Colorado @ Iowa preview

Colorado at Iowa

Riding a three-game win streak, Iowa is heating up at the right time while Colorado is trying to find some consistency after dropping three of its last five. The two teams will match agendas Friday night when they meet in a nonconference clash at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Hawkeyes who started 3-0 but then dropped six of their next seven prior to their current three-game victory streak. Iowa’s last three wins have come by an average of 31 points, but the victories have come against Southern, Drake and Southern Utah so Colorado will represent a step up in competition. “We’re much more connected of late,” leading scorer Tyler Cook told reporters after Tuesday’s 92-64 win over the Thunderbirds. “Now the challenge is to stay connected, especially headed into conference play.” The Buffaloes, meanwhile, followed up their worst offensive outing (59 points in a home loss to San Diego on Dec. 12) with last Friday’s 112-point explosion in a double-overtime home win over formidable South Dakota State and now will try to carry the momentum over into their nonconference finale against the Hawkeyes.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network

ABOUT COLORADO (8-3): Coach Tad Boyle isn’t afraid to shake things up, and after the brutal 25.9-percent shooting performance against San Diego, he put three first-time starters in the lineup for the game against the Jackrabbits. The net result was a whopping 95 points off bench, led by freshman point guard McKinley Wright, who hit career highs with 30 points and 11 assists. Wright leads the team with 16.6 points and 4.5 assists per contest while senior swingman George King (14.6 points, team-most 8.6 rebounds) and guard Namon Wright (11.5 points) also are averaging double digits.

ABOUT IOWA (7-6): Cook, a 6-foot-9 sophomore forward, is pacing the Hawkeyes with 13.8 points while shooting 58.2 percent from the floor and averaging 6.6 rebounds. Guards Jordan Bohannon (11.9 points) and Isaiah Moss (11.8) also have double-figure scoring averages while freshman forward Luka Garza is contributing 9.9 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds after averaging 17.7 and 8.3, respectively, during the team’s three-game win streak. Iowa, though, may be without reserves Brady Ellingson and Ahmad Wagner, after both rolled their ankles in the first half of Tuesday’s win and didn’t return.

TIP-INS

1. Iowa holds a 4-3 series lead, but the two teams haven’t met since 1995.

2. Winning the battle of the boards will be key as Iowa owns a plus-7.2 average rebounding margin while Colorado comes in with a plus-7.0.

3. McKinley Wright has scored in double figures in all 11 games and is shooting 50.4 percent from the field.

PREDICTION: Iowa 73, Colorado 72