After opening Big Ten play with a win over Purdue the Iowa Hawkeyes return to action at home against Northwestern. Coach Steve Alford has been pleased with the play of his team on defense but the Hawks face a different test against a Wildcat team that tries to utilize mistakes to get layups. He says they really have to be patient defensively, because if you gamble, they’re going to hurt you.Alford says the improvement on defense began with the return of Pierre Pierce. He says Pierce is the staple of the defense and something they didn’t have last year.Iowa is 8-3.
