HOUSTON — The Iowa men's basketball team is back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 and on the hunt for its first Sweet 16 win since 1987.
The No. 9 seed Hawkeyes (23-12, 10-10 Big Ten) face No. 4 seed Nebraska (28-6, 13-7 Big Ten) tonight at 6:30 p.m. on TBS and TruTV.
Before the action, here's a look back at Iowa's last appearance, which ended in a loss to eventual champion Connecticut, and its last win, which came in overtime over Oklahoma.
Davis’ tenure ends at Iowa (March 19, 1999)
Coach was Hawks' leader for 13 years
Say what you will about Tom Davis’ tenure as University of Iowa basketball coach, but be sure you saw this: The man never quit.
Even as an eventual 78-68 defeat loomed with a double-digit deficit in the final moments Thursday against a highly talented Connecticut team, Davis kept coaching, calling timeouts, plotting strategy and railing at the officials.
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It was a fitting way for his 13-year career in charge of Hawkeye hoops to end.
Nor did his team quit despite odds that may have been greater than many realized. An article in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated projected five members of the Connecticut team as future NBA or CBA players. Iowa? The magazine predicted that no Hawkeyes will play professionally in the United States.
Still, with 10 minutes to play, the NCAA regional semifinal was tied. With five minutes left, it was close enough to have gone either way. With five seconds to play, Davis was still urging his team to apply defensive pressure. No quitting.
Davis, Hawks exit with dignity (March 19, 1999)
Iowa sticks with top seed UConn until the end
By Steve Batterson, Quad-City Times
PHOENIX — With his hands tucked in his pants pockets, Tom Davis watched the final seconds of his tenure as Iowa’s basketball coach tick off the clock. There were no tears. Just hugs and handshakes as Davis watched his team go down fighting before it fell to Connecticut 78-68 on Thursday in the West Regional semifinal at the America West Arena.
“It’s been a long season but a good season, and we finished as well as we could,” said senior J.R. Koch, who capped his collegiate career with a team-high 14 points.
Although his team fell behind by double digits with a little more than two minutes remaining in a 13-year run, Davis coached until the final second of his contract expired. He substituted offensive players for defensive players and looked for some magic spark that wasn’t meant to be.
“We wanted to go out playing our best basketball of the season, and I think we did that,” said Jason Bauer, a senior who shared team-high honors with six rebounds. “I don’t think I ever put more into a team than I put into this team. I’m emotionally and physically drained,” Davis said. “I’m proud of the fight they put up.”
Connecticut had to earn its second straight spot in the final eight.
where surprising Gonzaga is the only thing that stands between the Huskies and their first-ever trip to the Final Four.
“Iowa played us the way they had to play us. They were physical, and they adjusted better than we did to the way the game was being called,” Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said. “It was anything but easy out there.”
The teams went into the final 10 minutes deadlocked at 53 before the top-seeded Huskies distanced themselves from Iowa by scoring six consecutive points.
Kevin Freeman slipped past the Iowa defense for a pair of slams separated by a lay-in by All-American Richard Hamilton that left the Hawkeyes with a 59-53 problem and sent Hamilton on his way to a 23-point game.
The Hawkeyes struggled to find answers to Hamilton and Freeman inside and the 3-point shooting of Albert Mouring.
Mouring’s third 3-pointer of the game extended the third-ranked Huskies’ lead to 64-57 with 5 minutes, 4 seconds to play, and when Freeman hit two free throws two minutes later, the Hawkeyes trailed 66-57.
Not all of the action was strictly of the basketball variety. A scuffle nearly broke out as the halftime buzzer sounded. Iowa’s Joey Range caught the Huskies’ Khalid El-Amin with a quick jab as the pair met on their way off the court.
El-Amin responded, and the Hawkeyes’ Jacob Jaacks became intertwined in the mix before Iowa entered the locker room down 40-35 at the break.
“He gave me a little shove and I didn’t care for it, so I returned the favor,” said El-Amin, who finished with 21 points while directing an offense that hit 54.2 percent of its shots.
“We didn’t set up our press break the way it was supposed to be run,” El-Amin said. “I give them credit. They came to play.”
The Hawkeyes’ biggest problem in the opening half was Connecticut’s 64 percent shooting. Six 3-point field goals and a small edge on the boards kept Iowa close, although the Huskies maintained a five-to-seven point lead throughout much of the half.
Connecticut connected from 3-point range, utilizing a pair of 3-pointers by Mouring and one by Hamilton to open a 32-25 lead with 5:59 remaining in the opening half.
Iowa came no closer than five points the remainder of the half but wiped away the Huskies’ lead during the opening five minutes of the second half.
Davis bows out gracefully after 13 years (March 19, 1999)
Coach hasn't thought about other options
By Steve Batterson, Quad-City Times
PHOENIX — It’s over. Tom Davis no longer has to endure the seemingly endless string of questions about what it’s like to be a lame-duck basketball coach overseeing a big-time program.
The winningest basketball coach in Hawkeyes history saw his Iowa career end Thursday with a 78-68 loss to Connecticut in the semifinal round of the NCAA West Regional.
“Tom and his staff have handled this as well as could be expected,” Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby said Thursday night. “Tom always displayed a lot of dignity, and he has carried that throughout the year.
“Anytime you choose to play out the final year of a contract, there is some risk involved and our staff has handled things as well as they could,” Bowlsby said.
Davis’ office has been readied for its new occupant, and Davis has shuffled his belongings to his West Des Moines home that sits a chip shot away from Finkbine Golf Course.
“When it’s all done, there will be time to reflect and think about what has happened,” Davis said. “Honestly, I haven’t thought much about my situation or even what I’m going to do in the future.”
Instead, the focus from the day he learned that Bowlsby had opted not to renew his contract has been the same.
“The guys who have covered us all year probably get tired of hearing it, but I really have tried to keep the focus on the club,” Davis said. “That’s something I’ve always done, and this year didn’t need to be any different. This year belongs to the team, and the focus should be with them.”
Davis acknowledges that several schools have called to see if he would be interested in operating their programs next year.
He won’t name schools, and now that Iowa has seen its 20-10 season end, the 60-year old Davis will begin to review his options.
“I’m flattered that other people would be interested in talking with me, but I want to take a little time to think through things,” Davis said. “I don’t know if I’ll coach again or if this will be it.
“Basketball seasons tend to wipe a coach out — they exhaust you physically and mentally — and I want to take some time. Usually after a week or two, you’re ready to go again, but we’ll see. We’ll have a lot of things to think about.”
Competition was paramount for Settles (March 19, 1999)
6th-year senior enjoyed final season
By Steve Batterson, Quad-City Times
PHOENIX — If nothing else, Jess Settles is thankful that he had the opportunity.
Iowa’s sixth-year senior forward concluded his college career Thursday, scoring 11 points in the Hawkeyes’ 78-68 loss to Connecticut.
“This has been like a dream to me. It’s been an opportunity that I thought I might never have again, so I’ve tried to savor every game, every moment,” Settles said.
Settles’ college moments ended in the West Region semifinals of the NCAA Tournament, the furthest the Hawkeyes had advanced in postseason play since 1988.
“That was important to me. To be able to finish this thing with good memories and with a sense of accomplishment is something that was important to me,” Settles said.
Accomplishments were not in short supply for Settles during a college career that began during the 1993-94 season after a storied prep career at Winfield-Mount Union.
A two-time preseason Big Ten player of the year and two-time all-conference selection, Settles watched it almost slip away during two years on the sidelines as he dealt with back problems.
“The thrill for me, no matter how long this postseason run carries us, is just the fact that I’m back out and competing,” Settles said.
Iowa coach Tom Davis considers it one of the greatest comeback stories he has been associated with during his 28-year head coaching career.
“What a story. Who would have ever thought he would have the type of season he’s had,” Davis said.
Settles has led the Hawkeyes in scoring in seven games and he has reached double figures 12 times, but the 6-foot-7 forward saved his best for last.
He averaged 16.8 points over Iowa’s final seven games, putting the finishing touches on a career that ranks him among the Hawkeyes’ career top 10 in eight different categories.
“The thing that impresses me the most is that I’ve never seen Jess work any harder than I’ve seen him work the last few weeks,” Davis said. “That tells me how much finishing strong meant to him, and that rubbed off on everybody else on the team.”
Settles didn’t want to finish any other way.
“It’s been such a strange year. We needed something to make everybody feel good about what has happened, and winning a few games in the postseason is a great way to make that happen,” he said.
Settles said Davis’ job situation has taken its toll on the team throughout the season.
“I think we thought about it more early in the year than we do now,” Settles said. “We could tell early on that coach Davis was a little edgy about this year. It was kind of a different situation, and we’ve been faced with so many obstacles.
“That’s why we’ve attempted to leave it all on the floor. We’ve attempted to make some noise not only for our coach but for ourselves.”
►Notebook (March 19, 1999)
If the slipper fits...
Gonzaga — a team that settled for third place at the Hawkeye Invitational in December — continued its surprising run through the NCAA tourney with a 73-72 win over Florida in Thursday’s opener at the America West Arena.
Casey Calvary’s tip-in with 4.4 seconds remaining allowed the Zags to move on to Saturday’s regional final but Gonzaga’s players aren’t impressed with the Cinderella label they now wear.
“People have been calling us a Cinderella team. To the media and the rest of the nation it looks that way but in our eyes it does not mean a thing,” Calvary said. “We just won another ballgame. That’s the way we look at it. It was nothing new.”
Leaving his mark
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun has been around Iowa’s Tom Davis since the pair were coaching against each other in New England nearly 20 years ago.
Calhoun had taken over a struggling program at Northeastern at the same time that Davis was directing the program at Boston College.
“I can remember guys talking a lot about him and I remember he was one of the first coaches to use numbers for the positions in his system,” Calhoun said.
“He did a lot of unique things with his press that differentiated him from a lot of the other people in the business,” Calhoun said. “Personally, I don’t believe that Tom Davis gets the credit that he deserves for what he has brought to this game. He was a guy who really influenced change in this game from the college level to the high school level. He’s had an impact.”
Jet-setting AD
Iowa athletic director Bob Bowlsby arrived at the America West Arena in time for Thursday’s game, leaving the NCAA wrestling meet in State College, Pa., earlier in the day in order to arrive in time for the tipoff.
Bowlsby continues to decline the opportunity to discuss candidates but said that Iowa continues to look at multiple candidates as a replacement for Tom Davis. He does expect some closure on the matter within a fairly quick timeframe after the end of the Hawkeyes’ season.
“We’re proceeding and I feel good about the candidates that we are considering,” Bowlsby said. “We’ll move forward once the opportunity presents itself.”
Bowlsby apologized for not congratulating the Hawkeyes on their win over Arkansas last weekend. He’s been battling the flu and said he did not intend to slight Iowa’s basketball players, some of whom were disappointed that Bowlsby didn’t make a postgame appearance in the team’s locker room in Denver.
“You’ll never hear me cheering against our kids,” Bowlsby said. “I wish nothing but the best for them and that has never wavered.”
Speaking of Alford
Steve Alford, whose name has been mentioned in connection with the Iowa job, will be a guest on ESPN’s Up Close today.
The interview focuses on the job he has done at Southwest Missouri State, which faces top-ranked Duke in an East Regional semifinal tonight.
Alford’s name has also been mentioned as a possible coaching candidate at Georgia, which is looking for a replacement for Ron Jirsa who was dismissed after two seasons with the Bulldogs.
A quick rematch
Iowa and Connecticut may meet again ... soon.
The Hawkeyes and Huskies will both play in the season-opening IKON Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in November. Stanford and Duke are the other teams in the field for the Nov. 11-12 tournament in New York City.
Pairings for the event have not yet been set.
— Steve Batterson
Untitled (4200 x 1800 px) - 1
Barely alive! (March 21, 1987)
Hawkeyes squeak by Oklahoma in overtime
By Mark Neuzil, Quad-City Times
SEATTLE — Kevin Gamble left Oklahoma bankrupt and helped Iowa hit the jackpot.
Gamble’s three-point basket with three seconds left in overtime lifted the Hawkeyes to a 93-91 victory over Oklahoma Friday in the NCAA regional semifinals at the Seattle Kingdom.
Gamble, who is 25-of-30 in the NCAA games, scored from the top of the key with Sooner Ricky Grace in his face.
“I felt pretty good about it,” Gamble said. “I was praying and hoping it would fall.”
The senior guard also blocked a potential game-winning shot by OU’s Tim McCalister at the end of regulation.
“You have to give Iowa credit. They hit their shot and we missed ours at the end of regulation when we had a chance,” said a disappointed Sooner coach Billy Tubbs.
“Coming down the stretch, I knew McCalister was going to take the shot,” Gamble said. “I played for the drive and kept him at the free throw line. I just made a good defensive play.
“I don’t think I’m the only hero because my teammates did an excellent job.”
Modesty aside, Gamble was 11-of-13 from the floor. His only flaw was missing four of six free throws.
The victory means Iowa is one game from the Final Four. The Hawks will play the winner of Friday night’s second game between Nevada-Las Vegas and Wyoming on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. CST in the regional finals.
Iowa blew its first two chances to win before Gamble came through. With OU holding a 91-90 lead, Armstrong missed a three-pointer, but Gamble rebounded.
Moments later, Marble missed from 10 feet, but the rebound was knocked out of bounds by the Sooners with 11 seconds left.
Armstrong controlled the ball out front — 35 feet from the basket — before Gamble worked free to win it.
“I was fully aware of the time and the score,” Armstrong said. “We were lucky that Kevin was open and I passed it to him, and he just made the shot.”
While Armstrong was taking his time, Iowa Coach Tom Davis was less calm.
“I wondered a little, too, that (Armstrong) might be hanging in there a little too long,” Davis said. “But we did have — I’d guess you’d call it a play — it’s a zone offense play that had the option for B.J., for Kevin Gamble or for Roy Marble.”
The win is Iowa’s 30th against four losses. Oklahoma finishes at 24-10.
Gamble finished with a career-high 26 points. McCalister knocked down 26 for Oklahoma, including seven three-pointers. But the Sooner senior, an 82 percent foul shooter, made only one of five free throws.
“Free throws were a thorn in our side,” said Tubbs, who suffered as his team made but 12 of 24 from the line.
Armstrong added 16 for Iowa and Roy Marble 11. Burly center David Johnson chipped in 20 for OU, while Darryl Kennedy hit 16 and Harvey Grant added 15, but only two in the second half.
Iowa scored the first five points of the overtime on two free throws by Gerry Wright and a three-pointer by Armstrong.
But three straight Hawkeye turnovers let OU off the hook. Johnson hit a pair of free throws, Dave Sieger shook free for a layup and Kennedy hit a short jumper to give the Sooners a 91-90 edge with 52 seconds left.
The Sooners did not get another chance until one second was left, when a long in-bounds play failed.
The Sooners, who led by as many as 16 in the first half, held an 85-80 edge at 2:17 in regulation.
Armstrong tied the game at 85-85 with a three-point basket with 50 seconds left.
Oklahoma had a chance to win it in regulation, but Gamble blocked McCalister’s 15-footer with two seconds left. The ball came back to Kennedy, who missed a 12-footer at the buzzer.
Ethan Petrik is a University of Iowa beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at ethan.petrik@wcfcourier.com.
