I'm sorry - blow me up if you want to....

[BSpringsteen]

I'm sorry blow me up if you want to but this NIT run is WAY more fun and way more meaningful than a one and done NCAA tournament would have been. Of course the way we are playing it probably wouldn't have been a one and done.

But the point is, that this has been a ton of fun, and that this is going to be a HUGE builder for this program.

 

[TritonHawkeye]

Hard to argue the excitement side of this but in the end nothing beats the NCAA tournament.

 

[BrueCrew3]

I agree. I was a proponent of making THE dance. But Iowa is playing with a chip on their shoulder and it shows. The Hawks are playing with a purpose and have gained confidence because of it. The entire team is making a statement. This is going to be a team to be reckoned with next year in the B1G.

GO HAWKS!!!

 

[83Hawk]

I agree.

Yes, making the ncaa is better than making the nit, but playing a minimum of 4 games against decent competition (with 3 wins so far) is more fun than losing in the first round of the ncaa.

I tend to look at this a little different than the basketball snobs.....I consider this nit run not as the finish of the 2012-2013 season, but as the start of the 2013-2014 season. Being able to play mulitiple games in a one and done situation will provide valuable experience for this squad, and pay dividends down the road.

Plus, we get to see our beloved Hawkeyes more!

 

[ssckelley]

Only mad and jelly clowns will "blow you up" for saying that. Winning is fun, it does not matter who you are playing or in what tournament. I wanted the Hawks to be in the NCAA badly but it did not happen but any Hawk fan that is not enjoying this run has to be insane or just pretending to be a fan. It is obvious the team and the coaches are enjoying it and so should we.

Going on the road and beating an ACC team will pay off huge next season. They know in their minds now that they can win on the road against a good team.

 

[99topdawg]

I'm sorry blow me up if you want to but this NIT run is WAY more fun and way more meaningful than a one and done NCAA tournament would have been. Of course the way we are playing it probably wouldn't have been a one and done.

But the point is, that this has been a ton of fun, and that this is going to be a HUGE builder for this program.

Before selection Sunday, I was wanting an NCAA bid really bad, I knew, without a nice run in the BTT, it wasn't going to happen. I took on a wait and see attitude about the NIT. Now, I totally agree with what you posted.

 

[1hawkeye1]

Agree and I've said it since after the Nebby loss when it was clear we weren't making the NCAA. An NIT run is much better for this team's development than a 1&done NCAA.

Hawks will reap the rewards next season.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Winning is fun, it does not matter who you are playing or in what tournament.

Um, the NCAA selection committee wholeheartedly disagrees with your sentiment. Had Iowa won some games in a real early season tournament, they prolly would have gone to the dance. How quickly we forget.

 

[BSpringsteen]

I'll add this...

With an automatic qualifier in the NCAA to tourney winners, and an automatic qualifier to the NIT if you win your regular season conference, the NIT has some pretty solid mid level talent.

No, there are no top 7 seeds in there, but there also aren't many 12-16 seeds either. If any of these teams had been placed in the NCAA, they probably would have almost all been 8-11 seeds.

 

[99topdawg]

Only mad and jelly clowns will "blow you up" for saying that. Winning is fun, it does not matter who you are playing or in what tournament. I wanted the Hawks to be in the NCAA badly but it did not happen but any Hawk fan that is not enjoying this run has to be insane or just pretending to be a fan. It is obvious the team and the coaches are enjoying it and so should we.

Are these the same Clowns that got excited at the words "Liberty, Independence, Humanitarian, and Pinstripe"?

 

[ssckelley]

Um, the NCAA selection committee wholeheartedly disagrees with your sentiment. Had Iowa won some games in a real early season tournament, they prolly would have gone to the dance. How quickly we forget.

any Hawk fan that is not enjoying this run has to be insane or just pretending to be a fan

Which one are you?

 

[INTIMIDATORHawk]

Hindsight is 20/20, but if Iowa had played in the NCAA Tournament, this season would most likely have ended a week and a half ago.

This NIT run has been incredible so far, and this team has made huge strides over these last 3 games. In the big picture of building this program, the NIT is perfect for Iowa. The extra games and practice time have been put to good use. The progress is astounding.

 

[okeefe4prez]

any Hawk fan that is not enjoying this run has to be insane or just pretending to be a fan

Which one are you?

Any Hawk fan with the capacity to remember 2 weeks in the past knows that tournaments matter and any Hawk fan with the capacity to read the thousands of posts on RPI that have popped up in the past 2 weeks knows that most real Hawk fans wanted to go dancing. Obviously the foregoing doesn't apply to you.

Let me let you in on a secret, when you go on the road in late February and your team is losing big with two minutes to go and the chants of "N-I-T" start, that is not a compliment.

 

[ssckelley]

Any Hawk fan with the capacity to remember 2 weeks in the past knows that tournaments matter and any Hawk fan with the capacity to read the thousands of posts on RPI that have popped up in the past 2 weeks knows that most real Hawk fans wanted to go dancing. Obviously the foregoing doesn't apply to you.

Let me let you in on a secret, when you go on the road in late February and your team is losing big with two minutes to go and the chants of "N-I-T" start, that is not a compliment.

You never answered my question.

 

[SpiderRico]

Here's how I look at it.....

If the choice is a guaranteed one and done in this year's tourney or a run to Madison Square Garden in the NIT, I would take the NIT run simply because of the youth on this team and their inability to win away from Carver. I would feel differently if we were a senior dominated team as the extra games wouldn't really mean squat.

On the other hand, since nothing is "guaranteed", I would still rather take my chances in the NCAAs as a 12 or 13 seed and try to pull a few upsets.

 

[hawkfan33]

Any Hawk fan with the capacity to remember 2 weeks in the past knows that tournaments matter and any Hawk fan with the capacity to read the thousands of posts on RPI that have popped up in the past 2 weeks knows that most real Hawk fans wanted to go dancing. Obviously the foregoing doesn't apply to you.

Let me let you in on a secret, when you go on the road in late February and your team is losing big with two minutes to go and the chants of "N-I-T" start, that is not a compliment.

What the **** are you arguing here? It's entirely possibly for one to want to go to the NCAA but still enjoy the NIT run.

 

[eyekwah]

"Things happen for a reason." That old cliche seems appropriate this morning. The team, no matter how things turn out in MSG, will be motivated to make the NCAA next year. This team is getting valuable experience playing in a one and done situation at the end of the season. While winning the NIT isn't a future predictor, it is a springboard to the next step.

 

[woodyk1]

What the **** are you arguing here? It's entirely possibly for one to want to go to the NCAA but still enjoy the NIT run.

Actually, that's the only possibility at Northwestern.

 

[okeefe4prez]

On the other hand, since nothing is "guaranteed", I would still rather take my chances in the NCAAs as a 12 or 13 seed and try to pull a few upsets.

Oh, we're just little ol' Iowa. We couldn't expect to get as far as LaSalle or Florida Gulf Coast. Let's just be thankful we can hang that NIT banner.

 

[kicker22]

Regardless of whether its the NCAA or NIT, they are still playing. We missed out on the NCAA, that ship has sailed. Now the focus has shifted to winning the NIT, and the majority of us have accepted it. It may not be the Big Dance and most of us accept that, but the fact is that Iowa is still playing good basketball and most of us are enjoying it. IMO the ones who can't accept the fact that fans are able to enjoy the fact they're still playing regardless of what tournament it is, are the ones that aren't enjoying the run.

Sorry if I'm not a true fan because I'm not butthrut and am no longer dwelling on the fact we're not in the Big Dance. I'm having a blast watching the Hawks make a run in the NIT and am not afraid to say it.