I have watched Iowa teams down through the years and this one is too much like others I have seen. It appears that they have the talent and are much better than their record, but for some reason they usually come up short. So many times Iowa teams can't play a complete game. Those cold "spells" ruin them while the top teams either stay hot throughout or have the ability to come back and win. I think the coach plays a big part in getting the teams mentally ready. Just my nichols worth.
I'm done.
- Thread starter tm3308
- Start date
tm3308
Well-Known Member
You missed a golden opportunity here, considering your handle.
Honestly, I'll admit that I'm longing for more (that's pretty obvious). I'm not old enough to have truly experienced the glory days. All I've got is the Alford Era-present. I'm just getting desperate for a winner.
I love Iowa Sports, but I am not blindly a follower of anyone or any team. I think the Hawks have all the ingredients to be a top 20 team. But of course the key is how do you get everything working to be a winner. No one wants them to win more than me, but when a team that has shown us that they can play with the good teams lose to teams they should be able to put away, something is missing. It may be chemistry of the players, or it may be the coach is having a negative affect on them. I really think Fran is an excellent coach in that he knows the game, but he is not "reaching" his players. He has to be a good teacher and motivator. Just my thoughts for whatever they are worth.
Actually it was more people were pointing out that you are a Clone fan as well as a Hawk fan, which is still absolutely true.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
Really? Iowa has been ranked most of the season. Iowa will almost certainly have a better B1G record for the 4th straight year...and better than last year. Iowa will make the NCAA tournament...and probably play more than 1 game. How exactly is improvement measured from your warped perspective? I consider this to be much better than last year.
They weren't glory days. If it wasn't for a miraculous comeback the only trip to the Sweet 16 we saw was when we pulled a Nova, only in the ELITE EIGHT. A string of teams ABSOLUTELY no better than this one, even though the deceiving record suggests otherwise. But it's only that, a deceiving record. The difference between this team and those consistent tournament teams is back then you saw Duke or whoever the high seed awaiting us was and the buck stopped there, no questions asked. This year, I don't care what team you slap down in our bracket, we will stay with them and maybe even beat them. Zero slivers of evidence exist stating otherwise.
Alford made 3 trips to the NCAAs, once taking a 3 seed in there. His time at Iowa and New Mexico perfectly illustrates how much of a pressure coach he is, but it's not like the 90's saw anything Alford's years didn't. Just one lousy win in the tournament. That's the only difference. Otherwise, Mr. Davis's teams were several pegs short of the average Alford team.
Oh, BTW, who ever said this whole "I'm done" BS, there's the door. Though I should warn you, a lot of the other bandwagoners that came through here keep ignoring my advice about getting hit where they were split. I would never tell another Hawkeye fan they're frauds that need to mercifully vacate our fan base, but you're a fraud who needs to mercifully vacate our fan base. And now.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Actually, it was more people saying I'm not a Hawk fan because I'm also a Clone fan. I freely admit I'm a fan of both, so why would I get upset about people saying I'm also a Clone fan?
We had all kinds of hype coming in, but we haven't really done much of substance to back up a ranking (2 wins against the RPI top 25, only a little better than our 0-6 mark last year). The B1G is also not nearly as good as it was a year ago; I'm not sure the conference has any legitimate Final Four contenders right now, where last year there were four teams that looked like strong candidates.
Most of the things you're using to measure improvement can be influenced by the circumstances surrounding the team (quality of the conference, people hyping us up, etc.). But on the court, the team isn't THAT much different than a year ago. We beat up on the teams we should beat (at least until recently), but we still can't get over the hump in the big games when they're close. We're 4-9 in games decided by less than 10 points; we were 9-8 in such games last year (which actually surprised me when I looked at it), but over the last two seasons, we're 5-15 in B1G games decided by single digits.
Making the NCAA tournament, right now, is based a lot on hype and the fact that we have a pretty similar resume as last year's, but with a better OOC schedule. If last year's team had played this OOC slate, they probably would have made the Dance, too.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
Hype has nothing to do with facts which support improvement...ranking, improved conference record and NCAA bid. So you're wrong.
The conference has no Final Four contenders. This is your opinion not a fact. By the way Iowa is still #12 on Kenpom. Next.
Not much better than last year in the conference... We will likely have a better record with a tougher schedule. You're wrong.
Last year's OOC comment is your opinion AGAIN. Iowa had to play a soft schedule last year to get ready for conference play...2 freshman starters. You're wrong yet again.
You made a bunch of random and ridiculous talking points. You have confirmed that your measurement of improvement is indeed warped.
Side Note - Why does being a Cyclone fan matter? I bleed black and gold. Being a fan of both Iowa and little brother isn't bleeding black and gold. I think die hard Iowa fans BLEED black and gold. That's why many get so down on the Hawks and negative when Iowa loses. It hurts so much. A bi-fan like yourself is just "done." I will never be "done" with this or any other Iowa basketball team.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Yet again, someone misinterprets what I'm done doing.
Hype can have EVERYTHING to do with ranking. Only an idiot would refuse to see that. People thought we would be really good, so they ranked us. There hasn't been much substance to our resume to this point, but voters' perception of the team going in was much different than a year ago.
Your assertion that the B1G has legit FF contenders right now is no more factual than my opinion that it doesn't. MSU, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio State are ALL worse than they were a year ago. That's not really debatable. Iowa and Wisconsin are a little better, but neither is a serious FF threat. The conference was tougher last year than it is now.
If this team is SO much better, why are we seeing only a slightly improved resume? They've had opportunities to improve it dramatically and ****** them away, just like last year.
SonofaSailor
Well-Known Member
I think the ranking was really a product of people thinking they had learned how to close out tough games...and we now know this to be false...if last year's team had closed out games they would have been ranked too.
It's the same shtick as last year.And if you call it out...the uber fan boys on HN get all upset. Last years team was good, just couldn't get it done in crunch time...same thing this year.
I dont know if this is true. You only mentioned 6 teams in this part of your post. Last I checked there are 12 teams in the B1G.
Without a doubt the top of the conference is not as strong as last year but the bottom is much tougher.
PSU- much better
Minny- about the same
NU- about the same
Nebby- much better
Illinois- a little worse
PU- about the same but probably underachieved a little this year.
I dont buy this. What close games did Iowa close out before being ranked this year? UNO?
UweBlab
Well-Known Member
All the bickering about who is a fan and who isn't aside, I think we can all agree that there is something missing from this team, and for that matter last year's team too.
I don't believe it is lack of talent. It has to be mental with all the shots being missed, and more recently loss of defensive focus. Maybe the coaching staff is not getting across to them. Maybe they need to try some different techniques to get across to the boys. Maybe someone on the team whether it be a senior or sophomore needs to be outspoken and take charge on the floor and in the locker room.
The Hawks are in desperate need of some type of spark. Let do it boy's!!!!
I don't believe it is lack of talent. It has to be mental with all the shots being missed, and more recently loss of defensive focus. Maybe the coaching staff is not getting across to them. Maybe they need to try some different techniques to get across to the boys. Maybe someone on the team whether it be a senior or sophomore needs to be outspoken and take charge on the floor and in the locker room.
The Hawks are in desperate need of some type of spark. Let do it boy's!!!!
SonofaSailor
Well-Known Member
I'm not sold...a lot of these teams have "improved" because they have been beating the big boys...but...I think the top half of the conference is pretty poor this year...so it's all circular. Wasn't it Nebraska that got DESTROYED by Creighton OOC?
Villanova has been destroyed by Creighton once and got beat another time by them. What does that prove?
Nebraska is so much better now than they were in the OOC.
And you think PSU adds Tim Frazier again this year and isnt improved?
tm3308
Well-Known Member
I'll grant you this. The bottom is better. But the top, at least IMO, is significantly worse. Not bad by any means, but you can't find a NC contender at every turn, either.
I think it was assumed that after all that experience they got in close games last year, they would have figured it out this year. Hell, it's what many of us believed, too.
SonofaSailor
Well-Known Member
Exactly...after the NIT run last year...most people thought Iowa figured it out (both talking heads, fans, and the rest of us HN posters).
Why? The smallest margin of victory in Iowa's 4 NIT wins was 11 points.
Winning games by 16, 12, 11 and 11 isnt going to teach how to win close games.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Like I said, it wasn't backed up by substance. But they had lots of experience in close games, and I think many figured that, given an offseason to pick those losses apart, they'd get over the hump this year. It's kind of like our long streak of missed shots to tie or win in the final minute; you'd think, if nothing else, the law of averages says things would break our way eventually.
