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<p class="maintitle"><span class="Fid_15"> Pretty, pretty good </span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_16"> Iowa improves to No. 4/5 in
polls, gets firstplace votes</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_12"> By Scott Dochterman,</span><span
class="Fid_13"> The Gazette</span><span class="Fid_6">
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Anthony Clemmons is all about priorities, and
the Iowa senior met them all on Sunday at Illinois.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> Clemmons, a 6-foot-2 guard,
scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds, swiped four steals and
added a pair of assists in the Hawkeyes' 77-65 win at Illinois.
He played solid defense on high-powered Illini guard Kendrick
Nunn, who connected on just 2 of 13 shots and whiffed on all
seven 3-point attempts.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> 'I knew what type of player
(Nunn) was since we started scouting him,' Clemmons said. 'I
think I established myself early, and he was never in a good</span><span
class="Fid_6"> rhythm.'</span><span class="Fid_6"> With his job
accomplished, Clemmons stood outside his team's locker room and
referenced his future workload in a set of chronological
priorities.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_6"> 'We're going to enjoy it a
little bit, watch the Super Bowl and then after it's locking in
on Indiana,'</span><span class="Fid_6"> he said.</span><span
class="Fid_6"> It was Iowa's second consecutive win at Illinois
- a feat the program last met in 1986-87 - and its first
double-digit win in Champaign since 1979. The Hawkeyes (19-4,
10-1 Big Ten) now are ranked No. 4 by the Associated </span><span
class="Fid_8">Press (fifth by the USA Today/Coaches poll) with
11 first-place votes.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_19"> </span><span class="Fid_20"></span></p>
<img src="cid:part1.03040606.01050008@gmail.com" onload="if
(this.width > 460) {this.height = this.height * 480 / this.width;
this.width = 460;}" height="538" width="406">
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_10"> Iowa guard Anthony Clemmons
drives to the basket defended by Illinois guard Malcolm Hill and
forward Michael Finke during the second half Sunday at State
Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. Iowa beat Illinois, 77-65.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_9"> USA Today Sports</span></p>
<br>
<hr><span class="Fid_8">Iowa leads the Big Ten by one-half game over
Maryland and boasts its first 10-1 league start since 1982. The
Hawkeyes have a shot at a No. 1 seed and could open the NCAA
tournament in Des Moines.</span>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> Each of those facts are causes
for celebration, yet Iowa players and coaches remain locked on
the task at hand. For weeks, Iowa's schedule has pointed toward
Thursday's game at Indiana (8 p.m., ESPN), yet the players
didn't acknowledge the potential showdown even in casual
conversation. The No. 22-ranked Hoosiers (19-5, 9-2 Big Ten)
were tied with Iowa atop the league standings until Saturday,
when they were upset at Penn State.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> By the end of Sunday's game,
Iowa's players finally started referencing their upcoming game
at Bloomington.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> 'We know what we're coming
against, playing in that building,' Clemmons said. 'It's go</span><span
class="Fid_8">ing to be a really tough atmosphere. I have a lot
of confidence in our guys that we'll come ready and our coaching
staff making sure we get ready.' Oddly, this is Iowa's fifth
straight trip to Bloomington without a return. The Hawkeyes won
at Assembly Hall, 77-63, last year and traveled twice to Indiana
in 2014. A ceiling tile crashed from the roof and forced a
postponement a few hours before tip-off. Iowa played there nine
days later and lost, 93-86. The teams met home-and away in
2012-13, with the first game held in Iowa City on Dec. 31, 2012
and the second on Feb.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> 2, 2013 in Bloomington.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> The Hoosiers do come to Iowa
City for the home finale on March 1.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> 'It never gets easier,' Iowa
center Adam Woodbury said. 'Every time we win, the next one gets
tougher.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> There's no doubt about it. The
place is going to be loud, it's going to be a crazy environment.</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_8"> We'll be ready to go.'</span></p>
<p class="abody"><span class="Fid_13"> •</span><span class="Fid_4">
Comments: (319) 3393169; <a
href="mailto:scott.dochterman@thegazette.com"><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:scott.dochterman@thegazette.com">scott.dochterman@thegazette.com</a></a></span></p>
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