11am CST start times really shouldn't bother us that much -- half the football games Iowa plays kickoff then -- but it's still a little weird when it happens with basketball. Especially on a Sunday. In any event, Iowa's brutal starting stretch in Big Ten play (five ranked opponents in the first six games... well, assuming Minnesota is still ranked a week from now) continues, with the Hawks taking their first road trip of the season. The destination is West Lafayette, home of none other than Our Most Hated Rival. Oh, how we detest them.
Anyway, OMHR is quite good at the hoopyball thing this year, even without Robbie Hummel and his mutinous ACLs. They're 14-1 and atop the (very early) Big Ten standings. We could take some consolation in the fact that eight ranked teams lost yesterday (seven to unranked foes), but all but one of those underdogs pulled off the win on their home court. In any event, give us your brunch menus and settle in for some hoopyball. The usual rules of open threads apply -- no porn, no piracy, no slurs, etc. Don't be a twat. Game's on (where else?) BTN.