The Iowa Hawkeyes will open the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday against Michigan,. The Hawkeyes finished the league race 5-13 and while they enter the tournament as the tenth seed they have been competitive against many of the top teams.
Iowa coach Todd Lickliter says they’ve challenged and have been competitive and have to look at the tourney from that standpoint. But he says you also have to realize that they didn’t win the close games and are in the 10th seed and will have to play better to win.
The Hawks and Wolverines traded home court wins during the regular season. Lickliters says Michigan will try to do more of what it did the first time and they will try to be more successful than they were the second time around.
Lickliter says they key against Michigan is defending the duo of Manny Harris and Shawn Sims. He says they are skilled players, and if you don’t help out the right way on defense, they will hurt you be getting the ball to their teammates.
Iowa is 15-16 overall.