UNI, Iowa and Drake men hit the hardwood Saturday

The 16th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes are on the road tomorrow in the Big Ten at Northwestern. The Hawkeyes are 6-3 in the Big Ten after a Wednesday night loss to Ohio State and coach Steve Alford says that makes this game more important.Alford was disappointed by his team’s defense in the Ohio State game, especially from the guard court. He says Northwestern and new coach Bill Carmody will try to exploit that.Alford may juggle his starting line-up to spark his team. Alford says he’ll be quick to pull anyone who doesn’t play tough defense.Northern Iowa hosts Drake tomorrow afternoon in the UNI-Dome. The Panthers are 2-10 in the Valley after a stunning victory over league-leading Indiana State. U-N-I coach Sam Weaver hopes his team can build momentum from that win.Drake is coming off a 69-44 loss at Creighton and senior guard Aaron Thomas says the Bulldogs need to turn it around. He says they need to make a better effort or it could be a “long rest of the year.”