MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Not just beating Mich St, but with a 6 game winning streak and maybe 7 before the next poll. I'd say they be close to if not in the top 10.
Hawkeyes No. 19 in AP, No. 21 Coaches this Week
- Thread starter RobHowe
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Not just beating Mich St, but with a 6 game winning streak and maybe 7 before the next poll. I'd say they be close to if not in the top 10.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Actually, I'm glad they aren't coming off a loss to Maryland. If they had, that could have been a huge challenge for Iowa as they would have been coming into Carver with a big chip on their shoulder.
This is a good time as any to take them down.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Michigan St. has two losses, one the very first game of the season to Kansas and an OT loss to Louisville. Michigan St. seems to be a very good team this year. I like the bar you set but keep it real a bit, IMO.
mopkins
King Kong
I refuse to get excited about the Hawks until they beat the Golden State Warriors on the road.
Robowe
Well-Known Member
Just curious from this thinking ... do teams really not try as hard or coaches not care as much if they win the previous game? My belief is ... at this level, the coaches and players want to win every game. Izzo is who he is because he wants to win every game all the time. And, he recruits players who want the same thing. Or, he coaches them into it.
IMO, the 'momentum' from a previous game (win or loss) does not last very long. For instance, did Duke beat Virginia because they lost to Syracuse earlier in the week? I think they are independent events.
The incoming PG waterbug needs to be a "diamond in the rough"...
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Well yes, they should in a perfect world. Have you ever seen Izzo after a loss, especially after a run of wins prior? Even Izzo can ramp it up even more when he wants and after a loss is usually brutal for the next team that has to play Michigan St.
Yes, you are always supposed to have your teams "up" at this level. But, even at this level sometimes complacency can creep in, even with the best teams and coaches.
You watch if Iowa happens to beat Mich St. Thursday at how Mich. St. responds the next game.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Robowe
Well-Known Member
Izzo is salty when MSU is up 11 at halftime. It's a convenient narrative. It implies that ultra competitive people have an on/off switch (or a sliding scale of caring). The reality is ... they always care and always want to win. Duke didn't beat Virginia because they lost to Syracuse. They played better on Saturday. Pure and simple.
This. You gotta prove you can win on the road.
The ironic thing about his post is the Fran team that burned us the worse beat Michigan State at home and on the road.
mopkins
King Kong
yeah I'm not about to set the bar at beating Michigan State this year. They're going to be a 1 or 2 seed in the NCAA tournament almost guaranteed.
I think the Hawks should be able to keep it close at least. Sparty only beat Nebraska by 6 on the road, Ohio State by 9 on the road, and Rutgers by 11 on the road.
Concur, exactly...
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
It's really not that simple. In a perfect world yes, but it just is not that simple. Trust me. It happens, even to the best teams and coaches.
HawkGold
Well-Known Member
Most anyone who is a D1 coach is ultra competitive. Not all are as good as others or have as good of situation.
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RobHowe
Administrator
Maybe. MSU doesn't have many off nights. This is the ultimate test in toughness, physical and mental for the Hawkeyes. They can't play just OK and win.
And the point of my tweet was that the last 20 teams MSU has played in the conference it's beaten. Iowa losing on Thursday isn't the end of the world or the end of the season.
But you wait, if Iowa does lose on Thursday, it will be compared to losing to Iowa City Regina on here.
MelroseHawkins
Well-Known Member
Definitely agree with the bold above. It will have more to do with how they play if they should lose. I am really looking forward to this game. I remember a couple years ago Iowa beat Michigan St. and it was the one time that Iowa seemed to be the tougher team and played with more toughness. I remember afterward in the press conference Izzo calling his team out on that point. Anybody else remember this or did I just dream this?
Robowe
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I just don't agree. It's talking points. It doesn't have much carryover ... it just doesn't.
Example ... my son's AAU team (probably about 10-11 years old) played a team that they had no business beating. Well, for one game, the shots fell for our kids and didn't for the other team. A good play at the end, and our kids' team won. Big upset.
2 rounds later, our kids' team ended up playing that team again in the championship of their bracket. There was a different outcome. It was at least a 20-30 point blowout. Was the other team more focused because our kids had beaten them earlier. Nope, they were just better ... period.
If Michigan State would have lost yesterday, how do we know that the players would not start doubting themselves or they are just not playing as well? Or, maybe Iowa is just that much better at this point of the season? Did Kansas beat ISU last night because they lost to West Virginia on Saturday? I don't believe so.
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Evidently the season is summed up based on if the Hawks win or lose on Thursday.
Maybe they shouldn't even play the season, just play 1 game against Michigan State and that determines everything.
Robowe
Well-Known Member
It's crazy. People wanted big changes because Iowa lost by 22 at Michigan State. Then, Purdue, Northwestern, and Maryland all lost by double digits there too. Hmmm ...
It would be great if Iowa could win on Thursday. Heck, it was a great game last year when Iowa only lost by 3 to Michigan State at home (96-93). Even losing a close game to MSU last year didn't help change the narrative of a bad season.
