Heading into this basketball season, the Iowa men’s basketball team was considered a bubble team at best.
The Hawkeyes had lost their best player for the second straight season and once again were thought to be a team which would take a step back.
Fast forward a few months and the Hawkeyes are no longer on the bubble. They are a sure-fire NCAA national title contender and looking at a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
And to be honest, this year’s group may want to send their arch rivals a thank you card.
Back in December, Iowa built a 20-point lead against the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum, a place where very few teams go to and win.
Everyone knows how that game turned out. Iowa State rallied in the second half and escaped their home floor with a one-point victory.
Since then the Hawkeyes have rolled off nine straight wins, including seven in a row in the Big Ten. Of those seven Big Ten wins, six have come by 10 or more points.
It can now be said with a little more certainty that the loss to the Cyclones was perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Hawkeyes.
This is now a focused group. They have experience in the starting lineup and a deep bench.
It’s definitely a good time to be a hoops fan in Iowa. Most of us are either Hawkeyes or Cyclones and both basketball programs are currently ranked in the top 15.
Another thank you note should be sent to Ames by the Hawkeyes, because if it wasn’t for the efforts of Iowa State and athletics director Jamie Pollard, Iowa would not be closing in on a chance to play in front of more than 14,000 fans in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Des Moines’ Wells Fargo Arena will be a site for the first two rounds this year. If things continue on the current path, the Hawkeyes will be a top four seed in March Madness and likely will get to play in Des Moines.
Many projections have Iowa as a No. 1 seed and the Cyclones as a two seed. Iowa State, as the host school, is not permitted to play in Des Moines. But because of its efforts to land the NCAA Tournament nearby, the Hawkeyes could benefit greatly.
A few other area athletes announced their college plans this week.
Colfax-Mingo senior Colin Lourens will join high school teammates Blake Summy and Jacob Lietz on the Grand View University football team. Lourens committed to the Vikings on Monday.
Also committing to Grand View University was Prairie City-Monroe senior Ashley Van Gorp, who will join the Viking volleyball program this fall.
National Signing Day is Wednesday.