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Louis Orr and Roosevelt Bouie were known as “The Louie and Bouie Show.” That nickname, the brainchild of the student newspaper at Syracuse, honored two players who took the program to great heights.

Orr was a 6-8 forward with guard skills who could shoot from the perimeter or mix it up inside. Bouie, 6-11, was one of the best centers in the country. They combined to average 32 points and 17 rebounds a game while winning 26 of 29 games.

That’s what awaited unranked Iowa, a 21-8 fourth-place Big Ten team with Final Four aspirations. Iowa center Steve Krafcisin knew all about “The Louie and Bouie Show” headed into their 1980 Sweet 16 matchup at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pa. But he wasn’t scared. 

“Oh, no,” recalls Krafcisin, in his final season as the women’s basketball coach at Des Moines Area Community College in Boone. “We’d heard about the ‘Louie and Bouie Show.’ Ok, that’s great.”

Iowa Coach Lute Olson took care of the intimidation factor long before tipoff. 

“Coach Olson would always say, “They don’t matter,’ ” recalled Krafcisin. “It’s what we do and how we handle things. It doesn’t matter who they have or what they are. You go in and you play hard.”

It’s not like Krafcisin hadn’t exchanged elbows with more than a few great players during his Iowa career. Guys like Joe Barry Carroll of Purdue, Herb Williams of Ohio State, Kevin McHale and Randy Breuer at Minnesota, Magic Johnson and Greg Kesler at Michigan State. That’s just a sample platter.

The Hawkeyes were fresh off an impressive 77-64 second-round NCAA victory over Hawkeye Whitney and North Carolina State in Greensboro, N.C.

“After we beat them, I thought we could play with Syracuse,” Krafcisin said. “It was going to be a big test, but it was nothing we hadn’t dealt with already.”

The Hawkeyes traveled from Greensboro to Philadelphia, and flew under the radar. 

“People in Philadelphia didn’t have any clue about Iowa,” Krafcisin said. “We were knee deep in Big East Country. They didn’t give us anything.”

Krafcisin was just excited to be playing in an NBA arena that was home to the Philadelphia 76ers.

“They were a hot team,” Krafcisin said. “Maurice Cheeks, Bobby Jones. But to go there and play where the Doctor played (Julius Erving), that was the exciting thing.”

The two regional semifinals at the Spectrum had a distinct East Coast flavor. Georgetown, with Sleepy Floyd and John Duren, played a Maryland team with stars Albert King and Buck Williams. And “The Louie and Bouie Show” was the big draw in the other game, against some guys from farm country.

One of the interested spectators that night was a member of the basketball team at Penn. Fran McCaffery, who became the Hawkeyes’ head coach in 2010, snuck into the game with his brother, Jack, a Philadelphia sportswriter. McCaffery even found a seat courtside. 

“Remember, when you’re from the East and you have Maryland, Georgetown and Syracuse, the perception was that one of those three teams was going to advance,” McCaffery said. “It’s not going to be Iowa.”

It had not been a smooth season for the Hawkeyes. Star point guard Ronnie Lester injured a knee in the eight game of the season. He would miss a total of 16 games before returning on the final weekend of the Big Ten season.

“Kenny Arnold really benefited, and we benefited so much, from Ronnie being out,” Kraficisin said. “Because it really turned Kenny into an unreal guard. We’d go into four corners a little bit, or try to stall, and Kenny was the dude.”

Olson made one major change in his starting line, inserting forward and sixth man Vince Brookins for Steve Waite. Brookins was given the defensive assignment on Orr, who played like a small guard in Coach Jim Boeheim’s offense. Krafcisin drew Bouie inside. And Waite would make several huge plays down the stretch.

Iowa led by as many as 12 points in the opening half, and took a 40-33 advantage into halftime. Syracuse started the second half with a 13-4 run, and led by as many as six points. But Iowa broke the game open down the stretch and advanced with an 88-77 victory despite Orr’s 25 points and 16 rebounds.

Krafcisin watched a tape of the second half recently. He had forgotten all about a technical foul called on Boeheim with 7:16 remaining and the Orange in front, 57-55.

“That technical foul killed them,” Krafcisin said.

Back them, the opposing team was awarded two free throws on a technical foul. Brookins made both of them, then stayed at the line to shoot a one-and-one after being fouled by Tony Bruin, a call that had drawn Boeheim’s technical. Brookins made the first and missed the second. Iowa also got possession of the ball, and Krafcisin scored on a baby hook. That five-point possession gave Iowa the lead for good.

Krafcisin added two more baskets, then picked up his fifth foul with 5:50 to play and Waite replaced him. The first thing Waite did was draw Bouie’s fifth foul. Waite later made two free throws, blocked two shots, hit Lester with a long pass that led to a layup and scored on a reverse layup.

“It was an anti-Waite move,” Krafcisin said.

Now with the lead, and Bouie on the bench, Iowa held off Syracuse with solid defense and tremendous free-throw shooting.

“Just watching the second half again, every shot was contested,” Krafcisin said. “Vince was right there. Waiter gets two blocks. Vince makes a block, and we’re making all these free throws.” 

Iowa made 30 of 39 free throws for the game, including 17 of 18 in the second half. The Hawkeyes shot 52.7 percent from the floor and got balanced scoring.

Brookins led the way with 21, Kevin Boyle added 18, Krafcisin 14, Arnold 12 and Waite 10. 

“The Syracuse coach said in the paper that all Iowa was known for was corn,” Arnold said. “We just had to show him.”

Lester didn’t have a Lester-like game against Syracuse, making just three of 10 shots. 

“I didn’t play good, and Syracuse had something to do with that,” Lester said. Iowa advanced to the regional final against Georgetown with plenty of confidence. “I am not surprised that we’re still left,” Olson said. “I think we can play with anybody. I’m not being cocky, not being overconfident. But I’m looking forward to the game Sunday.” 

Iowa took care of business, playing a near-flawless second half and beating Georgetown, 81-80, on Waite’s basket with :03 remaining. Iowa, the team that no one in the City of Brotherly Love gave a chance to make it to the Final Four.

“Iowa’s personnel stood out to me,” said McCaffery, who also worked his way to a courtside seat

For the Georgetown game. “To me, of everyone at the Eastern Regionals that year, Ronnie Lester was the best player. And at the conclusion of the weekend, it was clear who the best team was. They clearly outplayed the two teams they played.”

All-time record vs. No 3: 6-18

Other victories vs. No. 3

Iowa 73, Illinois 68 (Feb. 9, 1952, Iowa City) - Things looked bleak for the Hawkeyes at halftime. Illinois led, 35-33. And three Iowa starters - Chuck Darling, Bob Clifton, Deacon Davis - had four fouls apiece. But Clifton was the only one to foul out, and Iowa used a big third quarter to reverse momentum.

The Hawkeyes used an 11-2 third-quarter run to turn a 43-40 deficit into a 51-45 lead, and never trailed again. Illinois tenaciously chased Iowa, getting to within 63-60 with 5 minutes to play. But the Hawkeyes scored the next five points and moved into a tie for the Big Ten lead with Illinois at 6-1.

Darling, Iowa’s star center, finished with 26 points. Herb Thompson added 15, Davis 14 and Ev Cochrane 11 valuable points off the bench. Cochrane was the only sub used off the bench by Coach Bucky O’Connor.

The two teams battled for the conference title the rest of the way. Illinois won the rematch in Champaign, 78-62, and came out on top with a 12-2 mark, Iowa was the runner-up at 11-3. 

Iowa 82, Indiana 64 (Feb. 22, 1954, Bloomington, Ind.) - Coach Bucky O’Connor shook up his starting lineup, and it worked wonders as the Hawkeyes dominated the heavily favored Hoosiers.

Freshmen weren’t eligible to play at the time. O’Connor started five first-year players in sophomores Carl Cain, Bill Logan, Bill Seaberg, Bill Schoof and Sharm Scheuerman. Cain, Logan and Seaberg were already starters. But O’Connor went with Scheuerman and Schoof instead of Chuck Jarnigan and Deacon Davis.Two seasons later, that all-sophomore lineup would start as seniors and finish second nationally to San Francisco.

The all-sophomore starting unit looked to be in jeopardy when Cain picked up four fouls in the first 8 minutes of action. But O’Connor kept him in the game. In fact, only first-year players played until the final 2 minutes of the contest.

Seaberg led Iowa with 21 points. Logan added 17, Schoof 14, Scheuerman 13 and Cain 10. Indiana’s two star players, Bob Leonard and Don Schlundt, struggled. Schlundt finished with 20 points, but was just seven for 19 from the field. Leonard was three of 18 and scored just six points.

Iowa 79, Minnesota 77 (March 5, 1973, Minneapolis, Minn.) - The Gophers’ Jim Brewer was honored at halftime for becoming the program’s career rebounding leader. Minnesota was leading, 46-33, and one half away from clinching a share of the Big Ten title. “I’d better get back to the locker room,” Brewer told the Williams Arena crowd. “The game’s not over yet.”

And the Hawkeyes made those words prophetic, storming back to win the game on Kevin Kunnert’s three-point play with :04 remaining. Kunnert’s first shot was blocked by Brewer, but the Iowa center got the rebound, put it back in and was fouled by Brewer. Kunnert added the free throw and Iowa had upset the Gophers for the second time that season.

Kunnert finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds, 14 coming in the second half. Guard Rick Williams had 25 points. Brewer finished with 14 points and added to his career rebounding numbers with 13. In a loss.

Iowa 101, Indiana 88, Jan. 22, 1987, Iowa City) - Top-ranked Iowa recorded its third victory over a Top 10 opponent in a nine-day span and won a school-record 18th consecutive game. The Hawkeyes also became the first team to reach the century mark against a Bob Knight-coached squad.

“Tom Davis is about as ideal a coach for this group of players as you could have,” Knight said. “This team just keeps coming at you.”

Iowa used a 16-2 run midway through the second half to take control, though the Hoosiers took the game to the wire. It looked like future Iowa Coach Steve Alford had cut the Hawkeye lead to 93-91 on a 3-pointer with 1:25 to play, but he had stepped out-of-bounds before he shot. Iowa then scored the game’s final eight points.

The Hawkeyes had six players score in double figures. Kevin Gamble and Jeff Moe scored 18 points apiece, B.J. Armstrong and Roy Marble both scored 16, Ed Horton 14 and Brad Lohaus 13. Horton also had 11 rebounds. Iowa owned the glass, 46-19, including a 27-2 edge in offensive rebounds.

Iowa 84, Ohio State 74, Jan. 12, 2014, Columbus, Ohio) - Iowa snapped a nine-game losing streak to Top 25 opponents, and beat a Top Five team on the road for the first time since 2001 (at No. 2 Missouri, 83-65).

“People kept asking, “Why can’t you win on the road? Why can’t you make big plays down the stretch? Why can’t you put two halves together?’ So we answered all those critics,” said Iowa forward and Ohio native Aaron White.

Devyn Marble scored 22 points and White added 19. Iowa trailed, 53-44, with under 13 minutes to play, but outscored the Buckeyes over the last 5:38, 22-9. That late run included 10 free throws in 12 attempts.

“I was tired of losing games like that, where we knew we were the better team,” Marble said.