Comparison shopping
Tuesday’s Big Ten opener against Purdue provided the Iowa basketball team with a firsthand look at a second of the nation’s top-four rated college teams.
Texas, which handed the Hawkeyes an 85-60 loss in the semifinals of the CBE Classic, and Purdue are different teams.
The Boilermakers did not show either the depth or athleticism that the Longhorns have used to build a 12-0 record. Purdue may be the better defensive team of the two, as Iowa found out in its 67-56 loss at Carver-Hawkeye.
“They’re similar, though,” Iowa freshman Eric May said. “They both come at you with a real physical game and they don’t let up.”
Iowa sophomore Matt Gatens saw another similarity.
“It’s still a loss, but we hung with two of the top teams in America for more than a half. We were ahead or tied against both,” Gatens said, referring to Iowa’s halftime tie against Texas and its one-point lead over Purdue at the break.
“We’ve just got to finish games out. We should know from this that we are close. It’s just a matter of putting halves together.”
Iowa coach Todd Lickliter had interest in another comparison following Tuesday’s game. Purdue steps outside of Big Ten action on New Year’s Day, hosting West Virginia at Mackey Arena.
“Purdue plays the game with a lot of energy,” Lickliter said. “They are as aggressive of a team as we’ve played. I thought the West Virginia team we saw a year ago at Las Vegas was aggressive, but this Purdue team is at that same level. It should be a very interesting match-up later this week.”
