Chad Leistikow's 5 thoughts from Iowa's 82-78 win over Illinois start with the crazy start-to-finish journey for senior Hannah Stuelke.

While it's not official yet, the Iowa Hawkeyes 20th win should be enough to get them in.

Series: Iowa holds a 35-21 all-time advantage over the Nittany Lions, but Penn State holds a 15-10 advantage in University Park. The Hawkeyes have won the last two games, including a 76-75 victory in Iowa City in January last season.

Iowa Hawkeyes (20-8, 10-7 Big Ten) at Penn State Nittany Lions (11-17, 2-15 Big Ten) University Park, Pennsylvania; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Iowa takes on Penn State after Bennett Stirtz scored 22 points in Iowa's 74-57 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

The Iowa softball team opened its Louisiana road trip with a loss to McNeese State, 11-4, on Thursday afternoon. The Hawkeyes move to 10-5 on the season after their second consecutive loss. Junior Leah McAnally led the way for Iowa with a double and two singles for a perfect 3-for-3 day,

Seeing Stuelke seemingly avoid a major injury and return to the game is great news for an Iowa team that has visions of making a deep run in March. She's by far the most seasoned and experienced Hawk when it comes to postseason success, having a pair of National Championship game appearances under her belt.

In the 51st consecutive sellout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Fighting Illini nearly pulled off the program’s most historic upset in recent memory, falling short to the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes 82-78. It was a game of two halves for the orange and blue.

After Ohio State flew to a 15-5 lead over Iowa, junior forward Alvaro Folgueiras dove onto a loose ball to cause a tie-up and keep the possession in the Hawkeyes’ favor. While the play was just a small part of Iowa’s 74-57 rout of Ohio State,