Checking in on college hoops

IOWA CITY - I'm back after an interesting couple of weeks of Iowa basketball.

First off, the Hawks went 0-2 against in-state rivals Northern Iowa and Iowa State thanks to two poor second half performances. But the Hawkeyes bounced back with a win over North Florida and a big conference win in Columbus against then 20th-ranked Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes also had an interesting week last week with two home games against Nebraska and Michigan State. Iowa beat Nebraska thanks to Gabriel Olaseni's career-high 18 points along with five rebounds. Aaron White also had a big game, recording 23 points, nine rebounds, two steals and two blocks. But the Hawks once again had a poor second half against MSU. Iowa scored only 22 points in the second half and lost by 14 despite having an 11-point lead at the half.

This week the Hawks play in Minneapolis against a Minnesota team that is 0-4 in the Big Ten and 11-6 overall. They come back to Iowa City to face Ohio State again on Saturday.

It's about halfway through the college basketball season and I haven't done a top 10 yet so here we go:

1. Virginia: The Cavaliers are a great defensive team and if they keep doing what they're doing they will be the No. 1 seed overall for the 'Big Dance.”

2. Kentucky: A very athletic and once again, young Wildcats team is No. 2 in my book because of the close games they've been in the last couple of games, both against mediocre, at best, teams. This is a Kentucky team that might not go very far in the tourney.

3. Gonzaga: As surprising as it may be, the Zags survived this past week and are looking as good as anyone else. Odds are they won't be at this spot for long, but if they keep doing what they're doing they could be a one-seed when it comes to Selection Sunday.

4. Duke: A good team lead by freshman Jahlil Okafor hit a speed bump against North Carolina State, losing by 12. They will be back in one of the top spots by the time March comes around.

5. Villanova: The Big East has been surprisingly good this year and we'll see if this 'Nova team can be as successful as it was last year.

6. Utah: One word to describe the Utes this season: Wow. Their only two losses have come against ranked opponents and have been by a combined seven points. They have blown teams out, particularly against UCLA, which is good enough to get back into NCAA tournament.

7. Louisville: Montrezl Harrell has dominated for the Cardinals, despite a loss this week to North Carolina. Their only other loss came against No. 1 Kentucky.

8. Wisconsin: A loss to Duke is really the only reason they're not out of the Top 10. A bad loss at Rutgers, which is not a great team, really drops them. Also welcome to the Big Ten, Scarlet Knights.

9. Kansas: So far the J-Hawks are the best team in the Big 12 and are playing very well. Their only two losses came against top-ranked Kentucky and Temple, both blowouts which could be concerning for Kansas.

10. Arizona: The Wildcats came out of upset Sunday with the 'best” loss, by two against Oregon State. They also beat Gonzaga, which is not an easy thing to do, especially this season.

Alright let's get back to the Hawkeyes. Tonight the Hawks travel to Minneapolis to play the Golden Gophers. Minnesota is looking for its first Big Ten win of the season and its 12th overall. The Gophers have a very high-powered offense, ranking 20th in points per game (78.5), fourth in assists per game (18.1) and 37th in field goal percentage (47.7 percent). Meanwhile, the Hawks still are doing great defensively, but their offense also has gotten a lot better. I believe the Hawks will pull out a close 'W” and Minnesota will be left asking questions after the 0-5 start.

Another big conference game for the Hawkeyes comes Saturday when football national champion Ohio State come to town. Iowa won at Ohio State, 71-65, on Dec. 30 and had one of the best shooting games of the season. The Hawks shot 46 percent and had a big boost from Jarrod Uthoff, who had 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a block. He and White must have big games tonight and Saturday as starters, but Gabriel Olaseni must continue to be a presence coming off the bench. I believe the Hawks will pull out a win in another close game and maybe finally start to get the ball rolling on the way to the Big Ten Conference championships.

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