Wisconsin @ Iowa preview
Lucas Oil Stadium
Last Meeting ( Mar 7, 2021 ) Wisconsin 73, Iowa 77
If all goes according to plan for fifth-ranked Iowa, the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal against Wisconsin on Friday in Indianapolis will be the Hawkeyes' first of nine games in Indiana's capital city over the next month.
After playing in the conference tournament in Indianapolis, the Hawkeyes will remain there until after their final game in the NCAA Tournament, which also is being contested in Indianapolis and adjacent cities.
It's just another wrinkle in a unique season heavily influenced by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"I don't think our players have ever had to pack for 28 days," Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery said. "It starts with that. You can imagine what our coaches and student managers are bringing. We're bringing academic folks, obviously our strength and conditioning coach.
"Then the next phase is kind of staying sequestered with our group, not exiting the hotel, roaming around town, getting involved in contact-tracing situations that could put us in jeopardy of (not) having a healthy team.
"Being tested, meetings, practice, lift, academics will continue. We'll have a room set up for the guys to do their classes online, whatever else they need. Just go game to game."
Iowa's bid for a Big Ten tournament championship -- which the third-seeded Hawkeyes hope is a precursor to a national title -- begins against the sixth-seeded Badgers, who edged 11th-seeded Penn State 75-74 in second-round play on Wednesday.
Wisconsin, which nailed 12 3-pointers, exhaled after Penn State nearly erased an 18-point, second-half deficit.
"It's tough. It's March. No lead is safe in March, especially in this league," said the Badgers' Brad Davison, who scored 15 points, two behind Aleem Ford's team-high total. "Every team you play against, you know you're going to get their best shot. So just staying together, continuing to battle."
The Hawkeyes (20-7) swept the regular season series against the Badgers (17-11), winning by 15 on the road on Feb. 18 before earning a 77-73 home victory Sunday, Iowa's seventh win in eight games.
Repeat Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza paced Iowa with 21 points and 16 rebounds Sunday. Wisconsin will hope to flip the script as it gets a third crack at Iowa.
"Every top team in this league, it's fun to play against, but especially against a team that's beat us twice, and so recent," Davison said. "And the manner they did, coming down to the last couple plays, so we're looking forward to the opportunity."
Iowa is primed for a deep postseason run behind Garza, who led the conference with 23.8 points per game while notching 12 double-doubles. Garza, whose No. 55 will be retired by the program, is the lone player in Big Ten history to amass 2,000 points, 850 rebounds, 125 blocks and 100 3-pointers.
"When you think he's maxed out, he just amazes you again and proves that there's more there," McCaffery said. "That's a credit to him and his character."
McCaffery said Tuesday that Joe Wieskamp is day-to-day as he deals with a sprained ankle sustained Sunday. Teammate Jordan Bohannon tweeted a video from Thursday's practice showing Wieskamp without a walking boot on the injured ankle.
--Field Level Media