IOWA CITY  Jarrod Uthoff's two-month saga from Wisconsin ended Saturday when the Cedar Rapids Jefferson graduate selected Iowa, one of his former school's biggest rivals.

"It's official: I'm going to be a Hawkeye," Uthoff said. "I just think it would be the best fit for me.

"It's something I thought about the whole time. I just wanted to make sure this is the right fit for me."

Uthoff, a 6-foot-8 forward, will pay his own way for the next school year. He is ineligible to compete next season, per NCAA rules.

Uthoff red-shirted last year at Wisconsin and requested a scholarship release following the season. Uthoff was restricted by Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan from contacting schools from the Big Ten, ACC schools, Marquette, Iowa State and Florida. Uthoff appealed those restrictions after the situation ignited publicly, and Wisconsin rescinded all restrictions except for the Badgers' Big Ten rivals.

Uthoff took spring visits to Creighton and Iowa State but could not make an official visit to Iowa. He's not allowed to have contact with any Iowa athletics officials unless he enrolls and attends classes.

After sitting out for one year, Uthoff will be eligible to play at Iowa for three seasons. A source with knowledge told The Gazette that Uthoff will earn a scholarship for the 2013-14 season.

Iowa diligently recruited Uthoff in 2010, shortly after Coach Fran McCaffery took over as head coach. But Uthoff chose Wisconsin over Iowa, Iowa State, Indiana, Illinois and other schools.A Marengo native, Uthoff earned Iowa's 2011 Mr. Basketball honor at Cedar Rapids Jefferson after averaging a state-high 26.1 points.