Hawkeyes Dreams Dashed in Chicago

JonDMiller said:
The older I get the more I despise people using officials as an excuse to rationalize a loss.

That said, I come away from watching Iowa's 59-56 loss to Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten tournament feeling as though the men in stripes played too great a role in the contest.

Michigan State has a reputation for playing in your jersey defense. They are physical. It's the type of physicality the Big Ten is 'known for' and quite frankly the type of physicality that is ugly basketball and has made the Big Ten the butt of more than a few jokes through the last decade-plus.

In the second half of this game, right about the time Iowa was up double digits with under 10 minutes to play, Michigan State's guards were delivering a lot of contact on Iowa's guards when they had the ball, but no calls came. That happened over and over. Michigan State's Adreian Payne 'blocked' an Iowa dunk attempt that actually didn't get any ball, but no foul was called.

Late in the game, with Iowa down one and Michigan State shooting with three-seconds left on the shot clock, Aaron White was whistled for a very, very questionable foul.

It was so bad even Iowa State fans could not believe what they were seeing:

https://twitter.com/JnJ4cy/status/312755079079936002
https://twitter.com/nvil23/status/312752922276552706

I realize this is going to read like a 'whiny fan' rant. I'm fine wearing that one in this instance. The 'hand checking' that MSU was allowed to get away with was just egregious, and former NBA Champ Bob Hansen felt the same during and after the game as I listened to the broadcast. Does Bob want Iowa to win? Yes he does. However Bob is not your typically bleeding heart homer that you hear on University approved radio.

All this said, Michigan State is a very, very good basketball team. They are a better basketball team than Iowa is and the better team, on the whole of the season, won the game.

Aside from the highly debatable officiating, here is where Iowa lost the basketball game: Iowa had 19 turnovers to 13 for Michigan State and the Spartans had 16 offensive boards to Iowa's seven. Iowa had back to back unforced errors in the last two minutes by Marble and Anthony Clemmons led to five MSU points. Going over eight minutes and forty seconds scoring just two points (10:24 to play and leading by 12 to 2:21 to play trailing by eight) in part of a 24-4 run.

Yes, that is why Iowa lost. But we'll remember the officiating, and while it was poor and certainly contributed to the changing of momentum and it was mind numbing how a team as physical as Michigan State is had just three fouls with just over three minutes to play in the game, Iowa had more than enough chances to win the game.

Fran McCaffery led off his press conference with this quote: "I've coached in a lot of games, a lot of seasons. I've coached in a lot of tournaments, NCAA tournaments. This team deserved a better fate tonight."

McCaffery was asked a follow up question on officiating...he paused for over 15 seconds before providing a three word answer. It was uncomfortable and also spoke volumes about what he thought of the officiating and how it impacted his team's chances to win.

When asked about whether youth had anything to do with his team falling apart down the stretch, he became angry and defensive, perhaps even defint: "That had nothing to do with it! Nothing...at all...to do with it." He didn't scream, but he was firm.

In the end, Iowa drops to 21-11 on the year and went 10-10 against Big Ten competition. Iowa's RPI will settle somewhere in the 70's, most likely too far out of the mix to make it into the NCAA tournament. Iowa will likely wind up as a #1 seed in the NIT tournament and while this sort of finish is what I expected for this team before the season began, they were so close to a magical kind of season...something that comes out of the blue that you do not expect.

It's a shame that Iowa won't make it into the NCAA tournament because they are playing like a Top 30, Top 40 team in the nation. But that's not how it works and Iowa's out of conference schedule is going to wind up costing them.

Iowa will learn its post season fate on Sunday evening and school officials have said they would be able to host some NIT games, even with Carver Hawkeye Arena being a site for the Women's NCAA tournament.
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The NCAA committee and media types that hate us this year will jump on our bandwagon next year and kiss our butts.
 
IowaFan81 said:
Izzo says Iowa should be in, I'll take his opinion over anyone on here.
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Bo Ryan said the same thing about one of Alford's teams that had just lost to the Badgers. He said that nobody can tell him that the Hawks were not a tournament team.....

They made the tournament when not very many thought they would......

:D
 
ICHAWK said:
If the goal of the NCAA tournament was to get the best 68 teams in Iowa would be dancing...

I don't listen to Izzo at all. If it were up to that clown Lickliter would still be coaching at Iowa. So I don't care what that clown says.
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Agree, the BIG made sure "it's" teams advanced. So what's new from a league that still employs Ed Hightower and Ted Valentine?

As for Izzo ... GREAT tournament coach. Hate the bastard and all things MSU, going back to when his biatch, Matean played. Hope they get get clubbed going forward.

Iowa sucked in close games this year. Next year is when ALL of us should really be angry over games like this because that's when it will matter -- Hawks will have legit shot to actually make some waves. Until then, let's hope Fran gets some late-game rotation training that realizes Woody is an option and Oglesby is not.

Screw Izzo and Sparty. The BIG is going to get bounced from the dance because of the zebras.
 
It's funny when people feel so strongly on a subject that they refuse to use common sense and acknowledge something so blatantly obvious.
 
"blame the ref" guy is annoying but "the refs never have an impact on the outcome of a game, not even the '05 outback bowl" guy is way more annoying. Cyclone fan who comes here and pretends that its abnormal for threads to be started after a game like this is equally annoying. I have never been on a cyclone message board in my life so can someone tell me if there were any threads dealing with the refs after the Kansas game awhile back?
 
I wonder how much of our scoring drought had to do with our players getting grabbed every time they made a cut? People say we have to find a way have to find ways to get shots off but how is that possible when they constantly grab and hand check?

There is no doubt that Izzo talked to his team during the timeout with 9 minutes or so left and said "we have 1 team foul, we have to get up on them and force the refs to make some calls". It doesn't take a genius to tell your team that when you're down 10 with 1 team foul. Then we miraculously get 2 decent shots off in the next 5 minutes. The one where Basabe was fouled and there was no call, and the one where marble "got creamed" as Gus Johnson said, and there was no call.
 
The whole first half, I honestly thought the refs were trying to put Iowa in the position for the win. Adding another Bigten team to the tournament can make the conference look stronger. So when i finally started seeing MSU get some calls, I wasn't too upset. Just sucks to see a clean block go that way in crunch time. But going on that scoring drought wasn't the refs fault.

I knew Marble was going to end up with the last touch, and when has it worked all season? He was well guarded, just give it up to an open Josh and maybe he can for once hit it. Or wait, he may just pass it to allow Basabe to shoot the three....smh.

Love the Hawks, but this game summarized the entire season. Hawks are an improved team that can compete, but a few steps away from a true threat.
 
ssckelley said:
I am wasting my breath since I can already tell you have no intention of paying off the bet. The bet was Iowa would be a bubble team with 9 conference wins and 1 win in the BTT.

You lost but obviously not a man of your words.
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show me... what about your word.

My thing was what they would need. I am right. If you hadn't been such a jerk in the first place the bet wasn't needed. Unless they're in Sunday I won and you didn't lose in a vague way if what you say is right.
 
STILLBUSTER said:
Agree, the BIG made sure "it's" teams advanced. So what's new from a league that still employs Ed Hightower and Ted Valentine?

As for Izzo ... GREAT tournament coach. Hate the bastard and all things MSU, going back to when his biatch, Matean played. Hope they get get clubbed going forward.

Iowa sucked in close games this year. Next year is when ALL of us should really be angry over games like this because that's when it will matter -- Hawks will have legit shot to actually make some waves. Until then, let's hope Fran gets some late-game rotation training that realizes Woody is an option and Oglesby is not.

Screw Izzo and Sparty. The BIG is going to get bounced from the dance because of the zebras.
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This is dumb. If the B10 had a rooting interest last night it would have been for Iowa. Them winning meant they get into the NCAA. The more B10 teams in the tourney the better.
 
The "refs never determine the outcome of a game" crowd is getting annoying, but so can the "refs always screw us" crowd. Iowa either needs to be able to adjust to the type of officiating during games or learn to play the type of physical game that takes the other team out of their offense. Credit to Jizzo for leveraging the officials incompetence in this one. He knows it too. I'm really only this upset because of Eric May. I was really hoping he would get to play in at least one NCAA tournament game.
 
ssckelley said:
Sounds like you are getting up there, might be time to get those eyes checked.
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I'm 43 ssc and my eyes are perfectly fine.. Iowa had 3 more foul called on them. The final foul tally was 16-13, give the crap a rest. Iowa from the line was 11-12 and that one miss was Marble missing the front end of a 1-1.. Michigan was 12 out of 16. Boo freaking hooo..


The real reason Iowa lost if you have the eyes I have was the 21 turnovers and 14 offensive rebounds we gave up.. It also doesn't help to make 1 FG in almost 9 minutes. Stop complaining!!

I said Iowa would have to shoot atleast 45 to 50% to have a shot in this game and they shot 45, to bad they booted the ball around for 9 damn minutes to close the game. Iowa lost this game. It is squarely on them.
 
TChawk said:
Yu must not have watched the game or to clueless to understand the gifts the refs kept givin msu over and over.
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Old and over used.. I watched the game and not one time did I see the gifts you claim. What I did see was Iowa throwing the ball all over the place, dribbling into traffic and or stepping out of bounds and taking ridiculious tough shots. Iowa got away from it's motion offense that was working so well. Iowa is good when they pass the ball and don't dribble. Marble and Clemmons must have felt late in the game that they needed show everyon those dribbling skills of theirs. That last 9 minutes was ugly by Iowa. It was a really sad site.
 
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HawkPrdatr40 said:
Old and over used.. I watched the game and not one time did I see the gifts you claim. What I did see was Iowa throwing the ball all over the place, dribbling into traffic and or stepping out of bounds and taking ridiculious tough shots. Iowa got away from it's motion offense that was working so well. Iowa is good when they pass the ball and don't dribble. Marble and Clemmons must have felt late in the game that they needed show everyon those dribbling skills of theirs. That last 9 minutes was ugly by Iowa. It was a really sad site.
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Well then i was right with you just have no idea what you are talking about.
 
TChawk said:
Well then i was right with you just have no idea what you are talking about.
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You go ahead and talk about officiating.. I will see the real reasons.

Here is where Iowa lost this game:
1. Iowa had 21 Turnovers

2. Iowa allowed 14 Offensive Rebounds

3. MSU 17-2 Run. Iowa was up 47-37 with 10:24 to go in the game and with 1:54 seconds we were trailing 49-50. Made 1 FG?? That won't get it done.. Iowa also turn the ball over 5 times in that stretch. UGLY!!
 
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