The Iowa Hawkeyes faced a significant challenge on Saturday, traveling to play No. 12 Illinois in a late-season contest. This game had massive postseason consequences, with only four games remaining in the regular season,
The 16-11 Hawkeyes entered Saturday’s contest at Illinois on a hot streak. They knocked off both No. 21 Wisconsin and Michigan State in their past two games, bumping up to eighth in the Big Ten with an 8-8 conference record.
For a Hawkeyes team on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament bubble, playing 12th-ranked Illinois twice is a fantastic opportunity to propel their case for the tournament. That’s two potential Quad 1 wins, and wins against Northwestern and Penn State wouldn’t be too shabby either.
Iowa gave it their best effort, standing toe-to-toe with the Illini for most of the game. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas at the end, sputtering as the Illini took care of business in the 95-85 win. Here’s a look back at the takeaways from Iowa’s loss to Illinois.