Rebirth of Iowa Basketball??

Iowa and Iowa State attempting to reclaim dominance in Big Four

Both Iowa and Iowa State basketball teams have not had the best success reaching the NCAA Tournament in recent years.

And on the special occasion when either team qualified for the tournament, they had a tough time staying out of the spotlight for the wrong reason.

Take a look at Iowa and their recent history in the tournament. It isn’t a very extensive one. The Hawkeyes have qualified for three NCAA Tournaments this decade, but this includes a back-to-back stint where they lost in the first round both times.

Which includes this moment most Hawkeye fans want to forget:

Iowa State has also made the tournament three times this decade. After an Eilte Eight appearence in the 2000 tournament, Iowa State took part in one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Basketball history. As a #2 seed led by Jamaal Tinsley, the Cyclones were outscored 14-2 during the final stretch and lost to #15 seed Hampton by 1 in the 2001 tounament.

Not the kind of success you expect from the state’s biggest and most historic basketball programs.

Nor would you expect the state’s two mid-major schools to steal the spotlight from their bigger brothers.

The Northern Iowa Panthers also qualified for three straight NCAA tournaments during the decade. The Panthers, from the Missouri Valley Conference, made the tournament from ’04-’06, instantely making them the fan favorite in the state of Iowa.

Recently, the Drake Bulldogs have also enjoyed success. They have not experienced a lot of success, but the Bulldogs had a breakout season last year with a 28-5 record and making their first NCAA Tournament since 1971. They’ve continued their good play so far this season, starting 7-2.

But the Cyclones and Hawkeyes each have two losses as well, and tonight’s contest will determine who has the leg up in the state. Iowa State has already lost to Drake, so an Iowa win tonight would set up a game between the two best Iowa teams December 20 when Iowa heads to Drake.

For Iowa State, the 6-2 start has fans hopeful in a turnaround. The program has really fallen off since the Larry Eustachy episode in 2003 where the Cyclones’ head coach was found attending parties in Columbia, Missouri and Manhattan, Kansas and was forced to resign.

They have a pair of stars in forward Craig Brackins and guard Diante Garrett. Brackins is averaging 17 points so far this season to go along with 6.9 rebounds, while the 6’4″ Garrett is averaging close to 11 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds a game.

But being led by a pair of second-year players has it’s disadvantages. Iowa State is an inexperienced team that needs to learn how to finish the opposition. This week against Drake, the Cyclones blew a 10-point lead and lost for the third straight time to the Bulldogs.

A lack of rebounding has also plagued Iowa State. Brackins and Garrett lead the Cyclones in rebounding, but don’t get much help from their supporting cast. They will have to dramatically improve in that area if they want to compete with the more physical Big 12 teams.

Iowa does not possess a physical team either, but hot shooting has always been the Hawkeyes strength. This year is no different with Iowa shooting 49% this season, including 42% from three-point range. They don’t have a lot of firepower, but they do possess a balanced scoring attack that has beaten Kansas State this season.

Their losses have come to West Virginia and Boston College, so the Hawkeyes have had chances to improve their tournament resume. They will need Anthony Tucker back if they want to impress during Big Ten play.

Unfortunately, the unsuccessful stretches of both teams might affect the crowd tonight at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa has yet to draw well this season, and the most recent report was that 4,000 seats remained for tonight’s game.

This is what happens when your state’s two biggest programs fall off the face of the Earth.