By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – They know what’s at stake.

Tony Perkins and his Iowa teammates know what they will have to accomplish at the Big Ten Tournament to have any chance of making the NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight season.

“At this point, we’ve got to win a few games to even get in a position that we want to be in,” Perkins said.

Asked how many he thinks would be a few games, Perkins said:

“I think it is two. I’m not sure, though.”

It wouldn’t matter if Iowa loses to Ohio State in Thursday’s second-round matchup at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

But if Iowa as a seven seed were to beat the No. 10 seed Buckeyes, a rematch with No. 2 seed Illinois would be waiting in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Iowa edged Ohio State 79-77 on Feb. 2 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in the teams’ only meeting in the regular season, but the Buckeyes defeated Iowa 83-75 in the 2023 Big Ten Tournament, and they have a 4-2 record against Iowa in the conference tournament.

Iowa (18-13, 10-10) is almost certainly a lock to the make the National Invitation Tournament and has made a request to be a host site for games.

But that would be a consolation prize.

The goal is always to make the NCAA Tournament, and when you’ve accomplished it four straight times, you certainly don’t want to be the team that beaks the streak.

So, yes, there is pressure on Iowa heading into the conference tournament.

But there is also opportunity, and that’s where dreams begin with the chance to compete.

Iowa has been consistently inconsistent this season as evidenced by its .500 record in conference play.

The same team that defeated Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan State and Northwestern, and that swept Minnesota, lost to Michigan and was swept by Maryland.

Iowa struggled throughout conference play to gain any traction until near the end when it won four of five games.

But then with so much on the line against Illinois on Senior Day at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, including a likely NCAA bid with a win, Iowa wasn’t up to the challenge, losing 73-61 last Sunday.

This Iowa team is hard to read, because on a good day when the threes are dropping it could probably beat any Big Ten team, with the exception to Purdue, but on a bad day, it could also lose to any team in the conference.

Especially if Perkins only scores two points as was the case in the loss to Illinois on Senior Day.

The Indianapolis native was named second-team All-Big Ten on Tuesday, but the loss to Illinois in which he only made 1 of 10 field-goal attempts after being honored on Senior Day still bothers him.

“Honestly, I feel like I let them down in that game,” Perkins said. “So, I’m going to bring ten times, or you could say one-hundred times, more than what I did that game.

“So, that’s really what it’s coming down to for me.”

Perkins gave himself a grade of seven out of 10 when asked to evaluate his senior season to this point.

“I felt like I could have done more and played better, but at the end of the day, it is what it is,” Perkins said. “I wish it was better, could have done a little bit more to push us in a better position so we wouldn’t have to play two games to make it to the NCAA Tournament.”

Perkins said he wishes he would have been more of a leader during his time as a Hawkeye, and he will emphasize that in the postseason.

Perkins could use his free Covid year and return for a fifth season, but he said Tuesday that he hasn’t made a decision and he will address it after the season.

“Just focused on trying to lead this tam and keep playing until March and then once that’s over, then I’ll figure out what I’m going to do,” Perkins said. “But as of right now, I’m just trying to get these wins and get into the NCAA Tournament.”

Perkins has played with a heavy heart this season due to the death of his grandmother early in the season. He has relied on the support of his teammates and coaches to cope with her loss, but it hasn’t been easy.

And while Perkins was pretty tough on himself while rating his performance for this season, his importance to the team can’t be over-stated.

He is one of just two Big Ten players this century to record at least 14 assists in multiple games.

The 6-foot-4 Perkins is also one of seven players nationally with at least 450 points, 130 rebounds, 140 assists, 50 steals this season. He is also ranked in the top 17 in the Big Ten in points, assists and steals.

Perkins played a key role for Iowa’s 2022 team that won the Big Ten Tournament.

His experience could be beneficial for a team that has four freshmen in the rotation, including Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Owen Freeman, a 6-10 forward.

Junior forward Payton Sandfort also made third-team All-Big Ten, while graduate forward Ben Krikke and sophomore guard Josh Dix both earned honorable-mention.

“It feels good to be second-team and congratulations to all my teammates as well,” Perkins said.

Freeman was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by the media, but the league’s coaches had him as the co-winner with Indiana forward Mackenzie Mgbako.

Freeman won Big Ten Freshman of Week nine times during the regular season, which is the second most in league history.

He was asked Tuesday if he was surprised to share the award.

“A little bit, yeah,” Freeman said. Yeah, I was a little bit surprised.

“But obviously, Mackenzie is a great player and I have nothing but respect for him. But I was a little surprised.”

#7 Iowa (18-13, 10-10) vs. #10 Ohio State (19-12, 9-11)

When: Thursday, 5:30 p.m.

Where: Minneapolis, Target Center (20,000)

What: Big Ten Tournament second-round

TV: Big Ten Network

Radio: Hawkeye radio Network

Series history: Thursday’s game is the 170th meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Ohio State. Iowa currently leads the series, 85-84. The Hawkeyes have won four of the last six and six of the last 10 meetings in the series dating back to 2019.

The Buckeyes handed Iowa an 83-75 loss at the 2023 Big Ten Tournament in Chicago.

Iowa is 2-4 all-time against the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 67-60 win in the championship game in 2006.