Iowa basketball: Hawks players not taking 2019 NCAA Tourny for granted

It’s been three seasons since the Iowa basketball program appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Now that they’re here, the guys aren’t taking it for granted.

Only one current Iowa basketball player was on the last team to make it to the NCAA Tournament during the 2015-2016 season, and that was none other than senior forward Nicholas Baer.

Starting juniors Jordan Bohannon, Tyler Cook and Isaiah Moss have yet to experience it, but in less than 24 hours they will be playing in the biggest games of their lives when they face off against the Cincinnati Bearcats.

It sounds like from their first-round press conference in Columbus though that they are ready for the opportunity and excited to finally be a part of March Madness.

When discussing the excitement of March Madness, Jordan Bohannon had this to say:

"For us to have our name called last Sunday, it was really special, because we know how hard we worked to get to this point. And we’re just trying to make the most of it."

If the Iowa basketball team’s starting point guard wants to continue to experience that, the Hawks are going to need to first defeat Cincinnati tomorrow morning, which is going to be considerably difficult given the downward trend Fran McCaffery’s squad has endured over the last few weeks of the season.

Star forward Tyler Cook, however, had a different and refreshing take on the situation noting that it feels like a whole new season.

"Once we got to work, it just really felt different than the regular season, which it is. So I think like the new energy that comes along with the postseason will serve us well."

One thing can be said, if this team is worried about the prospect of being knocked out by a defensive-minded Bearcat squad, they aren’t showing it. The trio of Iowa basketball players present at the press conference today were pretty confident that it won’t be a problem, and that the two month grind of regular season Big Ten basketball got them ready to make splash this year in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Bohannon had this final remark:

"For us to be able to get on this stage, I think our past will prepare us for these moments."

If the Iowa basketball team can back up the talk though, we could be in for a fun ride.