Iowa also has an important game to play on Saturday
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Oh yeah, there's a game on Saturday.
While much of the attention has been focused on the White Out to honor former Iowa guard Kenny Arnold, his former team also has an important game to play against Illinois.
Both teams are fighting for their postseasons lives with records of 14-12 overall. Iowa has a two game advantage over Illinois in the Big Ten standings, but the Fighting Illini defeated the Hawkeyes 76-64 on Jan. 25 in Champaign, Ill.
The atmosphere on Saturday should be electric as a near sellout crowd is expected to be on hand with many of them wearing the white Kenny Arnold No. 30 T-shirt.
Fans are encouraged to purchase and wear the Arnold shirt with all the proceeds going to help Arnold, who has battled health issues since having a brain tumor removed in 1985.
“It's important that your players not only know and understand, but appreciate those who came before, and we're going to have a packed house on Saturday, but the reason those people come is they've been coming for generations to watch this team play," said Iowa coach Fran Mccaffery. "And that's what it's all about."
The Iowa players also will pay their respects by wearing white pre-game shooting shirts, as they did before the Jan. 15th game at Northwestern. The problem with the Northwestern game is that Iowa performed woefully and lost 89-54 in Evanston, Ill.
The best way the players could honor Arnold on Saturday is with a victory. Arnold currently lives in a nursing home in his hometown of Chicago, so a victory over Illinois would be extra special.
The Iowa players are determined to get off to a better start after trailing Illinois 10-0 early in the first game and 40-24 at halftime.
“On offense, we weren’t moving the ball and executing the game plan defensively, so they kind of jumped us early and maintained that lead throughout the game,” freshman forward Cordell Pemsl said of the first game against Illinois. “That’s obviously going to be our one key point on Saturday, to start well and try to execute as soon as we can.”
McCaffery attributed his team’s poor start at Illinois mostly to just missing shots.
“The funny thing about that game is we got the ball to the rim early in that game multiple times, and we just didn't get it in,” McCaffery said. I'd be more concerned if we were jacking quick, early threes and they were horrible shots and giving up transition baskets because of poor shot selection and poor decision making. We had it right to the front of the rim in that game. Should not have been 10-0, but it was, so you've got to deal with it.”
Iowa has lost two games in a row and is coming off a game at Michigan State last Saturday in which Peter Jok and Jordan Bohannon were a combined 0-for-11 from 3-point range during a 77-66 setback.
“We think we have a good shooting team, and I thought we had real good looks at it in that game and just didn't make any,” McCaffery said.
The 6-foot-6 Jok is considered one of the top 3-point shooters in the Big Ten, while Bohannon also has been a force this season from long distance.
McCaffery has praised Bohannon for having a short memory when it comes to missing shots.
“It's absolutely critical,” McCaffery said. “He hasn't had too many nights like that. He kind of had one the first time we played Illinois last month – probably shouldn't even have played that night (illness), but he wanted to give it a shot. We ran him out there, showed his toughness. You learn from it. I don't think he'll have too many more of those in the future.”
Illinois vs. Iowa
When: 1:06 p.m., Saturday
Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena
Records: Illinois is 14-12 overall anbd 4-9 in the Big Ten; Iowa us 14-12 and 6-7.
Series: Illinois holds an 84-71 advantage in the series that began with a 46-36 Iowa win in 1908. The Hawkeyes have won five of the last six meetings. Iowa holds a 54-21 advantage in games played in Iowa City.
White Out: Fans are encouraged to wear the Kenny Arnold No. 30 shirt to Saturday's game. There will be a pre-game autograph session on the south concourse at Carver-Hawkeye Arena from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. featuring a number of former Hawkeyes including Ronnie Lester, Vince Brookins, Mike Henry, Greg Stokes, Todd Berkenpas, Bobby Hansen, Steve Waite, Jess Settles, Craig Anderson and Waymond King.