Iowa basketball coach Todd Lickliter says this past weekend’s victory of Northwestern is proof of how important the home court advantage is. A crowd of better than 12,500 was on hand as the Hawkeyes edged Northwestern 56-51 on Saturday for their third Big Ten win.

Lickliter says he thought the crowd was really involved in the game and that did not go unnoticed by his players, as he says it helps give the team some energy. It was a much needed win for an Iowa team that had dropped seven of its previous eight games.

Lickliter says he’s been impressed with the way the team has approached its preparation. Lickliter says the Hawks have remain positive despite the tough stretch. He says the losses hurt the players, but it didn’t defeat them. Lickliter also says this one victory won’t make the season either, as he says they are trying to develop a way to play and be consistent.

Iowa is 3-8 in the Big Ten and returns to action on Wednesday night at Wisconsin.