Hawkeyes Soar to Madison Square Garden

Every basketball player in America would like to play in Madison Square Garden.  With the win last night at Virginia, the Iowa Hawkeyes are headed there.  The odds were stacked heavily against their favor last night.  The referees were missed multiple calls and changed their style of calling throughout the game.  Virginia had won 19 straight home games, including a big win over Duke, a team currently in the sweet sixteen.  Finally, Iowa has had trouble keeping consistency in the final minutes of the game.  Yesterday, however, Iowa overcame all of this and advanced to the final four of the NIT.

                The referees wanted to make me pull my hair out.  Early in the first half, the referees called only offensive fouls.  Blatant travels and blocking fouls were missed.  One play sticks in my mind.  Aaron White had stolen the ball and was going to the hoop to shoot and was pretty much tackled at the hoop.  There was no foul called.  The defender had grabbed both of White’s hands and tripped him.  No foul.  The second half, the whistle blew for all the small fouls that had slid by in the second have.  Reaches and moving screen violations were called left and right getting Virginia into the bonus quickly.  It was no wonder why Virginia had a 19 game winning streak at home.  The referees should be looked at. 

                The NIT tournament is set up so the lower seed has to go to the home court of the higher seed to play the game.  This system works until the final four, which is hosted in Madison Square Garden.  Virginia was put into the NIT as a one seed.  This means that every game they could play at home, they would.  Virginia is 3-8 in away games and was 19-1 at home.  There crowd gave them enormous energy that seemed to translate into big wins.  One of the games on the 19 game win streak was against Duke.  They won by 5 points.  That is really impressive.  Good job by the Hawks on playing well and ending their win streak.

                The final aspect of the game last night was the shooting late in the game by the Hawkeyes.  In so many big games, the Hawkeyes would be up late and fail to make simple baskets or turn the ball over.  Michigan State came back twice against the Hawkeyes to win.  Purdue and Minnesota both came back to beat the Hawks in the final minutes of the game.  This has really been the Achilles tendon of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  I was so proud of Devon Marble and Josh Ogleby for knocking the shots late in the game. 

                With no help from the stadium or the referees, the clutch shooting helped the Iowa Hawkeyes advance to Madison Square Garden.  Hopefully the hardest competition is behind us, but Maryland will be stern competition.  It is a good day to be a Hawkeye.  

 

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