Recker battling through rough season

This was supposed to be it for Luke Recker. \nThis season was going to be the one where Recker would lead Iowa to the top of the Big Ten. With Reggie Evans, one of the top players in the country, the Hawkeyes had the perfect inside-out game. \nThis would be Recker's first full season of college basketball since 1999, when he was a sophomore at IU and averaged 16.1 points and four rebounds per game.\nLast year was actually supposed to be his rebirth, but by the time Recker had the Hawkeyes on the move in the Big Ten, he suffered a broken kneecap against the Hoosiers on Jan. 27, 2001. While Iowa moved on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Recker once again waited for his chance.That chance was supposed to be this season.\n"I'm very excited about the prospects. Obviously I would like a storybook ending," Recker said in October. "I just want to get through the year, first of all, healthy, which I don't think will be a problem."\nRecker and Steve Alford have gotten their wish. Recker has had no serious injuries that have kept him out for any considerable time. But that hasn't translated to the winning that was expected.\nTonight Recker leads the Hawkeyes against the Hoosiers at Assembly Hall, the first time he will be a visitor in the building. As much as IU needs a win to stay with Ohio State atop the Big Ten, Iowa needs the win to stay afloat.\nIowa began the season 12-3, including an impressive 83-65 win at then-No. 2 Missouri. Recker had a career-high 31 points and was named Big Ten Player-of-the-Week. The win knocked the Hawkeyes to No. 12 in the polls. They would get to No. 9 a week later before they fell apart.\nFollowing a conference opening win against Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes (15-8, 4-5) lost five of their next seven to fall into a three-way tie for sixth place in the league with Illinois and Michigan. The Hawkeyes have also fallen out of the polls and have gone 0-4 on the road in the Big Ten.\n"The first year we've had the bull's-eye on our chest. This is not an easy league to play on the road," Alford said. "Our league is a lot like a lot of leagues, there's a lot of parity. There are a lot of teams that have a lot of losses in league play much more than usual."\nIowa's 77-66 loss Jan. 13 to IU in Iowa City started a three-game losing streak for the Hawkeyes that included a 13-point loss at Northwestern.\nAs Iowa has struggled, so has Recker. He is averaging 17.7 points to lead the conference in scoring and four rebounds per game, but he has come up short in big games. He was held to 12 against the Hoosiers last month and at Illinois he had 16 points in an 11-point loss to the Illini. In Big Ten games only, Recker's average has slipped to under 16 points per game. He averaged more as a sophomore at IU.\nAgainst Michigan State last month Alford had Ryan Hogan start at shooting guard and had Recker come off the bench after he had just eight points in the loss to the Wildcats.\n"Everyone had to understand their role and they did," Alford said. "It isn't easy to take players out of the game when they make mistakes, but that's what we needed, so I hope we got their attention."\nIn his first shot against his old team this season, Recker got Dane Fife to commit two early fouls, but could not get on track against Kyle Hornsby. Recker shot 5-of-13 from the field including 2-of-6 from three-point land.\nHe sparked a quick burst at the start of the second half, but Recker and the Hawkeyes never got closer than five. Still, Mike Davis is wary of Iowa.\n"I think Iowa and Illinois still have more talent than anyone in this league. Iowa is so good, I'm worried about them," Davis said.\nNow Recker returns to IU to play in front of fans that were not exactly thrilled by his departure after the 1998-99 season. A regular season conference championship is quickly slipping from Recker's grasp. And suddenly, in a year where Recker was lined up to possibly be the conference's Player of the Year, a sophomore forward from IU has himself in position to win the award.\nThe Hawkeyes are likely headed for the NCAA Tournament, and it probably won't take a miracle run in the Big Ten Tournament like it did last year. And this year, as the regular season winds down, Recker is on the floor for the first time since 1999.\nMuch like the pattern of his career overall, the beginning of this season was pretty good for Recker, the middle has been rough and now Recker has a chance to take control of the end of it. Iowa will need him to.\n"He's been through a lot," Alford said. "We need him to contribute on both ends of the floor and he has to let his playing take care of itself"