Healthy Recker looks to lead Iowa

How could the Iowa Hawkeyes forget last season's games against IU?\nIn the regular season, Iowa used one of its biggest comebacks to rally from being down 43-26 at halftime to beat IU 71-66 last Jan. 27 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.\nOf course, that same day, former IU guard Luke Recker, who transferred to Arizona and then Iowa, led the comeback with 27 points before fracturing his kneecap. The injury knocked Recker out for the rest of the season, and the Hawkeyes lost seven of their next nine to fall out of postseason contention.\nBut Iowa, without Recker, managed to fight its way into the Big Ten Tournament title game against the Hoosiers. The Hawkeyes won, 63-61, to advance to the NCAA Tournament, where they won more games than IU.\nNow, No. 13 Iowa (13-4, 2-1), with a healthy Recker, looks at a season of limitless possibilities. But with those possibilities come expectations, and at times, Iowa has struggled to deal with them.\nSunday, the Hawkeyes have another shot against the Hoosiers at Carver-Hawkeye. Iowa coach Steve Alford would like another victory, but doesn't want to lose his best player -- again.\n"We just hope -- and it's his prayer and my prayer -- that he can go through a year without distractions," Alford said. "A year without distractions for Luke Recker, you're looking at not just numbers but you're looking at a year where he will start getting the national recognition that I think he is very much deserving."\nSo far, so good. In his senior season, Recker is leading the Hawkeyes with 18.8 points per game, just ahead of senior forward Reggie Evans' 18.3 average. \nOffense hasn't been a problem for the Hawkeyes. At times, they have exploded, as they did when they whipped then-No. 3 Missouri, 83-65, at Missouri Dec. 15. Naturally, Recker led the way with 31 points.\nIowa's scoring offense ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 78.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes are fifth in scoring defense, but Alford knows his team has to improve without the ball.\n"I think we do have a lot of offensive weapons, but right now it's finding the right mix defensively," Alford said. "We have to keep getting better everyday."\nThe Hoosiers will be prepared for Recker and Evans. Senior guard Dane Fife will get Recker and Jarrad Odle will likely match-up against Evans. A key for the Hawkeyes Sunday will be sophomores Glen Worley and Jared Reiner, both of whom have struggled recently.\n"Worley is having some growing pains," Alford said. "I won't label him in a slump. Obviously, he has to play better. Once (Reiner) and Worley become more confident and get more touches, we could be really hard to play against."\nThe Hawkeyes are 10-0 at home this season. With the rash of upsets in the opening week of the Big Ten, the Hoosiers aren't pointing to this game for revenge. Instead, if IU can win Sunday, it will see Iowa and Illinois, the preseason favorites to win the league, saddled with two conference losses, while the Hoosiers won't have any.\n"We know this is going to be one of the toughest games of the year," guard Tom Coverdale said. "If we can go in there and somehow pull out a win, and it's a tough place to play, it's going to give us a step above everybody in the Big Ten early in the season."\nWhile everyone is healthy right now, Iowa's biggest problem this year has been handling the high expectations. Alford said his team couldn't handle being ranked No. 9, and that is why the Hawkeyes lost at Ohio State, 72-62, last Saturday. Iowa also lost at Northern Iowa in early December. \nRecker and Evans aside, Iowa is inexperienced, with nine first- or second-year players on its roster. With the Hoosiers gunning for them this weekend, Alford knows his players need to be ready for IU's best shot.\n"Just the experience of dealing with being the (13th) ranked team in the country and knowing everyone wants to beat us is going to take time to adjust to," Alford said. "We are hoping the experience of having the target on our back will help us"