Iowa coach Fran McCaffery believes the Hawkeyes will play in a post season tournament no matter what happens at the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes are 16-15 heading into Wednesday night’s game against Ohio State and will need five wins in five days to win the tournament and be part of the NCAA field. The NIT and a new tournament in Las Vegas called the Crown are possible landing spots.
The Hawkeyes extended their season with an 83-68 win at Nebraska on Sunday.
Ohio State beat the Hawkeyes 82-65 in Columbus back in late January. In that game the Buckeyes scored 52 points in the second half to blow the game open.
McCaffery says impatience on offense triggered Ohio State’s fast break.
A concern for Iowa is Ohio State junior guard Bruce Thorton. He leads the Buckeyes at 17 and-a-half points per game and is connecting on nearly 43 percent from three point range.
The winner advances to face Illinois Thursday night.
