Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
I will never, ever understand why a program’s athletic director would force their sports teams to go play in frigid weather. If there is an alternative to playing in some cold, by all means schedule your teams to go play in the sun rather than making them wear Eskimo-style clothing. With that being said, it comes to the surprise of no one that the Iowa Hawkeyes hate the state of Alaska.
Okay, I am only slightly kidding about their brooding hatred for the country’s least popular vacation spot (statistics say that statement is untrue). Still, Iowa has spurned the state in favor of their basketball team playing in the Bahamas.
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The school announced that they have pulled out of the Great Alaskan Shootout in favor of the Battle 4 Atlantis. The move is presumably not being made for weather concerns alone. The Battle 4 Atlantis should help Iowa’s non-conference strength of schedule as well as help them prep for some brutal in-conference battles.
Moving towards playing in the more prestigious Battle 4 Atlantis could also be a direct correlation of the Hawkeyes’ weak non-conference schedule last season really putting a hurting on their chances in making the NCAA Tournament. With the Great Alaskan Shootout lineup comprising of mostly mid-majors, while the Battle 4 Atlantis has teams from power-conferences, the move might feel like a dis towards Alaska, but it probably does have to do with Iowa limiting the ways in which they won’t be snubbed by the selection committee.
Man, if Alaska only built a bridge going to somewhere maybe this all could have been avoided. I mean, that bridge could have lured in some top-tier programs and could have resulted in Iowa staying in the tournament.
Joe is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @JosephNardone
