Wisconsin had beaten Iowa on four straight occasions dating back to 2016, but the Hawkeyes were confident this time would be different. They entered the game ranked 16^th in the nation. After dropping two straight games to Northwestern and Indiana, the College Football Playoff rankings booted the Badgers out of the top 25.

Shortly before the game began, it was announced that Wisconsin would have to play without their leading rusher Jalen Berger, as well as top receivers Danny Davis and Kendric Pryor.

On the Badgers’ first drive, the slick football slipped out of the hands of freshman quarterback Graham Mertz and was quickly pounced on by Iowa linebacker Nick Niemann at the Wisconsin 32 yard line. Unable to take full advantage of the great field position, Iowa trotted Keith Duncan out for a 30-yard field to give the home team a 3-0 lead.

As some Big Ten games do, the battle for the Heartland Trophy quickly turned into a battle of the punters. In the 12 drives following the Duncan field goal, the teams combined for 3 first downs and 12 punts. In the first half alone, the punters combined for 559 punting yards.

Just as one began to wonder if either team had any interest in scoring, the Hawkeyes offense exploded for a 6 play, 36-yard drive. With less than two minutes in the half, the play was just good enough to get the ball into range for Keith Duncan. The kick clipped the left upright as it went through from 45 yards out.

Going into the half, Iowa led 6-0.

While statkeepers scrambled to dig up the punting records at halftime, both coaching staffs were busy making adjustments in the locker room in hopes that those stats wouldn’t have to be used.

Wisconsin found success on their opening drive taking it into Iowa territory, but Collin Larsh couldn’t connect on a 47-yard field goal to give the Badgers their first points.

On the ensuing Iowa drive, Spencer Petras hit Ihmir-Smith Marsette with a 38-yard bomb to take the ball into Badger territory and then found him again on a 19-yard pass in the corner of the end zone. That, coupled with a successful 2-point conversion, stretched the Hawkeyes’ lead to 14-0.

After holding the Badgers to a 3 and out on the ensuing drive, Iowa punt returner Charlie Jones muffed a bouncing punt at the Iowa 25, and Wisconsin recovered. The Badgers quickly turned the mistake into points, as 3 plays later Nakia Watson punched the ball into the end zone from the 1-yard line.

Little did Wisconsin know, that would be the first and only time they would put points on board.

As the second half wore on, the snow began to fall harder, dancing around the stadium, glistening in the night sky.

After the teams exchanged punts, Spencer Petras launched a 53-yard rainbow to Ihmir Smith-Marsette who caught the ball and flipped into the end zone. Unfortunately, Smith-Marsette didn’t stick the landing and would be sidelined for the rest of the game with an ankle injury. He finished the day with 7 receptions for 140 yards and two scores.

As time began to be a factor, Wisconsin’s next two drives would end on 4^th down in the red zone. On the first 4^th down attempt, Graham Mertz missed a wide-open Jack Dunn galloping across the middle of the field. On the second, Mertz’s pass was intercepted by Jack Campbell in the end zone.

On Iowa’s first play following the interception, Tyler Goodson weaved his way through the tiring Badger defense to score an impressive 80-yard touchdown run with 4:09 remaining, giving Iowa a 28-7 lead. By this time, the Hawkeyes could taste victory.

As the final whistle sounded, several Iowa players fell to the now lightly snow-covered field and made snow angels. At last, the Heartland Trophy would be coming back to Iowa City!

Spencer Petras finished the game 14-25 for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Goodson led the rushing attack with 106 yards and a touchdown on 11 totes. Chauncey Golden shined on defense with 9 tackles including a crucial sack on 3^rd down.

Iowa will wrap up Big Ten play this Saturday at 6 pm, as the Michigan Wolverines come to town.

The post Iowa Outmuscles the Badgers 28-7, Hawkeyes Win Heartland Trophy for the First Time Since 2015 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.

Iowa City, Ia.- The Hawkeyes reaffirmed something that many of us have already known: They have a good defense.

The Hawkeyes (3-0,0-0) defeated the Northern Iowa Panthers (0-2,0-0) in dominant fashion by a score of 38-14.

All together, the defense held Northern Iowa to only six yards of rushing. While the usual suspects showed up, there were some other players that got on the stat sheet as well.

“Our defense just in general, especially the front seven, linebackers and then the guys up front, I think we’re developing some depth,” Head Coach Kirk Ferentz said.

18 Hawkeyes recorded tackles during the contest. Linebacker Kristian Welch led the way with eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Michael Ojemudia chipped in five tackles of his own and his first career interception late in the first half.

Cedric Lattimore, A.J. Epenesa and Brady Reiff all recorded a sack against the Panthers. Epenesa now leads the Hawkeyes in the sack department with four sacks on the year.

On the other side of the ball, Nate Stanley threw for a season-high 309 yards and two touchdowns. On the receiving end of one of those touchdowns was tight end Noah Fant.

That touchdown was the fourteenth touchdown reception of Fant’s career and moves him into the top spot for receiving touchdowns by a Hawkeye tight end in program history. Fant’s 14 touchdown receptions ties him for ninth all-time.

The tight end has been a staple at Iowa for years and Fant believes others should take note.

“They got to want to cover our tight ends,” Fant said. “Tight ends are a big part of our offense. Not only me but T.J. (Hockenson) also. We just got to try and find holes in the defense.”

The Hawkeyes will begin conference play Saturday night against the Wisconsin Badgers (2-1,0-0). Kickoff will be shortly after 7:30 p.m. and can be heard live at http://mixlr.com/kruifm/.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa – Pressure and heightened expectations are hard to live up to. Freshmen in new universities, new states, even new parts of the country often have a difficult time reaching the standards others have set for them.

Four-star recruit Luka Garza was no exception to this in the first half of Iowa’s season. The 6’11 big man from Washington, D.C. found himself out of the starting lineup and struggling to keep up with power conference teams

Naturally, criticism followed. The team was struggling, and the highly regarded center wasn’t meeting expectations.

That hasn’t stopped Garza from focusing on his game.

Since going for 19 points and 11 rebounds in a career-high 30 minutes in Iowa’s overtime victory at Illinois, Garza seems to have turned the corner.

“I had a couple stretches where I wasn’t as consistent, but I feel like I’m getting better at that,” Garza said after another double-double (17 points, 16 rebounds) in a win over Wisconsin. “I think playing as hard as I can is helping me through that.”

The freshman is just the third player in the last 20 years to accumulate 17 points and 16 rebounds versus Wisconsin, joining Iowa’s Reggie Evans (2001-02) and Indiana’s DJ White (2007-08).

Garza has been playing as hard as any Hawkeye recently. ESPN’s Dan Dakich was on the call each of Iowa’s last two games, including the blowout loss to Purdue. Dakich praised Garza on Saturday for being the only Hawkeye playing with fight in the second half.

He gave the young center praise again on Tuesday.

“I like to play with that intensity, I’ve always been taught to play hard and give those extra efforts,” Garza said. “That emotion is something I like to play with.”

Dakich isn’t the only one who has noticed Garza’s energy level. Head Coach Fran McCaffery is appreciative of the big man’s efforts.

He’s a gamer, a warrior, however you want to describe it. He’s relentless,” McCaffery said. “A lot of big guys – a lot of young big guys – they tire. When they tire, they takes possessions off, and he doesn’t do that.”

McCaffery was particularly impressed with Garza’s defensive on Tuesday when he guarded an All-American in Ethan Happ.

“I thought Luka was great. Happ’s an All-American. Luka’s a freshman,” McCaffery said. “I think he really studied him this week and moved his feet.”

McCaffery has said before that leadership can come from anyone, whether he is a senior or a freshman. Tyler Cook was a freshman leader last year. Now, Garza is stepping into that role.

“The way Luka leads is obviously with his emotion… it’s something easy too feed off of,” Cook said. “We’ve got a lot of vocal guys on the team, but I think he brings something else to the table that really fits well with this group.”

Whether he’s scouting out the next opponent in a film session or practicing new offensive moves to improve his productivity, Garza isn’t going to get complacent. Even if games are rough, his worth ethic is noticeable behind the scenes.

“Regardless of if he’s hitting shots or not, he’s playing his behind off,” Cook said. “When you get a guy like that who’s always working after practice or on off days, going to put it together.”

There’s always room for improvement, and he’s already made big strides in the early going of 2018.

In this lost season, Garza has given fans something to be proud of. Iowa fans have always held stock in the tradition of hard work.

Garza is a hard worker.

“It’s a learning experience,” Garza said. “I’m learning, I’m getting better, and I’ll continue to get better.”

The post Garza Making Strides in Freshman Year appeared first on KRUI Radio.

One month ago, the College Football world told itself that the 4-team playoff would be filled with ease once again. At the time, the SEC, ACC, Big 10, and Big 12 conferences each presumed to be represented by their champion. Only the Big 12 conference’s presumed representative is the same as prior with the top of the rankings left to chaos. Oklahoma continues to hum past the remainder of the Big 12. The following list withhold the schools who were in the top 6 a month ago and still are today: Alabama. That’s it. The cast of teams surrounding the dominant

Alabama squad has shifted a great deal week by week. However, the phrase of “dominant” cannot be attached to Nick Saban’s team following last weekend’s contest. Upsets shake the world of College Football once again.

Throughout the previous month, the shapings of the playoffs have begun to take form. No team outside of Wisconsin and Central Florida makes out of the regular season unscathed. #1 Alabama fell to #6 Auburn in the Iron Bowl. The same outcome befell #2 Miami as they lost to an unranked Pittsburgh. Just two weeks prior, #9 Washington fell. #1 Georgia steamrolled #10 Auburn and #3 Notre Dame exposed by #7 Miami.  #6 TCU battles and loses to #5 Oklahoma. And lastly, #6 Ohio State received a beating in Iowa City to the unranked Hawkeyes.

Penn State fell off the planet after being ranked second in the nation a month earlier before losses against #6 Ohio State and #24 Michigan State. Upsets have completely ravaged the top 10 of the College Football rankings week after week.

Playoff Ramifications

Despite all of these upsets eliminating teams from playoff contention, eight teams still have a chance at making the playoffs. This amount of teams is the highest by such a large margin in the history of the playoffs. The following teams are currently contending for the top 4 spots: Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Auburn, Alabama, Miami, Georgia, and Ohio State. Among these, there are no certains. None whatsoever. Here are all the likely possibilities.

If Clemson, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Auburn all win in their respective conference championship games, each of them will compete for the playoffs in no particular order. This particular scenario plays out with Alabama being the first team out of the playoffs. Alabama losing to Auburn head to head and Auburn winning the SEC championship defends this scenario. If Clemson loses, Miami will make the national semifinal game in Clemson’s place. If Wisconsin or Oklahoma lose, however, the outcome may not be so simple. Alabama may take one of those places, so Ohio State or even potentially Georgia could retain the spot. If Auburn loses to Georgia, Georgia simply replaces Auburn in the playoffs. However, of all these contingencies, as a lifelong sports fanatic since birth and self-proclaimed expert since, the following is my prediction for the playoffs.

#1 – Auburn. After beating Georgia and Alabama in three weeks with both teams being ranked one at the time and defeating a #7 Georgia again in the upcoming week in the conference championship, Auburn rises the number one slot in the playoffs.

#2 – Clemson. First, this Saturday, Clemson will defeat Miami for the ACC Championship. Second, I cannot put Clemson at number one in the nation for only two reasons. Syracuse and schedule strength. The lone loss in Clemson’s repertoire is facing Syracuse. A loss against Syracuse is inexcusable. Despite Clemson defeating Auburn in a head to head matchup and Auburn having two losses to Clemson’s one, Auburn has proven in the last three weeks and will continue to prove once again this week that Auburn is the hottest and the best team in the nation.

#3 – Oklahoma. The Sooners hold strong in a rematch against TCU in the Big 12 Championship game and retain their previously given slot from the College Football Playoff Committee. Oklahoma deserves to be in the Playoffs but does not own the resume to be placed higher than here.

#4 – Alabama. The Big 10 will miss out of the playoffs for the first year. A two-loss Ohio State Big 10 champion will not make the playoffs as a two-loss Big 10 champ in Penn State missed out on the playoffs in 2016. Wisconsin has not faced a single worthy opponent all year and Ohio State has faced Oklahoma and Penn State as well as rivalry games against Michigan and Michigan State. The Big 10 will do as the Big 12 has done multiple times and beat itself out of the playoffs. This leaves Alabama to enjoy a rematch of the Iron Bowl against Auburn in the National Semifinals on New Year’s Day.

This Saturday will without doubt deliver with multiple conference championship throughout the day. Oklahoma-TCU at 11:30 CST on FOX. Georgia-Auburn at 3:00 CST on CBS. Clemson-Miami at 7:00 CST on ABC and Wisconsin-Ohio State at the same time on FOX. Each of these games will determine College Football Playoff selections with the official ranking show occuring on Sunday, December 3rd at noon.

The post Chaos Brews for College Football Playoff Committee appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Ranked third in the AP poll and sixth in the College Football Playoff race, the Ohio State Buckeyes came to Kinnick Stadium for the first time since 2010. Having won each of the last five games over Iowa and 13 of the last 14, they had to feel good about being a 20.5point favorite.

The final score? 55-24.

The winner? Not the Buckeyes.

Donning alternate uniforms for the blackout, the Hawkeyes played a complete game in every capacity – offense, defense, and special teams – as they not only knocked the Buckeyes down, but knocked them out cold.

From the game’s first play, you knew something was up. Amani Hooker picked off Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett and took it back 30 yard for a pick six.

Seven seconds gone. Seven Hawkeye points.

“It certainly helped and got our fans even more juiced up,” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. “They were ready to go.”

Barrett responded, and led the Buckeyes down the field on the next possession, hitting Terry McLaurin for a 29-yard touchdown pass.

The teams traded field goals and were tied at 10 after one quarter.

From that moment on, a switch was flipped, a switch nobody knew the Hawkeyes had.

Iowa outscored Ohio State 21-7 in the second quarter and took at 31-17 lead to the locker room. Nate Stanley through three touchdown passes in the quarter, one to T.J. Hockenson and two to Noah Fant.

The second pass to Fant came with less than a minute before halftime and was set up by an interception from Josh Jackson.

Ohio State, who boasts one of the most productive and efficient offenses in the country would get going though, right? Surely the second half would be better.

Not the case. In fact, it was worse.

“You’d better be playing with your foot on the gas because these guys can close the gap pretty quickly, and I think our players understood that,” Ferentz said. “It’s one of those things that if you’re not going full speed, this thing could change quick.”

The Buckeyes failed to score in the third quarter, as Barrett and the offense couldn’t crack the code that was the Iowa defense. Each team punted twice before the Hawkeyes marched into Buckeye territory half way through the period.

On fourth and three at the Ohio State 20, the Hawkeyes trotted out the field goal unit. With an audible, kicker Miguel Recinos was split out wide with the offensive line. Only long snapper Tyler Kluver and holder Colten Rastetter were left in the middle of the field.

Rastetter took the snap and immediate fired it right back to Kluver, who had raced straight up field past a defender. The “pole cat” play gained 18 yards and set up Iowa at the 2.

On the next play, Stanley found Hockenson in the end zone for six, pushing the lead to 38-17 with just under seven minutes to play in the quarter.

On the play, an Ohio State defender had fallen at Stanley’s feet and latched on to his left leg. Stanley settled, and fired across his body to Hockenson, showcasing the arm strength.

“That’s just part of being a quarterback, sometimes you have to make plays when they’re necessary,” Stanley said. “T.J. made a great adjustment. He saw it, he put his arm back inside, and I trusted that he would be able to wall off that defender and make a play.”

There was no looking back at that point. Iowa’s defense forced four Buckeye punts in the third quarter and allowed just 22 yards of offense.

The rout that nobody saw coming was on.

Showing no signs of letting up, the Hawkeyes scored on the first play of the fourth quarter. Stanley hit Drake Kulick with a two-yard pass for the fullback’s first career touchdown.

So Iowa. Five touchdown passes, four to tight ends, one to a fullback.

Stanley finished the day completing 20 of his 31 passes for 226 yards and five scores.

The Iowa defense was no kinder to the Buckeyes than the offense. Jackson intercepted Barrett twice more in the quarter. First Jackson ripped a ball away from Buckeye receiver Austin Mack, then with just under 10 minutes to play, Jackson made an acrobatic one-handed catch that you’ll be seeing on highlight reels for the rest of the season.

At the start of this week, Jackson was being talked about as a potential first round NFL draft pick. His performance against a stout Ohio State team may have solidified that. Jackson leads the FBS with 20 passes defended and leads the Big Ten with five interceptions.

Barrett entered the game with a 25-1 touchdown-interception ratio, the best in the nation. He was picked off four times Saturday.

Recinos added a field goal, and Toren Young scored his first career touchdown to put the finishing touches on the 55-24 blowout victory.

Ohio State did find the end zone once in the second half. Barrett found Johnnie Dixon for a 22-yard score that was set up by a failed fake punt run from Rastetter.

When it was all over, the swarm was on. Fans piled onto the new Kinnick turf for a party at the tigerhawk.

“Last time I experienced that was Michigan, it was a similar feeling,” Jackson said. “It’s always good to have those feelings for later on in life, that’s something I’ll probably always remember.”

More importantly, no gear was lost.

“I kept my helmet on and strapped it up super tight,” Stanley said.

In last season’s upset win over Michigan, Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard had his helmet stolen during the swarm. It was paraded downtown for pictures, a tradition that Stanley would not allow to continue this season.

To see Iowa play that well against Ohio State is nearly inconceivable. The Hawkeyes have been known to play well at Kinnick – they’ve won four of their last five home games versus top five teams – but blowing out Ohio State?

“I didn’t think it was going to be a blowout,” Hooker said. “We knew we could win, we just wanted to come out and fight.”

While the team knew they could compete and play well, even they didn’t think they would have such a dominating performance.

“I definitely thought it was going to be a close game not matter what, whether we won or lost,” Josey Jewell said.

The Hawkeyes outgained the Buckeyes 487-371, holding Ohio State 200.3 yards below its season average.

Fifty-five points is the most Iowa has ever scored against Ohio State, and the 31-point victory is largest margin for Iowa against Ohio State. It’s the most points Iowa has scored versus a ranked opponent since beating No.19 Texas 55-17 in the 1984 Freedom Bowl.

A night no one in Iowa City will soon forger further cements the legend that is Kinnick Stadium in October and November.

Do you have title hopes? Don’t bring them to Kinnick. They won’t make it out alive.

Iowa (6-3, 3-3) travels to Madison next week to take on a top-10 and undefeated Wisconsin (9-0, 6-0) team on ABC/ESPN.

The post Iowa Dominates No.3 Ohio State on Unforgettable Night appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As you would expect, Iowa and Minnesota slugged it out all night long, but the Hawkeyes took command early and never looked back.

Iowa retained possession of the coveted Floyd of Rosedale Trophy with a 17-10 win over Minnesota on Saturday, the 13^th Iowa win in the last 17 meetings.

Coming off a lackluster offensive performance last week in Evanston, the Hawkeyes came out firing on their first possession. Going against the grain, the Hawkeyes elected to receive first after winning the coin toss.

The Hawkeyes started the first drive with three consecutive completions to three different receivers and moved all the way to the Minnesota 28. Akrum Wadley capped off the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run to give Iowa an early 7-0. Just 2:23 had come off the clock.

Then, as quickly as it had showed up, the Iowa offense disappeared.

Seven more drives ensured for Iowa in the first half. They resulted in five punts, four three-and-outs, an interception on the first play of a drive, and a fumble with 44 seconds left in the half.

After going 80 yards on the opening drive, the Iowa offense totaled just 86 yards of offense the rest of the half.

“It just comes back to execution stuff,” Nate Stanley said. “It just tailed off a little bit.”

On the other side of the ball, the Hawkeye defense showed up yet again. They bent, but refused to break for the eighth straight game.

Minnesota’s offense worked a couple of decent drives and got to within striking distance just twice. The Gophers attempted a fake run on fourth-and-goal from the Iowa seven, but Demry Croft overthrew his tight end Nate Wozniak and the defense forced a turnover on downs.

Later, Josh Jackson tipped a pass intended for Rashad Still, and Jake Gervase came down with an interception in the end zone.

The Hawkeyes got close to scoring again before halftime, but a James Butler fumble at the Minnesota 21-yard line halted the drive.

At halftime, the score was a 7-0 Hawkeyes. Aside from the first five Iowa plays, the teams could not possibly have been more evenly matched.

Even though the offense stumbled in the first half, the Hawkeyes came out of the locker room and put together another good drive to start the third quarter.

Stanley led the Hawkeyes on a 67-yard drive and capped it with a 45-yard touchdown pass to Noah Fant. The deep ball nearly reached press box heights.

“I think we got a call from the FAA on that one,” Kirk Ferentz joked after the game.” We didn’t have clearance.”

Many fans could finally let out a deep sigh of relief after Stanley connected with Fant. At least once a week, Stanley seems to overshoot the big tight end on a deep route, but this time was different.

“You give yourself some more room for error on a ball like that,” Stanley said. “Especially with the struggles that we’ve had early in the year, it’s something we’ve worked on in practice, and it transferred over to the game. “

Much like the first half, the Hawkeyes failed to get much else rolling after the first drive of the half. The next three drives resulted in three-and-outs.

The Gophers finally found the end zone in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run from Kobe McCrary. The score pulled the Gophers to within a touchdown.

Miguel Recinos added a field goal for the Hawkeyes two drives later, narrowly connecting on a 32-yard field goal to make it 17-7 in favor of the Hawkeyes.

On the next Gophers drive, Emmit Carpenter hit a 33-yarder to make it 17-10.

The Gophers had one last shot with 1:21 on the clock, but Croft was sacked by Anthony Nelson on fourth down to secure the trophy game victory.

Defense made the difference for the Hawkeyes yet again. The Gervase interception and two turnovers on downs stand out, but so too does the play of corner back Josh Jackson.

Jackson entered the game with a Big Ten-leading 11 pass breakups and added four more in the victory. Jackson was targeted seven times and only allowed one catch for nine yards.

On offense, the return of James Butler seemed to open up options for the offense as well. Butler rushed for just 28 yards on 11 carries, but having him allowed Wadley to stay fresh. Wadley finished with 70 rushing yards and a touchdown.

“Having James back in there is big for us, especially on those tough yardage downs,” Stanley said. “He can get up in there and make some hard yards.”

Moving forward with a little bit of momentum, the Hawkeyes (5-3, 2-3) will have tough tasks each of the next two weeks.

First, Ohio State will come to Kinnick, fresh off an impressive, comeback victory over second-ranked Penn State. Then, the Hawkeyes will travel to Camp Randall to play a likely 9-0 Wisconsin team in the Heartland Trophy game.

Game time for next week’s game against the Buckeyes (7-1, 5-0) is set for 2:30pm and can be seen on ESPN networks.

The post Hawkeyes Top Gophers, Retain Floyd of Rosedale Trophy appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A four-point loss at home to Illinois on Feb. 18 was the team’s third straight loss, and the remaining schedule was not exactly favorable.

The schedule didn’t get easier, but the Hawkeyes did get better.

After beating Indiana 96-90 in overtime, Iowa had to hit the road for two games in a row, both versus ranked opponents. First, the Hawkeyes blew then-24th-ranked Maryland out of their own gym. Next, they took down #22 Wisconsin thanks to a three-pointer by Jordan Bohannon with less than 10 seconds to play.

Just like that, the Hawkeyes were starting to work their way back into the conversation for an at-large big. Beating Penn State 90-79 on Sunday to close the regular season on a four-game winning streak has them fully immersed in the bubble talk.

“There’s no better time to click than in March,” said senior Peter Jok following his 21-point performance in his (could-be) final game inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

As of Monday morning, the Hawkeyes’ rating percentage index (RPI) has jumped to 72 and the team’s record versus teams in the RPI top 50 is 5-7. ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Iowa listed as one of the “First Four Out,” along with Rhode Island, Kansas State, and Illinois. Thanks to the late-season push, the Hawkeyes have put themselves in contention for an-large bid.

“I think we deserve to be in,” said Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery after the Penn State game. “What you have to do is not focus on thinking about it and talking about it.”

For a young Hawkeyes team, it may be tough to block out all of the noise and bubble talk that will undoubtedly swirl around them as they prepare for the Big Ten Tournament. Iowa’s leaders know they have to help keep the team focused on what they can control and nothing else.

“Young guys probably think about (the bubble) but I try not to let them think about it,” Jok said. “You just have to keep winning and whatever happens happens.”

While there has been some doubt from those outside the locker room, the team thought of themselves as a tournament team all season. They just needed to play like it every time they took the floor.

“We thought that we were (a tournament team) the whole season, we’ve just been playing inconsistently,” said freshman Cordell Pemsl. “I think we finally got that rhythm and that swagger back as a team.”

The team is certainly playing some of their best basketball right now. The four-game winning-streak is the longest of the conference season for Hawkeyes, and they’ve done it as a unit. Six different players have scored in double figures in the last four games, three of them have come off the bench to do so.

“If you look at how we’ve played these last four games, we’re a top team in the country,” said sophomore Nicholas Baer who has scored in double figures each of the last four games, including a career-high 20 points versus Penn State. “You want teams that are hot in in NCAA Tournament, teams that are playing their best basketball. If you look at the Iowa Hawkeyes, we’re playing our best basketball right now.”

Still on the outside looking in, the team knows there is still work to be done. The late push has been great, but they can’t let up yet.

“We do have a sense of urgency,” Baer said. “Every game is our biggest game.”

It is the general consensus that Iowa will have to win two games in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament if they want to move in to the field of 68. Iowa, the seven-seed, will face off with the 10-seed Indiana on Thursday at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. If they survive that, they will meet Wisconsin, the two-seed, in the quarterfinals.

“We’ve got our hot streak going at the right time,” Pemsl said. “We’re hoping to carry that over into next week.”

There’s no way to predict exactly what the Selection Committee will do with Iowa until Selection Sunday arrives. The Hawkeyes know they have to keep winning, and if they win enough games, there won’t be anything left to chance.

“We just tell ourselves ‘we might as well just go win the Big Ten Tournament,’” Pemsl said. “They have to put us in then.”

Iowa plays Indiana Thursday at 5:30 PM CST on ESPN2.

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According to ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi, seven Big Ten teams are currently in the field of 68 for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. That is second only to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) who boasts ten as of Feb. 23.

For much of the season, the Big Ten has not been given a whole lot of national respect.

On Feb. 11, the NCAA Selection Committee released their first ever mid-season top-16 bracket to give fans a sneak peak of where teams were stacking up. Not one team from the Big Ten was listed in the bracket, despite having two teams (Wisconsin and Purdue) in the top 16 of the AP poll at the time.

Leaving out Wisconsin, a team ranked seventh in the AP poll, was a message to every team in the conference. The committee did not respect the best team in the conference, which meant they didn’t respect the conference as a whole.

Since then, conference play has picked up and upsets are becoming more likely. Minnesota has almost single-handedly brought the Big Ten back into the picture thanks to their current six-game winning streak. They are now one of three Big Ten teams listed as locks for the tournament, this according to ESPN’s Eamonn Brennan.

That means that for four of the seven teams currently in the field, and one that is still on the outside looking in, there is some work yet to be done.

Here’s a guide for how the Big Ten fairs as of now and what teams not considered locks need to do to find their way into the dance:

LOCKS: Wisconsin, Purdue, Minnesota

CURRENTLY IN:

MARYLAND – current 7-seed, 22-6 overall, 10-5 Big Ten (3^rd), SOS: 36, RPI: 22

It seems kind of absurd that a team who has been in the AP Top-25 for the last six weeks isn’t a lock to make the tournament, but that’s just how it is. The Terps have been hanging around the top of the league without ever really getting that statement win needed to solidify themselves as being legit. Their best two wins have both come on the road. One was at Minnesota before the Gophers caught fire, and the other at Northwestern who was without leading-scorer Scottie Lindsey. Currently on a two-game losing streak, they’ve lost four of their last six and are slowing down at the wrong time. However, their final three games of the regular season (vs. Iowa, @ Rutgers, vs. Michigan State) should result in wins. If Melo Trimble keeps shooting like he has been recently and the Terps win out, they should find themselves comfortably in the NCAA Tournament.

NORTHWESTERN – current 9-seed, 20-8 overall, 9-6 Big Ten (5^th), SOS: 66, RPI: 44

The boys in purple are eyeing the school’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but the team has hit a rough patch as the season winds down.  After starting conference play 7-2, the Wildcats have lost four of their last six, and were without their leading scorer Scottie Lindsey for a significant chunk of that skid. They did beat Wisconsin in Madison during that time without Lindsey, and that win alone may be enough to elicit them getting an at-large bid. Two of their final three games are at home (Michigan, Purdue), and their one road game is at Indiana, who has lost seven of their last eight. Not the easiest schedule for the Wildcats to finish the regular season, but if they can win one of them and finish above .500 in conference play, that should be enough to punch their first ticket to the big dance.

MICHIGAN STATE – current 10-seed, 17-11 overall, 9-6 Big Ten (6^th), SOS: 14, RPI: 43

This season hasn’t gone as smoothly for the Spartans as they might have liked, but they’re still clinging to seat at the tournament table. Currently listed as one of Joe Lunardi’s “Last Four Byes,” there is little room for Sparty to falter as the season closes. Their tough non-conference schedule they always play is a plus for them, but they have very few good wins outside of East Lansing. In conference play, their longest winning streak was three games, which is true for their longest losing streak as well. You know what you’re going to get each night from Miles Bridges and his counterparts, and that eliminates any uncertainty the committee may have about the Spartans. Two of their final three games are against ranked opponents, including a home game against Wisconsin this weekend. If Sparty can find a way to beat the Badgers or win in College Park, Maryland in the season finale, that should be enough to give them the nod in the tournament.

MICHIGAN – current 9-seed, 18-10 overall, 8-7 Big Ten (7^th), SOS: 41, RPI: 52

The Wolverines have flown under the radar for most of this Big Ten season, but they’ve managed to do enough to be in the tournament as of now. Only one loss on the season to teams outside the RPI top 100, and that was an overtime defeat in Iowa City to the Hawkeyes (RPI: 112) in the Wolverines’ conference opener. Michigan sits just outside the top 50 in RPI, and has only gone 3-7 against the top 50 this season. But like their in-state rivals, the difficult schedule gives them brownie points for trying to compete with some of the top teams in the country. Five of their seven RPI top-50 losses came on the road, too. Derrick Walton, Jr. and company have struggled when away from Ann Arbor this season, and they will have to play two road games to finish out the season at Northwestern and Nebraska. This weekend, they host Purdue, which is a tough way to spend your final day in the Crisler Center before packing for the road. The Wolverines need to finish with at least one win in the stretch to maintain their positioning in the tournament, but a three-game skid could put them on the wrong side of the bubble.

IN THE HUNT:

INDIANA – currently not seeded, 15-13 overall, 5-10 Big Ten (13^th), SOS: 43, RPI: 101

Even though they’ve lost seven of their last eight and are second to last in the conference, the Hoosiers remain one of Joe Lunardi’s “Next Four Out” teams. Injuries have plagued Indiana after their season started out with so much promise. They beat Kansas in the season opener and North Carolina just a few games later. Both of those teams have legitimate chances of being 1-seeds in the tournament. However, the season shifted when they lost OG Anunoby for the season after knee surgery and missing James Blackmon, Jr. for an important four-game stretch didn’t help either. Playing 11 games versus the RPI top-50 helps their cause, but losing eight of them hurts. They also have two losses to teams outside of the RPI top-100 in Iowa and Indiana University-Purdue University For Wayne (RPI: 176). Despite the downward trend, the early success has been enough to keep them on the bubble. They likely will need to win at least two of their final three regular season games (vs. Northwestern, @ Purdue, @ Ohio State) and win at least one Big Ten tournament game if they want any chance of sneaking into the field of 68.

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Today at 12:30 p.m. EST (11:30 a.m. CST), the selection committee will reveal the top 16 seeds for the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. This will be the first time the selection committee has ever released any rankings before Selection Sunday in March. The seedings will represent where the committee believes teams stack up against one another at this point in the season.

These rankings will not be final, seeing that there is still a whole month of basketball to be played before Selection Sunday on March 12. The reveal is a new attempt to spark debates and stir up conversations between fans and basketball analysts alike.

“We are excited about giving the fans a glimpse to what the men’s basketball committee is thinking at this point of the season and creating a buzz as we look toward Selection Sunday,” NCAA Tournament Chairman Mark Hollis told CBS Sports.

Starting at 11:30, CBS will air a 30-minute program revealing the top 16 seeds and where they are placed, followed by an in-depth analysis of the selection committee’s reasoning. The show will also include a review of the rest of the field of 68 and a glance at potential bubble teams who could find their way into the tournament by season’s end.

The show will feature Hollis, as well as host Greg Gumbel, analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis, and CBS Braketologist Jerry Palm.

Most fans that have watched college basketball for the majority of the season can probably guess who the top 11 or 12 teams will be, but there may be some surprises when the four-seeds are announced. Someone will get snubbed, but that’s the joy of this whole process. It’s only February, and if you’re even being considered for one of the top four seeds, you’re probably in good shape.

Picking the top 16 teams in the country isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially with all of the parity in college basketball this season. Just last Saturday, six of the top nine teams in the AP poll lost, which caused quite a shakeup in the rankings just seven days before the sneak peak.

Here are my projections for who will be the #1 seeds at 11:30 a.m. CST:

EAST REGION: VILLANOVA

23-2 overall, 10-2 Big East

Week 14 rankings – AP: 2 RPI: 2

Jay Wright’s squad is one of the more experienced teams in the league this season, after returning nearly the whole starting lineup from last years National Championship team. With just two loses on the season, both on the road to Big East Conference opponents, it’s not crazy to think that this team could be the number one overall seed come Selection Sunday. The Wildcats are lead by senior Josh Hart, who averages 19.2 points per game (PPG) and 6.6 rebounds per game (RPG), both team highs. The John R. Wooden Award Top-20 finalist, senior Kris Jenkins, and sophomore Jalen Brunson make up one the most dynamic ‘”big threes” in college basketball, and based on what they showed us last March, the Wildcats are poised to make another deep run in the big dance.

SOUTH REGION: KANSAS

21-3 overall, 9-2 Big 12

Week 14 rankings– AP: 3 RPI: 3

Per the usual, the Jayhawks are on top of the Big 12 conference yet again, and their top five players are as good as any five players any other team fields. Led by Wooden Award Top-20 finalist Frank Mason III, Kansas has as much talent as anybody in the college game. Four players – Mason, Josh Jackson, Devonte’ Graham, and Svi Mykhailiuk – average double figures, and all four can get their shots off whenever they please. Bill Self’s guys are 3-2 this season when facing teams in the AP Top-25, including a 79-73 road win at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena during the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Lack of depth could prove to be the downfall of the Jayhawks come tournament time, but in February, Kansas’ starters are doing enough to elicit them getting a #1 seed.

WEST REGION: ARIZONA

22-3 overall, 11-1 PAC-12

Week 14 rankings – AP: 9 RPI: 9

Yes, I know Oregon just blew them out in Eugene. Yes, I know Gonzaga is unbeaten and took them down in December. No, I don’t care. This was probably the hardest region to decide on, but I still think the Wildcats are more prepared for the tournament than are the Ducks and Bulldogs. In the loss to Oregon last week, the Ducks made 65.2% of their field goals and 64% (16-of-25) of their threes. No one beats Oregon in that game. At the moment, Arizona owns a one-game lead over Oregon in the PAC-12 standings, and a slight edge in my February top 16 predictions. However, if Gonzaga runs the table and enters Selection Sunday without a loss, Mark Few’s Bulldogs will likely get the #1 seed. Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen averages 15.6 PPG, and the 7’0 freshman from Finland can score in the paint and from behind the arc. He is the x-factor for Sean Miller’s first place Wildcats, and if sophomore Allonzo Trier starts getting back into a rhythm after returning from suspension, the Wildcats will be a team no one wants to see in March.

MIDWEST REGION: WISCONSIN

21-3 overall, 10-1 Big Ten

Week 14 rankings – AP: 7 RPI: 16

Again, not an easy region to pick a top seed, but Wisconsin quietly fits the bill. The Badgers have established themselves as the team to beat in the Big Ten Conference, and they have slowly but surely climbed the rankings this season to where they have a legitimate chance to crack the top five next week in the AP if they can handle Northwestern on Sunday at the Kohl Center. Greg Gard’s team has only lost three times on the year, all three times to AP Top-25 teams, and twice on the road. The 59.8 PPG they allow is good enough for 4^th in all of Division I basketball, and they themselves boast one of the best individual talents in the game. Ethan Happ, another Wooden Award Top-20 finalist, averages 14.7 PPG and 9.1 RPG, and seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes are playing some of the best basketball of their stellar careers. This Badgers team hasn’t made a ton of noise nationally, but something tells me everyone will know about this team next month.

REST OF THE FIELD

2-seeds: Gonzaga, North Carolina, Oregon

3-seeds: UCLA, West Virginia, Kentucky

4-seeds: Florida State, Louisville, Baylor

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