Iowa hasn’t put together a winning streak in Big Ten play yet this season, but it has another chance to do so on Saturday, when it takes on Penn State at 5 p.m. in State College.

The Nittany Lions, however, have posed a challenge for the Hawkeyes this season. In the first conference game, on Dec. 2, 2017, Penn State topped Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye, 77-73.

However, it could be a different Hawkeye team that Penn State will face.

Luckily for the Hawkeyes, they’re coming off one of the best performances in a conference game of the season. Improved defense and exceptional shooting played big roles in Iowa’s 94-80 win over Minnesota on Tuesday, and they will be the keys to taking down the Nittany Lions.

“Just staying consistent, staying with the things that got us the win [Tuesday],” shooting guard Isaiah Moss said. “They’re a good team, so we have to play hard.”

Lamar Stevens, Mike Watkins, and Tony Carr were all problems for Iowa’s early season defense.

The 77 points Iowa allowed against Penn State the first time around is the third-least in conference play this season, but the Hawkeyes have a habit of playing poor defense that leads to an explosion of points for opponents.

Combine that with Carr’s offensive prowess, and Iowa could be in for a long evening.

Although it forced the Nittany Lions to shoot under 44 percent from the floor in December, Iowa never led at any point.

With a 15-9 overall record, all three players who had a big impact the first time around can still fluster the young Hawkeye team.

“I think when you look at that team that you saw them last year, especially with Stevens, Carr, and Watkins in particular, those three freshmen doing as well as they did last year,” head coach Fran McCaffery said before Iowa’s first battle with Penn State. “This is a team they were looking at as a team that has a chance to contend.”

The Nittany Lions are dangerous. Although they might not be considered one of the conference’s bluebloods, they have five weapons in the starting lineup averaging in double figures, including Carr, who is tied for the Big Ten scoring lead with 19.6 points a game.

Still, Penn State has been stuck in the middle of the pack. It boasts the seventh-ranked scoring offense (76.0 points per game) and No. 8 in scoring defense (67.2 points allowed).

In Penn State’s last time out, No. 5 Michigan State beat the Nittany Lions, 76-68, after facing a 12-point deficit in the second half.

Even though it had a good game last time out, Iowa’s defense is still a concern that Carr and Company can take advantage of. Iowa’s offense, though, has the potential to set it apart, especially if it can shoot the lights out as it did against Minnesota.

Jordan Bohannon and Moss led Iowa to the victory, hitting 4 3-pointers each, but the most important thing was getting a win and the confidence that comes with it.