Iowa coach Steve Alford says the Hawkeyes still have a lot of work to do if they hope to win their first Big Ten regular season title since 1979. The Hawkeyes’ lead in the Big Ten race is now a full game and they return to action Saturday at Minnesota. Alford says if they were in this position in another league, they might feel more comfortable. But Alford says in the Big Ten anyone can win and anyone can lose a game from week to week.
Alford says experience has gotten the Hawkeyes to this point and it will be a key factor during the stretch run. He says they’re not the most athletic or deepest team, but they’ve been able to lean on their experience, and he says that’s whey they’re in the position they’re in.
Minnesota was blown out at Michigan on Wednesday night but the Gophers have played better after an 0-6 start in league play. Minnesota coach Dan Monson says they’ve never felt that they belong at the bottom of the league. He says they feel they can play at a high level and finish better than last year’s fourth place finish. Monson says they “got hit in the mouth and didn’t respond to that” to start the season.
Monson says each game is a challenge in a balanced league race. He says the league has never had a bottom half and a top half, it’s always a challenge.