Bracketology 2021: Texas, Tulsa, and Clemson among biggest winners

Iowa Hawkeyes

There a couple of exceptions of course, but it’s fair to say that anything can happen in Big Ten play. Each week, depending on the schedule, a few teams will stand out, and there might regularly be one making their case to appear on this list. The standings in this conference will rocket back and forth throughout the season, but among the teams that stood out this past week, it’s hard to top what Iowa accomplished.

The Hawkeyes picked up a pair of wins over ranked teams to get things going in Big Ten play. Now 3-1 in the conference, the Hawkeyes took care of business against #19 Northwestern by 15 points before traveling to #14 Rutgers and narrowly edging out the Scarlet Knights. Luka Garza continues to be a force while Jordan Bohannon (24 points against Northwestern) and the Hawkeyes’ long-range shooting has been excellent in recent games.

Now at 9-2, Iowa is back up to #5 in the AP Top 25, which is exactly where they started when the season began. Their only losses were to Gonzaga and Minnesota, though there’s nothing wrong with each of these defeats based on how these two teams have played. The Big Ten is going to be a rocky ride the rest of the season, but with Garza, the Hawkeyes likely have the best player in the league.

There’s no telling what happens these next two months in Big Ten play, but Iowa is a team that can really go on a run. With the way these Big Ten teams beat each other up these next few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see if any of the teams have the resume to nab a 1-seed; though Iowa may be the likeliest candidate based on their recent play.