After nine days off, Hawkeyes return with a home encounter with Purdue

IOWA CITY — The Iowa Hawkeyes haven’t played a game in nine days, and just one in the past 14.

“Four and a half days (when the players scattered for holiday break), we didn’t have that (practice) cadence,” Coach Jan Jensen said Friday.

“We’ve only had two days to understand how tough Purdue is going to be, and how tough Penn State is going to be.”

With another successful mythical-state-championship run (that’s three in a row, but who’s counting) and the subsequent break in the rearview mirror, it’s all league play the rest of the way for 24th-ranked Iowa (10-2 overall, 0-1 Big Ten).

The Hawkeyes welcome Purdue (7-5, 0-1) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena for a 2 p.m. encounter Sunday.

The reset may have come at a good time. Iowa dropped its Big Ten opener to Michigan State on Dec. 15, then squandered most of a big lead Dec. 20 before holding off Northern Iowa.

“It’s time to put our game faces back on,” Jensen said. “To come back with the lessons we’ve learned, win or lose ... it’s time to start stacking some good practices and continuity of play.”

There aren’t a lot of gimmes in the Big Ten, but this might qualify as the Iowa aims to avoid its first 0-2 league start since 2013-14.

The Hawkeyes have beaten Purdue eight consecutive times, and the Boilermakers rank last in the league in scoring margin (minus-2.8 points per game).

Still, it’s a Big Ten opponent, and the Hawkeyes can’t get caught sleepwalking.

“If there’s a disappointment to the way we’ve started the season, it’s the way we dropped the two games we lost,” Jensen said, referring to defeats to Tennessee and Michigan State.

“I didn’t expect to be undefeated now, but a stretch of a minute and a half against Tennessee, and a couple of possessions against Michigan State ... you look back and, ‘ugh.’”

And yet, Iowa is 10-2 in the first post-Bluder, post-Clark season.

“I think the biggest blessing is the way everybody came together and stayed together,” Jensen said. “There were big shoes to fill, both in terms of players and coaching staffs.

“Our freshmen have continued to bring the excitement they had when they signed. There has never been a lack of effort or a lack of cohesion.

“Now, can we keep what has made Iowa women’s basketball special? How they love each other and love the fan base.”

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com