Concern with the team going forward

[HawkfaninWA]

I was pleasantly surprised by the beat down Iowa put on Michigan so I went to review all the other wins they've had this year. I noticed a trend. If Iowa gets up, they typically get up big and win big. But look at the losses. Sure, we stayed close, but the concern to me is winning the close ones. Iowa hasn't shown me yet they can win the tight ones.

To me, Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney. But they better figure out how to win the close ones or that run is going to be pretty short.

Am I wrong?

 

[tm3308]

I would disagree on how they get a big lead and keep it. It seems like when we're playing a good team, we usually blow the big lead at some point. This team had shown a tendency to coast once it got up by 10-15 against good teams, or like they're just trying to hold on. Today, they kept their foot on the gas and buried the opponent. And I do feel a little more confident if we end up in a tight game, even though they obviously haven't proven themselves in that situation yet. The looked like a team that's finally, truly sick of losing the big games by being "so close, and yet so far away," and wanted to make a statement. Marble's tweet from earlier this week, plus his "this is my ******* house" statement on the floor, might be a sign that this team is finally ready to take that next step and that Marble is finally ready to lead them there.

I'm not sold yet, either. But today was definitely still an encouraging sign.

 

[HawkfaninWA]

I would disagree on how they get a big lead and keep it. It seems like when we're playing a good team, we usually blow the big lead at some point. This team had shown a tendency to coast once it got up by 10-15 against good teams, or like they're just trying to hold on. Today, they kept their foot on the gas and buried the opponent. And I do feel a little more confident if we end up in a tight game, even though they obviously haven't proven themselves in that situation yet. The looked like a team that's finally, truly sick of losing the big games by being "so close, and yet so far away," and wanted to make a statement. Marble's tweet from earlier this week, plus his "this is my ******* house" statement on the floor, might be a sign that this team is finally ready to take that next step and that Marble is finally ready to lead them there.

I'm not sold yet, either. But today was definitely still an encouraging sign.

I think you might me missing the point of my post. I think Iowa is good this year and shows flashes of brilliance. But my point is, they have yet to win a close game. Come tourney time . . . that's a problem.

 

[tm3308]

I think you might me missing the point of my post. I think Iowa is good this year and shows flashes of brilliance. But my point is, they have yet to win a close game. Come tourney time . . . that's a problem.

I didn't miss that point at all. I won't be 100% sold until we beat one of the three good teams left on the schedule (or in the conference tourney) in a close game. But I've not seen an Iowa team put this kind of beatdown on a team like Michigan in a long time, if ever. I spent a good portion of the game just bracing for the other shoe to drop.

I think the kind of attitude the team, and Marble in particular, showed today is the most encouraging thing.

 

[jmesax]

I didn't miss that point at all. I won't be 100% sold until we beat one of the three good teams left on the schedule (or in the conference tourney) in a close game. But I've not seen an Iowa team put this kind of beatdown on a team like Michigan in a long time, if ever. I spent a good portion of the game just bracing for the other shoe to drop.

I think the kind of attitude the team, and Marble in particular, showed today is the most encouraging thing.

The attitude was different - even Woody showed the intensity that is needed. Loved seeing that... I do agree about the needing to win the close games though. Even what you wrote in your post about "waiting for the other shoe to drop" is telling. I think the Iowa players (much like the Iowa fans) need to start having the confidence that they will win not "what if we lose" kind of attitudes. This is something I've noticed even as an Iowa fan (football, basketball). I'm half expecting them to choke which is something that needs to change.

 

[deanvogs]

In losses against ISU, Wisky, Michigan, Mich. St. and Ohio St. they were 16 of 69 for 23%. When Iowa is hitting their 3's at a respectable %, they are tough to beat.

 

[CAARHawk]

Fran should have the team watch Duke's Championship run with Hurley, Hill, and Laetner over and over. Iowa's big three could learn so much from watching that Big Three.

 

[wundergrape]

We're learning how to win as a program. The teams we're losing to - MSU, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan - they put on those jerseys and expect to win. They have the confidence of years of success on their side. Our guys have to muster that from within, and it's not easy to summon from a vacuum. Wins like this help. This year might not be the year that we make a deep run, but I highly doubt that this will become a rule within the program. The "belief" factor will be there going forward.

 

[RushTogether]

I just can't help but wonder how things would be if we would have won against MSU

 

[uihawk82]

I was pleasantly surprised by the beat down Iowa put on Michigan so I went to review all the other wins they've had this year. I noticed a trend. If Iowa gets up, they typically get up big and win big. But look at the losses. Sure, we stayed close, but the concern to me is winning the close ones. Iowa hasn't shown me yet they can win the tight ones.

To me, Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney. But they better figure out how to win the close ones or that run is going to be pretty short.

Am I wrong?

The hawks had a big lead against Nova

They had a good lead 10-12 points against ISU

The hawks had decent control against Wisky.

But in those losses the main problem was a shooting drought along with missing some FTs while, for instance, Nova went crazy from 3 land.

As others have said if this team shoots well they hold those leads and win those games.

This is a team that is good enough to win all their games this year, they know it, but sometimes the shots dont fall.

 

[InGoodCo]

I was pleasantly surprised by the beat down Iowa put on Michigan so I went to review all the other wins they've had this year. I noticed a trend. If Iowa gets up, they typically get up big and win big. But look at the losses. Sure, we stayed close, but the concern to me is winning the close ones. Iowa hasn't shown me yet they can win the tight ones.

To me, Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney. But they better figure out how to win the close ones or that run is going to be pretty short.

Am I wrong?

Wrong?

I LOVE posts like this right after one of the biggest victories for our program in 7 years. So much trolling going on, it's hard to know where to start, but I'll go ahead and give it a try.

OP starts off by completely glazing over the fact that this team just hammered one of the hottest teams in basketball over the last month and a half. We just beat the Big Ten leader by 18 points and dominated from the tip. You would think that a fan could appreciate that kind of effort and enjoy a win over a top 10 team. But, nah, instead, he went back to check the tape and noticed a disturbing "trend". Great win BUT, he noticed when the games are tighter, Iowa sometimes loses. Really?Fricking Matlock broke the case right here. Here's a trend, 99% of every other team in basketball has the same issue. Iowa has won more then their share of tight ball games. Xavier, ND, & TOSU and IL on the road come to mind. So, they have shown that they can win tight games. But.... sometimes, in college basketball, when you are playing ranked teams or good teams with a higher pedigree or that are higher in the pecking order of basketball recruiting.... or when you're on the road, you lose close games to those types of teams.

That's the trend. Iowa basketball is very good, with potential to be one of the best teams in the country, but they certainly didn't turn into one of the blue bloods of college basketball over night and either our fans are too clueless to understand that, or I'm just feeding a troll.

Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney? Really? Really?

Iowa hasn't MADE the NCAA tourney since 2006, 7 years bub....not sure how closely you've watched this program over the last decade or so, but it's nice to have a team that can MAKE the NCAA tourney, let alone a deep run. Enjoy this team, it's been a long time since we've been able to say were legit top 25 program and make no mistake about it, Iowa is legit top 25 program this season.

I get tired of reading things like "they better figure it out, or the runs gonna be pretty short" crowd. Really, you couldn't say more of a blanket statement that holds absolutely NO weight on anything regarding this team what so ever. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying, AZ and KS fans are thinking the exact same thing. It's a win or go home tournament. So, I'll just assume it's a trolling and give you the benefit of the doubt that you don't really think this way.

 

[JG10Hawk]

The attitude was different - even Woody showed the intensity that is needed. Loved seeing that...

I'm not sure what you mean by this. Woody has always been a fiery guy when on the court and plays determined. Maybe he was more successfully aggressive without fouling?

 

[WinOneThisCentury]

There is no doubt this team can make a run in the NCAA tournament...any moron analyst can figure that out (See Dan Jockitch). How far this team goes depends on how well they shoot the open shots, not just threes. You can get by a first round game not shooting the ball well from the outside, but round two you better be hitting open shots at a decent clip. The good thing, you have Marble, Gessell, Oglesthree, Uthoff, and McCabe who have shown they can shoot the ball. The good sign for Iowa is that Gessell is looking like a guard who can be a factor in the tournament. If Marble gets on a run like he did in the NIT, that gets us to the sweet sixteen in my opinion. Guard play is critical in the tournament.

 

[ForeverHawk]

OSU on the road was a close game the entire way. The lead changed hands several times, but Iowa closed it out in the end by more than 10 by making FT's. The Illinois game on the road, Iowa had a huge first half lead, blew it, went down 5 in the second half and came back to win. Although I do not disagree with the original poster that Iowa has a tough time closing out games, there are a few examples under tough conditions. Heck you could look back to the Nebraska Omaha game as an example early in the year as well? I like games like yesterday better!

 

[CJSHawk]

The hawks had a big lead against Nova

They had a good lead 10-12 points against ISU

The hawks had decent control against Wisky.

But in those losses the main problem was a shooting drought along with missing some FTs while, for instance, Nova went crazy from 3 land.

As others have said if this team shoots well they hold those leads and win those games.

This is a team that is good enough to win all their games this year, they know it, but sometimes the shots dont fall.

I think the Hawks can beat anybody when they're shooting well.

The problem this team has is we really don't have a great player to take over a game when we're not shooting well. We have a roster full of good B1G players, but no elite great player. Marble has his moments, but he's too inconsistent. Great players don't disappear for an entire half like Marble has done multiple times this year.

Really looking forward to see how this season plays out. If we shoot it well......look out!!!

 

[volhawk50]

I was pleasantly surprised by the beat down Iowa put on Michigan so I went to review all the other wins they've had this year. I noticed a trend. If Iowa gets up, they typically get up big and win big. But look at the losses. Sure, we stayed close, but the concern to me is winning the close ones. Iowa hasn't shown me yet they can win the tight ones.

To me, Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney. But they better figure out how to win the close ones or that run is going to be pretty short.

Am I wrong?

Yes. Look at the Ohio State, Illinois, Xavier, and Notre Dame wins. They were behind in the second half of all those games.

 

[AZHAWKFAN1]

Wrong?

I LOVE posts like this right after one of the biggest victories for our program in 7 years. So much trolling going on, it's hard to know where to start, but I'll go ahead and give it a try.

OP starts off by completely glazing over the fact that this team just hammered one of the hottest teams in basketball over the last month and a half. We just beat the Big Ten leader by 18 points and dominated from the tip. You would think that a fan could appreciate that kind of effort and enjoy a win over a top 10 team. But, nah, instead, he went back to check the tape and noticed a disturbing "trend". Great win BUT, he noticed when the games are tighter, Iowa sometimes loses. Really?Fricking Matlock broke the case right here. Here's a trend, 99% of every other team in basketball has the same issue. Iowa has won more then their share of tight ball games. Xavier, ND, & TOSU and IL on the road come to mind. So, they have shown that they can win tight games. But.... sometimes, in college basketball, when you are playing ranked teams or good teams with a higher pedigree or that are higher in the pecking order of basketball recruiting.... or when you're on the road, you lose close games to those types of teams.

That's the trend. Iowa basketball is very good, with potential to be one of the best teams in the country, but they certainly didn't turn into one of the blue bloods of college basketball over night and either our fans are too clueless to understand that, or I'm just feeding a troll.

Iowa has a team poised to make a deep run (finally) in the NCAA tourney? Really? Really?

Iowa hasn't MADE the NCAA tourney since 2006, 7 years bub....not sure how closely you've watched this program over the last decade or so, but it's nice to have a team that can MAKE the NCAA tourney, let alone a deep run. Enjoy this team, it's been a long time since we've been able to say were legit top 25 program and make no mistake about it, Iowa is legit top 25 program this season.

I get tired of reading things like "they better figure it out, or the runs gonna be pretty short" crowd. Really, you couldn't say more of a blanket statement that holds absolutely NO weight on anything regarding this team what so ever. I'm not saying your wrong, I'm just saying, AZ and KS fans are thinking the exact same thing. It's a win or go home tournament. So, I'll just assume it's a trolling and give you the benefit of the doubt that you don't really think this way.

VERY. GOOD. POST.

 

[tm3308]

OSU on the road was a close game the entire way. The lead changed hands several times, but Iowa closed it out in the end by more than 10 by making FT's. The Illinois game on the road, Iowa had a huge first half lead, blew it, went down 5 in the second half and came back to win. Although I do not disagree with the original poster that Iowa has a tough time closing out games, there are a few examples under tough conditions. Heck you could look back to the Nebraska Omaha game as an example early in the year as well? I like games like yesterday better!

Beating OSU, Illinois and UNO is nowhere near the same as closing out MSU, Nova and ISU. All of those teams are better than the ones we did close out. I thought maybe we'd gotten over the hump when we beat OSU, but it's been proven since that OSU really wasn't all that good.

 

[tm3308]

I think the Hawks can beat anybody when they're shooting well.

The problem this team has is we really don't have a great player to take over a game when we're not shooting well. We have a roster full of good B1G players, but no elite great player. Marble has his moments, but he's too inconsistent. Great players don't disappear for an entire half like Marble has done multiple times this year.

Really looking forward to see how this season plays out. If we shoot it well......look out!!!

I'm hoping that he's developed a new attitude that will enable him to be that player. He basically called out the fans on Twitter last week for being impatient and then dominated yesterday to defend "his ******* house." We've never seen that kind of attitude from him before. He's got the skill, and now it looks like he might have the right mindset. Before, it was almost like "I'm going to do this because I'm supposed to be the best player on the floor." Yesterday, it seemed more like "I'm going to do this because I AM the best player on the floor, so get the hell out of my way."

 

[HomerChampless]

In losses against ISU, Wisky, Michigan, Mich. St. and Ohio St. they were 16 of 69 for 23%. When Iowa is hitting their 3's at a respectable %, they are tough to beat.

Iowa's 3 percentage is great on open looks. The percentage is not so great with hands in the face shots or when the offense breaks down. Keep the ball moving from side to side. Find the open man... Marble. That's how Iowa's offense runs on all cylinders in the half court.