Favorite Iowa Basketball Moments

As the last installment of my favorites, I give you my most memorable Hawkeye basketball moments. All of them have occurred since 1998, about the time I started to follow Iowa basketball religiously.

1. 2006 Big Ten Tournament Championship Over Ohio State, 67-60

This game’s still fresh in the memory bank. Something about the Big Ten Tournament seemed to bring about the best in Steve Alford’s Hawkeyes. Jeff Horner recorded 16 points and 10 assists to lead Iowa, but the most lasting image was when Alex Thompson drained a crucial 3 to help the Hawks pull away from the regular season champion Ohio State. I still have a poster hanging in my room that commemorates the 2006 championship. Let’s just not talk about the NCAA Tournament that year.

2. 2001 Big Ten Tournament Championship Over Indiana, 63-61

Iowa came into the 2001 Big Ten Tournament as the No. 6 seed and in need of a couple victories to secure an NCAA Tourney bid. The Hawks were up to the challenge. They easily breezed by Northwestern (72-55), Ohio State (75-66) and Penn State (94-74) to set up a final with Alford’s former school. Miniature freshman Brody Boyd emerged in Luke Recker’s absence (broken leg) and poured in 22 points against Indiana. Reggie Evans earned Tournament MVP and had the key block of the Hoosiers’ Kirk Haston to seal the victory. I was excited, to say the least.

3. Iowa Beats Arkansas to Advance to Sweet 16

Tom Davis’ final season as Iowa head coach saw the Hawkeyes grab a No. 5 seed in the 1999 NCAA Tournament. Iowa defeated 12th-seeded UAB 77-64 to get to the second round where Arkansas and Nolan Richardson’s 40 minutes of hell awaited. Iowa trailed by seven at the break, but came back to dominate the second half and post an 82-72 win over the Razorbacks. Dean Oliver and Kent McCausland each had 17 points for Iowa. It was great to see Dr. Tom go out the right way, even though Iowa lost 78-68 to Connecticut in the next game.

4. Luke Recker’s Heroics in 2002 Big Ten Tournament

The Hawks entered the 2002 Big Ten Tournament with a disappointing 16-14 record. Recker would not be satisfied. He scored 25 points in a first round win over Purdue, 28 in a quarterfinal victory over Wisconsin and 17 in a semifinal nail-biter over Indiana, to almost single-handedly get Iowa into the championship for the second straight year.

What was more remarkable than the production was Recker’s back-to-back last second shots to beat the Badgers and the Hoosiers. He used a pull up jumper from the free throw line to oust Bo Ryan and company and then a baseline runner to bounce Mike Davis’ Hoosiers. Each shot brought about an unbelievable rush of exhilaration through my body. Even though Iowa lost the championship game, it’s something I’ll never forget. Thanks Luke, for the memories.

5. Iowa Ends Kansas’ 62-Game Home Win Streak

Just about three months before Iowa’s Sweet 16 appearance of 1999, Iowa pulled off one of the greatest upsets in school history. Dr. Tom’s 5-1 unranked Hawkeyes traveled to Lawrence, Kan., Dec. 8 to play the No. 10-ranked Jayhawks. The home Jayhawks were 12-point favorites and carried a 62-game home winning streak into the contest. Surely Iowa was no match.

Somehow though, the Hawks prevailed even after trailing by a wide margin. McCausland threw in five 3s and Jake Jaacks added 14 points.

I listened to it all on the radio, I didn’t have cable or satellite then, and could hardly believe it. They even show the players celebrating after this game on Hawk Vision before Iowa basketball games now. It was simply one of the greatest games of the Tom Davis era.

*Photo from Getty Images.