What. A. Game.
Seriously folks, someone please send me a Calendar because I could have sworn it was March already. That was some tournament-caliber college basketball if I’ve even seen it before, neither team willing to let the other escape with a victory.
For the Hawkeyes, they had a lot riding on this game. Sitting at 10th in the Big Ten conference, amongst a dog pack of contenders, every game has pretty much become a must-win for the Hawkeyes. Including Wisconsin, Iowa has three ranked opponents left on their schedule, as well as dances with conference contenders Michigan State and Northwestern. For a team needing statement victories to have a hope at making the NCAA Tournament, Iowa certainly has plenty of chances, starting with their Saturday clash at home against Wisconsin.
Things truly looked very bad to start in this one. Wisconsin couldn’t miss a shot if they wanted to, while Iowa started slowly on the other end. This seemed like it was going to be a blowout to put a dagger into Iowa’s season. Then the Hawkeyes came storming back to close out the second half, going blow-for-blow with the Badgers all the way to overtime.
And then, get this, Iowa won.
That’s right. All year it feels as though the Hawkeyes have dropped these close games. They’ve ripped our hearts out time and time again this year. But this was their day, Tony Perkins hitting the game-winning bucket with 1.2 seconds left to go. Iowa knocked off 20th-ranked Wisconsin, 88-86.
Iowa needed statement victories late into the season. Ladies and gentlemen, we just got our first one. Here are the reactions.