None of the stuff that's always here. I'm just going to say everything right here and now.
Northwestern needs to beat Iowa today. It will be a tough game. Iowa has proven they can win at home over the past few games, so even though the first matchup between these two squads was a verified blowout, I don't think this will be this easy.
The key to Northwestern's last win against Iowa was the 1-3-1 zone and three-point shooting. Iowa turned the ball over 18 times, while Northwestern shot 13-for-25 from deep. Warning: Northwestern should not, by any means, play the 1-3-1 zone today. There's no doubt in my mind that they've worked on it since, and even when executed well, Northwestern couldn't stop Iowa from connecting on 50 percent of its threes last game. Since Northwestern last played Iowa, Matt Gatens has turned into an absolute nightmare, putting up 30 in back-to-back wins over ranked teams and shooting 24-for-33 from three over a four game stretch. Northwestern simply cannot leave him, and the zone will do that.
In summation, Northwestern needs to play well and play smartly to win this game. It won't be easy, but if they do, it will be so, so sweet.
Go Cats, yo.