The Hawkeyes still have one sure-fire way to reach the NCAA tournament, and defeating the Fighting Illini on Saturday could help Iowa achieve the lofty goal of winning the Big 10 tournament to secure the conference’s automatic bid.
Iowa occupies the ninth position in the current Big 10 standings, a game behind the Nebraska Cornhuskers, tied with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and a game ahead of the Penn State Nittany Lions. A win could move them up a spot. A loss could plummet them down two spots depending on the results of the three other games being played on Saturday and Sunday.