Iowa’s March Madness Problem is Worse Than You Think
- Thread starter HaydenHawk56
- Start date
Fryowa
Administrator
When it’s after midnight on a weekend and you’re cruising the internet reading negative shit about a team you (claim to) like, and posting a link to said negative shit, maybe it’s time to find a different team.
At some point it’s either you take it or leave it. right? Or do you just keep staring at water, pissed off because it doesn’t turn into wine?
You’re longing for an era that
1) doesn’t exist anymore, and
2) isn’t as good as you think it was (mr. Tom)
And it’s not ever going to exist again. So give everyone here including yourself a rest. We get it already.
I had read that article. And it is ok to post it for those who haven't read it.
All you have to do is imagine any number of teams, including Iowa, with close to All-American guard play, to see how far they might go in the tourney. Or just imagine many of Fran's teams with close to an all America guard to see what that can do. Those types of players take control of games and set up their teammates for easy buckets and shots.
Hey ‘56 are you trying to cause problems again?
Fact of the matter is a lot of articles / opinions have been written expressing disappointment in one way or another with our tourney performances…….and many from Iowa media and Iowa fans. Until we change the trend we can expect more of the same commentary.
Fact of the matter is a lot of articles / opinions have been written expressing disappointment in one way or another with our tourney performances…….and many from Iowa media and Iowa fans. Until we change the trend we can expect more of the same commentary.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
Fry your hate for me is interesting. It is an Iowa related article on a Sweet 16 night. You got it all wrong.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Well, out of the 68 teams that make this dance every year, 67 will end up getting their heart ripped out. If that's too much to take in, then perhaps college basketball isn't the sport for one to follow.
If not being able to get out of the first weekend is considered purgatory then send me straight to the seven gates of hell. I know programs in this country that were once prominent that have had five, ten, even fifteen year NCAA droughts. A decade ago we were one of them.
Losing in OT to a two seed when you had to come back from down 25 to force OT (after being down double digits in your FIRST round game) is not a felony. And temember when were playing Tennessee in 2014 our head coach was distracted by more important things-like his son being diagnosed with cancer and having an actual surgical procedure THE MORNING OF A GAME.
The one legitimate rip on Fran is his inability to press the right buttons in one and done games. Saint Peter's was dead in the water last night, and in serious foul trouble, when they switched to a combination man/zone late in the game. It was similar to the "freak defense" that Dale Brown used to employ when his shorthanded LSU teams were tournament terrors in the 1980's. It shut off Ivey and the rest of the Purdue offenses.
But back to the main point here. Everyone knows exactly what will happen if we do break through to the next level and get out of the first weekend. They will wait until we lose, then move the goalposts and say that's our next glass ceiling. I've seen Badger fans do it and Bo Ryan accomplished things at Wisconsin that will never be duplicated there again.
If not being able to get out of the first weekend is considered purgatory then send me straight to the seven gates of hell. I know programs in this country that were once prominent that have had five, ten, even fifteen year NCAA droughts. A decade ago we were one of them.
Losing in OT to a two seed when you had to come back from down 25 to force OT (after being down double digits in your FIRST round game) is not a felony. And temember when were playing Tennessee in 2014 our head coach was distracted by more important things-like his son being diagnosed with cancer and having an actual surgical procedure THE MORNING OF A GAME.
The one legitimate rip on Fran is his inability to press the right buttons in one and done games. Saint Peter's was dead in the water last night, and in serious foul trouble, when they switched to a combination man/zone late in the game. It was similar to the "freak defense" that Dale Brown used to employ when his shorthanded LSU teams were tournament terrors in the 1980's. It shut off Ivey and the rest of the Purdue offenses.
But back to the main point here. Everyone knows exactly what will happen if we do break through to the next level and get out of the first weekend. They will wait until we lose, then move the goalposts and say that's our next glass ceiling. I've seen Badger fans do it and Bo Ryan accomplished things at Wisconsin that will never be duplicated there again.
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Fryowa
Administrator
Exceeded only by your hate for the Hawkeyes.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
Whatever. I thought it was a fair and balanced Iowa basketball related article. Not exactly an attack piece.
Fryowa
Administrator
That’s the message @HaydenHawk56 should probably figure out.
This isn’t the same recruiting or competitive landscape that mr Tom has to operate in. IOWA is not a contender and frankly won’t be.
I don’t see what’s so hard about picking a team that you like to watch instead of one that makes you completely miserable.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
T
For the record Davis' first two recruiting classes were actually pretty solid. Until Rodell Davis destroyed his knee and Ray Thompson and Brian Garner flunked out. Then Bruce Pearl moved on and Bowlsby came in and threw went our recruiting. Roy Williams recruited Iowa better than Davis did for the second half of Davis' tenure here. Even Lute was still poaching a few.
The only way those days are coming back (and I'm talking talking Bucky O'Connor, Ralph Miller, Lute Olson) is if the boosters approve of the hire of a hotshot up and comer who eventually moves on to a blue blood but gives us three to five years of brilliance while he's here. A destination coach won't cut it. Bowlsby thought he had his man in Steve Alford but by year three it was obvious that wasn't happening. Barta thought Lickliter would be the savior, that he thought he had his Bo Ryan. Oops!
For the record Davis' first two recruiting classes were actually pretty solid. Until Rodell Davis destroyed his knee and Ray Thompson and Brian Garner flunked out. Then Bruce Pearl moved on and Bowlsby came in and threw went our recruiting. Roy Williams recruited Iowa better than Davis did for the second half of Davis' tenure here. Even Lute was still poaching a few.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
We can be a contender, but a ton of things would have to change that have little to do with basketball. See my response to your other post.
Not sure why such a defeatist attitude? I think it is possible for Iowa to do some big things. Maybe not on a consistent basis but every now and again. It is not nearly as difficult to turn a basketball program around. Obvious example is Iowa State who wins 2 games hires new coach and makes sweet 16. I suspicion they will be good in the future and probably make more runs.
I wonder if St Peters would say it can't be done?
And don't think for a minute that I am not an Iowa fan because i'm sure I have been one longer than you and I still have hope that we can have better than we have had for the past 20 years of so?
Fryowa
Administrator
It’s not a defeatist attitude, it’s reality. People think just because Iowa had a couple stellar years almost 4 decades ago that we can do it again. It’s a different world and Iowa is not part of the group of teams that can get sweet 16 caliber rosters unless there’s a total fluke somewhere. Some periodic unicorns like Luka Garza and Keegan Murray ain’t gonna do it. And IOWA isn’t a team that’s going to put a dominant roster together because it doesn’t have the recruiting power. And recruiting power wasn’t the number one most important thing in me Tom’s era. In other words, it’s a WHOLE lot harder now to make it happen than it was in the Reagan years.
It’s not the 80s anymore where you didn’t have the one and done market, NIL deals, and all the marketing and exposure that goes along with being at a blue blood program. Fran did more with this team than should have ever been done. You rubes should be glad to have a coach that can develop like that instead of being pissed we didn’t make the second round.
It’s obvious the rest of the country outside the B1G is more elite. It’s a different style of basketball made up of quick guard play and tenacious defense. We have neither of those and we aren’t going to get it.
You guys can’t see the forest for the trees and the fact that you’re just like nebraska fans. Longing for the days of rotary phones and not being able to figure out that the landscape of the sport has moved on.
Fryowa
Administrator
I agree that it’d take a hotshot coach, but
1) that’s 100% luck of the draw against lottery odds, and…
2) the recruiting deck is still stacked too high against us. You could have the second coming of Mike Krscewscyrskirezywski and you still aren’t going to be elite unless you get a squad that’s deep enough to compete with the blue blood teams. We live in a world of NIL, ESPN highlights, and Twitter, and being a player at Iowa isn’t exactly high on the glamour scale.
St Peters didn't build a sweet 16 team. They just got lucky and won some games.
I think a handful of random tournament losses has made you underestimate the program. We already have a program that's plenty capable of making the sweet 16, it just hasn't happened yet. An overtime loss cost us one shot. Covid cost us one shot. A bad draw/bad game/bad luck with Oregon getting a bye and going from the last game of the night to the first game 2 days later cost us one shot. And now it seems like Keegan's ankle cost us another shot.
Are you saying if the all American we had was a guard we would have been better? I think our all American would have been just fine if he didn't get hurt.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
I refuse to believe Iowa can't be Sweet 16 or better. Even the freaking Clown Circus can do it off of a 2 win season.
Lute Olson showed it can be done here.
Mr. Davis showed it can be done here.
More challenges today yes, but no reason Iowa can't get to the 2nd weekend zero times in almost 25 years if you are not seriously doing something to screw that up.
Lute Olson showed it can be done here.
Mr. Davis showed it can be done here.
More challenges today yes, but no reason Iowa can't get to the 2nd weekend zero times in almost 25 years if you are not seriously doing something to screw that up.
