Hawks anywhere from a five to a ten-seed.  Iowa travels to Nebraska on Friday in hopes of a season sweep over the Huskers.

The post Hawkeye Basketball: Iowa dominates Michigan State on Jersey Retirement Night appeared first on KRUI Radio.

They fought valiantly in their Big Ten opener, but unfortunately they fell short to Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0 in Big Ten) 28-17.

Ultimately, it was two big special team blunders and a long Badger drive that cost Iowa (3-1, 0-1 in Big Ten).

Both were fumbles, the first one was knocked out of Kyle Groeneweg’s hands the second came courtesy of Shaun Beyer’s foot inadvertently grazing the ball before being recovered by the Badgers.

It was the latter one that stung the most for the Hawkeyes as it set the Wisconsin offense up in the red zone and they capitalized with a touchdown.

“We made some critical errors,” coach Kirk Ferentz said. “If you’re going to win in the Big Ten you’ve got to play cleaner football than what we did tonight.”

The game started in the typical rough-and-tumble play that is to be expected when these two teams meet.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the second quarter, Wisconsin on a 6-yard pass and Iowa on a 20-yard pass from Nate Stanley to Noah Fant to make it a 7-7 tie going into half time.

It was Iowa who came out strong to start the second half, kicking a field goal on their first drive, then after Wisconsin put up 7, the offense rallied again once again on a Stanley to Fant connection that made it 17-14 heading into the fourth.

All game long the Hawkeye offense seemed to be grooving to the tune of the Kinnick faithful.

Stanley put up 256 yards with two touchdowns and only one pick, Ivory Kelly-Martin returned after missing the previous two games with 79 yards on 14 attempts, and T. J. Hockenson had a big night catching three passes for 125 yards.

But the grooving stopped I the fourth.

The same Iowa offense that had put up 332 yard in the first three quarters, managed just 72 in the fourth, 27 of those yards came on a meaningless last-second play.

Perhaps the most disappointing blunder for the Hawkeye offense came on their first drive of the fourth quarter, when Stanley missed a wide open  Hockenson on first down.

“I just missed that throw,” Stanley said. “I think that would’ve set the tone for a good drive because he would’ve caught it a ran for a while. That’s definitely one I want back.”

Instead of the drive starting out with a big gain, the Hawkeyes were forced into second and long, then a three-and-out.

That made way for the Badgers to do their damage, and they did just that.

With 5:40 to go Wisconsin got the ball on their own 12 and put together a steady drive which took them all the way down the field and ended with a 17-yard pass from Alex Hornibrook to A. J. Taylor to put Wisconsin up 21-17 with 57 seconds to go.

A Stanley interception and 33-yard touchdown run by Alec Ingold officially sealed Iowa’s fate.

“It hurts,” Safety Jake Gervase said of the loss. “When you play as hard as you can for sixty minutes it hurts. We got to play better. Credit to Wisconsin they played better tonight in all three phases.”

As always, Ferentz will allow the players 24-hours to get over this game and then its on to the next.

Iowa has a bye week next weekend, but they will travel to Minnesota on the 6th of October at TCF Bank Stadium.

The post Kinnick Magic A No Show Vs Wisconsin appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Jimmy Nash recaps the contest between the Hawkeyes and the Wildcats.

IOWA CITY, IA- In a tale of two halves, near record breaking performances, and senior night. The Hawkeyes emerged victorious.

Iowa (13-18, 4-14) defeated Northwestern (15-16, 6-12) 77-70 at Carver Hawkeye Arena on Sunday night.

In the first half, Iowa shot lights out scoring 45 points while Northwestern scored 28. In the second half, Iowa scored 32 points while Northwestern scored 42.

“It was nice to have one of these games going into the Big Ten Tournament,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “We knew that we needed this performance to show what we were capable of doing.”

At one point in the first half, Iowa led by as many as 22 points. That lead got that high thanks to the three. Guard Jordan Bohannon has six 3-pointers in the first half. The team made nine 3-pointers throughout the entirety of the first half.

“I said you have to get your swag back.  He was doing a good job of running the offense (the last few games), but he needs to be aggressive like that for us to win,” McCaffery said.

Going into the break, Iowa was shooting over 48 percent from the field and controlled the rebounding battle.

Iowa built the lead back to 22 in the second half after Northwestern started the half on a little run.

Scottie Lindsey was the only real offense that Northwestern had the entire night. Lindsey launched a Carver Hawkeye Arena record-tying nine 3-pointers in the night’s contest. Lindsey finished the game with 32 points, a career-high for him.

“I was proud of my guys for continuing to fight,” Northwestern head coach Chris Collins said. “With all the injuries it would’ve been easy to just lay down and let Iowa run away. We kept fighting.”

The charity stripe is really where Iowa gained its advantage.

Iowa attempted 23 shots from the line and made 17. Northwestern attempted only seven free throws and made three.

Jordan Bohannon was four of five from the line tonight. He was chasing a record.

Bohannon made his 33^rd and 34^th consecutive free throws in the first half to tie Chris Street’s school-record. He went to the line to attempt the front end of a 1-and-1. He intentionally missed it.

“That was something I have had on my mind the last couple of games and the last few months,” Hawkeye guard Jordan Bohannon said. “I talked to my brother and we had the same agreement that it wasn’t my record to have.”

Iowa will head to New York City to faceoff against Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 4:30 p.m. (CT).

The post White-Hot Bohannon get Hawks past ‘Cats appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa has had the best of luck with these kinds of stories. Just this year, the Kinnick Wave captured the hearts and minds of the nation, even winning the annual Disney Spirit Sports Award. But, if you had the chance to be at the Purdue-Iowa slaughter at Carver, the annual Chris Street reminded the Iowa faithful of why we love sports.

January 19^th, 2018 marks the 25^th anniversary of the passing of Hawkeye legend Chris Street. Street lived out his dream, even if it was marked short. The legend of Chris Street was never about his stats. Street’s passion was such a high intensity that the only thing you’d be able to do is be in awe. And smile. Chris did that a lot, another level of the legend. Not only did Street have an unparalleled passion for the game, but his lovable personality and magnetic smile was equally a force to be reckoned.

Iowa fell in love with Chris Street because Street was Iowa embodied. Street had the “Iowa Nice” personality commonly found in the Hawkeye State and held the tenacity of the court that is a by-product of his tough, blue collar work ethic. But, more than anything, Chris Street woke up everyday wanting to do nothing more than to play basketball for his Hawkeyes. The University of Iowa released a video and showed the same video during halftime of the Purdue-Iowa contest one day after the 25^th anniversary of his passing. The following link goes to the inspirational tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48dGMn_muYk.

The game prior to and following the Chris Street tribute did not have the match the intensity of the Iowa legend. Purdue put Iowa out of the game in the first ten minutes of the first half and merely poured on the point. Making the game seem like nothing more than a morning stroll, the Boilermakers sliced through the soft Iowa defense on its way to a Big10 record in most 3-pointers in a game. 20 shots fell out to 33 attempted from beyond the arc for the third nationally ranked Purdue squad. Iowa could and would not come close after taking an early 3-0 lead in an eventual 87-64 loss.

Purdue will be taking their talents back home to West Lafayette, Indiana in a matchup against Michigan on Thursday, January 25^th at 6 pm CST. The next game for the Iowa comes with another tribute to Chris Street. However, in this Tuesday contest against the hated Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa will be wearing the Gold jerseys. Iowa faces Wisconsin on January 23 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 6 pm CST.

The post Forever 40: Remembering Chris Street appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Linebacker Josey Jewell began the success for the Hawkeyes, bringing home the infamous Lott Impact Player Trophy. This trophy represents a player that defensively had the most impact on his team. Specifically, the IMPACT stands for: integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community, and tenacity. Jewell beat out star players Micah Kiser, Harrison Phillips, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Now, Jewell stands among the ranks of players such a J.J Watt, Luke Kuechly, and Jabrill Peppers, who have all previously won this award. Jewell was named Lott Player of the Week twice throughout the season.

In addition, Jewell received Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Award, Big Ten Linebacker of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten in both the media and coaches selections, the Jack Lambert Award for best collegiate linebacker, Writers Association First-Team All-American, and AP All-American first team.

Josh Jackson also completed an outstanding junior season for the Hawkeyes. Jackson finished tied for first in the country for interceptions, fourth among interception yards, and first in passes deflected. Jackson finished as a finalist in the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive back. He finished as a top three finalist, falling to superb defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Jackson took home a slew of other awards as well. He was named AP All-American first team, Writers Association First Team All-American, Walter Camp First-Team All-American, Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, and won the Jack Tatum Award.

In all, what appears to be the last game for Jackson, and what will be the last game for Jewell as Hawkeyes, make sure to tune into the Pinstripe Bowl on December 27th to witness the high-flying talent of both Josey Jewell and Josh Jackson.

The post Jewell, Jackson Represent Iowa In Collegiate Awards appeared first on KRUI Radio.

With only one weekend remaining in the College Football season, most teams have their eyes on the postseason. At 7-5, Iowa will likely be on unfamiliar grounds this year; meaning no Insight or Outback bowl. Out of the three bowls that seem to have interest in the Hawks, only one has ever featured an Iowa team… and that dates back to 1991.

It’s worth noting that out of the eight Big Ten teams eligible for bowl season, Iowa has the second worst record out of the bunch. However, the Hawks should be able to compensate with a proven fan base that is willing to travel. For the first time in a number of years, the Hawks could be playing a bowl game outside of Florida or California… not entirely probably, but definitely possible; although I’m not sure how much of an upgrade New York would be in late December.

Without futherado, let’s check out where the Hawks could play this holiday season:

MUSIC CITY BOWL (ACC VS BIG TEN/SEC)

Why you should want it:

Do you love Iowa football? Country music? Do you want to go to the bowl game without spending bowl game money? Do you hate flying? Well then do I have the bowl game for you! The Music City Bowl is most definitely what many Hawk fans will be hoping to see come December 2nd. Not only is it an easy drive (about 81/2 hours), Nashville will also offer country music prominence that most Iowa fans will love.

Why you should not want it:

For Hawk fans hoping for a tropical winter vacation, this bowl game is not for you. While it will be warmer than Iowa, it won’t be paradise by any means. Other than that, there’s not a ton to complain about… Nashville seems like a prime location to get the masses of Hawk fans rolling in. Look for Nashville to be monsooned with Iowa folk if the dominos fall right.

The Hawks would likely be matched up a humdrum SEC team in Nashville: either Kentucky or a the coachless Texas A&M Aggies. While this may seem favorable, I’m not sure how confident I would be going against the spread attack of the SEC. Although, it would be great for the young secondary to see.

Destination Rating: 9

HOLIDAY BOWL (PAC 12 VS BIG TEN)

Why you should want it:

Who wouldn’t want to visit beautiful San Diego in the dead of winter? There are not many places that could beat San Diego in terms of a destination spot for cold weather teams. This place is a tourist’s dream and is only a short two hour drive to LA. Definitely the destination for Hawk fans who want to see the warm weather.

Why you should not want it:

Flying out and staying in Southern California is definitely a pretty penny. On top of that, Iowa would probably see themselves matched up with a quality Pac-12 opponent, meaning they would be closer and would probably out number Iowa fans. SDCCU stadium has a somewhat bad reputation as a venue. All of this goes without mentioning what happened the last time Iowa played in Southern California. Still stings a little.

A likely matchup in this one would be a Washington Huskies team that is only one year removed from a visit to the College Football Playoff. The thirteenth ranked Huskers would be a tough matchup for the Hawks as the load of the offense would probably fall on the run game.

Destination Rating: 6.5

PINSTRIPE BOWL (ACC VS BIG TEN)

Why you should want it:

If you’re a Hawk fan wanting to see a postseason win over anything else, this is your game. The Pinstripe Bowl is likely the least prestigious bowl the Hawks are being associated with right now, which would likely mean a lesser opponent. I’m not sure how many Hawk fans are dying to see NYC, but maybe I’d be surprised. Playing in Yankee Stadium could be cool, although I’m not sure how many people it could hold.

The Hawks would likely square off with an ACC basement dweller at Yankee stadium if this were to happen. I would personally root for Boston College to be the matchup as two of the country’s finest linebackers would square off (Harold Landry/Josey Jewell). On the other hand, we could also see Virginia in a game that would probably be a punter’s showcase. Let’s hope for BC or even North Carolina State.

Why you should not want it:

New York in December? Better bring the Carharts, Iowa. This would be a cold one. Not to mention the Big Ten basketball tournament is set to be held in NYC a short two months after bowl season. It adds a little insult to injury when you consider this was the last bowl game Iowa State played it. It gets even worse when you realize a Greg Schiano led Rutgers team beat the Clones by two scores. That being said, this seems to be as low of a bowl game as the Hawks will fall to.

Destination Rating: 5

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The biggest factor in Iowa’s favor as well as the largest deterrent is the young, raw talent of the Hawkeyes. The best player on the team is no doubt a dynamic sophomore, Tyler Cook. At 6-9, the forward out of Saint Louis flashed looks of high potential consistently throughout his freshman year. Tyler Cook’s effect on the game cannot always be shown in his stat lines; however, Cook’s impacts every possession, regardless of his possession of the ball.

Jordan Bohannon, Isaiah Moss, and Brady Ellingson will be dominating the guard spots as sophomores and juniors. Bohannon and Moss can both score off the dribble and distribute to make plays at will, even as mere sophomores. Ellingson, however, will be more of a pure point guard. With the powerhouse Tyler Cook at forward, clear leaders at guard slots, and depth at both forward and guard positions, Iowa Basketball will be successful if McCaffery can find a large player to play in tandem with Cook.

This large X-factor for Iowa will be the freshman center for the Hawks, Luka Garza. The 4-star recruit out of Washington DC will play the role which could put Iowa over the top. The 6-11 has already grabbed 18 boards through two games with 27 points in addition. In recent memory, Iowa loses the rebounding affair on a strikingly consistent basis. In addition to the young Garza and Cook, the returning Big Ten Conference 6th man of the year award winner, Nicholas Bear, will jump start the young Hawkeyes whenever needed. With a deep set of young big men behind Garza, Baer, and Cook, the rebounding deficit will improve moving forward.

Another reason for the jump into March Madness will be the schedule for the young Iowa team. With the only notable non-conference opponents coming on the road against both Virginia Tech and the rivaling Cyclones, wins will be racked up quickly prior to conference play. Iowa also draws one of the weakest schedules in the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes will not travel to ranked opponents in #2 Michigan State, #20 Purdue, and #19 Northwestern.

Iowa will also not travel to rival Wisconsin and will only play Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana once. The Hawkeyes will reach 20 wins before the final stretch of the season. Three of the final five games will

play on the road with the last two facing ranked opponents. With an easier schedule than most, even if the young players do not improve in the expected ways, Iowa will rack up at least 22 wins before the Big Ten Tournament in the Madison Square Garden.

The graduation of Peter Jok will also allow the Hawkeye basketball squad to acquire a bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Jok made up the core of last year’s team, leading the Big Ten in scoring. However, Jok also lead the team in shots taken. Despite leading in points, Jok shot a 7^th team best shooting percentage to return for it, behind the likes of Tyler Cook, Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner, and others.

Contrary to popular belief from mainstream sports analysts, Iowa will benefit from the absence of Peter Jok for multiple reasons. Iowa will not be reliant on a one-man effort with multiple people getting involved. A team is much easier to stop with one man scoring instead of a team. The spacing of the floor will also be nicer for shooters with the best player in Cook playing in the post instead of Jok playing around the 3-point arc. All in all, Peter Jok is an absolutely great player; however, Jok’s presence hurt the team more at times than not.

Due to the young raw talent of the Hawkeyes in addition to lucky breaks in scheduling and an ability to involve more players than in years past, the 2017 Iowa Hawkeye basketball team will not only return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, but will chance running at Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The next game for the 2-0 Hawkeyes will come against Grambling State on Wednesday, November 16^th at 7:05 pm CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

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