The Iowa Hawkeyes got one of the Quad 1 wins they needed with an 87-80 win over Northwestern. While the Wildcats were certainly handicapped with four injured starters by the game's end, a win is a win in this world.
While the revenge matchup with Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena remains, Iowa is a dangerous team in the Big Ten Tournament, regardless of the outcome of that game. If Iowa wins, they'll be riding a serious wave of momentum, having likely taken a seed in the Big Dance. If they lose to the Illini, they'll be hungry to make a deep run into the tournament to stack their resume to make one final argument to extend their season properly.
Naysayers, again, could point to this latest win over Northwestern as a case of playing a talented team at their weakest, but capitalizing on opportunities is what basketball is about. Iowa has shown down the stretch that this is a strength of their team, making them a lethal force moving forward.
The offensive firepower was on display against Northwestern as the Hawkeyes relied on their playmakers with Josh Dix leading with 24 points and Payton Sandfort giving 23. Tony Perkins contributed a double-double with 14 assists and 10 points. The bigs were strong too with Ben Kirkke and Owen Freeman combined for 21 and nine rebounds.
The Hawkeyes have a mountain of pressure on them, but still came out in this game draining threes and holding serve with Northwestern before the Wildcats lost Matthew Nicholson to a leg injury and Boo Buie hurt his off-hand. The demeanor of their play is worth noting with so much on the line. Playing passionately and still playing well is how you make magic in March.
Iowa is likely the seventh seed in the tournament, though if Michigan State continues to falter, they could bump up to six. Maryland could climb to the 10 seed with a winnable final two games against Indiana and Penn State. Iowa lost both regular-season matchups with the Terps, but with a spike in momentum and confidence, it could be the juice they need if that's the matchup the Hawkeyes draw.
Regardless of who Iowa plays, the Big Ten has a lot of teams jostling for position below Purdue, trying to prove their worth to the bracketologists. But for Iowa, it comes from a different place, as they are on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. Save Michigan State, the vast majority of the conference already knows their fate. Without intending to sound like the rest of the field has nothing to gain by having a deep run in the conference tournament, few teams have the incentive and potential that Iowa possesses to knock off the teams at the top of the conference.
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