Fran talked about bright spots in the game...

[WhiteThunder]

Cartwright was really frustrating to watch. There were plenty of times he had a shooter open in the corner and would instead dribble into 2 guys and turn it over.

I wonder if putting Cartwright and Marble in together is somehow stunting Marble. I know that he is a wing and needs to be a wing, but he seems to pick his spots when to be aggressive instead of attacking the whole time. Would playing him at PG alone bring that out of him again?

 

[hawkfarmer]

Anyone else think Sobolweski (SP?) committed a freaking moving screen everytime he passed it to the wing. I think I hate NW because they got a way with a bunch of just crappy bball and fouling, though that is not why Iowa lost, I still hate it.

 

[JHHawk]

Bryce was coming off his best game of the year vs PSU,so lets not overreact. Clearly, he had a bad game attacking the 1-3-1. But of course, I have to wonder if Fran really had them ready for that hard of a trap,with three guys? NW has not really utilized that zone that much this year. I think Carmody sprung it on us, and he caught us a bit unaware.

It happens...bump in the road of a rebuilding season. Next. Cannot let this impact the confidence to the point we go into a real spiral. PSU at State College will be tough as they beat Illinois and Purdue over there...but maybe we catch them on an off nite.
Then,home games vs IU and Wisky...last real chances for big upsets.
Hang tough,Hawks!!

 

[bpiercehawks]

At that point I was already thinking we weren't going to win. I left the room to do something and came back and heard the announcer mention that Brommer got 3 fouls in 54 seconds. I laughed in a sad, wow kinda way.

My personal bright spots after every game like this. Brommer, 3 fouls 54 seconds, is being replaced by Adam Woodbury. Cartwright, turnover machine/point guard is being replaced by Mike Gessel.

 

[gohawks71]

Ok so we were unprepared or unable to adjust to their 1-3-1 .... would part of not being able to adjust be our level of talent on the floor?

How do you know it was the 1-3-1? I not saying i disagree but why do you think that is what cost us the game?

Because it complete took Iowa out of its motion offense. The Hawkeyes had nothing for it. They had no offensive zone breaker. It's not like they were getting good shots and missing, they were struggling to find an open shot and get the ball below the FT line extended. All because of the 1-3-1.

 

[storminspank]

Ok so we were unprepared or unable to adjust to their 1-3-1 .... would part of not being able to adjust be our level of talent on the floor?

Fran said they worked on it for 3 days in practice and they had a good plan. I can only think that NW's starters are far superior to the scout team that ran it in practice, so it's much more difficult to prepare for in practice. After they saw the failures, the staff did not adjust in-game either.

So, I'd say both.

 

[Thawki]

Ya, love the bright spots after a 20 point loss to a doormat. Low expectations, low results.

While we might not want to admit it, Northwestern is not a doormat in today's game. It used to be they had a coach that couldn't get a better job and a low talent level. Now they have a pretty good coach (and one that fits their school perfectly) and they have a pretty decent talent level. They have one of the best three point shooters in the league, another pretty good player and one of the top young point guards in the conference. They execute their game plan fairly well and they are pretty disciplined.

That isn't a doormat that I just described. While I don't like to admit it, having been at Iowa when we were 18-0 in 1987, this is not that Northwestern team. They have beaten some pretty good teams over the last few years. We are not a pretty good team this year. But it is unfortunate, if Basabe and Cartwright would have played this year to the level they played last year then we would be at least at 50% in conference.

 

[BILLBUCKNER]

The most frustating thing this year has been the play of Cartwright and Basabe. Really expected much more from them. Glad Cartwright used up his elegibility because he has really taken a step back. Thankfully MCCabe,Marble and White have played well. I'm not convinced that Basabe ever returns to his promise even with a legitimate center. McCabe and White haven't let the lack of a center hurt their production.

 

[sportstalent]

Here is the thing, there are some teams that Iowa does not matchup well with. Teams with a strong front line and Northwestern.

Iowa isn't physical, so teams like Indiana, OSU, MSU and probably Illinois just dominate Iowa, then throw in the inability to guard a three point shot you have Northwestern.

Fran is going to a gun fight with knives every game...Iowa is lacking quality depth, something that I thought would improve...not so much. Thank God there is going to be some roster turnover and the next recruiting class is respectable.

Iowa will have at least 12 scholarship players next year and there will be one player, maybe two on the roster that you can look at and say..."how did he get a scholarship?" Guess what? That is SIGNIFICANT improvement...just think about it.

So 10 quality players on the roster, unless some of the freshman don't live up to the billing, but I see them filling roles and not having to be great, if some breakout then Iowa is better off. Rebounding/Defense/Half-court offense must improve, it will.

 

[oroko]

Bryce was coming off his best game of the year vs PSU,so lets not overreact. Clearly, he had a bad game attacking the 1-3-1. But of course, I have to wonder if Fran really had them ready for that hard of a trap,with three guys? NW has not really utilized that zone that much this year. I think Carmody sprung it on us, and he caught us a bit unaware.

It happens...bump in the road of a rebuilding season. Next. Cannot let this impact the confidence to the point we go into a real spiral. PSU at State College will be tough as they beat Illinois and Purdue over there...but maybe we catch them on an off nite.
Then,home games vs IU and Wisky...last real chances for big upsets.
Hang tough,Hawks!!

Really?

So Fran took a handle-challenged team on the road and wasn't ready for an opponent who knows trapping zones inside out?

That's hard to believe.

 

[Johnnyhawkeye]

I expected us to lose trying to defend a perimeter based offense and a unique defensive philosophy in the 1-3-1. It was a learning experience for our players and coaching staff alike...let's see how we fare in our next match up. I predict a much closer outcome with possibly a win with better perimeter defense.

Go Hawks