Iowa 67, Purdue 65

Woooo hoooooooo!

As the saying goes, the third time’s a charm. After two tough, close, home loses to Wisconsin and Michigan, the Hawkeyes pulled of a huge upset today, beating the sixth ranked Purdue Boilermakers, 67-65, on national television to close out the regular season. The students stormed the court, the Hawks were featured on the ESPN.com front page (the headline was “Spoilermakers”), and I hope the visiting point guard recruit was thoroughly impressed.

As for the Boilermakers: the loss gives the regular season conference title to Ohio State and Purdue is likely relegated to a two seed in the Big Dance. Purdue is a damn good team, but they thankfully shot like shit today.

Jarryd Cole scored an inspired 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in his last home game as a Hawkeye. I have to say, though the pre-game senior ceremony was not as formal as I expected (this was the first Senior Day Hawkeye game I have ever attended), it was very emotional. Cole has endured more loses than any Hawkeye men’s basketball player, and much has been made about his loyalty to the program during an era of coaching turmoil and player defections. He is an undersized post player, but has played tough and smart all year. His experience and veteran leadership will be missed.

The Hawks will now head to Indianapolis for the conference tournament. They will be the 10th seed since they have one more win than the Hoosiers. I am unsure who the Hawks will be paired with, but I think today’s win will give them a hell of a boost. They may get bounced out in the first round anyway, but they should enjoy the high of the upset and try to take the momentum into Thursday.