Iowa Basketball: 3 keys to Round of 64 upset over Cincinnati

IOWA CITY, IOWA- FEBRUARY 01: Guard Jordan Bohannon #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes drives down the court in the second half against forward Isaiah Livers #4 of the Michigan Wolverines, on February 1, 2019 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 03: Jordan Bohannon #3 of the Iowa Hawkeyes during pregame introductions before the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on December 3, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

3. Regroup mentally

Yes, there are plenty of Xs and Os to discuss pertaining to a possible upset of Cincinnati on Friday. But nothing is more important for this Hawkeyes team than a mental refresher.

Things have not been going well on the court for Iowa recently. They’ve lost five of their last six games, including three by at least 20 points. Their only win in that stretch came against Illinois, hardly something to beam about.

The season has also included weird off-the-court distractions. Coach Fran McCaffrey was suspended for two games after ripping into officials, a common problem of his. A broadcaster was also banned from covering the team after referring to Maryland’s Bruno Fernando in racist terms.

Basically, it’s been about everything but playing winning basketball in recent weeks.

Iowa has the ability to win major games, though. They won their early season tournament, knocking off Oregon (with Bol Bol) and UConn in the process. They’ve also secured dominant wins over the likes of Iowa State and Michigan.

Momentum can play a large part in how a team performs in the NCAA Tournament. Just this week, Marquette saw a tough stretch devolve into a blowout elimination at the hands of Murray State.

Iowa needs to be mentally prepared to have a shot at the upset.

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