ESPN is off the bandwagon

[NEIChawk]

I can see the non-believers and band wagon fans saying this yes...

If Iowa played bad I might agree, but they played pretty well.

MN has not shot 60%, 60% and 85% ALL YR. It happens in 1 game take all sports, if iowa plays them 10x, they win 7-8.

I'm sure we'll see the bandwagon full when they finish well and get to the B1G finals...

Sorry kctom, not gonna happen....not sure what the answer is, kids have to figure it out themselves, meanwhile, we sit back, watch and encourage the team to do better....Bandwagoners are lame, either you're on or you're off the wagon....as of right now the B1G finals will be hard to reach, a win at Indiana will be hard to achieve, but we still cheer for our team in hopes they get the "W", doesn't matter where or who, but this team needs a real gut check amongst themselves, and they need to do it real fast like....

 

[kctom]

Basabes return. 60% FG, top 5 OReb in B1G, top rebounder on top rebounding team.
plus he averages 1 block (shot block, not charging attempt) a game.

Now by necessity, we replace his minutes with McCabe's production, which in last 2 games have been empty to poor, replace McCabe sub role with and Jok (if your wondering why Iowa went from a top 25 defense to a top 50 defense, IN 2 games look no further than these 2 rotation changes).

You can't take a plus plus offense and defense guy like Mel out and replace him with 2 well below Avg players and expect your team not to be poorer, right?

When Mel gets back, mccacbe and Jok return to the bench, we will see the real Iowa team, with some luck, make a strong run to the BBT finals.

 

[HomerChampless]

Best thing that could happen to Iowa. The pressure is off, now. They can play to their potential and not some prognosticators' false opinion of what their potential is... Then there's the Iowa fans....

 

[1977Hawkeye]

"...Only losers hide behind bad luck. You make your own luck - good or bad..."

So Mcnut, KenPom has just dropped IOWAs bad luck metric to 328 of 352 teams, that's in the 95th percentile, you agree with that?

If Iowa plays 80 games like the pros, the luck normalizes, MN is the worst shooting team in the B1G, but every once in awhile they can get hot, or they all can get hot, they all have talent to do so, on occasion, it happens, it is a statsiticcaly rare event.

Wisky has gasser and Koenig Both get hot, Buggs isn't going to Avg 13/gm AND shoot 5-6, 3-3.

It happens, it just doesn't happen often.

Kenpoms data based analysis shows epic bad luck, AND Iowa as a top 12 team, do you believe one but not the other?

Metrics, stats, rankings, yada yada yada. You can trot out as much of that stuff as you want, but the game is played on the court, not on paper.

Here's the only stat that matters: Minnesota 95, Iowa 89.

 

[clicheusername3]

Basabes return. 60% FG, top 5 OReb in B1G, top rebounder on top rebounding team.
plus he averages 1 block (shot block, not charging attempt) a game.

Now by necessity, we replace his minutes with McCabe's production, which in last 2 games have been empty to poor, replace McCabe sub role with and Jok (if your wondering why Iowa went from a top 25 defense to a top 50 defense, IN 2 games look no further than these 2 rotation changes).

You can't take a plus plus offense and defense guy like Mel out and replace him with 2 well below Avg players and expect your team not to be poorer, right?

When Mel gets back, mccacbe and Jok return to the bench, we will see the real Iowa team, with some luck, make a strong run to the BBT finals.

Thank gawd for all that depth.

 

[patmyne]

No one wants perspective Kc. Life is more fun being short, cute and pessimistic all the time.

 

[clicheusername3]

No one wants perspective Kc. Life is more fun being short, cute and pessimistic all the time.

That's not perspective. You only gain true perspective when you stop making excuses and accept responsibility.

 

[patmyne]

That's not perspective. You only gain true perspective when you stop making excuses and accept responsibility.

Sorry cliche, but I tend to side with ppl that actually put thoughts and details into their posts.

I don't mind your style, it can be funny and has its place. Seriously though, can't you be real or at least pretend to really like iowa at least once in awhile? Keep it honest?

 

[clicheusername3]

Sorry cliche, but I tend to side with ppl that actually put thoughts and details into their posts.

I don't mind your style, it can be funny and has its place. Seriously though, can't you be real or at least pretend to really like iowa at least once in awhile? Keep it honest?

[video=youtube;0cgbZqR2AGI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cgbZqR2AGI[/video]

 

[doclee]

Metrics, stats, rankings, yada yada yada. You can trot out as much of that stuff as you want, but the game is played on the court, not on paper.

Here's the only stat that matters: Minnesota 95, Iowa 89.

Geez, I never thought of it that way! Thanks for the insight.

 

[kctom]

"...Metrics, stats, rankings, yada yada yada. You can trot out as much of that stuff as you want, but the game is played on the court, not on paper.

Here's the only stat that matters: Minnesota 95, Iowa 89..."

This is the simple short sighted approach that the RPI considers. Only Wins, Losses Road, home. This mentality sees IOWAs 25pt home win and close loss on road as completely equal.

If the only stat that matters is winning, then why is Wichita state not universally considered #1 by a wide margin??

Advanced thinking metrics and people with perspective, would say Iowa win huge at home and close on road, played with out their #1 rebounder and extrenly efficient scorer and defender.

Plus, the eye test shows that MN had to shoot 25% better from the field (than their YTD season totals) and 50% better from 3, and 85% from line. You can also look at Begas and see they still are on the bandwagon as they make decisions based on their minds and money vs emotional hyperbole.

 

[HawkeyeMHA]

And they should be. We've not played well when we had to outside of beeechigan.

 

[kctom]

Again, if Wins and Losses are to be looked at in a vacuum,

Why isn't Wichita state universally #1 in all polls?

 

[1977Hawkeye]

"...Metrics, stats, rankings, yada yada yada. You can trot out as much of that stuff as you want, but the game is played on the court, not on paper.

Here's the only stat that matters: Minnesota 95, Iowa 89..."

This is the simple short sighted approach that the RPI considers. Only Wins, Losses Road, home. This mentality sees IOWAs 25pt home win and close loss on road as completely equal.

If the only stat that matters is winning, then why is Wichita state not universally considered #1 by a wide margin??

Advanced thinking metrics and people with perspective, would say Iowa win huge at home and close on road, played with out their #1 rebounder and extrenly efficient scorer and defender.

Plus, the eye test shows that MN had to shoot 25% better from the field (than their YTD season totals) and 50% better from 3, and 85% from line. You can also look at Begas and see they still are on the bandwagon as they make decisions based on their minds and money vs emotional hyperbole.

I never said that margin of victory didn't matter. That's part of the eye test.

But despite all of these metrics you're talking about, the BPI, Sagarin, etc. having us in the Top 15 in the country, we're most likely no better than a 7 seed if the season ends right now. My point is that all of that stuff only means so much when the team is losing most of its games against the ranked opponents that it's played. OSU & Michigan being the exceptions.

The selection committee isn't going to look at Sagarin or BPI and hand us a 3 seed, when we haven't shown the ability to finish games against good opponents. None of that helped get us into the NCAA Tournament last year, either. Not beating good opponents = NIT last year, and it will hurt our seeding this year.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

Again, if Wins and Losses are to be looked at in a vacuum,

Why isn't Wichita state universally #1 in all polls?

Because they play a soft schedule, and everyone knows it.

Just to add on a bit more: I presume that polls like the BPI, Sagarin, etc. love us this year because of all our close losses against good teams. Those same polls were friendly to us last year too, for the same reasons. But those were still losses. Did the selection committee look at us and say "Iowa ALMOST beat a lot of good teams, so they deserve an invite"? No, they did not, and off to the NIT we went. That's my point. Come selection & seeding time, it really only does matter who Iowa has beaten, and who they've lost to.

Whoever wrote ESPN's bubble watch apparently agrees with me:

Iowa [19-7 (8-5), RPI: 34, SOS: 52] Wisconsin's impressive win at Iowa on Saturday was yet another missed opportunity for the Hawkeyes. This is the theme of Iowa's season: The Hawkeyes are 4-7 against the RPI top 50 and 2-7 against the top 25. Every loss has come against an elite opponent, and by an average of 4.9 points per game. As we've repeated ad nauseam, Iowa's actual performance on the court -- its per-possession analytics, the eye test, whatever you prefer -- puts it among the 10 or 15 best teams in the country. But at some point, you actually have to win some of those games, or you risk being underseeded. That's how it works. And Iowa looks destined to suffer from precisely that dynamic.

 

[Hawknigh]

Again, if Wins and Losses are to be looked at in a vacuum,

Why isn't Wichita state universally #1 in all polls?

Because there is still a team above them who hasn't lost recently. If Florida loses, then all that will matter is the fact that Wichita State is undefeated.

I don't think many will argue that they are truly the best team in the country, but they will get a ton of #1 votes. At this stage in the season, it isn't just about how good you are, it is about whether you have lost or not. If you lose, you drop. If you don't lose, you stay or move up.

 

[HawkPrdatr40]

Iowa has shortened the bench recently, and has lost.

It's not the bench. It's the defense, and losing 50/50 balls, and not pushing the ball up the floor as hard as they used to.

While Fran did limit or as some say shorten the minutes from the bench last night, he didn't shortening the bench when it came to player participation from the bench. How many played last night 11 or 12? Another night of Iowa basketball where Iowa was stuggling and we had Fran tossing lineups on the court that haven't been in a game situation together to see if it would work. That to me is just not good game management. Just my opinion folks. Blast away!

 

[clicheusername3]

While Fran did limit or as some say shorten the minutes from the bench last night, he didn't shortening the bench when it came to player participation from the bench. How many played last night 11 or 12? Another night of Iowa basketball where Iowa was stuggling and we had Fran tossing lineups on the court that haven't been in a game situation together to see if it would work. That to me is just not good game management. Just my opinion folks. Blast away!

You suck bro! Go cheer for the clowns! I bet you didn't even go to Kirkwood! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[HomerChampless]

And the lineups Fran already put on the floor were doing such a bang-up job? Of course he's going to experiment.

 

[loesshillshawk]

Games are games and sometimes players get in foul trouble quick. Woodbury comes to mind. Basabe wasn't there either. But facts are facts.

There's a lot of sofa coaches that want Fran to play the starters more and shorten the bench's playing minutes.

Check.

Loss.

It's not the magic formula apparently.

Seriously it is a nice thought but you cannot give a fair comparison in this particular game. They got in foul trouble early...which gave more minutes to guys who usually get little time...and we are missing a starter...