2014 Big Ten Tournament: 5 Things To Watch

Mar 2, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes forward Aaron White (30) defends Purdue Boilermakers guard Rapheal Davis (35) during the second half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Hawkeyes won 83-76. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Iowa Looking To Rebound

The Hawkeyes started the season strong and by mid-season were flirting with a top ten ranking. but Iowa faded down the stretch putting the teams first NCAA tournament bid in eight seasons in jeopardy.

Iowa has lost 5 of their last six and come into the 2014 Big Ten Tournament as a 6th seed. A disappointing finish for a team that looked as if they could challenge for a big Ten title.

Now its up to the Hawkeyes (20-11 9-9 Big Ten) to capitalize on a favorable first round match-up with the lowly Northwestern Wildcats. A game they can’t afford to overlook.

"We’ve got to get back to playing hard defensively. Get back to making the game fun,” Iowa forward Aaron White said. “We lost our swag, lost how we were playing, lost our confidence. And when you lose that, it’s not as fun. We had a phenomenal practice (Monday) and really got after it. I kind of look at this as a new season. It really doesn’t matter what happened. Clean slate and start over.”"

An embarrassing loss to Northwestern could cost the Hawkeyes their bid in the tournament. That would be an unacceptable end to the season for the most talented Iowa Hawkeyes team in years.