Larry Eustachy knows that the Iowa Hawkeyes will have a big advantage when they step in Hilton Coliseum, and it has nothing to do with talent, desire or ability.

“They have a number of players who are from Iowa, who have grown up with this rivalry.

“We don’t have any scholarship players from this state. How is Jamaal Tinsley suppose to know what this is all about?” Eustachy said.

“I really believe that that gives them a huge advantage. We need our non-scholarship guys to explain to the newer guys the magnitude of this game. I’m still not sure they’ll know about it until they step on the floor,” Eustachy said.

He knows that the Hawkeyes leaders, point guard Dean Oliver and physical forward Jacob Jaaks, will be ready to play.

Oliver, from Mason City, and Jaaks, who hails from Cedar Rapids, have combined to average 30.2 points per game so far this season.

“They are two very good players. Oliver is somebody who has the chance to play professionally. He is very quick, knows how to get to the basket and is tough to defend.

“Jaaks is a guy who’s play is very important to their winning. He’s physical, really strong,” Eustachy said.

For the Cyclones, Marcus Fizer, coming off a week which saw him earn Player of the Week honors for the Big 12, was held to eight points by Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the first time he had been held under double figures in 24 games.

Eustachy says that he hopes Fizer will rebound and thinks that he will be able to.

“His freshman year, he showed a lot of frustration on the court, and I thought he reverted back to that last night. He needs to keep his cool, and he’s been different this year, so I think he’ll bounce back and play a good game,” Eustachy said.

The team is also dealing with a couple of sprained ankles in the backcourt, as both Kantrail Horton and Tinsley are nursing injuries.

“Horton is a tough kid. He’s played well even though he’s clearly not at full strength. Jamaal’s injury right now is major to him. I think when he makes a shot, it doesn’t hurt quite as much, but when he misses, that’s when he starts limping around,” Eustachy said.

The UWM game saw the reemergence of Stevie Johnson.

The senior, who had been sat by Eustachy for games against Arkansas and Cincinnati, came off the bench to score 12 points and grab four rebounds in limited duty.

“I’m proud of the way Stevie responded,” Eustachy said. “He didn’t make as much progress as we thought he might over the summer, and I sat him down to prove a point and to see how he reacted.

“He did what he was supposed to do, and I think he’s going to be a major factor on this team, but it’s still going to be tough for him to find minutes.”

The former Utah State coach knows all about rivalries, and thinks this is one of the best.

“I’ve coached the Utah State-Utah game, which is huge. I was an assistant for Mississippi State, and that gets crazy when they play Mississippi. I mean, somebody doesn’t play well in that game, and then that player is missing, you know? But I think this is one of the top 10 rivalries in the country,” Eustachy said.

Martin Rancik knows that the newcomers will be met with a different experience when they step on the court Saturday night.

“The new guys, they really don’t understand what this game means to the community. But they are going to come out there on Saturday with a packed house, and not only 10,000 people there, and nobody really knows how they will react,” Rancik said.

Rancik knows that Iowa will be ready to rumble, and he said that the Cyclones will have to play well to win.

“We have to play a full 40 minutes to win, not just well in spurts. All our hard work is going to pay off on Saturday,” Rancik said.