Iowa holds off Badgers to win Big Ten opener

Iowa opened the Big Ten season with a 69-57 win over Wisconsin in Iowa City last night. The ninth-ranked Hawkeyes extended their winning streak to six games. Iowa wasn’t sharp at times and Iowa coach Steve Alford thought his team was a little tense. He says there’s different pressure on them this year as they continue moving up the rankings. Alford says some of the guys were uptight and didn’t finish well on the inside, although he says overall he was pleased with their defense.He says they have some things to work on, like getting back after turnovers.Luke Recker led the Hawkeyes with 23 points, followed by Reggie Evans who had a double-double with 21 points and 17 rebounds. Recker, though, wasn’t pleased with his overall game, as he says he didn’t take care of the ball well with five turnovers.Recker says they’re are going to have to get used to more physical play in the conference.The Hawkeyes are now 12-3 overall and go on the road to Columbus Ohio to take on Ohio State Saturday.