IOWA CITY, Iowa — Second-seeded Iowa led top-seed UNLV by 20 points in the 1987 men’s basketball Elite Eight.The 1970 Iowa men’s basketball team still holds the Big Ten record for points per game (102.3) and led Jacksonville by one point with seconds remaining in their Sweet 16 matchup. Ronnie Lester was the best player in the 1980 Final Four, and the Hawkeyes point guard proved it in his first 10 minutes against Louisville.Ronnie Harmon was an All-American running back entering the 1986 Rose Bowl against UCLA, and No. 3 Iowa still had a shot at the national title. The unbeaten Hawkeyes held a four-point lead on Michigan State after a punt with less than 10 minutes remaining in the 2015 Big Ten football title game.With 11 seconds left in the 1993 Final Four, Iowa’s women’s basketball team had possession of the ball down one to Ohio State in overtime. Megan Gustafson was the consensus national player of the year in 2019 approaching the Elite Eight against Baylor.In college athletics’ three highest-profile sports, Iowa’s upper-level history is one of heartbreak.UNLV rallied for a three-point win. Pembrook Burrows III’s tip-in forged a 104-103 loss. Lester injured his knee after connecting on every shot attempt. Harmon fumbled four times and dropped an easy touchdown pass. Michigan State scored a touchdown with 27 seconds left on a 22-play drive. Laurie Aaron’s slip in the lane with three seconds left doomed the 1993 women. A Baylor blowout.Every mention in Iowa elicits a wince from people who remember those moments. To this day, those games are discussed with “what-if” components. What if Lester were healthy? What if Spartans running back LJ Scott didn’t stretch for the extra foot across the goal line? What if Harmon didn’t … this goes on and on.That type of history weighs on a fan base and can topple teams approaching the mountaintop. That even goes for Iowa’s current women’s basketball squad. The Hawkeyes reached the 2023 NCAA title game only to lose 102-85 to LSU. Controversial officiating decisions and postgame taunts combined with season-long hype applied enough pressure on the Hawkeyes to fold at any point this season, and especially in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they turned pressure into production.Continue reading.
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