Iowa Hawkeyes’ Joe Wieskamp Reveals How They Overcame the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The Iowa Hawkeyes aren’t having the campaign they expected. With a 14-6 record, they are fifth in the Big Ten conference currently. However, they have had a few impressive wins too, the most recent one coming against Rutgers.

They beat the Scarlet Knights 79-66 to complete the sweep against them. After the game, Hawkeyes‘ Joe Wieskamp spoke about what they did differently to stop the Scarlet Knights.

He said, “We had a great couple of days of practice leading up to this game. We knew that Rutgers was a team that goes on runs. They can go on big spurts, 7-0, 9-0 runs. I think we did a good job of not letting them get on good runs, and we really focused defensively. We did a good job of being up into their space and trying to take things that they’re trying to do.”

Can the Iowa Hawkeyes finish the season strongly?

The Hawkeyes started the season with a 6-0 run, but then they fell to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Although they weren’t favorites in that game, their loss against the Minnesota Gophers was surprising.

They regrouped well, and went on a 5-0 run, but were halted this time by the Indiana Hoosiers who handed them their third defeat. This was the beginning of a terrible run for them. They lost their next game to the Illinois Fighting Illini and beat the Michigan State Spartans after that. Their misfortunes continued as they lost back-to-back games against the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Hoosiers once again.

This is why their win against the Scarlet Knights was crucial as they put an end to a run of one win in five games. Although their record doesn’t live up to their contender status, it was their fifth win against ranked opponents this season. No other team has achieved that yet this year.

The Hawkeyes have six games remaining now and will aim to win each of them. The toughest fixture will be their game against the Michigan Wolverines, who have lost just once all season. They also have an opportunity for revenge against the Buckeyes. The difficulty of this schedule is high, but if the Hawkeyes want to establish themselves as contenders, they will need a strong showing.