Last time I saw a Northwestern and Iowa match up was this past football season in Iowa City. I will not indulge with all the details but, of course, Northwestern won to thwart Iowa’s perfect season. At that time, I carpooled to Iowa City with some hard-core, self-identified “corn-fed” fans. My greatest feat that day was not getting a ticket for face value or free beer from tailgates but getting into the car with my Iowa friends for our ride back home to Chicago.

Fast forward to tonight, when Northwestern hosted Iowa in basketball, and you get a much less passionate picture. Northwestern won the game by 17 points (74-57) and seemed to lead the game by around 20 points for most of the game which considerably quieted Iowa fans.

On the contrary, Northwestern students were loud as they chanted “just like football” to pour some salt into old wounds. The unfortunate thing is that the students seemed not to realize Iowa wrecked Northwestern’s NCAA Tournament chances by defeating the Wildcats two weeks ago in Iowa City (but heckling does not require a photographic memory).

The entertainment of the night was watching John Lickliter (the Iowa coaches son) enter the game – he looks like he is 12 years old and appears to be six inches shorter than anybody else on the court. I wonder how that guy got into the game. Even though he only played 7 minutes, the Northwestern students cheered every time he touched the ball.

Aside from these side shows, Northwestern had an overall good night and something to cheer about: the Wildcats won their 18th game of the season – the most in team history. Also, one of Northwestern’s favorite alums, Michael Wilbon, co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, was in attendance. He was honored in the second half by Athletic Director Jim Phillips.

Parking Tips at Welsh-Ryan Arena
If you are looking for free parking, consider parking on the city streets south of Central Ave. near Ryan Field.