Hawkeyes have week off but do they need it?

UNIVERSITY PARK. Pa. — Iowa players have a week to collect their thoughts and rest their knees before their final stretch of Big Ten games.

The No. 6-ranked Hawkeyes (20-6, 11-3) dropped a 79-75 decision at Penn State (13-13, 4-9) Wednesday night, three days after fending off last-place Minnesota 75-71 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. After a marvelous stretch of basketball, the Hawkeyes have lost two of their last three.

Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said the team mentally is fine. His players concur. But they differ on whether an idle weekend is best for the team.

'We just go back to work,' McCaffery said. 'You have to be respectful of everyone in this league. This team, we beat them pretty good at our place. They turned right around and beat Indiana then us. You got to give credit there. It is hard to win on the road in the Big Ten. We tried to keep coming. We hung in there and just didn't play well enough to win. No re-evaluation, no meetings, just work.

'We don't need to go to a spa; we need to work. I can't make it any simpler than that.'

Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff said he'd prefer to play a game the next day. Iowa center Adam Woodbury said: 'it depends on how you look at it' as to whether the free time is good or bad.

'We've got no other choice,' Woodbury said. 'We've got to make it helpful, get some guys who are maybe banged up get them some rest, get their bodies ready for this last stretch of this season.'

Guard Peter Jok said 'yes, for sure' when asked if the bye comes at a good time so they can 'try to recover and get our legs back as a team.'

Guard Anthony Clemmons said the team's desire has waned and a loss like this, coupled with a week off, could help.

'We're just going to get guys refocused and get us back in that hunger mode,' Clemmons said. 'I think a lot of guys — me, myself in particular — are just satisfied with where we're at. We're at the top alone and just happy. We're just playing like that, instead of playing as the aggressor and playing as a team at the bottom. I think we'll be refocused for next game.'

So does the bye help Iowa? We'll find out next week.

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