The Iowa basketball team dug a deep hole in November and December last season, and almost climbed out.
The same chore awaits the Hawkeyes now that the calendar has flipped to 2018.
Iowa gets back into Big Ten play with Tuesday’s home game against Michigan. The Hawkeyes are 9-6 overall, 0-2 in the conference.
The resumé isn’t that good.
• The Hawkeyes were 154th in the RPI heading into Sunday’s games.
• Their strength of schedule ranks 202nd.
• They rank 68th in the Sagarin ratings, 76th in KenPom.
It is a deep hole, a little deeper than last season when they ended up with 18 regular-season wins and were one of the last teams out of the NCAA tournament.
The Hawkeyes went 9-4 in nonconference play — they went 8-5 last season — but they are already having to work their way out of the opening Big Ten losses to Penn State and Indiana.
But, much like last season, they closed the nonconference schedule with five consecutive wins, heading back into the meat of the Big Ten schedule with some momentum.
“We had to start winning some games,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “We had to beat some good teams.”
If the Hawkeyes want to get to the NCAA tournament — and nothing is out of the question at this point in the season — they have some work to do.
A look at the keys for January and February:
— Easing Jordan Bohannon’s workload. The sophomore point guard headed into fall practice with Christian Williams as his backup, but Williams decided to transfer. Then freshman Connor McCaffery was going to be the backup, but then he a.) hurt his ankle, b.) came down with mono and c.) had his tonsils removed.
Bohannon already averages a team-high 28 minutes per game, and his workload won’t decrease in Big Ten play.
“You have to get other guys to step up and help him,” Fran McCaffery said last week. “Other than that, you have to watch how you use him in practice. We’re going to pace him.”
So who backs him up?
— Maishe Dailey. The sophomore has stepped up, scoring 32 points in his last three games.
Dailey was lost in the shuffle last season, but never stopped working. He stuck with the Hawkeyes, and now he’s getting a chance.
“In a lot of ways, it’s rare these days,” McCaffery said. “A lot of guys get antsy and move on. He stayed the course.”
Dailey is capable of playing both guard spots and small forward, but for now he seems ticketed to be Bohannon’s backup.
— The development of Luka Garza and Jack Nunge. You can tell the two freshman centers play with confidence and they have the ability.
The key will be to be more consistent.
Garza, who started the first nine games of the season, is averaging 10.4 points per game. He’s struggled in the five games against teams from the top conferences, scoring 20 points against Virginia Tech, Penn State, Indiana, Iowa State and Colorado. But he said he’s learned from those games.
Nunge, too, is learning. He’s averaging 8.3 points, but he scored just 24 points in the last four games.
Both can be difficult matchups for opposing defenses because of their ability to shoot from the outside. They will still hit some bumps in Big Ten play, but it will be better for the Hawkeyes if those happen sooner than later.
— Watch Tyler Cook’s mid-range jumper. Cook is averaging a team-best 13.9 points per game, and the Hawkeyes will lean on him in Big Ten play, because he’s so talented.
In Friday’s win over Northern Illinois, Cook hit three jumpers in that 15-18 foot range.
If he does that consistently?
“That’s a game-changer,” McCaffery said.
A lot of things will have to go right for the Hawkeyes in the next two months if they want to get back to the NCAA tournament.
It’s another hole. But they have the chance to get out.
BLUDER’S BUNCH MOVING UP
The 82-72 win by Iowa’s women’s team over No. 21 Michigan on Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena was impressive, considering two of the key Hawkeyes were on the bench in coaching roles rather than as players.
Guards Makenzie Meyer (out indefinitely with a broken hand) and Tania Davis (out for the season with a torn ACL) spent timeouts talking with teammates since they can’t be on the court.
And yet the No. 23 Hawkeyes moved to 14-1 overall, 2-0 in Big Ten play, with the win.
This is a tough-minded group. Center Megan Gustafson is one of the best players in the nation — she has had 14 double-doubles this season. Kathleen Doyle has stepped into the starting point-guard spot that she had last season when Davis got hurt the first time, and commands the offense.
Every piece of the puzzle seems to fit for the Hawkeyes, who will be tested on the road in the next two games, starting with Thursday’s game at Maryland.
Senior Carly Mohns says there is a “grit” about these Hawkeyes, and it shows. Their margin of error is thin — another key injury could be devastating if it’s a while before Meyer returns — but this team has the talent to stay in the Big Ten title race.
The Hawkeyes are in good position to get back to the NCAA tournament after missing it the last two seasons. That’s a credit to Bluder and her staff, but that’s also a credit to the players.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE WEEK
— Western Illinois’ women’s team let a double-digit first-half lead get away in a nonconference loss to Bradley, then came back for a rout of Fort Wayne in the Summit League opener two nights later.
The Leathernecks, winners of the Summit League regular-season and tournament titles last season, have the talent and the confidence to repeat. The ability to bounce back from a tough loss is the sign of a veteran team.
— UNI is 0-2 in Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball play, but I still think the Panthers can be players in the league race.
It’s a team built on defense, and right now the Panthers aren’t defending. That’s correctable.
What coach Ben Jacobson has to do now is find a consistent offense. The Panthers have to make outside shots to be successful.
— Drake is 2-0 in Valley play. The Bulldogs are 8-7 overall under first-year coach Niko Medved.
There’s enough talent there for Drake to be pesky in the Valley race.
THE WISE AP BALLOT
The choice for No. 1, after a rough weekend for the top teams, was between Duke and Michigan State.
The Blue Devils beat the Spartans in the second game of the season. That was the deciding factor for me.
1. Duke
2. Michigan State
3. Arizona State
4. Villanova
5. West Virginia
6. Xavier
7. Virginia
8. Oklahoma
9. TCU
10. Wichita State
11. Texas A&M
12. Kentucky
13. Miami (Fla.)
14. North Carolina
15. Kansas
16. Purdue
17. Arizona
18. Texas Tech
19. Arkansas
20. Tennessee
21. Gonzaga
22. Baylor
23. Cincinnati
24. Seton Hall
25. Creighton