IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is likely just days away from its first NCAA tournament berth in eight years, but that’s about the last thing on the mind of its fan base. They’re wondering what happened to their beloved Hawkeyes. Iowa finished the regular season in a freefall hardly anyone saw coming.

The Hawkeyes have lost five of their last six games — all after a postponement at Indiana altered their schedule — and closed with a brutal home loss to Illinois 66-63 on Saturday night. The Hawkeyes, once a trendy pick for a long run through the postseason, hope to start fresh on Thursday against Northwestern in the opening round of the Big Ten tournament.