Iowa coach Steve Alford says if the Hawkeyes can hang in and finish in the top five of the Big Ten race, their post-season future will be much brighter. The Hawks are part of a four-team logjam for fourth with a 6-5 record and the top five teams avoid the play in round of the conference tournament. Alford says it’ll come down to who can perform best in the Big Ten tournament. Alford says with a strong finish to the regular season the Hawks can take some pressure off the conference tournament. Alford doesn’t want to enter the tournament with the pressure of having to win the Big Ten tourney in order to play in the post-season. With such a short bench, the Hawkeyes need a top five finish to avoid having to win four games in four days at the tournament. Iowa visits Ohio State tomorrow night.
