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| Hawk Central
When he met the media Wednesday afternoon, Fran McCaffery spoke under the assumption that his Iowa basketball team was in an 18-day stretch with only two games confirmed on the schedule.
But the 11th-year Hawkeyes coach also hinted that more changes may be on the way. The possibility was open for a game to be added this weekend and / or early next week by the Big Ten conference. It’s the flexible reality of the minute-by-minute world of trying to play a season of college basketball amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s a little more complicated than it looks,” McCaffery said. “It’s not the Summer League (NBA) where you just move games. These are the big networks (TV) that want particular teams on their network, and they understand that up front. And now everything has to be changed with the other running programs. “
Between postponements of two home games (Jan. 14 against Michigan State, Sunday against Nebraska – both because of the COVID-19 issues of those programs) and a mini-bye early next week, the only games in the l ‘Iowa fourth in January A 10 win over Minnesota and a scheduled Jan. 29 showdown at Illinois was the 96-73 win at Northwestern on Jan. 17 and Thursday’s 8 p.m. game against Indiana at Carver -Hawkeye Arena.
In an interview with the Register last week, Big Ten deputy commissioner Kerry Kenny said makeup dates would not be determined until the return teams – in this case, the state of Michigan and Nebraska. – have declared a firm takeover date. Thus, the Hawkeyes remained in limbo on Wednesday, although intriguing possibilities opened up.
With Saturday’s Illinois game against Michigan State disabled and Iowa free, it would make sense to drag that Jan. 29 game down five or six days, then hope the Spartans are back and available to fill that Jan 29 TV slot against either. Iowa or Illinois. But there’s another possibility, too: What about adding an Illinois-at-Iowa game this weekend, since both teams are free? Did the teams then resume play on January 29 at Champaign? Iowa-Illinois is currently a “one-play” – meaning that teams only meet once in 20 conference games. It would be a tantalizing double between teams who don’t like each other very much, but as the minutes go by, it seems less and less likely.
Although McCaffery didn’t reveal any details, he said one-off pieces could become two pieces. That opens the door to a more realistic and intriguing possibility: a Michigan game in Iowa, early next week. Currently, the seventh-ranked Wolverines are a short game (with one of their two games against Penn State postponed) and have seven working days after Friday’s game at Purdue. Iowa (12-2, 6-1) and Michigan (12-1, 7-1) are tied in the losing streak atop the Big Ten and are only scheduled to meet on March 4 in Ann Arbor.
If Iowa were to add a home game against Michigan or Illinois, for example, that could eliminate the home game against Michigan State; the Hawkeyes are scheduled to travel to East Lansing on February 13. Michigan State could then add Penn State in two parts.
“We could still play some of our one-plays in place of another team potentially and play that team twice,” McCaffery said. “The league is working on this. They work with the networks. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ll just say to our team, “Let’s get ready for Indiana.” And then we’ll take care of the next game on our schedule. “
That’s all his players and Iowa fans can do, stay tuned and wait for the news.
Iowa candid guard Jordan Bohannon, of course, wouldn’t turn down games in the spotlight. However, he cautioned against scrambling too many games on a tight schedule ahead of the Big Ten tournament March 10-14 and the NCAA tournament that follows.
“We have to be fresh for the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament,” Bohannon said. “I think that should be the main priority. I think the first thing should be to not want to play six games in 11 days or something crazy & mldr; so that we burn ourselves at the end of the season.
Additionally, Bohannon and McCaffery were supporters on Wednesday to move the Big Ten Tournament from Chicago to Indianapolis & mldr; something that has been rumored, but not announced.
First, the families of the players are not allowed to attend games in the state of Illinois, but are reportedly in Indiana. Second, it could allow Iowa (and other teams related to the NCAA tournament) to stay in Indiana after the Big Ten Tournament concludes.
The NCAA this week announced specific dates and locations for the 68-team tournament, which will all take place in Indiana – with all action from the second round to the Final Four at four venues in Indianapolis: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse , Indiana Farmers Coliseum, and Lucas Oil Stadium.
“I like the idea that if it was there, I hope we would stay there,” said McCaffery. “Whatever they think makes the most sense from a safety perspective is what we’ll do.”
Bohannon added: “I think it’s the best situation, to move him to Indianapolis, where family members will be allowed & mldr; and watch us play for a Big Ten title. “
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