Iowa Hawkeyes; Final Record: 11-19 (4-14); #10 Seed In Big Ten Tournament
It's quite difficult to take anything positive away from the Iowa Hawkeyes' 2011 season. It became apparent early on that Iowa was in for a long season and it will continue in the first round of the Big Ten tournament against the Michigan St. Spartans.
While it would essentially take a miracle for Iowa to win the Big Ten tournament and earn a tournament berth, the Spartans are seated firmly on the bubble. The Hawkeyes have already embraced the role of spoiler in their season finale against the Purdue Boilermakers. The loss likely cost Purdue a chance at a #1 seed in the Big Dance and a regular season Big Ten title. Iowa can make life far more difficult for Michigan St. with a win on Thursday.
The 2010-11 season may have been disappointing, but Iowa does have a chance to make things interesting in the Big Ten tournament. Michigan State desperately needs a win to strengthen its tournament resumé, yet the two teams split the regular season series. Iowa sits at 4-14 in Big Ten play and 11-19 overall. They take on the Spartans of Michigan State on Thursday, March 10th at 4:30 PM ET in Indianapolis.