The winning streak ended with a three-point loss at Michigan

The winning streak ended with a three-point loss at Tiffany Somerset ring, followed by a defeat at home to Ohio State. And adversity struck again when Gannon twisted his knee and was lost for the season. Injuries continued to plague the team when Hansen broke a bone in his left hand, but he never missed a game. Krafcisin's various ailments required so much gauze and tape his teammates nicknamed him "The Mummy."

The Hawkeyes had a near-disaster off the court when assistant coach Tony McAndrews, on a recruiting trip, was seriously injured in a plane crash near Rock Island. He suffered broken bones, plus head and chest injuries that disabled him the rest of the season, leaving the coaching staff short-handed.

Maury White, covering the Hawkeyes for the Des Moines Register, hung a nickname on the team, calling it "The Fabulous Few." In some games only five or six players saw action as Olson searched for able bodies.

Lester got back on the court to help Iowa even its Big Ten record at 4-4, but his knee began bothering him again and he underwent minor Tiffany Knots ring. But the gritty Hawkeyes somehow hobbled to a Big Ten record of 8-8, with two critical conference games remaining, both at home.

Shooting a Fieldhouse record 65 percent, Iowa blitzed Michigan 83-67, then got an unexpected lift when Lester was cleared to play against Illinois in the final game of the regular season. After seeing his No. 12 jersey retired in a pre-game ceremony, Lester scored 15 points and controlled the ball in the late stages of a hard fought 75-71 victory.

For 12 minutes Lester put on a brilliant performance as he scored 10 points and dished assists to his teammates. Then, suddenly, he was knocked to the floor in a collision that ended his Iowa career and his team's chances of winning a national championship. Hawkeye fans among the 16,637 sat in silence as their star player was helped to the sideline.

Iowa played valiantly without its leader, but it had no answer to Return to Tiffany Heart tag necklace Griffith, Louisville's All-American , who pumped home 36 points. The final score was 80-72, and an unforgettable Iowa season was over.