Hawkeyes vs Badgers in review

I wish I could say that I was way off base with my prediction of the Hawkeyes vs Badgers game on last Saturday.

But, just like I said they:

• Lost
• Had trouble with the Badgers’ big guys
• Had trouble rebounding
• Had foul trouble (but with Smith, not the big guys)
• Had trouble getting Haluska to score

I will say that not many teams are going to win at the Kohl Center shooting 1 free throw in the first half. I will also say that Smith hurting his finger ruined any chances since he needed a huge game. But, after half time the Badgers sounded like they were clearly in control and Iowa would have had to play nearly perfectly to have a chance.

That’s why Wisconsin is #3 in the nation and Iowa is not ranked.

Fortunately, Iowa is still sitting 4th in the Big Ten. With MSU recently deciding they are done for the year, there is a good chance that Iowa can win 4 or even 5 of the remaining 5 games as long as they can finally figure out how to beat Northwestern. I think that at 18-12 or 19-11 and 4th place in the Big 10, they would probably get into the NCAA tournament. And, don’t forget that Indiana has 4 of their last 5 games on the road. If they happen to fall apart, Iowa could sneak into 3rd by the end of the season.

Which means it will soon be time to start the big debate about whether it is better for Iowa to shockingly lose in the first round of the NIT or disappointingly lose in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. I’ll go with the NCAA Tournament. If the team happens to get hot, I would much prefer to go a couple rounds in the NCAA Tournament than to win the NIT.