Iowa... by the numbers!

[ColumbusHawk]

Let's see how this year's team compares to Lick's first team.

The first year under Lick, Iowa was 6-12 in the conference. This year, Iowa was 4-14 in the Big Ten. In other words, Lick won 33.3 percent less games this year than he did in his first year.

In 2008, Iowa was eleventh in the league in scoring average at 55.4 ppg. At 60.2 ppg, Iowa was a very respectable second in scoring defense. The scoring margin was a minus 4.8 ppg.

This year, Iowa again was dead last in scoring offense at 57.9 ppg. However, Iowa dropped to seventh in scoring defense at 66.9 ppg. The scoring margin dropped 4.2 ppg to a horrendous minus 9.0 ppg.

The first year Iowa was seventh in the conference in field goal percentage at 42.4 percent. Iowa's shooting dropped to 39.8 percent this year, good for tenth in the Big Ten.

In field goal percentage defense, Iowa was sixth and tenth, respectively, in Lick's first and third years. This year, teams shot 46.3 percent against Iowa compared to 42.2 percent the first year. Iowa actually outshot the opposition in Lick's first year by just a little. This year it wasn't even close.

Iowa was atrocious in 3-point field goal percentage this year. At 30.1 percent, the Hawks were dead last in 3-point shooting. Surprisingly, Iowa was second in the league in 3-point field goal percentage defense. Still, the opposition outshot Iowa from the 3-point arc at 32.8 percent. In Lick's first year Iowa out shot the opposition from the 3-point arc 34.6 to 34.1 percent.

In Lick's first year, Iowa actually out rebounded the opposition by 0.2 rpg. Not a great number but nevertheless, a positive number and good for fifth in the conference. Tate finished third in the league at 7.0 rpg.

Aaron Fuller finished fifth in the league this year at 7.6 rpg. However, Iowa was eighth in rebounding margin at minus 1.8 rpg.

Turnover margin did improve this year. In 2008, Iowa's turnover margin was a minus 4.44. This year the turnover margin was a minus 2.94. But Iowa only was tied for ninth with Penn State.

I really don't know what it means. However, the numbers do indicate that Lick's first team was better than this year's edition. His first team actually out shot and out rebounded the opposition.

Another thing, Iowa will have to improve by nine to ten points per game next year to finish around five hundred in the Big Ten. This year Minnesota was 9-9 in the conference with a scoring margin of 1.0 ppg. Surprisingly, Illinois was 10-8 with a scoring margin of a minus 0.8.

 

[NewMexHawk]

Lickliter did better with Alford's players than he is doing with his own players, which may mean that Lickliter wasn't left with the "mess" that everyone thinks he was and that Alford's players were more talented than the players that Lickliter has recruited.

 

[tubahawk]

ColumbusHawk,

Thanks for the numbers. They are telling. However, I'm always a little apprehensive about these kinds of post, becasue you can pick and choose what numbers you look at.

With that said, the numbers you've given deal with, in my opinion, the key essentials. Shooting, rebounding, and Lickliter's supposed strength.... defense.

I also agree with NewMexHawk that this data is strong rebuttal to the argument we need to wait for Lickliter to get his recruits in place.

 

[JHHawk]

The counter arguement will be that his first team had seniors on it like Gorney,Looby,Justin Johnson and juniors Cy Tate and Tony Freeman,while this years team only had Devan as a senior and Jarryd as a junior.
Now, that said, frosh Jeff Peterson and Jake kelly did start many games that year...which could help make a case that those two were solid recruits.
If Jeff and Jake had been on this team, I think they do win a few more games. But that is on Lick,as far as I am concerned. I think he nit-picked Jeff outta town,just like Tony,and I am still convinced that Jake would have stayed if he truly loved playing for Lick.