It is what they dreaded most.
It wasn’t just the 84-78 loss Iowa suffered Sunday at the hands of Wake Forest, which eliminated the Hawkeyes from the Southeast Regional of the NCAA tournament. It was the fact that it was the end-the end of an emotionally wrenching season in which the Hawkeyes lost a key player in Chris Street, yet kept getting better as they rebuilt after his death.
The end came when Wake Forest’s Randolph Childress, who finished with 25 points, hit a three-point shot over a packed-in Iowa zone to break a 75-75 tie with 1:44 to go.
After 12 ties, Childress’ shot marked the last of nine lead changes. Iowa failed to score in four of five trips down the floor in the final two minutes.
The victory sends Wake Forest (21-8) to the final 16 against Kentucky in the regional semifinals.
Iowa’s players never formally dedicated the rest of their season to the memory of Street, the 6-foot-8-inch forward who had become a mainstay and helped the Hawkeyes to a 12-3 start before he was killed in an auto accident Jan. 19.
They never exploited his death into a rallying cry. But they wore on their uniforms the initials CMS and the number 40-Street’s jersey.
After Wake Forest had beaten Iowa at its own inside power and rebounding game, the Hawkeyes (23-9) had few words to sum up a season in which they had won nine of their last 12 games.
Coach Tom Davis, to whom this team had become special for the manner in which it refused to quit, just tightened his lips and shook his head when asked to sum up the season.
“I don’t think I can,” he quietly replied. “At some point, I’ll try, but . . . too tough.”
Wade Lookingbill, the 6-5 forward who was Street’s roommate and moved into the starting lineup after his death, also had difficulty putting the season into perspective.
“I don’t have an answer,” he said. “What do you say when we go through something like we did?
“It doesn’t make anything easier. Now that the season is over, it will only give more time to think about the other things that have taken place this year.”
Though Lookingbill scored 16 points, he had his hands full with Rodney Rogers, whose talent is underlined by the fact that despite Bobby Hurley’s NCAA assist record, he was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.
Rogers, a junior who has not decided whether he will turn pro early, led all scorers with 33 points. He also collected a game-high 10 rebounds. Rogers scored 12 of his 20 second-half points in the final six minutes.
“The really great players understand when the game is on the line,” Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said. “They sense that they have to step up. I thought Rodney had his best performance ever in terms of stepping up at a crucial time in a very meaningful game.”
He’s a great player,” said Iowa’s Acie Earl, who finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and no regrets.
“We had a remarkable season. We had a phenomenal season. We just came back after people wrote us off and we just kept coming back. I can’t be disappointed at all.”
