Will Wisconsin and Ohio State help Iowa’s NCAA tournament hopes? The Badgers and Buckeyes are ranked one-two in the latest AP college basketball poll. Hawkeye coach Steve Alford believes the conference with the top two rated teams in the country will get more than three teams into the field.
Alford says they conference should get several teams in and that will depend on the final few weeks. Alford says the Big Ten Tournament will have a big impact, but he says right now there’s one game seperating third through eighth place.
The Hawkeyes are tied for fourth in the league race with a 7-6 record and Alford believes his team can still be one of the ones that get in. Alford says his team has to finish strong, as two of the three teams they play are in the bunch that could make an impact on the postseason.
Even if the Hawkeyes finish with a winning record in the Big Ten and poor nonconference record could keep them out. Alford says if they’re able to finish third or fourth in the conference, then their non-league record should not have an impact on whether they get in. Iowa is 15-12 overall and host Purdue on Wednesday night. The Boilermakers are 6-6 in the conference and 17-9 overall.