As rivalries go, Iowa-Iowa State doesn’t get a great deal of pub compared to many others. We all know Duke-North Carolina, Kentucky-Louisville, Georgetown-Syracuse, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State (Bedlam), and more. But Iowa-Iowa State has become quite a rivalry all its own; two years ago in the same building, they played a thriller that the Cyclones won. Thursday night provided the latest chapter in Hilton Coliseum.
It not only provided quite a story line with the game’s result, but also with what happened to someone who is not a part of either program.
The bottom line of the night is that Iowa State won 83-82, rallying from a 20-point deficit in the second half. They won their third straight over the Hawkeyes despite Iowa forward Jarrod Uthoff scoring 30 points in the first half, though he only scored two more in the latter frame to set a new career high of 32 points after he had done just that in their prior game, scoring 27 in that one.
As great as the game was, and as interesting as the comeback is, the big story coming out of this game is that Des Moines Register reporter Randy Peterson was trampled when fans rushed the court. He was carried off on a stretcher, and a report from his paper indicate he has a broken leg, both the tibia and fibula. This isn’t the only adversity for Peterson, as his wife, Patty, is battling cancer. We send our wishes for a speedy and (more importantly) full recovery to Randy, as well as our best wishes to his wife as she battles cancer.
This is a tough one to swallow for Iowa, and not just for the obvious fact of blowing a big lead and losing it. It’s also a missed opportunity, as the Hawkeyes are 7-3 but could have used a signature road win. They have no bad losses, but their best win is over Wichita State at a neutral site without Fred VanVleet, and that win doesn’t look as good as first thought. This is also the last chance in non-conference play for such a win, as all that remains before Big Ten play are visits from Drake and Tennessee Tech. They’ll have plenty of chances in Big Ten play, though.
So the summary in Ames goes something like this: Iowa State comes from behind again to remain undefeated, Iowa misses an opportunity, and a writer gets seriously injured afterwards. Just the latest chapter in what is clearly an underrated rivalry in college basketball.
Side Dishes
It was a relatively light night, but there were a couple of other scores that might leap out at you at first glance even though none is an earth-shattering surprise. Southern beat Wyoming 68-58 in Laramie to improve to 6-2, while Idaho beat Washington State 78-74.
Alabama will be without starting point guard Dazon Ingram for the rest of the season, a tough blow in more ways than one. The freshman suffered a fractured left foot in practice on Tuesday and is slated for surgery on Friday morning. Ingram had started all seven games thus far, during which the Crimson Tide has gone 5-2, and besides the fact that he starts and has played well, this is key development time. Sophomore Justin Coleman would appear the likely starter at the point the rest of the way.
It seems Travis Ford just can’t catch a break. The Oklahoma State coach had a night off and went to watch Stillwater High School, where his son plays, as they traveled to Bixby High School. Stillwater lost the game, but the bigger story is that Travis was ejected from the game despite, according to local reports, doing nothing to warrant it. Seated a little behind his son’s team’s bench, a referee simply told him he was gone, and he walked out without incident. Ford’s Cowboys are 5-3 on the season and take on Minnesota in Sioux Falls on Saturday night.
Tonight’s Menu
Not unlike late January through the rest of the regular season, this Friday has a light slate as only six Division I games are on tap.
- Eastern Washington visits Pittsburgh in a game that is part of the Gotham Classic.
- USC Upstate hosts North Greenville.
- Still in search of their first win of the season, Prairie View visits TCU.
- UT-Martin hits the road to play UT-Rio Grande Valley.
- Valparaiso looks to keep their great start going as they travel to take on Chicago State.
- In perhaps the most interesting matchup of the night, North Dakota hosts North Dakota State.
