Here's a portion of what Iowa's head coach had to say before Thursday's Senior Night showdown.
How do you feel after Saturday [loss to Penn State]?
"You would like to win the game, obviously. But, I think it's, it's one of those things that you just kind of continue to move forward and continue to try to grow. It is unfortunately part of the process. It's not acceptable. It's not something that we just say, 'Oh yeah, it's okay.' But we also understand where we're at and what we need to do to continue to grow and get better."
What's the scouting report on Michigan?
"They're really good, they're really good. They're really good. I'm sure Dusty [May, Michigan head coach] will watch this. So as long as Dusty stays out of the way, they'll be fine."
Can you elaborate more on those little mistakes you talked about in Penn State?
"I mean, there's just transition defense. There's, you know, transition defense, there's like, 'Okay, can I sprint back, or do I go at 90%?' If you sprint back, can you go 100% which we did against Nebraska. Now you prevent baskets from happening. Do I contest a shot, or is my hand down? Does that decrease somebody's percentage, 10% or whatever?' Just like stuff like that. The fine details, we just can't afford to not do that. And those are some things that I thought we didn't do down the stretch."
With their [Michigan's] size up front. What's the challenge for you guys on just managing seven-foot and 6-foot-9, 6-foot-9?
"I think it's even more important that they're really skilled. You know, those bigs are really skilled, and their staff did a great job of building a really good roster. They've obviously [Aday] Mara, Morez [Johnson Jr.] and Yaxel [Lendeborg]. Those guys are huge, and then their guards are good too. All their shooters off the bench, like, they just have a good roster. What challenges? Probably the same that it presents for everybody else. Everybody else. That's why they've haven't lost a lot of games. Morez's energy is absolutely through the roof. His leadership ability - we watch him on film, is elite. And then obviously they've got such good skill and length."
How would you describe your relationship with Bennett [Stirtz]?
"I think we've been through a lot just moving so many different times, and we'll probably never realize it till five, six years down the road. Like, this is a pretty epic deal. Who does that? Like, Who? Who does what he did? Go from Division II to mid-major to Big Ten over span. Like, it's the span of a two year deal. He was just in Maryville [Missouri] two years ago, like, this is ridiculous, what he's done, and so we'll probably look back at it in four or five years, and be like - 'man, this is pretty cool. And to handle it the way he's done it, and take it in stride and handle it with the humility that he does and still be a good person is pretty impressive."
Looking for a FREE Hawkeyes community?
Don't miss out on our Roundtable community and the latest news! It's completely FREE to join.
Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members. Download the FREE Roundtable APP and stay even more connected!