Hawkeye Greg Brunner: Iowa Time Machine January 18, 2006

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 18, 2006, Hawkeye Greg Brunner grabbed 23 rebounds to set a program record for Iowa basketball in a 76-72 win over Minnesota in triple-overtime. The Charles City standout took in a program record 990 rebounds during a standout career, and his single-game rebounding mark stood for 16 years.

Brunner arrived at Iowa as the kind of player who forces coaches to believe in intangibles. Coming out of Charles City High School, he lacked the recruiting profile of a future star. Some fans wondered why the coach, Steve Alford, awarded him a scholarship. Standing 6-foot-6 without elite athleticism, Brunner compensated with an understanding of angles, positioning, and an almost spiritual commitment to pursuing every missed shot.

The Big Ten remained a physical, grind-it-out conference where rebounding prowess separated contenders from pretenders. By his senior year in 2005-06, Brunner had transformed himself into the anchor of a team with legitimate championship aspirations, averaging 8.3 rebounds per game while developing the offensive skills that would eventually earn him 1,516 career points.

On the memorable night against Minnesota, Brunner wrangled 23 rebounds, 17 points, 2 assists, as well as a steal and a block. The victory improved Iowa's conference record and reinforced the team's identity as a blue-collar squad willing to outwork opponents. Brunner's willingness to do the unglamorous work of boxing out, fighting for position, and pursuing loose balls embodied everything Alford's staff had tried to instill in the program. The 2006 season would ultimately deliver both ecstasy and agony in equal measure. Iowa went 25-9 and did something no Iowa team has done since: they ran the table and won the Big Ten Tournament, defeating Ohio State 67-60 in the championship game. The victory secured Iowa a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Northwestern State on a buzzer-beater. #Iowa #OTD #History #Basketball #Hakweyes