Bluder is pissed!

She should be pissed at herself for once again playing Stuelke at the end of a game. In the 4th quarter: Stuelke had 2 hands on two rebounds but failed to secure them -- in one case leading to a 3pt play by the Huskers; caused 2 fouls because she simply ran into an opponent in the open floor because she was looking at the floor instead of in front of her; fumbled two rebounds out of bounds; and went 0-2 on FTs. Two of Iowa's 3 losses can be pretty directly connected to Stuelke's poor play at the end of those games. She's a 4 playing the 5 position, and she's just not a wide enough body (and doesn't have the hops to make up for it), and can't be counted on to get big rebounds down the stretch or convert key FTs. In any close game, O'Grady should be in the game for the final 5 minutes. Period. I watched the second half of this game, and O'Grady certainly is doing only good things when she's playing....she needs more playing time in big games. I can't believe Bluder didn't learn that lesson after the Ohio St. game.
Bluder has good reason to be mad, but look in the mirror and admit that the 'triangle & 2' defense the Nebraska coach threw at Iowa the last several minutes of the game clogged up the middle and made the difference -- and Bluder didn't adjust.
That's on her -- not anyone else.
 
NCHawker said:
This will be this week's bug-a-boo. Not a good look. NOt a good day for Iowa in many respects.

Maybe they'll become galvanized by this and take a step forward. Lately this team does not look like final 4 material.
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Agreed. This team can be quite the force when it is all rolling and they are hitting. Almost impossible to beat. That said, when they get matched up against a big, physical team or a team just playing physical they tend to struggle. Not that they can't beat big physical teams (like SC last year).

There is real possibility Iowa could slip to a #3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament if they lose @Indiana and Ohio St at home. And depending on how the BTT goes, Iowa could be as low as a 3 seed in the NCAAs.

I could also see them pick themselves up and finish the Big Ten Regular Season and BTT strong and pick up a share of the regular season title and win the BTT.

But, I'm worried this team will get bounced early in the NCAAs. This team has trouble responding to a team that punches back in the mouth. Marshall and Martin lack consistency, the team misses to many lay-ups, misses free-throws, seems to be sick this year....and sometimes, as great as she is, Clark's decision making sometimes leaves you scratching your head. Bluder decisions can leave you scratching your head.

Again, this team is a force when it is all clicking, but all it takes is one off game and they are done.....besides Clark....where is that enforcer to will their way over the hump in a doggy dog game?
 
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Sour grapes. Do a better job of holding leads and petty things like music playing during free throws and who gets the post-game podium first are non issues. It was my understanding for many years that the home team got the post game podium first. When did that change?

Maybe Bluder should pull a Gable and stop the team bus in Tiffin and make the team run the rest of the way in.
 
I'd be pissed if I lost to Nebraska too.
Specially after blowing a significant lead. This team let's a lot of teams back in it. Fortunately that seems to happen more often in the first half. But it seems to happen a lot.

Things like the music and inconsistent officiating didn't help. Or did it? You could argue that Bluder could certainly have been T'd up earlier in the game.

I think these last 2 games, it definitely looked like the first time they were affected by their awareness of the Clark situation. Fortunately the previous game turned out to be a monster for Hannah. Lots of missed shots from right under the basket. Lots of happy feet calls on veteran players. Entirely too many head scratching turnovers. Clark looks weary at times. Certainly less joyous. Every previous airball she's put up she smiles and laughs with her teammates...and whether it's genuine or not...it puts a her team at ease and mitigates the impact of the crowd or on the opposing team.

I'm hoping this makes them stronger and it all ends Thursday. And that Molly and anyone else under the weather gets better.
 
Northside Hawk said:
Sour grapes. Do a better job of holding leads and petty things like music playing during free throws and who gets the post-game podium first are non issues. It was my understanding for many years that the home team got the post game podium first. When did that change?

Maybe Bluder should pull a Gable and stop the team bus in Tiffin and make the team run the rest of the way in.
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I had forgotten that Gable story. Don't think it would work with today's sensitive mindset!
 
Grady said:
She should be pissed at herself for once again playing Stuelke at the end of a game. In the 4th quarter: Stuelke had 2 hands on two rebounds but failed to secure them -- in one case leading to a 3pt play by the Huskers; caused 2 fouls because she simply ran into an opponent in the open floor because she was looking at the floor instead of in front of her; fumbled two rebounds out of bounds; and went 0-2 on FTs. Two of Iowa's 3 losses can be pretty directly connected to Stuelke's poor play at the end of those games. She's a 4 playing the 5 position, and she's just not a wide enough body (and doesn't have the hops to make up for it), and can't be counted on to get big rebounds down the stretch or convert key FTs. In any close game, O'Grady should be in the game for the final 5 minutes. Period. I watched the second half of this game, and O'Grady certainly is doing only good things when she's playing....she needs more playing time in big games. I can't believe Bluder didn't learn that lesson after the Ohio St. game.
Bluder has good reason to be mad, but look in the mirror and admit that the 'triangle & 2' defense the Nebraska coach threw at Iowa the last several minutes of the game clogged up the middle and made the difference -- and Bluder didn't adjust.
That's on her -- not anyone else.
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I was really glad when AOG entered the game. Was really disgusted she only played 5:48! Lisa is really forcing Hannah into bad situations and teams are exploiting her for sure. Lisa needs to regroup and rethink her strategies with players. The only thing wrong with AOG is her confidence. The coaches need to ease up on her and let her start some games and brag on her and get her confidence back. Sure can't hurt anything. Hawks probably have one of the quickest players sitting on the bench. I know she's a freshman but I'd like to see her brought in to simply harass a player like Jazz Shelly. What could it hurt since the Hawks already have 1 player doing that job full time. Johnson could alternate with Gabbie. Could be fun to watch!
 
Northside Hawk said:
Sour grapes. Do a better job of holding leads and petty things like music playing during free throws and who gets the post-game podium first are non issues. It was my understanding for many years that the home team got the post game podium first. When did that change?

Maybe Bluder should pull a Gable and stop the team bus in Tiffin and make the team run the rest of the way in.
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I understand the logic of having the visitor team go first if they have travel plans or need to get out of there. I think that is legit.
 
She's got nobody to blame but herself... they lost that game in the first 4 mins of 4th q more so then the last few possessions. They had some key Neb players in foul trouble and stopped going to the hoop. The shot selection was really bad. Too many TOs and missed opportunities overall. Marshall I think missed a couple 3s where if she'd have it either one in the 4th q that'd have been huge. But what's worse then that is she started to pass them up after that. Either she's a confident shooter or she's not but she can't be out there at if she's not. Passing up open looks to me is a huge no no. Besides with Affolter Iowa is a pretty decent offensive rebounding team.

I hope Davis can get healthy soon not having her the last couple games has been noticeable although I do like Affolter having more mins. I just think maybe some of those should come at Marshalls expense if she continues to pass up shots. I'm not as down on her for missing shots. We all get that Clark goes spells where she misses a lot. But I'll say it a 3rd time anyone out there who's open turning down good looks from what they are capable of taking has to have their playing time reevaluated.
 
Again, the only thing I'm pissed about is that it's Nebraska.
I mean, teams lose. Except South Carolina. Especially away games. Every away game for Iowa at this point is like ISU hosting Iowa at Jack Trice.
Sure, this team has had bad quarters and let teams back in. Or let teams stay close. I do think that 4th quarter looked different. I can understand this loss and can't get too upset about how it played out.

1998, the ticker started on McGwire (and Sosa) way earlier than it should have. Sure, it's different. You're standing there at home plate and it's entirely up to you, not your team to make it happen. I remember thinking how I'd be a wreck. Course, the Cardinals finished that season in 3rd place in the NL Central. Almost 20 games behind the Asstros. What extra level and layers of pressure, weirdness and whatnot would there have been if there was a legit shot at some sort of pennant? It had been eons (in Cardinal years) since the Cardinals were even remotely good. I remember interviewing Torre and pitching coach Bob Gibson just 3 years before and asking them what it felt like to have their first 2 game winning streak of the seasons And it was warm out, so it wasn't like it was April. Not a single person, even diehard Cardinal fans cared what happened in any of those games towards the end of that '98 season.

This is a totally different experience. Because this team wins. And the expectations are completely wild. And I think it's getting to them a bit. And surely, getting to us. How much more time do the coaches spend doing non team basketball related stuff than they have in the past? I mean, how many interviews has Bluder done this year, as opposed to say, 2 years ago. How much earlier does she have to be there for a game than the past, than now? I mean, how many emails does she have to read about how the team introductions will be and where the pyrotechnics are going to be placed. How much more involved is the sports information department...and agents...and others. How much other "stuff" are they doing because they have the resources? I bet when Kansas men's team visits someone like TCU or Oklahoma St, there's at least some empty seats and certainly not a line around the arena to see the shoot around.

None of these players or coaches expected this. (Neither did their opponents, hence the "ISU's superbowl" reference). I don't think Clark expected to be making millions at this point. She came to Iowa before NIL was even feeling itself out. A chunk of these players came in never expecting to even get money for having T-shirts, or pick up a few not-insignificant amounts of money by showing up for an event. Outside of maybe the freshmen, on signing day, none of them expected to be playing in games airing at 7 PM on one of the three broadcast networks. Or checking Twitter/ESPN/etc. to see if their dish to Caitlin made the "highlight reel". I don't think even Clark envisioned selling out just about every conference road game, probably not even the home games. Or playing a game at Kinnick in front of 55,000 people. Bluder never expected it. She might have hoped for it one day in the future. Same with Swoopes and others. This is a season no collegiate women's basketball team has ever experienced and nobody in their wildest dreams would have even been able to imagine it up to this point.

The confluence of Clark's age/ability/attitude/etc in this tidal shift change in collegiate sports is a massive and fortuitous collision. And this is where I gotta hand it to the coaching staff. The athletic department. The sports information people. The agents and others who are no doubt influencing, or trying to. The players. The players' families. They've all walked a tightrope for two seasons. And I hope when the book comes out, the reality on the inside is as harmonious, fun, and appreciative as the image from the outside.
 
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I'm amazed at how level-headed, focused and cohesive this team has been. Every game is a circus. The media requests must be unreal, the expectations hard to imagine.

Yet they are 22-3 and still seem to be having fun and enjoying each other for the most part.

For Hawkeye fans, this team is a gift.

Haven't been many like this in my lifetime. '85-86 football team and '86-87 men's basketball were at the top of the list - and this team is in there now somewhere, too.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
She's got nobody to blame but herself... they lost that game in the first 4 mins of 4th q more so then the last few possessions. They had some key Neb players in foul trouble and stopped going to the hoop. The shot selection was really bad. Too many TOs and missed opportunities overall. Marshall I think missed a couple 3s where if she'd have it either one in the 4th q that'd have been huge. But what's worse then that is she started to pass them up after that. Either she's a confident shooter or she's not but she can't be out there at if she's not. Passing up open looks to me is a huge no no. Besides with Affolter Iowa is a pretty decent offensive rebounding team.

I hope Davis can get healthy soon not having her the last couple games has been noticeable although I do like Affolter having more mins. I just think maybe some of those should come at Marshalls expense if she continues to pass up shots. I'm not as down on her for missing shots. We all get that Clark goes spells where she misses a lot. But I'll say it a 3rd time anyone out there who's open turning down good looks from what they are capable of taking has to have their playing time reevaluated.
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The good thing about Marshall is that even when she's not hitting 3s or passing up shots, she's the only guard on Iowa's team that plays good defense and she's usually hounding the opponent's best guard...just unfortunate that she went under that screen with 30 seconds left at Nebraska 'cause the Huskers were down 2 pts and discombobulated until that trey, late in the shot clock, got them the lead and ultimately victory. Marshall doesn't let her offense impact her defense, and that's a rare trait.
 
Hawkfnntn said:
She's got nobody to blame but herself... they lost that game in the first 4 mins of 4th q more so then the last few possessions. They had some key Neb players in foul trouble and stopped going to the hoop. The shot selection was really bad. Too many TOs and missed opportunities overall. Marshall I think missed a couple 3s where if she'd have it either one in the 4th q that'd have been huge. But what's worse then that is she started to pass them up after that. Either she's a confident shooter or she's not but she can't be out there at if she's not. Passing up open looks to me is a huge no no. Besides with Affolter Iowa is a pretty decent offensive rebounding team.

I hope Davis can get healthy soon not having her the last couple games has been noticeable although I do like Affolter having more mins. I just think maybe some of those should come at Marshalls expense if she continues to pass up shots. I'm not as down on her for missing shots. We all get that Clark goes spells where she misses a lot. But I'll say it a 3rd time anyone out there who's open turning down good looks from what they are capable of taking has to have their playing time reevaluated.
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Agree with Hawkfnntn on every point. And i like the way you put it--not down on Marshall, but if she's not going to take wide open shots, then she needs to sit, and Affolter is the right choice for those minutes.
Love Stuelke's hustle, but she was 1 of 4 on free throws vs the Bugeaters, and 2 of 5 vs OSU. Until that improves markedly, she needs to not be available to foul at crunch time.
And speaking of fouls, their star 5, Markowski, player a ton of minutes with 4 fouls, yet the Hawks made no effort to foul her out. She was a huge contributor to their rally.
Molly Davis is second in the conference with her 2.5 assists to 1 turnover ratio. We need her healthy for the conference stretch run. Win out and and do no worse that tie for the B1G regular season title!
GO HAWKS!
 
SwirlinLingerie said:
I'm amazed at how level-headed, focused and cohesive this team has been. Every game is a circus. The media requests must be unreal, the expectations hard to imagine.

Yet they are 22-3 and still seem to be having fun and enjoying each other for the most part.

For Hawkeye fans, this team is a gift.

Haven't been many like this in my lifetime. '85-86 football team and '86-87 men's basketball were at the top of the list - and this team is in there now somewhere, too.
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Thankfully due to this being a University and all those all gotta go through the SID and the school during the season like this. So I'm sure they only take but a small few of them to her and any of them for the players to decide on what they want to do. I saw that some outfit requested for 3 hours of Clarks time. As if she's got 3 hours to sit down with a media member wtf. I just think Clark is lucky that the school can filter some of that nonsense for her or yeah that'd be overwhelming as shit trying to decide on who and when to meet for how long all the time. It'd never stop for her.
 
Grady said:
The good thing about Marshall is that even when she's not hitting 3s or passing up shots, she's the only guard on Iowa's team that plays good defense and she's usually hounding the opponent's best guard...just unfortunate that she went under that screen with 30 seconds left at Nebraska 'cause the Huskers were down 2 pts and discombobulated until that trey, late in the shot clock, got them the lead and ultimately victory. Marshall doesn't let her offense impact her defense, and that's a rare trait.
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Totally. By no means am I disparaging her game and value to this team because as you said she's as good of an on the ball defender against guards as they have. She often goes against other teams best 2 guard and she's a little undersized against them. But she makes it tough on them. She gets a ton of deflections (a stat I know they track) and steals. Her value isn't just at the offensive end by any means. But if her confidence in her shot isn't there and she's going to turn down shots in big moments then that's problematic. She's gotta fire away and try to have same mindset Clark has. Next one is going in.
 
Dadman said:
I had forgotten that Gable story. Don't think it would work with today's sensitive mindset!
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I was at the Sports Column when in town about eight-ten years ago and talked to an employee whose dad was on that bus.

Wish I had asked his dad's name. I remember many of the wrestlers from my college days.
 
This team definitely exceeds its athleticism. I have always knocked coach bluder on her ability to go out and get those big physical forwards (see OSU, SC, LSU, UCONN). This team over achieves and is greatly undersized. Lisa last year was the master of junk defenses. As a matter of fact she's done at her whole coaching career. When's the last time you saw junk defense this season. Late in the game up 14 against Nebraska they should not have let Shriver touch the ball. Gabby has totally disappeared from this team. I personally think she should be giving the McCabe girl minutes. She is a three-point shooting machine that would thrive with the open looks that she will get playing with Caitlin. I also question Lisa's offensive strategy in the 4th quarter when they went to the box and one. They just put Caitlin off to a wing and kind of just tried to play without her, like junior high teams attack a box and one. Lisa has a beautiful five out offense that is designed for any junk defense use it. This team could win out, they could also lose at least two and have an win or two in the tournament. For them to advance deep in the NCAA tournament will depend on their draw. If they match up with a physical group they could get beat in the second round. If they happen to get finesse teams they could slide all the way to the final four. One more coaching sidebar late in that game when they were up 12 there should have been an offense defense substitution pattern to get Hannah out of there on offense.
 
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