It’s not Des Moines, but the Big Apple is a nice consolation prize
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa men’s basketball team will try to save a season that just a month ago was filled with promise, hype and expectations.
The Iowa wrestling team will try to conquer the very thing that it used to be.
And they’ll both try to accomplish those two things in New York City, which for this weekend becomes a temporary home for Hawkeye nation as host of both the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
If you have the time, money and patience to pull it off, this would seem like a trip worth considering for Iowa fans because of the unusual circumstances.
It’s unusual enough that the Iowa men’s basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament for a third consecutive season. The last time that happened was a three-season stretch from 1990-93.
Prior to the current three-year run, Iowa had played in the NCAA Tournament in just three of 11 seasons.
As for the wrestling team, it figures to have one of best chances of derailing Penn State’s quest for continued dominance. The Nittany Lions have won four of the last five NCAA Championships and enter this year’s tournament as the favorite after winning the Big Ten Championships, which were held at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa coach Tom Brands wants his wrestlers to be focused, but he also wants them to enjoy the Big Apple because it offers a stage like no other.
“We’re not going to a convent,” Brands said. “We’re going to the Big Apple and we’re going to wrestle some important matches. But this is just about a three-day tournament that if you put a string of matches together, you’ll get what you want.
“Part of that is the environment. And part of is getting ready to go every time. But part of it is also enjoying the surroundings. It should be a lot of fun.”
The NCAA Wrestling Championships will start on Thursday and are being held at legendary Madison Square Garden.
The Iowa basketball team is a No. 7 seed and will face No. 10 seed Temple on Friday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Hawkeyes would play on Sunday if they defeat Temple.
So Iowa fans could have four consecutive days to watch their teams compete in the city that never sleeps if the basketball team prevails on Friday.
Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery grew up in Philadelphia and is used to the big-city atmosphere. So to play in New York City is not be a big deal to him compared to the event itself.
“This is the NCAA Tournament,” McCaffery said. “It really doesn’t matter what arena you’re playing in.”
It matters to fans, though.
Playing in New York City brings with it a host of opportunities for fans with regard to sight-seeing and other vacation endeavors.
The Iowa wrestlers have known since the season started that the Big Apple would be their final destination, whereas the basketball players didn’t learn their destination until this past Sunday.
There was hope for part of the season that Iowa would earn a spot in the Des Moines regional, because even New York City couldn’t compete with that ideal setup.
But the Hawkeyes struggled down the stretch, losing six of their last eight games and any chance of playing in Des Moines.
So while our state’s largest city plays host to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever, the Iowa basketball team is halfway across the country trying to keep its season alive.
This arrangement has worked out just fine for Iowa sophomore forward Dom Uhl.
“I went to high school in New Jersey, so a lot of my family and friends are going to be there,” he said.
Iowa fans have a reputation for traveling to major Hawkeye sporting events.
It would’ve been cheaper and more convenient for fans if the basketball team had earned a spot in the Des Moines bracket.
But having both the basketball team and the wrestling team competing in the Big Apple at the same time is an attractive and rare consolation prize.
If you can afford it.