Iowa is going to spend a nice portion of this season

[InGoodCo]

Ranked. Probably climb a few spots over the next 3 weeks as well with the weaker OOC opponents coming to an end. Rankings don't mean jack, but for perception its nice. You'd rather be ranked than not. That early start is going to keep this team's name in the top 25 for well over 2 months of the season.

https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll

 

[JG10Hawk]

The only way they don't remain ranked the next few weeks is if they let the smaller teams hang with them or heaven forbid drop a game.

 

[JG10Hawk]

Fran's Ranked Teams:

2013-2014: 15 straight weeks
2014-2015: 1 week
2015-2016: 11 straight weeks
2018-2019: 4 straight weeks & counting?

 

[DDThompson]

Ranked. Probably climb a few spots over the next 3 weeks as well with the weaker OOC opponents coming to an end. Rankings don't mean jack, but for perception its nice. You'd rather be ranked than not. That early start is going to keep this team's name in the top 25 for well over 2 months of the season.

https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll

I understand what you are getting at so I’m not disagreeing ...

but as an Iowa fan being ranked does mean jack because I like cheering on a ranked team and because perception does mean jack.

 

[InGoodCo]

I understand what you are getting at so I’m not disagreeing ...

but as an Iowa fan being ranked does mean jack because I like cheering on a ranked team and because perception does mean jack.

oh yeah, I get that. The ranking means something to me too. It's national recognition that they believe Iowa to be one the best 25 teams in the country. Honestly, I just mean, being ranked right now doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. It's nice to have Iowa ranked as long as they can be this year after last season. It certainly has to help everything involved around the program.

 

[PCHawk]

Assuming we win out the non conference, that Purdue game is huge. Our odds of making the tourney go up big time if we win that game.

 

[tksirius]

I understand what you are getting at so I’m not disagreeing ...

but as an Iowa fan being ranked does mean jack because I like cheering on a ranked team and because perception does mean jack.

 

[mopkins]

What's insane is we're probably going to go 11-0 in the non conference. Who the hell predicted that?

 

[mopkins]

I see UConn barely lost to Florida State over the weekend and Pitt lost to Niagra and West Virginia. Yuck

 

[NikeHawk21]

Assuming we win out the non conference, that Purdue game is huge. Our odds of making the tourney go up big time if we win that game.

Based on what we’ve seen Iowa do on the road the last two seasons, there is probably a better chance Iowa loses that game by double digits than actually win it. Life on the road is going to be brutal this year, which is why that Wisconsin game stung so much.

With that said I do think Purdue is down this year and is a beatable team.

 

[PCHawk]

Based on what we’ve seen Iowa do on the road the last two seasons, there is probably a better chance Iowa loses that game by double digits than actually win it. Life on the road is going to be brutal this year, which is why that Wisconsin game stung so much.

With that said I do think Purdue is down this year and is a beatable team.

I am still hoping that last year has nothing to do with this year. That means we have a one game sample size of how this team does on the road. That sample wasnt good, but that's how it normally goes there.

 

[NikeHawk21]

I am still hoping that last year has nothing to do with this year. That means we have a one game sample size of how this team does on the road. That sample wasnt good, but that's how it normally goes there.

I don’t have a Kenpom subscription but this site is similar. FWIW it has Purdue as the second hardest remaining game on our schedule and Iowa with less than a 20% chance of winning.

https://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=3540&s=305972

 

[PCHawk]

I don’t have a Kenpom subscription but this site is similar. FWIW it has Purdue as the second hardest remaining game on our schedule and Iowa with less than a 20% chance of winning.

https://www.masseyratings.com/team.php?t=3540&s=305972

That's what I mean by it being so huge if we somehow do win. Kinda like a few years ago when we came back from down big. It helped lead to a top 3 ranking. We will already be ranked in the teens somewhere (with the assumption we win up until then) so a win there will get us close to top 10 again with only 17 games left. Still a lot of time to go to hell, but our resume will be great up to that point. If we lose, we will be projected on the right side of the bubble. If we somehow in, we would be projected in Des Moines probably. Like I said, it would be a HUGE win. And like you said, it's a pretty vulnerable team right now.

 

[WindsorHawk]

I am still hoping that last year has nothing to do with this year. That means we have a one game sample size of how this team does on the road. That sample wasnt good, but that's how it normally goes there.

UConn was practically a road game...except the drunk Syracuse fans that hate the Huskies. They were cheering for Iowa...well...against UConn. And Oregon is still a nice neutral court win. We could go into January 0-1 on the road but 3-0 on neutral courts.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

That's what I mean by it being so huge if we somehow do win. Kinda like a few years ago when we came back from down big. It helped lead to a top 3 ranking. We will already be ranked in the teens somewhere (with the assumption we win up until then) so a win there will get us close to top 10 again with only 17 games left. Still a lot of time to go to hell, but our resume will be great up to that point. If we lose, we will be projected on the right side of the bubble. If we somehow in, we would be projected in Des Moines probably. Like I said, it would be a HUGE win. And like you said, it's a pretty vulnerable team right now.

That's about how I see it. @PU would be a huge win but hardly the end of the world if it's an L. One of those "nothing to lose" games IMO.

And I don't put any real stock into what happened last year. I don't think either team is really the same team that they were a year ago.

 

[hoxrock]

If this season follows alot of Fran's at Iowa, Iowa will build up to around a top 15 ranking then fall as the season goes along, culminating in a first-round exit in the BTT then a first or 2nd round exit in the NCAAT. It's better than the Lickliter years but 9 years in we have seen Fran's ceiling.

 

[WindsorHawk]

If this season follows alot of Fran's at Iowa, Iowa will build up to around a top 15 ranking then fall as the season goes along, culminating in a first-round exit in the BTT then a first or 2nd round exit in the NCAAT. It's better than the Lickliter years but 9 years in we have seen Fran's ceiling.

The last 3 years Iowa has been signing higher rated players. So the ceiling may very well be higher. This year and the next couple seasons will give a clearer picture of where we are right now IMO.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

What's insane is we're probably going to go 11-0 in the non conference. Who the hell predicted that?

Not me. I thought we'd get swept in NYC... I thought ISU might get us. I wish we'd have beaten Wisky and attributed ourselves better against MSU. But man we are light years ahead of where most thought we'd be yet it's easy to where we can get better too.

 

[koralakers]

If we “hold serve” the next 2 weeks, that will help. However, looking at the BIG, we cud lose our first 5 or 6 BIG games and quickly freefall from rankings. Hope I’m wrong

 

[BigD]

Fran's Ranked Teams:

2013-2014: 15 straight weeks
2014-2015: 1 week
2015-2016: 11 straight weeks
2018-2019: 4 straight weeks & counting?

The only ranking that really matters is the one you hold when the regular season is over.

I try not to remember the talk about being a number one seed before we crashed and burned.