Hawkeyes next step for cagers

By RYAN JONES
Collegian Sports Writer

Improbable as it may seem, the men's basketball team is still playing.

In a pair of postseason games so far, the Nittany Lions trailed by at least a dozen points in the second half -- the last time on the road --and yet somehow managed to come back for victories.

Tonight, the unlikely journey becomes even more daunting.

Penn State (19-10), only a step away from a berth in the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament, will face off with Big Ten foe Iowa (21-11) at 8 p.m. today at Iowa's Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The game will be televised by KBL (TCI Ch. 40).

The matchup of two conference teams -- the only two Big Ten teams still participating in postseason play -- in an NIT quarterfinal matchup is intriguing in itself. But the paths of the teams involved, which have already crossed once this season, make for an even more interesting showdown.

The Hawkeyes finished the regular season with 19 wins and a 9-9 conference record, marks that had them on the NCAA tournament bubble. The tournament selection committee picked the top six Big Ten teams and left Iowa out, tabbing Coach Tom Davis' team as one that many felt was robbed.

"Iowa had a great year and could easily have been in the NCAA tournament," Lion Coach Bruce Parkhill said.

Injuries, most notably to sophomore forward and 1994 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jess Settles, kept the Hawkeyes from attaining the kind of success they hinted at early in the year.

It was a hobbled Iowa team that came into Rec Hall in early February and dropped a 10-point decision to the Lions. From that point on, however, the Hawkeyes have gone 8-3, including NIT wins over DePaul and Ohio.

Now they'll welcome Penn State for a rematch, and the pregame advantage is undoubtedly Iowa's. Aside from being healthier than they were in February, the Hawkeyes will try for payback on the parquet of Carver-Hawkeye.

Facing a road-weary team in a building where they've won 158 of 200 games, the Hawkeyes will have an edge Parkhill was quick to point out.

"It's a challenge for us to be on the road all week," he said. "They are really tough to beat at Carver-Hawkeye Arena."

If the Lions are to pull out another win and extend their late-season run, overcoming another second-half deficit won't be the easiest way to go about it.

Center John Amaechi, who has averaged 16.5 points and 11 rebounds in Penn State's two tournament games, knows such come-from-behind wins are great for fans, but not necessarily for teams.

"It's a bad habit and we have to stop doing that," he said.