Iowa Basketball: Big Ten Tournament Preview

I just can’t get enough March college basketball. The seeds are set for the Big Ten tournament and the Iowa Basketball team is sitting at number five. Lets see who they’ll potentially face on the way to a Big Ten Tournament title.

It wasn’t quite the ending we all had hoped to see from the Iowa Basketball team, but considering where they were picked in the preseason – ninth – a fifth place finish is more than acceptable. It would’ve been nice for them to capture the four seed and earn the double bye through to Friday, but this just means they’ll get to play more basketball.

When the day started, Iowa still had an opportunity to earn the four seed. They needed Maryland to beat Indiana in Bloomington, which didn’t happen, and Purdue to beat Wisconsin in West Lafayette. Considering the Terrapins lost to Indiana before Purdue beat Wisconsin, Iowa knew their fate right after the final buzzer sounded inside Assembly Hall.

Thursday’s Potential Matchups

Iowa is going to be taking on the winner of Illinois and Minnesota, which will be played on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. CST and televised on BTN. Iowa only saw each of these teams once a piece during the regular season. They beat Illinois by 12 in Champaign and beat Minnesota by four in Iowa City. Illinois has two of the better scorers in the conference with Malcolm Hill and Kendrick Nunn, but they don’t really get much help. Jalen Coleman-Lands was big in the game against Iowa, but Nunn struggled.

They have a lot of talent, but haven’t really lived up to it. The injury bug bit them before and during the season, but the Fighting Illini still have more talent than their 12th place finish in the Big Ten would suggest.

Minnesota is a team that capture just two conference wins this season. They beat Rutgers and Maryland at home inside The Barn. The fact that the Golden Gophers are so young has been there achilles heel this season. They have just one senior in Joey King and are dealing with being shorthanded late in the year. They played the game at Rutgers with just five scholarship players and that led to a 75-52 Scarlet Knight drubbing.

If I was a betting man, I don’t think the Gophers beat Illinois and the Hawkeyes get a second game with the Illini.

The Hawkeyes are going to need to slow down Nunn and Hill. As I mentioned before, the Illini are really struggling with injuries and have been all year long. If Iowa plays their game and doesn’t get too fancy, they should handle the Illini rather easily, which would set up a Friday matchup with the four seed, Purdue.

Iowa beat Purdue twice during the regular season by a combined 19 points. They had to comeback from 17 points down in the game in West Lafayette, but were able to do so. The Boilers have won four of their last five, including a game over Maryland. It’s always difficult to beat a team three times in one season, but if Iowa can use the blueprint they used in the first two match ups, they should be fine.

They’ll need to limit the amount of three point shots the Boilers make (this means no zone please) and rebound well. We all know how big Purdue is and if Adam Woodbury gets in foul trouble, that doesn’t bode well for the Hawkeyes.

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If Iowa does indeed get past Purdue, they’ll likely face Indiana, again. As I said before, it’s extremely difficult to beat a team three times in one year and Indiana has already beaten the Hawkeyes twice. A neutral court might help things, but considering Iowa lost to them in Iowa City along with Bloomington, the Hoosiers have the upper hand.

I don’t see how anyone in the lower half of the bracket is going to be able to beat Michigan State. They are the hottest team in the country right now and I would be shocked if they didn’t make it to the Big Ten title game. So, if Iowa is going to win the Big Ten Tournament title they’ll most likely have to get through; Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan State. All in the span of four days.

Tall task, but I think the Hawkeyes are up for it. Iowa’s first game will be this Thursday at 1:30 p.m. CST against either Illinois or Minnesota.

Stay locked into Dear Old Gold for constant coverage of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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Iowa Basketball: Big Ten Tournament Preview

By Dylan Burn | Mar 7, 2016

I just can’t get enough March college basketball. The seeds are set for the Big Ten tournament and the Iowa Basketball team is sitting at number five. Lets see who they’ll potentially face on the way to a Big Ten Tournament title.

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Thursday’s Potential Matchups