By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For anybody who fears that the surging Iowa men’s basketball team is in danger of having a letdown at Penn State on Wednesday, think back to what happened last Feb. 3.

That was the day that Penn State demolished Iowa 82-58 in State College, Pa., to complete a season sweep.

That loss was one of the lowest points in a season filled with low points, and it’s also why Iowa coach Fran McCaffery isn’t concerned about his team having a letdown against the Nittany Lions, who are 0-6 in conference play.

“Any of them that were at the game last year down there, I shouldn’t have to remind them,” McCaffery said on a Tuesday teleconference.

McCaffery brings up a good point in that most of the current Iowa players have been humbled and humiliated enough to where they should understand that nothing comes easy in the Big Ten.

Iowa would match its win total in conference play from last season when it finished 4-14 with a victory against Penn State.

A victory on Wednesday would also push Iowa’s record above .500 in the Big Ten for the first time since the end of the 2016-17 season.

A loss, on the other hand, would crush Iowa’s momentum and could prove costly with regard to postseason play.

It was also look horrible from a public relations standpoint because Penn State isn’t winless in conference play by accident.

Pat Chambers has some nice pieces, including center Mike Watkins and forwards Lamar Stevens and Josh Reaves. But they can’t carry the team by themselves, especially in a conference as deep and talented as the Big Ten.

Penn State had one of the Big Ten's top backcourts last season in junior Tony Carr and senior Shep Garner, but they have both moved on.

The concern with facing Penn State under the current circumstances, besides it being on the road, is that sooner or later a victory will come its way because it seems unlikely that Penn State will finish 0-20 in conference play.

The challenge for Iowa, which has climbed back into this Associated Press poll at No. 23, is to avoid being the Big Ten team that finally succumbs to the Nittany Lions.

The challenge for Iowa is to keep playing with the same passion, purpose and poise that has fueled its resurgence.

And it could be a bigger challenge if junior forward Tyler Cook can’t play. Iowa’s leading scorer and rebounder is questionable for the Penn State game due to an ankle injury that he sustained late in the second half of last Saturday’s 72-62 victory over Ohio State at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“He’s doing pretty good,” McCaffery said. “He did not practice (Monday) and he’s going to try and do some stuff today.  We’ll see how it goes.”

Iowa already has played one Big Ten game on the road without the 6-foot-9, 250-pound Cook and came away with a 73-63 victory at Northwestern last Wednesday when Cook was resting a sore knee.

That should help if Cook is withheld from Wednesday’s game because his teammates know from experience that they can be successful without him.

They know that they can win on the road if they play smart and efficient and with energy.

“I would hope so, but it certainly doesn’t make it easier without him,” McCaffery said when asked if his players could draw confidence from the Northwestern game.  

McCaffery said he likely would insert 6-7 senior Nicholas Baer in the starting lineup if Cook can’t play on Wednesday.

The good news concerning Cook’s injury is that it’s not as serious as Luka Garza’s ankle injury that caused Iowa’s 6-11 sophomore center to miss over two weeks of practice and two games in late December.

“I’m more encouraged than Luka’s,” McCaffery said. “Luka’s was a bad one. This is not a good one, but it’s not like that. You knew Luka was going to be out for a while.”

 

Iowa vs. Penn State

When: Wednesday, 6 p.m.

Where: State College, Pa., Bryce Jordan Center

TV: Big Ten Network

Records: Iowa is 14-3 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten; Penn State is 7-10 and 0-6.