Though the Utah basketball team has never played in the state of South Dakota, the Utes are no stranger to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
They took on the Big Ten Conference squad in the second round of the NIT in March of last season and won 91-82.
Utah (8-2) will face Iowa (8-3) again on Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D., in a neutral-site rematch.
“We know the next game is going to be a difficult one,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “We played them last year in the NIT — a really good team, a really good program, veteran guys. It should be a really good atmosphere up there.”
Iowa is taking a two-game break from conference action after splitting its first two Big Ten games. The Utes are wrapping up their nonconference slate in the program’s first-ever visit to the Mount Rushmore State.
Utah considers this matchup against a Quad 1 foe important as it prepares for its first season in the loaded Big 12.
“We told our guys it gets real now,” Utah coach Craig Smith said. “Obviously, there’s a real sense of urgency. There’s a lot of time to make up ground, but it’s a big game.”
Mason Madsen, who transferred to Utah after stints with Cincinnati and Boston College, said the Utes’ focus is on making the NCAA Tournament. That’s something that has eluded him.
“This is my last year,” Madsen said. “I would come to terms with it, but I think it will be a regret if I don’t ever make the tournament. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”
Madsen scored 15 points off the bench on five 3-pointers in Tuesday’s 89-59 rout of visiting Florida A&M.
Saturday could see a shootout. Iowa is scoring 87.2 points an outing, while Utah averages 86.6 points. Both marks are in the top 15 in the nation entering the weekend.
Gabe Madsen, who scored 31 with seven 3s in the NIT second-round win over Iowa last spring, leads Utah in scoring with 19.8 points per game. His twin brother Mason Madsen averages 11.1.
Iowa’s offense is led by Owen Freeman (17.2 ppg), Payton Sandfort (16.0 ppg) and Josh Dix (13.4 ppg).
–Field Level Media
