IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — No. 22 Iowa can unofficially declare itself state champion after bulldozing Iowa State and Northern Iowa. In likely the last matchup between the Hawkeyes and the Panthers for the foreseeable future, Iowa showed how good it can be when it plays to its full potential.
Tyler Cook had 17 points and 13 rebounds, Luka Garza scored 17 and Iowa cruised past Northern Iowa 77-54 on Saturday for its second straight win. Freshman Joe Wieskamp added 10 points for the Hawkeyes (8-2), who opened the game with a 25-7 run and never looked back.

It was the last scheduled game between these two long-time rivals, with Iowa citing the Big Ten’s 20-game season as the reason. They had split the last 14 meetings — but the bigger and more athletic Hawkeyes ran roughshod over the scuffling Panthers (4-6) from the opening tip. Northern Iowa missed 20 of its first 23 shots, and by then Iowa was up 29-10 in the nightcap of a doubleheader that saw Iowa State beat Drake 77-68 in the early game.

The Hawkeyes pushed their lead to 58-30 early in the second half and rolled to their second consecutive in-state win. Iowa beat the Cyclones 98-84 at home in its last outing on Dec 6th.

POLL IMPLICATIONS
Iowa might move up a spot or two after dominating its only game of the week. They’ll host Western Carolina on Tuesday. Northern Iowa hosts Grand Canyon on Wednesday.