Lickliter: Tucker still working himself into shape

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Iowa freshman guard Anthony Tucker attracted plenty of early attention for his play -- and nearly as much buzz for his recent disappearance.

Tucker, a freshman guard averaging a team-high 11.8 points per game, has played exactly one minute in Iowa's last three games. Tucker made a very brief appearance against Ohio State on Dec. 31 and never saw the floor during Iowa's 65-60 win over Indiana on Saturday or in a victory over Western Illinois on Dec. 27.

Iowa coach Todd Lickliter reiterated Monday that Tucker isn't in the doghouse because of his December suspension for alcohol-related issues. The reason Tucker's playing time has been significantly diminished, Lickliter said, is that he's still working his way back from lost practice time and an illness he fought through earlier last month.

"That's behind us, without question. He's a very bright young man," Lickliter said when about whether Tucker's suspension has affected his status. "He's a team guy, and I have no problem with Anthony."

Tucker started the year on fire, scoring at least 14 points in five of the season's first six games. But he fell ill and barely played at Boston College on Dec. 2. Five days later, he was suspended after being found unconscious in an alley behind a bar in downtown Iowa City.

Tucker returned on Dec. 20 against Drake, playing 19 minutes and scoring a team-high 12 points in a 60-43 loss. That performance has made his recent lack of playing time all the more perplexing, but Lickliter inferred Monday that Tucker is still rusty.

"He really was under the weather and he missed practices and lost some strength, and he's just been kind of recovering from all that," Lickliter said. "It's not that we've played bad basketball in his absence, and that's what happens sometimes."

Tucker's absence has paved the way for junior college transfers Jermain Davis and Devan Bawinkel to see extended minutes , and Lickliter praised both for their recent play.

Davis has started the last seven games, scoring nine points and grabbing eight rebounds in the win over Indiana. Bawinkel -- who has taken all of his 57 shots from 3-point range -- has helped replace Tucker's strong perimeter game by shooting 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.

"Guys have played well, and his minutes have been limited in that," Lickliter said about Tucker. "He's just continuing to gain his strength back and work hard in practice, and he's available for us."

If Saturday's performance against Indiana is any indication, the Hawkeyes are going to need Tucker's scoring ability as the Big Ten progresses.

Iowa went through a pair of scoring droughts in the second half against the Hoosiers -- perhaps the least experienced team in league history, with 98.8 percent of their scoring gone from a year ago -- and let a 13-point lead slip to 62-60 with 22.4 seconds left.

The schedule gets much tougher for Iowa over the next few weeks. The Hawkeyes host No. 22 Minnesota on Thursday, travel to Michigan and 14th-ranked Purdue and welcome Wisconsin to Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Jan. 21.

"It's been probably an eye-opening experience for some of our younger guys," Lickliter said. "I think that's what people sign up for. But then you get involved in it and you realize the difficulty -- but you always realize how helpful it is in the process of growth and development."

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