BEFORE WE GET INTO THE FOOTBALL INFO, IOWA HAS A BASKETBALL GAME TONIGHT. Fran McCaffery's men's basketball team tips-off their season tonight against UNC-Wilmington. Anthony Clemmons missed Iowa's exhibition game Sunday but McCaffery says he'll be ready for tonight. Iowa will begin the season without junior guard Josh Oglesby. He broke his foot and will miss 4-6 weeks. Iowa is a 26 point favorite to win their season opener.
HOW TO WATCH HAWKEYE HOOPS. The game will tip-off late, at 8:32 pm (CT). It's web-stream only and you can watch on ESPN3 . BTN2Go says the game will be available there after 12:00 am (Eastern). If that doesn't work for you, listen to Dolph and Bobby on the Hawkeye Radio Network. We don't promote illegal Internet streams here but if you're web savvy, you should be able to find something on Twitter or around the various Hawkeye message boards. We'll have a game thread if you'd like to follow along.
SOME HOOPS OTHER LINKS:
- Ready for tip off: Five keys to Iowa's season
- Iowa works late-game strategy for future excellence
- 2013-14 NCAA Basketball Preview: The Big Ten
- Joe Lunardi: Bracketology
- Hawkeyes looking for more after NIT run
- Iowa MBB notes: Fouls, recruiting, injuries
- 11/6/2013: Iowa men's basketball notebook
- Uthoff hopes to silence nerves in Iowa debut
- 2013-14 Big Ten men's basketball previews: Iowa
- Hawkeyes' fall recruiting options running out
- Jarrod Uthoff interview: Nov. 6, 2013
- Gabriel Olaseni interview: Nov. 6, 2013
- Run the Floor's preseason Top 25: Iowa #17
- New rules create fear and doubt among coaches
- NBC Sports has Iowa as a 4 seed
- Know Your Iowa Basketball Foes: UNC-Wilmington
TOMORROW, PURDUE. The Hawkeye football team heads to West Lafayette to take on their most hated rival. Kickoff is set for 11:00 am (CT). The game will broadcast on the Big Ten Network. My Direct TV guide shows channel 610 (no alternate). For online viewing, BTN2Go will also have a live stream. Dolph and Ed will be on the Hawkeye Radio Network with the call. Check 1040 WHO Radio in central Iowa or 600 WMT Cedar Rapids for the eastern portion of the state.
WEATHER. (Source)
THE SPREAD. The spread opened at Iowa -14.5, moved to -16 and is back to -14.5 again. Per the Spread dot com, Iowa is getting 88% of the money and is the #3 most publicly bet college football team this week. I don't give gambling advice but if I did I'd say stay away. (Source)
PREDICTIONS: Unlike last week, everyone is picking Iowa to win. Marc Morehouse says Iowa 10, Purdue 3 in what would surely be an exciting game. ESPN Big Ten bloggers Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett see Iowa winning easily. And at the BTN, there's four picks for Iowa. A couple blowouts and a couple closer than expected games.
WITH A WIN IOWA BECOMES BOWL ELIGIBLE. Neither Ferentz or his players are talking bowl games. Anthony Hitchens knows getting win number six is important. "We want to win the rest of them," said Hitchens. He added "six (wins) would be big for the program"
MARVIN MCNUTT WOULD BE A BIG HELP IN GETTING TO SIX WINS.
Bowl eligibility is on the line tomorrow as the Hawks take on the Purdue Boilermakers | #GoHawks #Swarm2013 pic.twitter.com/8fySwg3zhw
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 8, 2013
KEY TO BEATING PURDUE. Iowa's run game has faced some tough defenses in Big Ten play. Purdue will rotate three freshmen along their DLine and Saturday is a good chance to Iowa to get their mojo back. It starts with the offensive line and Brandon Scherff is the leader there.
IF THE HAWKS CAN FIX THE RUN GAME, MAYBE THEY CAN FIX THIS TOO.
Iowa is playing well except for the 4Q where they are being outscored 71-27 including 0-33 last 4 games.
— Phil Steele (@philsteele042) November 7, 2013
CONGRATS.
LB James Morris, QB Jake Rudock & OL Bret Van Sloten have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 first team! #GoHawks
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) November 7, 2013
THE KID CAPTAIN.
UI Children's Hospital Kid Captain 2013: Aidan Hanson (via UIChildrens)
GREG DAVIS TALKS ROAD TRIPS.
Greg Davis Post-Practice Interview -- Nov. 7, 2013 (via Iowa Hawkeyes)
WTG FIELD HOCKEY.
What a finish!!!! @IowaFieldHockey upends Penn State 4-3 in overtime at the #B1GTourney semifinals. #Hawkeyes
— The Iowa Hawkeyes (@TheIowaHawkeyes) November 8, 2013
OTHER LINKS:
- Three and Out - What does ‘stadium experience' mean?
- Football coaches finally get summer access
- Iowa at Purdue (What to expect)
- Challenges faced by Hazell, Purdue familiar to Ferentz
- Podcast: ‘On Iowa' talks Purdue, predicts hoops
- The weekly Hawkeye Sports Report
- Iowa soccer beats Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament: Highlights
- What to watch Big Ten: Week 11
- Hazell's health holding up despite team's struggles
- Hawkeye Drive: Talkin Hawks podcast
- Ferentz radio recap
- Boffeli no longer restless
- 1-on-1 with Melissa Dixon
- Back-up center Nicole Smith will have surgery on her knee
- The Hlas podcast
- Improved Iowa still needs to finish
- Purdue's best weapon is the punter
- St. Louis RB makes it 16 commits
- Four-down territory: Purdue
- Hawks remember last season's loss to Boilers
- Extension nearly set for Iowa-Iowa State football