ESPN on why Iowa keeps failing in NCAAs

Like why even have the topic be a thing? They can avoid it have a universal ball. I'm not sure the why behind why schools can all do their own thing with them but it's to their own detriment to not get on the same page.
Even in high school baseball in Iowa, we're all required to use the exact same Spalding ball in all postseason games.
 
THIS IS A GOOD POINT. I HAD A PIZZA HUT BALL THAT I USED FOR A FEW YEARS. THE HOOP ON MY GARAGE WAS 9'10" BUT THERE WAS A SLIGHT SLOPE TO THE DRIVEWAY SO MY DAD SAID IT WAS FINE. I WAS ABSOLUTELY LETHAL WITH THE PILL. COULD HIT 97 OUT OF 100 FTS, DRAIN THE LONG BALL, YOU NAME IT.

WENT TO TRYOUTS. THEY HAD SOME KIND OF NEWFANGLED LEATHER BALL AND WOULDN'T LET ME USE MY TRUSTY PIZZA HUT BALL. I MISSED EVERY FUCKING SHOT. LIKE LITERALLY EVERY FUCKING SHOT. MY DAD GOT ME THERE LATE AND I COULDN'T WARM UP AND THEN ONCE I MISSED A FEW THE PRESSURE GOT REALLY FUCKING HIGH. I'M PRETTY SURE IT'S MY DAD'S FAULT AND I WOULD JUST NOW BE RETIRING FROM THE NBA IF (A) MY DAD WOULD HAVE SET THE RIM AT THE RIGHT HEIGHT, (B) HE HAD GOTTEN ME TO THE TRYOUTS ON TIME AND (C) I HADN'T STARTED OFF PLAYING WITH THAT DAMNED PIZZA HUT BALL. THE INTERNET LOSERS WHO AREN'T PURE SHOOTERS LIKE ME DON'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF PRESSURE AND CHANGES TO THE BALL.
You had a hoop?

That's some bourgeoisie shit right there. I had to ride my K-Mart bike 12 blocks trying to hold a basketball in one hand, hoping to hell that there weren't some 8th graders or some shit already playing on the court. If there were I had to ride by in shame like an idiot and go 16 blocks the opposite direction to the shit park on the other end of town where the only hoop didn't have a net (not even a chain one) and the rim was bent down about 20 degrees from high school kids hanging on it.

Life of a prole I guess.
 
Even the Big Ten has different basketballs among the teams.

Maryland uses the Under Armour ball and it's been an issue in the past with teams hating it.
Kinda like Hayden telling the grounds crew to let the grass grow long this week.
 
Also a good point they had four wins in 4 days as well. Only thing I can think of is Iowa had a more crueling path in the BTT and had to travel longer to a place where Richmond had more fan support. But that does sound excuseish. Personally I think we should have zoned them more and played the Big O and pounded them more inside...along with Keegan.

And, Perhaps, playing the three defensive Demons together

Perkins, Ulis and JoeT

They were instrumental in the comeback at Purdue

And Illinois at Carver
 
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Lunardi: This edition of the Hawkeyes was fifth in the Big Ten in defensive efficiency according to KenPom. That seemed to go out the window as soon as Richmond connected on its first back cut, then another and another. The bad, old Iowa defense was back, lacking floor balance and even basic awareness on inbounds plays. And the Spiders might not be done, as their pending matchup with Providence seems fairly even. As for Iowa fans, what you see is what you get. On a continuous loop.

THIS
 
And, Perhaps, playing the three defensive Demons together

Perkins, Ulis and JoeT

They were instrumental in the comeback at Purdue

And Illinois at Carver
Have you watched ulis latley? he isnt a threat at all....

Joe T was out of control throwing up bricks

Perkins had 3 offensive fouls

Those 3 were not the answer.

The problem was we had our worse shooting game of the year and the refs werent calling fouls.
 
Have you watched ulis latley? he isnt a threat at all....

Joe T was out of control throwing up bricks

Perkins had 3 offensive fouls

Those 3 were not the answer.

The problem was we had our worse shooting game of the year and the refs werent calling fouls.

Probably wouldn't have hurt all that much

Considering the play of every MFing Hawk on the floor

Not named Patrick McCaffrey
 
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My take....you need to be good on both offense and defense. You need good guard play and post play. Iowa normally has the offense but Iowa lacked in all 4 of these areas yesterday.....and you can circle these areas as problems in the other years....not necessarily all at the same time. Iowa struggles in the NCAAs because they usually don't have a complete team coming into it. When they do, they get matched up with a Duke like team in the 2nd round....or everything goes to chalk. Could be the case Iowa got hot and their extraordinary shooting covered up their problems coming into the NCAAs. Throw in a different game ball, long travel, a biased crowd not in your favor, and firing off all of your arsenal to win the BTT, and playing a team that had some weapons and a coach who did his homework....Iowa got picked off.
Well said HH56
 
Purdue's defensive efficiency numbers are worse than Iowa's. With Kentucky losing they are set up for a deep run. It was set up pretty nicely for Iowa to make a deep run and they shit the bed.
Gotta get by Texas. And that won't be easy. Chris Beard knows how to coach in the postseason.
 
You had a hoop?

That's some bourgeoisie shit right there. I had to ride my K-Mart bike 12 blocks trying to hold a basketball in one hand, hoping to hell that there weren't some 8th graders or some shit already playing on the court. If there were I had to ride by in shame like an idiot and go 16 blocks the opposite direction to the shit park on the other end of town where the only hoop didn't have a net (not even a chain one) and the rim was bent down about 20 degrees from high school kids hanging on it.

Life of a prole I guess.
Damn... That's brutal. My dad spoiled my little bro and I. He poured some cement enough for about a half court in our Machine shed on the farm and put up an adjustable hoop. So we could play yr round out of the wind. Only thing bad about it was there was like a 5 inch drop off right behind the hoop so when your momentum from dunking/shooting layups took you past it you had to watch it to not sprain ankles. Small price to pay for having the place for friends to come over to play all the time.
 
You had a hoop?

That's some bourgeoisie stuff right there. I had to ride my K-Mart bike 12 blocks trying to hold a basketball in one hand, hoping to hell that there weren't some 8th graders or something already playing on the court. If there were I had to ride by in shame like an idiot and go 16 blocks the opposite direction to the shit park on the other end of town where the only hoop didn't have a net (not even a chain one) and the rim was bent down about 20 degrees from high school kids hanging on it.

Life of a prole I guess.
The beautiful life of small-town Iowa town courts!!

No excuses. Hit the middle of the hoop and the ball / rim don't matter. I grew up on one and would take Jimmy Chitwood to the cleaners with my corner jumper and sneaky drop-step, left hook. :cool:
 
The beautiful life of small-town Iowa town courts!!

No excuses. Hit the middle of the hoop and the ball / rim don't matter. I grew up on one and would take Jimmy Chitwood to the cleaners with my corner jumper and sneaky drop-step, left hook. :cool:
I've always sucked at basketball Wouldn't have made a difference what kind of hoop I had :)

Baseball was the only sport I excelled at, football I was pretty serviceable.
 
Guard play. Tournament play is a guards game and ours haven't been cutting. They've shot a terrible % for low volume scoring and turn it over way too much. Not to mention not defending well. Last two years is all the further back one needs to look at that.
 
Also for whatever reason, Fran and his staff did a lousy job preparing for the Princeton Offense and making in game adjustments. Imagine if those 3 inbound plays they made don't happen...Iowa wins....or the 4 back door plays they went untouched for an easy lay up.

It all boils down to the fact that when Iowa can't get transition baskets, we are a jump shooting team. Sometimes jump shots go in and sometimes they clang. Against Richmond, they clanged. Yes, the game was physical; yes, they mugged us on D (which the refs across the NCAA tournament have allowed, I might add). But we had many open looks that simply clanged.

I've seen some tweets transferred to Facebook about the brand of basketballs used in the tournament and how they are more like a ball one would use on the cement courts in the summer than what one would use on the hardwood in the winter. That may have also had something to do with our brickfest.
 
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