The Iowa Hawkeyes return to Big Ten action tomorrow night at home against a Northwestern team that is still searching for its first conference win. The Hawks have lost three straight and coach Todd Lickliter says other teams are improving on offense at a faster rate the Hawks are improving on defense.
Lickliter says his team struggled to defend against Minnesota’s aggressiveness, while the other two teams were content to take what was given. He says the defense will be tested against a Northwestern attack that stresses patience. Lickliter says the spacing, cuts and challenges they present are excellent and he says they’re more than willing to make you guard multiple actions during a possession.
Lickliter says preparing for Northwestern has been a good way for the Hawks to improve on defense. He says that has put them in tough spots, and hopefully that has helped them prepare for Northwestern, while also working on their overall defensive techniques. Iowa is 4-9 in the Big Ten and 11-15 overall. The Wildcats are 0-12 in conference play and 7-16 overall.