Week in Review: Hawks' Triumph Shows Progress

Four Hawkeyes played 45 minutes. Another played 38. But somehow, someway, Iowa beat Michigan 70-60 Sunday in overtime.

The win moved Iowa to a lowly 4-10 in conference play, but it means a lot to a team that had come in losers of six of seven. It’s even more admirable when you consider that Iowa took the floor minus four key players. Although Cyrus Tate logged four minutes, it was hardly enough for him to make a significant impact.

Iowa got it done on guts, hustle, hard work and tenacious defense. The Hawks held Michigan standouts Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims to 22 combined points, while coaxing the duo to shoot a paltry 8-for-27 from the field. As a team, the Wolverines shot 32.3 percent (20-for-62).

Todd Lickliter’s young Hawks grew up a bit, finding a way to put a dent in Michigan’s tournament profile. Down four with under a minute to go, Matt Gatens made two crucial plays in the last minute to send it to overtime. Then Jake Kelly absolutely stole the show in the deciding five-minute period. The two gave Iowa visions of the future.

Mark it down: Gatens and Kelly will be the leaders of Lickliter’s first NCAA Tournament team at Iowa.

Game Ball Goes To:

Actually, I’m going to need two game balls. Jake Kelly and Devan Bawinkel both more than earned it. Kelly posted career-highs in points (23), rebounds (8) and assists (9), while playing the point for the entire 45 minutes. He scored in about every way possible and defended Manny Harris about as well as possible. Kelly’s now played very well in three consecutive games. He’s on his way to being a star.

Then there’s Bawinkel. I’ve knocked him a lot. I’ve questioned whether he can provide anything other than a 3-point shot. But on Sunday he played his best game in an Iowa uniform. Like Kelly, Gatens and Aaron Fuller, Bawinkel went the distance, giving Iowa something it didn’t expect from him--rebounding. The junior plucked nine boards and poured in four 3’s.

New Uniforms--Finally

Rumors suggested Iowa would unveil new uni’s Feb. 14 against Purdue. Oh well, Iowa broke out the gold on Sunday. They look better than I expected, but I still like white home uniforms that say “Iowa.” I guess you shouldn’t mess with success, though. Iowa’s 1-0 clad in gold.

Crowded Carver

Those are two words you don’t hear in conjunction anymore. But if you haven’t noticed, more than 14,500 fans have found their way to Carver in each of the last two home games. The cheap tickets have worked. Now to bring the students back. Gestures like the Hawkeye players high-fiving the students after victories, as they did Sunday, can only help.

Up Next: Feb. 25 @ Michigan State; Feb. 28 @ Northwestern

A difficult week awaits the Hawkeyes. Going to East Lansing and Evanston probably will prevent any kind of winning streak. Iowa never seems to play well at the Breslin Center. The Spartans have shown some vulnerability at home, but these Hawks aren’t ready to beat a team like them on the road. It could get ugly if Iowa gets flustered and becomes turnover prone.

Gatens and company should be able to compete at Northwestern though. The ‘Cats rarely blow anyone away and are hardly invincible at home. Still, Iowa will need to play well to come away with a win. Having more than eight available scholarship players wouldn’t hurt either.

Predictions:
Michigan State 71, Iowa 50
Northwestern 59, Iowa 56