Clark finished the game with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists, nearly making it a second consecutive triple-double. Alongside the star, center Monika Czinano tacked on 17 points, and freshman forward Hannah Stuelke added 12 more off the bench in the Hawkeye win. 

Nebraska had a glimmer of hope in the fourth quarter, pulling back within six points with only a couple minutes to play. But once again the Hawkeye defense remained stout. For the Cornhuskers, all five of their starters had 10 or more points. Shooting guard Sam Haiby led the charge with 16. Forward Isabelle Bourne was close behind with 14, and center Alexis Markowski had a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. 

The big key coming into this game for the Huskers was to limit Clark’s scoring. That strategy worked at first, but once number 22 got hot, it was all over. Czinano started off slow as well, succedding later in the game with some bread and butter assists from Clark. Guard Gabbie Marshall also contributed with five aggressive boards, helping Iowa to extend their lead to 16 at one point.

With the win, the Hawkeyes jump to 17-4 on the season, and 9-1 in the Big 10 conference. The Cornhuskers still keep a winning record at 12-9, but take yet another Big 10 loss. Nebraska is now 4-6 in the conference. 

Last year after a win over Nebraska, Clark had piled up two consecutive games with 30 points and a triple double. The only other players at any level to do that since 2000? LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. One more assist today and Clark would have done it again for a second straight season. 

With March Madness less than two months away, the Hawkeyes look for vengeance after an early exit to Creighton in 2022. Up next, the Hawks take on Maryland on Feb. 2 in Iowa City at 7:30pm, on National Women and Girl’s in Sports Day. It will be another opportunity for Clark to display her leadership amongst younger generations of basketball players around the nation. 

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1. Iowa in November is a very scary thing

Entering the game, Iowa had won three out of the last four match-ups against AP Top 5 teams, the lone loss to Penn State earlier this year. One team that has always seemed immune to Kinnick’s “voodoo” is the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have only lost in Iowa City once in the last 30 years, losing in 2004, 33-7. What has always seemed as an easy road trip, turned into a house of horrors on Saturday for Urban Meyer and company. The Hawkeyes set the tone right away with Amani Hooker’s pick-six on the first play of the game. Nate Stanley was at his finest, completing 20 of 31 passes for 226 yards and five touchdowns, including one with Sam Hubbard grasping for his ankles.

Someone forgot to tell Nate Stanley that Sam Hubbard is a feared pass-rusher. #CoolCalmCollectedpic.twitter.com/6QqXABEQhS

— Brent Yarina (@BTNBrentYarina) November 6, 2017

Iowa’s defense made their presence known against Heisman-contender J.T. Barrett and made him look like a third-string quarterback for most of the day. Joshua Jackson had one of the most dominant games an Iowa defensive back has had in a long time. Jackson recorded three interceptions for the Hawkeyes, the last one possibly being a candidate for “Catch of the Year” in College Football.

Another one.

And this latest @HawkeyeFootball interception by Joshua Jackson might be the Pick Of The Year: pic.twitter.com/arsEEViZ84

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 4, 2017

November has always been the time that Kirk Ferentz coached Iowa teams perform at their best. Anyone who draws the Black and Gold in November should at the very least have great respect for them. Iowa travels to Madison on Saturday to face the undefeated Badgers, Paul Chryst will have to have his troops ready for the Hawkeyes.

2. Michigan State is back

Following the Spartans surprising 3-9 finish in 2016, many didn’t expect the Mark Dantonio and company to improve much in 2017. But as he’s done for most of his career in East Lansing, Dantonio has proved the doubters wrong. The Spartans are 7-2 following their upset win over #7 Penn State in a game that featured a three hour and 22 minute lightning delay. Those who stuck around saw freshman kicker Matt Coghlin drill a 34-yard field goal, dashing any remaining hope of Penn State’s playoff hopes.

Slip ‘N Slidin’ Spartans.

Go Green, Go White, let’s Go Home. @MSU_Football edges No. 7 Penn State with Matt Coghlin’s game-winner: pic.twitter.com/wIpxh7b8jh

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 4, 2017

Michigan State quarterback Ben Lewerke was slinging the ball left and right, completing 33 of 56 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. Junior receiver Felton Davis III had a monster game with 12 catchers for 181 yards and a touchdown, clearly becoming Lewerke’s favorite target. The Spartans next travel to Columbus to take on a beat up Ohio State team that is essentially a de facto division title elimination game. It should be a heavyweight fight for sure come Saturday.

3. Northwestern is Clutch

Another week, another overtime win for Pat Fitzgerald’s crew in Evanston, this time stunning Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. With their win over the Huskers, Northwestern became the first school in college football history to win three consecutive overtime games. All four Wildcat touchdowns came on the ground, as senior running back Justin Jackson carried the load for Northwestern. Jackson finished with 31 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Clayton Thorson finished with two rushing touchdowns, along with throwing for 243 yards.

Once again, Tanner Lee struggled for Nebraska. While he did throw two touchdowns, Lee also fired three interceptions, two of them going to Northwestern safety Kyle Quiero. The Husker running game was stagnant once again as running back Devine Ozigbo finished with 23 carries and 72 yards. Nebraska only finished with 112 yards rushing as a team. But this Northwestern team showed that they can answer the bell when called upon, as Thorson was able to lead the drives that tied and ultimately won the game. The Wildcats take on a stingy Purdue team next Saturday at Ryan Field.

The post Big Ten Football: Week 10 Takeaways appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Hawkeyes have found themselves with a 20-11 overall record but just 3-3 in Big Ten play which puts them tied for 7^th in the conference with Michigan State. Coming up this weekend is a vital three game series against the Nebraska Cornhuskers who currently sit at number two in the Big Ten standings with a 4-1-1 record and a similar 20-11-1 overall record.

Iowa took a big blow to their starting pitching rotation early in the year when it was announced that junior pitcher, C.J Eldred, would miss the season with a right elbow injury that would require surgery. But none-the-less the season continued on and while in the pre-season Eldred claimed that himself and fellow starting pitcher, sophomore, Nick Gallagher,

could be “the nation’s best 1-2 punch in a weekend rotation” Gallagher had to take that job on his own. Half way through the season Gallagher hoists a very respectable 2.15 ERA with a 4-1 record in 7 game appearances (all in which he started). While Gallagher has been productive in his all of his starts, another sophomore pitcher, Zach Daniels, has made the most out of his opportunities. While Daniels has struggled at times, he has given up a tied team high 3 home runs; he currently sits tied at 3^rd in the nation among all D-1 baseball players with 6 victories. While Daniels comes in during relief innings, his wins come in large part thanks to the Hawkeye bats.

Leading the way for the Hawkeye hitters is Junior First Baseman, Jake Adams.

Adam’s currently is ranked 4^th nationally with his team high 13 home runs. Adam’s is also ranked 8^th in the nation in runs batted in (RBI) with 43 but those runs wouldn’t be possible without hitters like Mason McCoy batting in front of him. McCoy another Hawkeye Senior, currently sits at 34^th in the nation with only 9 strikeouts in 121 plate appearances. McCoy who is currently batting .347 (second on the team) and not only is McCoy getting the job done at the plate, he’s also excelling in the field. McCoy is currently helping the Hawkeyes defense, which is ranked 17^th in fielding percentage, by upholding a .983 fielding percentage himself. This might not be a team that will get into a “run-fest” with you, but they will make the plays they need to and will wait for you to make the mistake for them to take advantage of.

Going into this weekend’s contest against Nebraska, the Hawkeyes need to be ready to swing the bats as the Cornhuskers are currently allowing over 8 hits a game but have the Big Ten’s second lowest earned run average with just over 3 which places them in the top 25 in the nation. First pitch is scheduled for Friday April 14^th at 6:35 in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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Iowa (11-4, 2-0) started the first half on a tear as they drove to the basket early and often allowing the team to go 15-19 from the free throw line. Hawkeye senior Aaron White surpassed Roy Marble’s career free throw mark of 516, making him the all-time leader in free throws at Iowa. White finished with a team high 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and shot 12-15 from the charity stripe.

“We wanted to drive the ball,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said. “[Shooting] 38 free throws is terrific. Our energy and concentration was constant down the stretch.”

The Hawkeyes also saw strong play from senior Gabriel Olaseni who recorded a career high 18 points and also grabbed five   rebounds. Olaseni was able to take advantage of 13 trips to the free-throw line, where he made 12.

“[Olaseni] was playing with great confidence,” McCaffery said. “He made a concerted effort to go inside and try to get to the free-throw line.”

Nebraska (8-4, 0-2) had a strong night shooting from the floor shooting 57 percent in the first half. Things simmered down a bit for the Cornhuskers in the second half as they shot 37 percent down the stretch.

Leading the way for Nebraska was junior guard Shavon Shields who recorded 25 points and six rebounds. Husker’s forward Terran Petteway also reached double digit scoring with 11 points.

One concern for the Hawkeyes was the play from their guards. Peter Jok, Mike Gesell and Anthony Clemmons combined for 9 points with a majority of those points coming late.

“That’s a combination of things,” McCaffery said. “We weren’t pounding inside, weren’t giving it up early. Those guys can score and they’ll be okay.”

The Hawkeyes will now shift their focus towards their game Thursday night against the Michigan State Spartans in Iowa City. The Spartans (10-5, 1-1) are coming off a 70-50 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on January 5. The Hawkeyes and Spartans are set to tip-off at 7 PM.

The post Aaron White sets free-throw record as Iowa defeats Nebraska appeared first on KRUI Radio.

One side is positive, underwhelmed, but not disappointed, and is critical of those who are critical of the program. The other side is unhappy, clamoring for jobs to be lost and embarrassed at what the program is slowly becoming. It’s not hard to decipher which is which, as the Hawkeye faithful seem content with a little above average results, while the Huskers are furious as their national relevance dwindles. But, which side has the correct mindset?

It’s not Iowa.

Following the Iowa loss to Wisconsin, Hawkeye fans were acceptant and satisfied with the effort put forth by their student-athletes. They played their tails off and nearly pulled off an incredible upset that could potentially put them into a position to reach the Big Ten Title Game. Had a two-point conversion been turned late, or Wisconsin not converted a few third-and-longs, they may have actually pulled it off.

But, they didn’t. They didn’t win, they didn’t get a shot at the Big Ten Title, and they didn’t make the Nebraska game worth anything to a national audience and judging by the pregame ticket prices ($70 face value tickets selling for $5), even local audiences. But, Hawkeye fans are still content.

“It could have been worse.” “At least it was a good game.” “I’m just happy we didn’t get blown out.”

These are the commonly heard quotes as we take what should be a shameful walk out of Kinnick Stadium.

Why?

Why is Iowa content with paying a coach a top ten salary to not even be ranked? Why is losing to a Wisconsin team that doesn’t have any superior recruiting, coaching, or financial advantage over Iowa considered a moral victory? And why are eight win seasons considered successful after sustaining greater success just a half decade ago? None of it should be.

There’s a simple phrase that puts this into perspective: “Expect better, be better.” Iowa isn’t expecting anything more than what is being put out on the field. There’s no pressure on the coaching staff to play the younger, more talented player over the experienced seniors, or change a scheme that isn’t working. Without pressure, there will be no improved product. Nobody with power has any reason to change anything.

Do you know what that does? It’s like eating the same meal every day. That food is going to taste stale. That’s what the Iowa program is right now: stale.

The crowd has groaned more than it has cheered in the last four seasons. Kinnick Stadium isn’t intimidating because it’s hard for a fan base to have a sense of identity when its team doesn’t. The play calling isn’t only predictable to opposing defensive coordinators, it’s predictable to intoxicated students in the crowd. Many can be heard throughout the game saying “Weismann off tackle to the left.” Correct. “Weismann middle.” Correct again. “Play-action pass to the tight end.” Three for three.

These fans, while not only lacking full brain function after tailgating, also don’t have access to game-film, haven’t looked at all of Iowa’s numbers and can’t give you a full scouting report on either team. But they still know what Iowa is going to call. Imagine a guy who is being paid to review every second of Iowa’s offensive schemes. There’s no way he doesn’t have a hunch at what play is going to be run every single time.

The stubbornness of the Iowa football program is astounding, and it’s going to lead to a collapse sooner rather than later. Why? Because Iowa is stuck in neutral and the competition is only going to get better.

Iowa’s best victory in 2014 was on the road in Illinois. Let that sink in for a moment. The 7-5 squad we witnessed this year was not better than the 4-8 squad seen two years ago, and most certainly was a step back from the 8-5 team last season.

So how does Iowa solve this? Do they blow up the entire program, dismiss Ferentz and cover the costs? It wouldn’t be as pricey as expected, but wouldn’t be the correct route, either.

Iowa’s longevity of coaches can be one of its strongest recruiting tools. There have been two (Fry, Ferentz) in the last 35 years. However, coordinators are in a different realm.

This offense isn’t working under Greg Davis. We grew tired of Ken O’Keefe, but his methods were more effective. Davis refuses to see faults in his plan and adjust, as shown by Weismann making outside runs in the last game of his third season. If it hadn’t worked before Nebraska of 2014, it wasn’t going to work then. Davis is only part of the issue, though, the rest lies in what one word could describe what Iowa football is. No, it’s not tough, intimidating, grueling, old-school, or hard-nosed like Iowa wants to be called.

It’s “boring.”

Iowa needs to fix “boring.” If the fans are bored watching the action, can it be much more fun for the players? Or for the players we want to play here in the future?

Take a look at the preseason poster following Iowa’s Orange Bowl run: Marvin McNutt, Ricky Stanzi, Adrian Clayborn, Tyler Sash –those were good times with players fans could get behind. Iowa had a nationally recognized team with nationally notable players. And now? You can make a case for Scherff as a near-lock for a first-round pick, but not much beyond that, and how exciting is a left tackle?

We could fix boring by hiring an offensive coordinator who runs a spread offense and can put points on the board. But I’m having a hard time finding something more ludicrous and unexpected to happen. Iowa, and most of the Big Ten for that matter, is built to run the ball to set up the pass behind a strong offensive line – all held up by a stingy defense. Let’s not mess with the big picture. Let’s just tinker with the little things.

Like what?

Recruiting, for one. Looking at the top 100 players coming out of high school, teams like Nebraska and even Illinois have at least offered them scholarships in hopes of landing the big fish. Iowa can’t be found. Our neighbors on either side have least a stake in these athletes – whether they get denied or not. There’s a chance. That’s more than Iowa has.

Iowa is the boy at the middle school homecoming dance, scared to ask any of the 15 girls standing around to dance with them – despite knowing at least one of them will consider it. You can’t dance with the girl you don’t ask, and you can’t catch a fish when you don’t cast out. How many more metaphors does it take? Top recruits get a fan base excited, and that’s what Iowa needs.

Iowa needs its fans to brag about their school and to have something positive to talk about. Recruiting is one option, but there’s plenty more.

How about once a year Iowa creates an alternate uniform using the stellar combination of black and gold we have at our disposal, along with Nike? That’s a start. Give the players something “fun” and “cool.” The Steelers-themed jerseys are neat, but let’s catch up with the rest of the country. Let’s get “hip.” Hip gets retweets on Twitter, not only in Iowa, but high schoolers in Texas, Florida, California, etc. “Look at Iowa’s jerseys, those are awesome!” That’s the makeover Iowa needs.

Next, the Hawkeyes need to coordinate its fans better. The card stunt is pretty cool when it works, but as mentioned in my previous article, it wasn’t successful this year. Timeliness of cheers isn’t successful either. Kinnick Stadium simply isn’t loud enough, packed enough or intimidating enough to make home games a real advantage for Iowa. Take a look at the atmosphere against Michigan in 2009. Wisconsin was electric, but not throughout the entire game, rather just the second half. One solution for this? Scheduling a marquee game against a prime opponent every year. Sorry, Northern Iowa.

If Iowa scheduled Oklahoma, Akron, Iowa State and Pittsburgh on a regular basis, not only would it spread recruiting to different parts of the country, it would make the Akron game squeezed between two interesting contests look much better than it really is. The game doesn’t have to be Oklahoma (although there is an obvious Stoops vs. Alma-mater tie). It should be a top-four team in a Big Five conference at the very least. Give the country, or at the very least give the state of Iowa, a reason to watch.

Having both Northern Iowa and Ball State on the schedule makes the team look weak come season’s end with such a terrible strength of schedule, as well as putting Iowa in an all-risk, no reward scenario. In an era where a victory of Ball State is so much less than guaranteed, wouldn’t you rather run that risk against a nationally-respected opponent? In 2016 Iowa plays North Dakota State – the FBS killer from the FCS. Two years away and I’m already taking the Bison.

Next up on the agenda: paint the water tower. Between the unenclosed corner of the end zone sits the giant, plain white water tower. Where’s the tiger hawk? The “Go Hawks?” Heck, where’s the black and gold color scheme at the very least? This may not seem like a big deal – but, it’s the little things that can change a program. They add up. Fans, players and recruits love wide-spread school spirit. Start there.

Now, we get to the actual on the field issues. Iowa doesn’t need to get a Bible-sized playbook – I’m just asking for a page two. Mix up the throws a little bit. Having an Alex Smith-style offense is all right, but hey, sometimes we like to see a dose of Brett Favre. Iowa has recruited speed receivers that can make plays – they just don’t have the capability to use them with a relatively weak arm in Jake Rudock. And here is where we transition to beating the dead horse that is the quarterback controversy that never really should have been.

Heading out of camp in 2013, it seemed as if the race for quarterback was neck and neck. That means one thing: Beathard and Rudock were really, really close. Close enough where Ferentz was uninterested in giving the nod to either until spring practice. Iowa fans are typically big Hayden Fry supporters, so this is where they should ask “What would Fry do?”

Play the younger guy. You should always, always, ALWAYS – I don’t know how to stress it anymore over text – play the younger guy if the talent is truly tied. Would you rather have a senior play one year or a freshman play four? Coaches are here to coach, and if that means hurting feelings, so be it. I’m not going to say Beathard is better than Rudock, I’m just saying if it really was that close, Rudock shouldn’t have ever started. Or Vandenberg in the last half of 2012 if we want to dive that far back. If another school had a Vandenberg-like quarterback running the show, they wouldn’t last four games, let alone a whole season. Especially a school like Nebraska.

I mentioned Nebraska to open up this article. Not only as our last loss, but as a reasonable piece to compare to in the “averageness” of a program. Nebraska and Iowa both currently consider themselves “average,” and they very much are as shown by this somewhat obscene, but still accurate article by Deadspin.

Many thought Bo Pelini saved his job after the comeback victory against Iowa, but as we learned Sunday that’s not the case. Nebraska was guaranteed at least nine wins every season as long as Pelini was head coach. To them that isn’t enough. They expect more – especially since the championships in the nineties that created a dynasty. Nebraska has been there, Iowa hasn’t, which causes some of the disparity in overall expectations for each respective program.

A disparity that really shouldn’t exist to the extent that it does.

Looking at the last decade since the beginning of the 2004 season, here are the two teams’ total records:

Team one: 93-49, 4-4 in bowl games, zero BCS appearances, zero conference championships.

Team two: 84-55, 4-4 in bowl games, 1-0 in BCS games, one split conference championship.

If you are a fan of either team, it isn’t difficult to tell which team is which. One is Nebraska, two is Iowa. Nebraska has a slim lead in the overall record, but Iowa has the major bowl victory and split conference championship to boast.

So, we’ve established that these two programs are relatively equal over the last decade. Why is it that Nebraska fans are so astoundingly bent over backwards about the state of the program, while Iowa sips on a cup of tea and shrugs its shoulders? Because Nebraska knows better.

Nebraska knows that if they want more, they will eventually get more. It backfired in the case of Bill Callahan, who replaced Frank Solich after a nine-win season. Pelini turned the program around quickly, but has hit the same wall Solich did. Nebraska is doing what it can to break the wall. Iowa is buying the wall dinner.

Nebraska is correct in its frustration of consistent nine-win seasons in some regards. Their program is getting stale in the same way Iowa’s is – it just looks a little nicer.

Iowa is getting seven and eight win seasons with a four-five win and a 10-11 win season mixed in, losing to teams they shouldn’t and keeping games close they have no business being in. Nebraska is dismantling inferior opponents and being torn to shreds by the likes of Wisconsin and Ohio State with a loss to Minnesota or Northwestern sprinkled in. Every. Single. Year. Nebraskans can say the same thing Iowans do: “It gets old.”

And it really has gotten old for both squads. They both found coaches who took them to a “good, but not great” situation. Ferentz took a distraught program and turned it into a conference contender, back into an average squad, a conference contender again, and now to its lowest point since the beginning of this millennium. Does this roller coaster go back up or is it coming to a stop?

Pelini boarded the ride, took it up from rubble, and is now riding in a straight line. Riders were continuously waiting for the promised thrill, but the ride never delivered. How long could they cling to the promise before boarding another? That question was answered Sunday. One simple reason they continued down this path is while they annually fell on their face in big opportunities, they continually had the chances to begin with. Would you rather have your heart ripped out or to never have a heart at all?

Let’s be honest. Which program is closer to a conference title and a playoff berth? If you say Iowa, you’re lying to yourself. Nebraska is the one with its hearts ripped out every season because they always have a chance. Iowa doesn’t because it’s consistently middle-of-the-road. Give Iowa its in-state-rival Iowa State’s schedule, and they’re not making a bowl game. Give Nebraska that same schedule? Throw your money down on 9-3 with losses to Baylor, TCU and Kansas State.

Compare athletic directors and decide what direction each team is heading. Gary Barta, you’re up:

“It was a week ago we were in contention for the Big Ten championship…[on bowl games] I think San Francisco would be terrific. I think San Diego would be terrific. Going out West, we haven’t gone out West for a bowl for a while, I think that has a lot of merit. If it did end up being Nashville, it is drivable for our fans. We’ll see.”

            Being in the conference championship race at one point is on his list of positives. Iowa didn’t affect the conference championship any more than Indiana, Illinois or Rutgers did. The Hawkeyes beat nobody in contention. Going out West for a mediocre December bowl has no long-term merit. Outside of the players – who is going to remember it? The Orange Bowl year sticks out for a reason – the Hawkeyes won a game that mattered.

How does Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst summarize his program? Here is a brief summary of his full statement about the firing of Pelini:

“As I just said, there are standards and expectations at Nebraska that are high both on and off the field. And although we did win a bunch of games, we didn’t win the games that mattered the most. I think we gave Coach ample time, ample resources and ample support to get that done. Now we are headed in a different direction…We want to do things the right way. At the end of the day, our coaches understand that pursuing championships is what we do, and being competitive in those games that matter is important.”

Where are these expectations? Why is Iowa setting the bar so low, but a team with so many similarities including location, conference, and recent prestige looking so much higher? What will it take for the fan base to be as loud as those west of the Missouri River about their displeasure with where the program is at after 16 years of the same head coach? Iowa is settling for the same adventure on level one every season. Nebraska wants to go to new heights; to see what level two has available.

As this story goes, Iowa is 7-5, going to play a middle-of-the-pack SEC squad in the bowl game, lose by a few points, say “I can’t be mad, we really played them close,” and do it all again next year. Nebraska could head either direction – either hire a coach who can’t get the job done, fall to below average and hire another, or become a national contender after making a necessary change. Why am I more positive of the first scenario?

It’s written on page one of the playbook.

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