1. Today's game against Penn State needs to be a decisive, 10+ point victory.
2. Conference tournaments need to go well with teams already predicted to make the NCAA Tournament winning the majority.
3. In the B1G Tourney, it depends on how we win the first game and who that win comes against. A solid win over Illinois, Michigan, or maybe even Michigan State would be ideal and could possibly replace Iowa with that team for NCAA Tournament consideration. Iowa is much better off playing one of these teams rather than Indiana.
4. The loss needs to be a close loss, and it would ideally come against Purdue or a team other than Wisconsin. Even though Minnesota is a 4 seed, I think they carry more momentum into March, and pundits would respect a close loss to Minnesota more than a close loss to Wisconsin. Also, beings the way we won at Wisconsin, I think a loss to Wisconsin would allow the committee to more easily gloss over our win in Madison as somewhat of a late game fluke whereas our dominant win @ Maryland would still hold water should our second round loss come to the Terrapins.
I think a 2-1 record in B1G tourney, assuming we don't get blown out in the loss and combined with Illinois and Michigan doing no better than 1-1 in the B1G Tourney, puts Iowa as a lock for being securely in the NCAA Tournament and not even as part of the last 4 in. You'd be talking about a 10-8 team in B1G play with 20 wins, a team who won 6 of their last 7, and a team with an RPI likely in the high 50's with solid wins over Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Michigan.
2. Conference tournaments need to go well with teams already predicted to make the NCAA Tournament winning the majority.
3. In the B1G Tourney, it depends on how we win the first game and who that win comes against. A solid win over Illinois, Michigan, or maybe even Michigan State would be ideal and could possibly replace Iowa with that team for NCAA Tournament consideration. Iowa is much better off playing one of these teams rather than Indiana.
4. The loss needs to be a close loss, and it would ideally come against Purdue or a team other than Wisconsin. Even though Minnesota is a 4 seed, I think they carry more momentum into March, and pundits would respect a close loss to Minnesota more than a close loss to Wisconsin. Also, beings the way we won at Wisconsin, I think a loss to Wisconsin would allow the committee to more easily gloss over our win in Madison as somewhat of a late game fluke whereas our dominant win @ Maryland would still hold water should our second round loss come to the Terrapins.
I think a 2-1 record in B1G tourney, assuming we don't get blown out in the loss and combined with Illinois and Michigan doing no better than 1-1 in the B1G Tourney, puts Iowa as a lock for being securely in the NCAA Tournament and not even as part of the last 4 in. You'd be talking about a 10-8 team in B1G play with 20 wins, a team who won 6 of their last 7, and a team with an RPI likely in the high 50's with solid wins over Purdue, Maryland, Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Michigan.
