18 Straight: Iowa Loses at Michigan State...Again

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
18 straight losses to Michigan State in East Lansing. Yes, true stat. 18. In. A. Row.

Iowa led 41-39 at the break after an exciting and sharp shooting first half, but Michigan State came out in the second half and brought their patented defensive intensity (read that hand checking) and forced Iowa into several empty possessions and turnovers....and oh yeah, they kept shooting the lights out and Iowa pretty much had no chance as Michigan State went 10-18 from three point range en route to an 86-76 victory over Iowa.

That was their 18th straight win over the Hawkeyes in the Breslin Center. Iowa's last win there was in January of 1993, or 21 years ago. Babies who were born in 1993 are now old enough to legally drink and they have never seen an Iowa basketball team win a basketball game in East Lansing.

Iowa is a good team...they're just not tough enough, mentally or physically, to be a great team. Michigan State is a tough team physically and they are a tougher team mentally. Yes, they get away with playing a physical brand of basketball but Iowa probably would have been able to get away with the same, but the Hawkeyes just don't have the horsepower to play a game like that.

Were Iowa in another league, the fates may have been more kind. Fran McCaffery has put together a lithe and lean crew that can run and score, although defense appears optional. Extra optional. As in it no longer appears to be an option.

Iowa's defense seems to bring out the best in the opponent. Michigan State point guard Keith Appling made two three-point shots on Thursday night. That wouldn't have been worth mentioning before January 28th of this year....but it is now as he hadn't made one since January 28th.
But perhaps being in a less physical league wouldn't matter, as Iowa's 'defense' seems to bring out the best in the opposition. Consider the following, which is what Iowa's opponents have shot in the past five games against the Hawkeyes:

Michigan State: .583
Purdue: .491
Indiana: .517
Minnesota: .612
Wisconsin: .476

Minnesota just had one of those nights...but when you look at this run in total and then overlay the 'intensity' or lack there of we have seen from Iowa's defense these past three weeks, it just begs the question of WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED.

Before Iowa played Wisconsin, their field goal percentage defense was .413 and their three point percentage defense was .317. Their overall season field goal percentage defense was .388 and that was 15th best in the nation. Their overall season three-point percentage defense was .292 and that ranked 13th in the nation.

Now...in Iowa's last five games, their opponents have made 41 of 93 three-point shots 44.1% and 146 of 275 from the floor overall, which is a blistering 53.1%.

Iowa went from being a pretty good defensive team into an abysmal defensive team. Defense is so much about want to and effort...and Iowa has been miserable on defense these past five games...and they have lost four of them.

A season that once showed a great deal of promise is now turning into one of great consternation and frustration among some in the fanbase.

Yes, this team is very likely to make it to the NCAA tournament, snapping an ugly eight-year absence. Year for for Fran into the tournament was the schedule and he is on schedule. But this team is capable of much more than it has shown on defense these past 13 days.

Devyn Marble led Iowa with 24 points, his fifth straight game with 20 or more. He moved past Matt Gatens in all time scoring and now has 1,654 points, putting him 6th all time.

7. Matt Gatens 1635
6. Devyn Marble 1654
5. Ronnie Lester 1675
4. BJ Armstrong 1705
3. Greg Stokes 1768
2. Acie Earl 1779
1. Roy Marble 2116

Iowa hosts Illinois on Saturday at 7:30pm, their regular season finale. If Iowa wins that game and Nebraska loses at home to Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes are the four-seed in the Big Ten tournament. If both Iowa and Nebraska win this weekend, Iowa is the 5th seed. The Top Four seeds collect first round byes.

MSU 86, Iowa 76 Fran McCaffery 3/6/2014 HawkeyeDrive.com - YouTube

(video from Brendan Stiles)
 
Iowa is an average team that is middle of the pack anything. They can't beat the big guns consistently enough to even consider themselves a GOOD team. And for some reason when the going gets tough this team just folds and goes home.
 
ssckelley said:
Time for another NIT thread? Iowa should get a 1 seed in that tournament.
Click to expand...

Not saying Iowa will lose the last two...I think they have at least one more win coming. But I don't know how anyone can positively say the Hawks are a lock for the NCAA, if they end up losing 6 out of their last 7 games, and only having 20 wins on the year. That's cutting it MIGHTY close if you ask me.
 
ssckelley said:
Time for another NIT thread? Iowa should get a 1 seed in that tournament.
Click to expand...
If we go to the NIT instead of the NCAA, I would expect CHA to only be about 1/3 filled. I can't see us not making the the NCAA Tournament, but if that happens.... ugliness ensues amongst the wanting fan base.
 
linus19 said:
If we go to the NIT instead of the NCAA, I would expect CHA to only be about 1/3 filled. I can't see us not making the the NCAA Tournament, but if that happens.... ugliness ensues amongst the wanting fan base.
Click to expand...

It isn't going to happen, Iowa is a lock for the NCAA tournament. I still hold out hope Iowa can get assigned to either St Louis or Milwaukee as I think Iowa would travel well to either of those sites, I am considering it myself.
 
83Hawk said:
Not saying Iowa will lose the last two...I think they have at least one more win coming. But I don't know how anyone can positively say the Hawks are a lock for the NCAA, if they end up losing 6 out of their last 7 games, and only having 20 wins on the year. That's cutting it MIGHTY close if you ask me.
Click to expand...

Iowa is a lock for the NCAA. There is no doubt about that.
 
JonDMiller said:
18 straight losses to Michigan State in East Lansing. Yes, true stat. 18. In. A. Row.

Iowa led 41-39 at the break after an exciting and sharp shooting first half, but Michigan State came out in the second half and brought their patented defensive intensity (read that hand checking) and forced Iowa into several empty possessions and turnovers....and oh yeah, they kept shooting the lights out and Iowa pretty much had no chance as Michigan State went 10-18 from three point range en route to an 86-76 victory over Iowa.

That was their 18th straight win over the Hawkeyes in the Breslin Center. Iowa's last win there was in January of 1993, or 21 years ago. Babies who were born in 1993 are now old enough to legally drink and they have never seen an Iowa basketball team win a basketball game in East Lansing.

Iowa is a good team...they're just not tough enough, mentally or physically, to be a great team. Michigan State is a tough team physically and they are a tougher team mentally. Yes, they get away with playing a physical brand of basketball but Iowa probably would have been able to get away with the same, but the Hawkeyes just don't have the horsepower to play a game like that.

Were Iowa in another league, the fates may have been more kind. Fran McCaffery has put together a lithe and lean crew that can run and score, although defense appears optional. Extra optional. As in it no longer appears to be an option.

Iowa's defense seems to bring out the best in the opponent. Michigan State point guard Keith Appling made two three-point shots on Thursday night. That wouldn't have been worth mentioning before January 28th of this year....but it is now as he hadn't made one since January 28th.
But perhaps being in a less physical league wouldn't matter, as Iowa's 'defense' seems to bring out the best in the opposition. Consider the following, which is what Iowa's opponents have shot in the past five games against the Hawkeyes:

Michigan State: .583
Purdue: .491
Indiana: .517
Minnesota: .612
Wisconsin: .476

Minnesota just had one of those nights...but when you look at this run in total and then overlay the 'intensity' or lack there of we have seen from Iowa's defense these past three weeks, it just begs the question of WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED.

Before Iowa played Wisconsin, their field goal percentage defense was .413 and their three point percentage defense was .317. Their overall season field goal percentage defense was .388 and that was 15th best in the nation. Their overall season three-point percentage defense was .292 and that ranked 13th in the nation.

Now...in Iowa's last five games, their opponents have made 41 of 93 three-point shots 44.1% and 146 of 275 from the floor overall, which is a blistering 53.1%.

Iowa went from being a pretty good defensive team into an abysmal defensive team. Defense is so much about want to and effort...and Iowa has been miserable on defense these past five games...and they have lost four of them.

A season that once showed a great deal of promise is now turning into one of great consternation and frustration among some in the fanbase.

Yes, this team is very likely to make it to the NCAA tournament, snapping an ugly eight-year absence. Year for for Fran into the tournament was the schedule and he is on schedule. But this team is capable of much more than it has shown on defense these past 13 days.

Devyn Marble led Iowa with 24 points, his fifth straight game with 20 or more. He moved past Matt Gatens in all time scoring and now has 1,654 points, putting him 6th all time.

7. Matt Gatens 1635
6. Devyn Marble 1654
5. Ronnie Lester 1675
4. BJ Armstrong 1705
3. Greg Stokes 1768
2. Acie Earl 1779
1. Roy Marble 2116

Iowa hosts Illinois on Saturday at 7:30pm, their regular season finale. If Iowa wins that game and Nebraska loses at home to Wisconsin, the Hawkeyes are the four-seed in the Big Ten tournament. If both Iowa and Nebraska win this weekend, Iowa is the 5th seed. The Top Four seeds collect first round byes.

MSU 86, Iowa 76 Fran McCaffery 3/6/2014 HawkeyeDrive.com - YouTube

(video from Brendan Stiles)
Click to expand...

The bold part literally took the thoughts right out of my head. The hawks seem like they just don't care about defense lately...and...that's not ideal...shooting comes and goes...but defense and rebounding...that will always be there.
 
I don't really have a lot to say about last night's game. Iowa was simply beaten by a better team. Iowa played a pretty good first half and had the lead at the break, but the moment the second half started, it was obvious that Michigan State had tightened the screws defensively, and Iowa was no longer getting easy shots.

I'm not sure if it's coaching, simply a lack of athletes compared to teams like MSU, or a little bit of both, but Iowa doesn't seem to have the ability so say "Ok, we're gonna play some D" and start forcing their opponents into difficult shot after difficult shot the way MSU did to us last night. I have a hard time remembering ANY Iowa team in the past couple decades being able to play D like that, in fact.

Just look at the level of difficulty in the shots we were taking last night in the second half, compared to what MSU was getting, and there you go. Iowa's defense simply is not good enough. After seeing team after team shoot the lights out, that's the only conclusion I can come to. It isn't "bad luck".

I still think, until Iowa gets some better athletes, this is the type of thing we're going to see against the better teams in the league, and in the country.
 
1977Hawkeye said:
I don't really have a lot to say about last night's game. Iowa was simply beaten by a better team. Iowa played a pretty good first half and had the lead at the break, but the moment the second half started, it was obvious that Michigan State had tightened the screws defensively, and Iowa was no longer getting easy shots.

I'm not sure if it's coaching, simply a lack of athletes compared to teams like MSU, or a little bit of both, but Iowa doesn't seem to have the ability so say "Ok, we're gonna play some D" and start forcing their opponents into difficult shot after difficult shot the way MSU did to us last night. I have a hard time remembering ANY Iowa team in the past couple decades being able to play D like that, in fact.

Just look at the level of difficulty in the shots we were taking last night in the second half, compared to what MSU was getting, and there you go. Iowa's defense simply is not good enough. After seeing team after team shoot the lights out, that's the only conclusion I can come to. It isn't "bad luck".

I still think, until Iowa gets some better athletes, this is the type of thing we're going to see against the better teams in the league, and in the country.
Click to expand...

I am of the same opinion. Sucks to say, but Clown fans were right on this. And with Marble leaving, we are in serious trouble if Fran doesn't get an athletic wing with similar abilities to score like Marble. Aaron White better shoot 10,000 jump shots/day this offseason or he'll continue to disappear in games b/c the entire conference has him figured out. I like that Oglesby has improved his shooting tremendously, but lots of other guys are going to have to make similar strides next year. Just no other way to put it. And recruiting just has to pick up. How is it that Nebraska, who has never won an NCAA game before, is able to find a guy like Petteway yet the Hawks can't? Just disappointed all around.
 
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