The Iowa Hawkeyes try to recover from an 89-63 pounding by Illinois Saturday with two games in three days to close out the regular season. Coach Steve Alford says it’ll be a challenge to beat Wisconsin and Penn State to finish strong and keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive.Alford says injuries to Iowa’s guard court are the reason for their slide in the Big Ten. He says the injuries have all come to the one position that provides outside shooting.Alford says the good news about the injuries is that younger players are getting more playing time. He says the freshmen are getting that experience while also playing on a team with a winning record.Alford says there’s no doubt Iowa would still be contending for first place in the conference is leading scorer Luke Recker weren’t injured. He says Recker had the numbers to be an all-Big Ten selection.Iowa is in the middle of the Big Ten standings at 7-7. They host Penn State Thursday and Wisconsin on Saturday.