Iowa is no longer ahead of Illinois in Big Ten basketball standings

I watched "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office" Thursday night.

"The Office" was over-the-top absurd, as it's been too often the last couple of years. That happens to many long-running sitcoms. "Parks and Rec" can be pretty silly, but it has more likable characters. Who wouldn't want to visit Pawnee, Ind.?

So I saw the first and last half-hours of Iowa's 69-64 basketball loss at Penn State, and switched over to ESPN during commercials of the sitcoms. I saw enough.

It's not a good Iowa team, and it's not getting much better. There are bright-enough spots for the future in sophomore Roy Devyn Marble and freshman Aaron White. Keepers, for sure.

But this team peaked three games into the Big Ten season, when it won consecutive road games against Wisconsin and Minnesota. It lost its five road games since then, and still goes to Illinois (also 5-8 in the league) and Nebraska (3-10). Those two teams aren't very good right now, but neither is Penn State.

At 5-8, the Hawkeyes have to go 4-1 in their final five regular-season games to break even in the conference. I once saw 9-9 as very do-able. Now, it's just tough. Very tough. Not impossible. But you have to sweep Indiana, Wisconsin and Northwestern to do it, as well as win one of those two road games. Or sweep the road games and win two of three at home. Either way, it's just tough. Very tough.

Indiana is at Iowa Sunday. The Hoosiers have won their last three games, starting with a 78-61 victory at Purdue. They are 20-6. They are not from Pawnee.