Iowa ready after rest

Iowa coach Steve Alford feels the Hawkeyes are ready for the stretch run. The Hawks return to action Wednesday night at home against Illinois after being off this past weekend. He says it was a good mental break for the players to get out of the film sessions, but still stay sharp physically. At 7-5 , the Hawkeyes are just a game out of third place in the Big Ten and despite the loss of several players are right in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth. he says the team’s done a terrific job of rallying the troops and playing each game to try and get better. Alford says they have gotten better, and it’s a credit to what the guys have been doing. Iowa is 14-9 overall.