By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – On Feb. 14, the Iowa men’s basketball team lost at Maryland 78-66 to fall to 6-8 in Big Ten play and 14-11 overall.

The season was on the verge of slipping away.

Iowa’s quest for a fifth-straight NCAA appearance was in serious jeopardy, and as a result, home attendance left something to be desired.

But instead of unraveling, this Iowa team is surging at the right time with four victories in its last five games.

The goal for every team is to play meaningful games in March, and Iowa certainly has met that goal heading into Sunday’s showdown with second-place Illinois at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Iowa, with records of 18-12 overall and 10-9 in the Big Ten, would go a long way in securing a fifth-straight NCAA bid with a win on Sunday.

A win before an expected sell-out crowd would also be a fitting tribute for senior forward Patrick McCaffery, senior guard Tony Perkins and graduate forward Ben Krikke, all of whom will be honored before Sunday’s game, along with walk-on Javone Cater and student manager Jackson McLaughlin.

“To play meaningful games and games that really matter and trying to get to March Madness, that’s huge,” Krikke said.

Krikke, who is from Edmonton, Alberta, will participate in his second Senior Day ceremony as he also was honored last season at Valparaiso where he never played in the NCAA Tournament.

His parents also plan to attend Sunday’s game.

“It’s kind of weird, most people don’t get two,” Krikke said of two Senior Days. “It’ll be cool, I guess. It’s just kind of weird. I was only here one year and Valpo, I was there for four.

“I’ve built relationships here and it will be cool, but it’s just different.”

For Perkins and Patrick McCaffery, it will be their first Senior Day ceremony, but maybe not their last as they both could return next season.

Neither has made decisions about next season because that can wait.

All that matters right now is the Illinois game on Sunday.

Win that game and Iowa would be one significant step closer to making a program-record fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

And it could’ve been six straight since Iowa was considered a lock to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament before it was canceled due to the outbreak of the global pandemic.

“I’m counting that,” said Patrick McCaffery, who is the son of Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery. “So, if we were to make a run here and make it again, that would be a lot in row. So, that’s really cool to me that I was part of all those teams. That I was a good player on good teams, reached some key milestones throughout my individual career, and then obviously, being able to win the Big Ten Championship a couple years ago (2021), and we have another chance to do it in about a week.

“But to win it a couple years ago was something super special and a moment I’ll never forget. Those are memories and stuff that will last forever.

“And obviously a lot of BS has came with it, too, playing for your dad. It’s not always going to be perfect.”

This season marks the first time that Patrick McCaffery hasn’t had his older brother, Connor McCaffery, as a Hawkeye teammate.

Connor McCaffery was a sixth-year senior on last season’s team and a multi-year starter at guard.

“We lose, Connor and I take a brunt of what happened and it’s just kind of the nature of what happens in this business,” Patrick McCaffery said. “We knew what we signed up for. But overall, I wouldn’t trade the experiences and relationships I have for anything no matter the ups or downs that we’ve had to deal with.”

Patrick McCaffery has dealt with more than his share of downs as a cancer survivor who also has struggled with anxiety.

The fact that he has scored over 1,000 points as a Hawkeye is a testimony to his resolve and resiliency.

Perkins also has scored over 1,000 points as a Hawkeye, while Krikke has scored over 2,000 career points, including 1,596 points for Valparaiso.

Iowa’s late-season surge appears to have energized the fans based on Sunday’s game being sold out, although Illinois does travel well.

Whatever the case, the arena should be rocking on Sunday.

“I hope it’s pretty good,” Patrick McCaffery said of his expectation for Sunday’s crowd. “But I don’t know, our crowds have been pretty bad most of the year with exceptions to a couple games.

“So, who knows? I hope it’s good.”

Multiple factors have helped lead the late-season surge, including knowing what it takes to win at this level.

It just took some time to figure that out with four freshmen in the rotation and with having to replace three starters from last season, including All-America forward Kris Murray, who now plays for the Portland Trail Blazers.

“Like it was whole new group, and it took us while to figure out what was needed to win at this level,” Patrick McCaffery said. “And that’s the case I think for a lot of different teams. It took us a little bit to mesh and you have to go through things, and you have to see and experience different scenarios and different environments and things of that nature in order to really to continue to evolve and grow as individuals and ultimately as a team.”

One thing that might distinguish the current Iowa team from the previous four Iowa teams that made the NCAA Tournament is the current team has multiple go-to options on offense, while the previous four teams featured a star as the first option in Luka Garza three and four seasons ago, Keegan Murray two seasons ago and Kris Murray last season.

The current Iowa team has six players that average from 16.0 and 8.7 points per game.

Sophomore guard Josh Dix has scored at least 20 points in three straight games while junior forward Payton Sandfort posted the first triple-double in program history, finishing with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 90-81 win over Penn State on Feb. 27 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

“We’re playing our best basketball I think right now,” Patrick McCaffery said. “So I’m excited to continue to move forward and I know we have a ton of guys playing with a lot of confidence.”

Iowa’s only loss in the last five games was to Illinois, 95-85, on Feb. 24 in Champaign.

Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins led the way with 30 points, five assists and five steals in the first game. Illinois also had a 34-12 advantage in bench points.

“Impressive team,” Fran McCaffery said of Illinois under head coach Brad Underwood. “Big, strong, physical, multiple scorers. Pretty deep, and obviously, an established coach, a really good coach. An excellent program.”

Illinois (22-8, 13-6) vs. Iowa (18-12, 10-9)

When: Sunday. 6:10 p.m.

Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena (14,998)

TV: FS1

Radio: Hawkeye Radio Network

Series history: Sunday’s game is the 169^th meeting in the all-time series that began in 1908. Illinois holds a 91-77 advantage.

Illinois won the most recent meeting, winning 95-85 on Feb. 24 in Champaign.

Iowa has won three of the last four games in the series in Iowa City, including an 81-79 victory last season. The last here games in Carver have been decided by seven points or less.