Iowa 67, Tennessee State 62

My return to the west coast means I’m once again relegated to “watching” the Hawkeyes via ESPN GameCast. It’s not bad — it’s free, it can be set to update every 30 or 60 seconds, and all the stats update in real-time — but it’s not as ideal as being at Carver. (For the record, I don’t actually sit and watch the GameCast. I keep it updating in the background and check it every now and then.) Before leaving Iowa, my mom talked about getting staff season tickets for football next fall. That’d be sweet, but I’d love it if we got season tickets for men’s basketball, too. Regardless of how good or bad the Hawks are next season, I’d go to every game if I could.

It’s more than obvious the Hawks are pretty bad (young) this season, and tonight’s game against Tennessee State seemed like a dogfight between two underperforming teams hungry for a win. The Hawks and Tigers (the TSU logo looks a little too similar to LSU’s, if you ask me) were neck and neck the entire second half. The Tigers’ starting forward, Josh Sain, hit three 3’s in just over a minute, but the Hawks matched every one of his points. As a matter of fact, each Hawkeye who dressed tonight got at least one bucket. Iowa forward Aaron Fuller had a beastly 24 points (a career high), twice as many as Matt Gatens, the Hawks’ current leading scorer. Cully Payne had a surprising 11 — surprising because it’s sometimes a struggle for him to even bring the ball past half court. (Looking at the stats, I see three 3’s accounted for nine of Cully’s points. Maybe those were half-court shots.)

No, I’m not talking shit. I’m just having a little fun. This is likely the last time the Hawks tally a W this season, so I’m entitled to a little playful, good-humored joking to relish the victory. I’d love it if the team could squeak out a road win, or beat Penn State and Indiana at home, but I’ll still cheer and fight if they don’t.

Go Hawks!