Just because Freeman's foot healed doesn't make him any less gimpy.
Sado-masochistic Hawkeye fans, take heed: tonight is the first of many where you will find yourself watching the Big Ten Network, sobbing from the pain of jumper cables attached to your nipples, and fully aroused. The ambience will be complemented perfectly by the Iowa basketball team, who are set to begin an 18-game stretch of futility never before seen in program history.
For as unremarkable as Iowa's program history is, they've never, ever lost more than 16 games in a season. Sure, they didn't start playing 25 games a year until the mid-70's, but about the worst season you'll ever find is '89-'90, when they went 12-16 (4-14). This year will, um, probably sink below that.
Yes, the conference season starts tonight, and that includes the Hawkeyes hosting #13 Indiana at 8:05 on the BTN.
The Hoosier Report has a nice writeup on the game as well as on the state of the Iowa program (which is about as grisly as the last half of Hostel, but you knew that), so give them a quick perusal.
Any predictions? I'm thinking Indiana wins by about 300 points.