Iowa faces sizable test in No. 14 Purdue

IOWA CITY — After Tuesday night's matchup between Iowa and No. 1 Michigan State, Spartans' head coach Tom Izzo said something about the Hawkeyes that made some ears perk up.

In talking about his team's 83-70 loss, the veteran coach called Iowa 'tough.' With what's happened in the past to the Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-0 Big Ten) under Fran McCaffery, as well as what's ahead, that's a pretty important description.

'We got punked. We got out-physicaled, we got out-hustled, they got every loose ball,' Izzo said. 'I think that's the toughest Iowa team I've seen. I think they're tougher than (McCaffery's) teams have been.'

Lots of teams are tough, though, right? And with the experience the Hawkeyes have, toughness should be a given after so many Big Ten battles over the years.

But Iowa's toughness has been called into question — rightly or wrongly — several times over the last few seasons. Whether it's a question about crunchtime or long stretches in games where other teams establish a physical presence, Iowa has fallen short in that category enough — and been questioned about it — that McCaffery and his players have had to address it on multiple occasions.

So when someone who wasn't wearing black and gold and who wasn't beholden to defending a team's grit or fortitude — and was the coach of the nation's top-ranked team, no less — went out of his way to call this the toughest Iowa team he's seen, the words carry weight. That's especially true when it's a guy like Izzo, who's been a Big Ten head coach since 1995 and has seen every form of toughness, good or bad.

They matter so much now because while the physical toughness Iowa showed against Michigan State was important, that game was more about the mental side than physical — in part because Denzel Valentine was out. No. 14 Purdue, on the other hand, is as physical, bruising and ominously-sized as any team the Hawkeyes have faced or will face this season.

The Boilermakers trot out a starting lineup that features 7-foot-2 Isaac Haas, 6-foot-9 Caleb Swanigan, 6-foot-8 Vince Edwards, 6-foot-6 Rapheal Davis and 5-foot-10 P.J. Thompson. They also have 7-foot A.J. Hammons and 6-foot-10 Jaquil Taylor on the bench.

Purdue has a significant size advantage overall inside, with only Adam Woodbury matching the Boilermakers' height, and no one matching Haas' 282-pound frame. They're tops among Big Ten teams and fifth in the nation in scoring defense, and seventh in the nation in rebounding margin at plus-12.

It's going to take a substantial physical effort on both ends if the Hawkeyes are going to start Big Ten play 2-0. And with the report from Indianapolis Star columnist Gregg Doyel that Purdue's all-time leading scorer Rick Mount may be in Mackey Arena after a decades-long absence, they'll need to carry over both their physical and mental improvements.

Fortunately for Iowa, it has players with oodles of confidence at the moment. Mike Gesell is coming off a career-high 25 points, Nicholas Baer continues to endear himself to the Hawkeye faithful with his all-around play, Jarrod Uthoff remains a scoring leader, and Peter Jok has a green light from his coaches.

'We know offense was always going to be there. Our defense brought us all the way home (against Michigan State),' Jok said. 'Coach, (Sunday) in practice, he pulled me and Jarrod over and told us we had the ultimate green light, and just to go out there and play our game. For him to say that gave me a lot of confidence. I could just go out there and play because I didn't have to worry about making mistakes and him taking me out.'

It may take that green light and some bruises for Iowa on Saturday, but after knocking off No. 1, the Hawkeyes have no doubt they can head into West Lafayette, Ind., and leave with a win.

Lessons in toughness — both mental and physical — learned from the Michigan State game must carry over. McCaffery and Co. know how hard it is to win in the Big Ten, especially on the road, so they'll take nothing for granted on Saturday.

'Hopefully, we learned lessons of how to compete, how to execute, and how to not take a possession off, and we carry that over for Purdue,' McCaffery said. 'I think it's big (to go in with a win already), but the other thing we have always seen in this league, is that you want to win your home games if you can. It's not always easy, depending upon who you're playing. It's hard to win on the road in this league.'

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