The Iowa Hawkeyes wrapped up a disappointing regular season with a 93-79 loss to Michigan State Saturday, but coach Steve Alford remains optimistic heading into the post-season tournament.The Hawks finished the regular season at 5-11 in the Big Ten Conference, and will face Purdue Thursday in their first game of the conference tourney. Despite their regular season record, Alford thinks they can make some noise in the post-season.Iowa was the surprise team winning the tourney last year, and Alford says they’ll put up a good defense of the title.Iowa finished the regular season at 16-14 and will need to win the Big Ten tournament to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
