2012 5 Bold Predictions

sportstalent

Well-Known Member
1. Iowa will make the NCAA tourney and win 20+ games.
2. Iowa will win its BIG opener and knock of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
3. Josh Oglesby will shoot 40% or better from 3-ball land and be a double digit scorer.
4. Aaron White will be Iowa's best player at the start and end of the season.
5. Mike Gesell will lead the BIG in assists during conference play.
 


6. Iowa will win the National Title.

I like the direction of the program, but the optimism about this team is insane. We were .500 last year and lost our best player. If we make the NCAA tournament I will be floored. I honestly put the chances at less than 5%.
 


None of those seems too outrageous. Numbers 2 and 5 probably the most so, but we beat Indiana handily at home last year, and I think athletically we can hang with them better than OSU and MSU. Also, Gesell will have more possessions to rack up assists than any other B1G PG. Cartwright always was among the league leaders, even though his A/TO ratio wasn't the best.
 


1. Iowa will make the NCAA tourney and win 20+ games.
2. Iowa will win its BIG opener and knock of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
3. Josh Oglesby will shoot 40% or better from 3-ball land and be a double digit scorer.
4. Aaron White will be Iowa's best player at the start and end of the season.
5. Mike Gesell will lead the BIG in assists during conference play.

1. Yes
2. yes, and good chance
3. So, you think he'll be a starter. We'll see.
4. RDM will have something to say about that at the beginning- MG at the end.
5. Depends on if Cartwright's A/T ratio was more due to his play or Fran's style.
 


6. Iowa will win the National Title.

I like the direction of the program, but the optimism about this team is insane. We were .500 last year and lost our best player. If we make the NCAA tournament I will be floored. I honestly put the chances at less than 5%.

I wouldn't be surprised if we made the dance. I said elsewhere that I'd just like to genuinely on the bubble this year. I think a lot of the optimism coming off of an 18-17 season stems from the notion that if our team at the end of last year replayed its non-con slate, it would have gone 11-2 instead of 8-5. That alone would have made the Hawks 20-12 last year.
 


6. Iowa will win the National Title.

I like the direction of the program, but the optimism about this team is insane. We were .500 last year and lost our best player. If we make the NCAA tournament I will be floored. I honestly put the chances at less than 5%.

Honest question, do you think if Iowa had the bench last season that they will this season they would have made the NCAA tournament? Would they have lost some of the games they shouldn't?
These a predictions, your No. 6 is silly, I would never think that as I have accepted the fact that Iowa will never win a NC in my lifetime. Getting to the NCAA tournament is a very real possibility, Iowa has size and depth, the only thing that prevented them from making the NCAA tournament last season. Look the BIG is going to be tough as it is every year, but the schedule shapes up in Iowa's favor, it just starts in a way that temper people's optimism like yourself. After the first five games, just take a look at it, I like it and can see Iowa winning as many at 12 games, but 9 would get them in the NCAA tournament so long as Iowa doesn't lay an egg in the non-con, with the leadership and scoring Iowa returns, I have a difficult time seeing that happen. Call the optimism insane, but it is realistic optimism, unlike saying 6. Iowa will win the National Championship...really? You do realize Iowa was about three bad losses from being in the NCAA because of the teams that they beat in conference play. If Iowa does not split with Wisconsin and Minny they also can beat NW, Nebby and Purdue at least four times, if not five, that makes up for those unexpected sweeps and the win against Indiana. Agree with me or not, Iowa is not that far from being a NCAA tournament team given the strength of the BIG and its favorable schedule. Unlike years past where it was only Gatens coming back, Iowa has four players back that have proven they are more than capable players in their careers, throw in Oglesby who had a solid freshman season and it is five. Look, I am not going to have a meltdown if these five things don't happen, it is five things I think this team and its players are capable of...no need to throw out the NC statement.
 


No more Cartwright or Gatens. This team will have huge growing pains in early conference play.

I didn't think we could put together a more cupcake non-conference schedule than last year, but we've managed to do it. We play 6 teams that will be ranked sub 300 in the RPI, and not one I expect to be in the top 50. That means Iowa probably has to win 22-23 games this season to make the dance. That's a lot to ask.
 
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1. Iowa will make the NCAA tourney and win 20+ games.
2. Iowa will win its BIG opener and knock of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
3. Josh Oglesby will shoot 40% or better from 3-ball land and be a double digit scorer.
4. Aaron White will be Iowa's best player at the start and end of the season.
5. Mike Gesell will lead the BIG in assists during conference play.

1. Agree
2. Agree (and Carver is gonna ROCK!!!)
3. Nope. I just dont see it. Sorry.
4. Him and Marble will share this "title"
5. Cmon. I'm as pumped as anybody, but...let's be real.

GO HAWKEYES!!! Dear Jesus am I pumped!!!
 


1. Yes
2. yes, and good chance
3. So, you think he'll be a starter. We'll see.
4. RDM will have something to say about that at the beginning- MG at the end.
5. Depends on if Cartwright's A/T ratio was more due to his play or Fran's style.

3. Not to start the season, at least.
4. I hope he has improved his shooting.
5. Watch Gesell, his head is alway up looking and in an up-tempo system I like his chances.
 


No more Cartwright or Gatens. This team will have huge growing pains in early conference play.

I didn't think we could put together a more cupcake non-conference schedule than last year, but we've managed to do it. We play 6 teams that will be ranked sub 300 in the RPI, and not one I expect to be in the top 50. That means Iowa probably has to win 22-23 games this season to make the dance. That's a lot to ask.
dheck out some of the other teams schedule, most teams even the elitie teams load up on cupcakes
all a 22-23 win season does is improve the seeding
 


No more Cartwright or Gatens. This team will have huge growing pains in early conference play.

I didn't think we could put together a more cupcake non-conference schedule than last year, but we've managed to do it. We play 6 teams that will be ranked sub 300 in the RPI, and not one I expect to be in the top 50. That means Iowa probably has to win 22-23 games this season to make the dance. That's a lot to ask.

Iowa's conference schedule will be enough to make up for the cupcakes. If Iowa finishes with 20 wins and 9 of them are in the Big Ten meaning they went 11-2 in the non conference they will make the big dance.
 


dheck out some of the other teams schedule, most teams even the elitie teams load up on cupcakes
all a 22-23 win season does is improve the seeding

You can find another major conference school that plays this cake of a non-conference schedule? There are 347 D1 teams...here are the preseason Kenpom rankings for each.

Texas Pan - 330
Central Mich - 322
Howard - 301
Gardner Webb - 240
Western KY - 180
Wich St/Depaul - 46/100
Va Tech - 79
Texas Corpus - 329
South Dakota - 314
Iowa State - 62
UNI - 48
South Carolina St - 346
Coppin St - 317

I've honestly never seen anything like it. 7 of the 13 games are against the worst of the worst of Division 1 basketball. Anyone hoping for an NCAA tourney run better hope the Big 10 is hands down the toughest conference, otherwise our SOS will be garbage.
 






1. Iowa will make the NCAA tourney and win 20+ games.
2. Iowa will win its BIG opener and knock of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
3. Josh Oglesby will shoot 40% or better from 3-ball land and be a double digit scorer.
4. Aaron White will be Iowa's best player at the start and end of the season.
5. Mike Gesell will lead the BIG in assists during conference play.

#1 half right. Will win 21 regular season games, but no NCAA tourney.
#2 no. after the cupcake non-con schedule IU will seem like an NBA team.
#3 no again. Jaime Printy whipped him good at the B&G. He still pump fakes and drives from 3. He's too much of a head case. Meaning he misses one and his confidence is gone.
#4 no. RDM will take some games over this season.
#5 I tried to get there......but no. He's too good a shooter.

Man I'm negative.
 




I don't believe any of those predictions will come to fruition.

The Big Ten network had its prediction show on last night. Jackson of the network (pretty knowledgeable dude) gave Iowa a 25% chance of making the dance. He said the biggest issue to overcome will be the inexperience at point guard. That is a fair comment.

If Gesell can play like an upperclassman, we might surprise some people. I think the rest of the pieces are in place
 


The Big Ten network had its prediction show on last night. Jackson of the network (pretty knowledgeable dude) gave Iowa a 25% chance of making the dance. He said the biggest issue to overcome will be the inexperience at point guard. That is a fair comment.

If Gesell can play like an upperclassman, we might surprise some people. I think the rest of the pieces are in place

That's not saying much. If JJ's a betting man, it doesn't sound like he's getting down on Iowa's tournament chances.
 


1. Iowa will make the NCAA tourney and win 20+ games.
2. Iowa will win its BIG opener and knock of the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers.
3. Josh Oglesby will shoot 40% or better from 3-ball land and be a double digit scorer.
4. Aaron White will be Iowa's best player at the start and end of the season.
5. Mike Gesell will lead the BIG in assists during conference play.

1. I'd say about a 1 in 3 chance of making the tourney.
2. Unlikely, but I think the Hawks keep the margin under 15.
3. I'd say about 50-50 that he shoots 40% but no way he averages double digits no matter how well he shoots. I see him getting about 15 minutes per game.
4. I thought White was the team's best player last season. This season I think MG emerges as the best player by the end of the season.
5. Unlikely, but the uptempo pace might land him in the top 5. Tim Frazier averaged 6.2 last year and is coming back. White is the Hawks' only legit interior scoring threat. Once Woodbury and Olaseni beef up and develop some post moves (at least a year from now), MG's assist totals should rise.
 


That's not saying much. If JJ's a betting man, it doesn't sound like he's getting down on Iowa's tournament chances.

JJ is a smart analyst and he knows the Big Ten. He knows how good it really is and he isn't drinking the Hawkeye Koolaid. Having said that, JJ would have said that Iowa had a ZERO percent chance of making the tournament last year, so we are definitely making progress.

I think this team could be very interesting if everyone stays healthy and eligible -
 




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