More photos » by Andy Manis - AP

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This week, we're joined by the artist formerly known as Big Ten Wonk, John Gasaway, to talk about the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, the apparent acceleration of conference play, and the abject misery that is Iowa Hawkeye basketball.  John is currently writing in his usual prolific manner at Basketball Prospectus, and is the editor of College Basketball Prospectus 2009-10, available at Amazon.com.  It's a great stocking stuffer, provided your stocking can fit 190 pages of the best writing and analysis on college basketball available anywhere.

Listen below or on iTunes.

BHGPodcast 16

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa coach Todd Lickliter performs the 'To Be or not To Be' soliloquy from act 3, scene 1 of Shakespeare's Hamlet for point guard Cully Payne. "Yeah, it's unorthodox," Lickliter later said, "but he kept doing it in the Billy Madison voice. It was driving me crazy." (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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Get Well, Coach Lick.  Todd Lickliter was released from University Hospitals yesterday, and discussed his condition with Gary Dolphin during last night's pregame show:

Lickliter, 54, suffered a tear in his carotid artery and the stent was inserted Saturday. The carotid artery supplies the head and neck with oxygenated blood and any disruption in the artery causes headaches and could lead to a stroke, according to medical Web sites....

"I was having headaches when we were in Kansas City (for a tournament)," Lickliter said in an interview on Iowa’s pre-game radio show. "It turned out to be the beginning of a tear in (the) carotid artery. I’m thankful for the thoroughness of the medical staff, very thankful for that. They ran all the scans, they made sure of the diagnosis, then made a decision on what to do. It was not an easy decision; it was very stressful."

We had heard rumors of migraine headaches and undisclosed medical procedures, but I don't think anyone knew it was anything approaching this level of seriousness.  Not being medical professionals, we're not going to speculate on the cause of this or its long-term effects; we're just happy to hear that Coach Lick is out of the hospital and improving.  He is expected to return to the bench for Friday night's game with Iowa State.

About Last Night.  Northern Iowa effectively won the state championship last night with a 67-50 beatdown of the Hawkeyes before a raucous near-sellout crowd.  Panther guard/Impossible Wheel of Fortune answer Kwadzo Ahelegbe led the way with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.  The game was never really in doubt after Iowa went into its patented "let's not score for a really long stretch of time" offense, allowing UNI to go on a 22-1 run over a nine-minute stretch of the first half that gave the Panthers a 24-7 lead.  Iowa briefly pulled within six early in the second half, but the damage had been done.  Northern Iowa converted 15 Iowa turnovers(!) into 31points(!!), as opposed to Iowa's 3 points off 5 Panther turnovers.  Iowa got to the foul line a paltry eight times, and made just three of those free throws.  And that says nothing for the fact that UNI sold their place out in a blizzard and Iowa City's local networks would rather show fat people in spandex.  What I'm saying is this was an unmitigated disaster.

At least Andrew Brommer remains on pace for the most fouls per minute of any player in team history, committing four infractions in 12 minutes.  That is nine fouls in his last 22 minutes of game action, which is more carnage than Saw VI.  This has already become the season's best storyline.

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More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

Iowa coach Todd Lickliter reacts as guard Matt Gatens dribbles down the baseline and throws the ball away again. Lickliter checked into University Hospitals soon after, complaining of headaches. I can't imagine why. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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INPIYL2I is the BHGP daily roundup of news, gossip, and good stuff from Blogfrica.  Send your tips to hawkeyestatebhgp@gmail.com.

That Smells Like Pure Gasoline.  Iowa basketball (3-5) travels to Cedar Falls tonight to take on in-state basketball Jedi masters UNI (5-1) in the first game of three straight against in-state opposition.  Northern Iowa comes in after pwning Greg McDermott and Iowa State (again).  Iowa is trying to follow up its best performance of the season, albeit against Prairie View A&M.  I honestly don't even remember last year's game; fortunately, the Panthers are there to remind me:

Included in that run was last year's 65-46 Hawkeye triumph during which Iowa limited UNI to just 40 field-goal attempts - the Panthers' fewest in non-conference play.

It would appear the "IOWA" written across the Hawkeyes' jerseys still puts the Panthers on edge. UNI will try to alter that perception Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m., when it hosts Iowa at the McLeod Center.

"The state of Iowa really plays it up. It means a lot when we go head-to-head," said UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh, who prepped at Iowa City West. Last year, Farokhmanesh added, "everybody on the team was pretty frustrated with the (Iowa) loss - we just didn't play like ourselves."

"The excitement level is higher for our fans and the excitement level is higher for our players," UNI coach Ben Jacobson said of an intrastate series that Iowa leads, 32-7, all-time. "It's such an exciting game," the coach noted, "for the entire state."

Iowa has won the last two games in the series and three of the last five, which sounds good until you realize that Northern Iowa hasn't won a football contest against Iowa in more than a century and, while UNI has slowly become one of the premiere programs in the Missouri Valley Conference, it's still the Missouri Valley Conference.  Nevertheless, UNI has already dispatched the Cyclones and Boston College this season; Iowa's just another brick in the wall.

Coach Lickliter, who was hospitalized for approaching perfection severe headaches late last week, is scheduled to be released from University Hospitals today but is not likely to be in attendance. Assistant coach Chad Walthall will again assume the head coach's chair in his absence.  Walthall was formerly head coach at Loras College, so this is basically a lateral move.

Good luck seeing the game: Something called the Panther Sports Network (Their slogan: "60% of the time, we work every time") is responsible for tonight's broadcast.  KWWL, which would normally broadcast the game, would rather show fat people working out, so unless you get the KWWL digital alternate or Mediacom Connections, you're left to the dulcet tones of Gary Dolphin and Bobby Hansen.  Given that fact (and that we're recording the podcast tonight), a liveblog is doubtful.

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I am not just a fan and chronicler of Iowa athletics.  No, much like the Apostles or missionaries or Scientologists of yesteryear, I believe it is my solemn duty to convert as many people to the cause as possible.  Fandom is a communal experience, after all, and that community should be as big as possible.

My latest target for conversion was my friend Lauren, a bartender at one of my favorite local establishments.  This was no easy task, mind you: Not only is she not an Iowa alum, but she has never been a fan of any sports franchise and likely wouldn't know a football if it hit her between the numbers.  Despite growing up in St. Louis, she had little interest in baseball and even less in football.

I took a cue from the Jehova's Witnesses who routinely show up at my door¹ and started innocuously.  Last winter, I'd ask her to watch basketball games; she looked on in detached bemusement as I suffered, repeatedly asking why she should agree to become a fan of something that brought me so much pain (a valid question, mind you).  I told her about the good times, like that one November night during my salad days in Iowa City, when an upstart group of Hawkeyes knocked off #1 UConn, and I spent the evening running through the ped mall singing "In Heaven There Is No Beer."  It was then that I issued a warning: If you think this is the definition of insanity, just wait until football season.

I saw her after having screamed myself hoarse during the Penn State game, drunk on victory and cheap pitchers of beer.  She shook her head at the triviality of the contest and the ridiculous effect it had.  She was bewildered by the roller coaster of emotions that accompanied the Indiana game ("Why did you keep saying we were going to lose? We are ahead by 11.  Isn't that good?")  She was occasionally watching -- this was a big step forward -- but the season was flying by; something had to happen, and soon.

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Nebraska-Texas and Clemson-Georgia Tech.  And Wisconsin bombs Pearl Harbor later.  Join us, won't you?

The rules of engagement (per College Game Balls):

Before playing pick a side North (Oregon State) or South (Oregon).

• Whenever your side gives up points it’s 1 drink for 3 or less and 2 drinks for 4 or more. 
• 1 drink if the LeGarrette Blount punch is mentioned, 3 drinks if they show the video. Then promptly fist pump. 
• If your side is the North it’s 1 drink for every dumbass Jesse Palmer comment, if you’re the South do the same for Craig James. (honor system in play here for what constitutes a ‘dumbass comment’) 
• Any time an announcer mentions the last time Oregon State was in the Rose Bowl was 1965, take a drink. 
• Any time an announcer laments the fact that somebody who isn’t USC is going to win the Pac 10, finish your drink. 
• If Erin Andrews says something along the lines of, "it’s getting loud in here", that’s 3 drinks. 
• Any time the game is compared to the actual Civil War, finish your drink. 
• Any time Phil Knight is mentioned, 2 drinks. If they show him, that’s 5 drinks. 
• If an announcer segues from Chip Kelly to talking about Brian Kelly to ND by saying "speaking of Kelly", finish your drink. 
• If there’s a reference to Appomattox Court House, finish your drink. 
• Anytime, anything, about Oregon’s uniforms are mentioned that’s 2 drinks.

Comments in CoverItLive (I know, different than usual, but it lets us broadcast on the half-dozen participating blogs).

For our fifteenth anniversary show (Is it an anniversary when you do one per week? Someone contact Larry King), we have a rare two-guest show. First, HS and OPS are joined by John Bohnenkamp, who acts as sports editor, Iowa basketball reporter, and blogger for the Burlington Hawkeye, to discuss Iowa's recent loss to Virginia Tech and the prognosis for the rest of the campaign. We are then graced with the presence of Graham Filler and Bama Hawkeye from The Rivalry, Esq., the SB Nation blog dedicated to Big Ten football, cigars, and legalese, to wrap up the 2009 BXI football season and talk bowl selection. Also, there's new intro music.

Listen below or on iTunes.

BHGPodcast 15

Authorities say the attacker was unhappy with recent Notre Dame football results, saying, "I know what I said about peacemakers, but I don't want to inherit an earth where the Irish are 6-6."  Clausen is unlikely to file assault charges.  However, his former coach is alleging identity theft.  More information as the situation develops.