Iowa’s March Madness Problem is Worse Than You Think
- Thread starter HaydenHawk56
- Start date
I think Iowa fans care more about the sweet 16 than any other fan base. Most fans probably want winning teams, tournament bids, deep runs, or final 4s. Iowa fans are just obsessed with sweet 16s. It's a pretty ridiculous thing to be obsessed with truthfully. That's what happens tho when one school hasn't had something for so long. If we would have made it a couple times recently, like say the 2006 team made it and we beat Tennessee a few years ago, then we would probably only talk about elite 8s.
It's a pretty weird streak we have going tho. I'd say there's no doubt Iowa is by far the most successful program to have this long of a sweet 16 drought. If you take total wins over the last 23 years, I'm guessing it's a pretty wide margin between us and the second most successful team.
Houston is a 5 seed also. Their yearly body of work is no better than ours. Unless you've watched most of the games they played, you have a biased opinion based on a small sample size of games you've watched them play. Imagine how good some fans would think Iowa was if they just happened to watch some of our best games.
justwinbaby
Well-Known Member
Are y’all watching the teams still playing? The defense being played by the teams still in the tournament is very good. The current score of Houston vs Villanova is 27 to 20 at the half. Our defense has been much improved but it still hasn’t reached the level needed to make a run in the big dance. It’s part of the reason ISU was able to make the sweet 16. We should have beat Richmond fairly easily but I don’t know that we were in a good position to win the next game. We have a top 10 offense every year but we need more athleticism to play defense to make deeper runs in the big dance on a somewhat consistent basis. To say that we can’t do that because we are Iowa is ridiculous. That being said based on Frans history he isn’t the coach for that. I’m not saying fire Fran but he’s not the guy who is going to make us a great defensive team. As much as I hate to say it defense wins championships.
justwinbaby
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong but it looks to me like the refs are letting them play. This Nova vs Houston game is pretty much a football game with a hoop and round ball.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
I don't think they need a different coach nor am I advocating that.....at this time. What would change my mind there would be if Fran would start slipping in the next 5 years on NCAA appearances (like less than 3 years out of 5) especially if none of those appearances had a significant run.
Fran is firmly safe as he should be job security wise.
I can see what you are saying with the Nebraska Football/Iowa Basketball comparison.
1. I agree both programs have seen better times.
2. They both got rid of coaches (Solich and Mr. Davis) that they made a major mistake in doing so.
However, I'm not advocating a firing with Fran. Never have. That is the difference. The body of work does not justify it.
That said, if Fran decided tomorrow I want to go coach for St. Johns xyz, I would thank him for his time and hope Barta could improve the coaching reigns at Iowa. And, that position of mine would not change if no serious traction (meaning we are non-player beyond the first weekend) could stick in the next 5 years.
And if fan discontent (low attendance numbers, social media discontent, etc) got enough under Fran's skin to say the heck with it I'm going elsewhere, then so be it. But, like I said, Fran has it made here so that may not matter anyway.
I hate to beat this to death and this will be my last thought but I dont understand your thinking sometimes. I'm not sure hiring Hayden and Lute was 100% luck and they certainly were not big time winning coaches. Maybe it was a good athletic Director who could see traits that could be successful? If you were to ask players or prospective recruits if they would be happy with a program that had winning records didn't cheat and liked their coach if they would be excited? Or would they say they want to win championships?? I'm pretty sure Murray wanted more and most good players would also. So does it help to say the fans are happy with it?? Just a question
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
That's a good example of how the landscape has changed. Until about 20-25 years ago and before the proliferation of high end AAU ball the number one attraction for a recruit was the head coach.
Now elite players have their sights set higher well before they get to college, if they even go to college. They want the path of least resistance to fame and fortune.
I still think the young hot coach is the best option. With the long inevitable arrival of NIL we will have to give it a few years to see what effect it has. It could make for less loyalty to a certain coach than ever before, and you may see the end of the college czar like K, Boeheim, Few, or Izzo.
trj
Well-Known Member
Semantics. If that is the way you want to describe it, you are not wrong...good for you.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Until we get there and get drilled.
Then it will be the same complaints, only with the goalposts moved. I'm not necessarily or specifically pinning you, but you know some others on here will bitch and moan.
And name one other program in the country that can say they have an active three game heater going vs Kansas, including one in Lawrence and one in Hawaii.
Of course those games are spread over nearly four decades.
This. If we were to move to the second weekend and lose we would hear the same complaints. Fran can't win in the tournament, can't win when it counts, etc. etc. etc. An example is the "Fran fade or the February fade". We squashed that this year and it just moved to something else.
It really is a shame that some people can't enjoy what was a very good season. Disappointing end? Of course. I choose to look at what they did over the course of the season, which was improve steadily and come together as a team that was playing very well towards the end of the season.
HaydenHawk56
Well-Known Member
A Sweet 16 out of Fran would be wonderful as it would continue to show progression in the program and give reason to believe Iowa can make a run in the tournament that most counts. It could not hurt with recruiting as well.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
have you ever been to a French restaurant? of course, not, but let's pretend like you have. let's just say it's gonna be 9 courses. you go in with pretty low expectations and then get wowed by 5 of the first 7 courses. there are a couple that are mediocre. but the eighth, oh my, it is superb, one of the best things you've ever eaten. that's where we were after the Purdue game. "Bring on the 9th course, chef!!!"
they bring out the 9th course, it looks amazing, smells remarkable. but then you put it in your mouth and it tastes like someone pickled a maggot infested asshole of a dead skunk that baked in the Iowa sun for a day in August. that's what happened. when you get served something like that and sent on your way, believe it or not people will get pissed off. and rightfully so. no one would be on suicide watch if we had gotten to Kansas and lost a reasonably close game.
Bigtenchamp
Well-Known Member
Its because everyone's measurement of success is based on a single elimination crap shoot tournament.
Its pretty silly.
Its pretty silly.
okeefe4prez
Well-Known Member
Yeah, totally silly. Let's hypothetically say that Iowa had a good point guard and that both he and Murray missed most of the season. Iowa finished the regular season with say 5 wins and 20 losses. But then let's say they ran off five wins in a row in the BTT. Now they're in the tournament. Great. Now say they reel off 6 more wins. Now they won the tournament. There's not a single fan who would take the bullshit 26 and whatever record over the terrible 16-20 record that includes a freaking natty. It's hard to believe, but most people want to win the hardware. I'll bet the Patriots would have gladly taken a blemish on their 16-0 season to win the super bowl that year. no one gives a shit about the regular season, breh. no one.
Bigtenchamp
Well-Known Member
Basketball like baseball has a really fickle and random aspect. when it comes to winning and
losing
I feel like the NBA is the best tournament at crowning and actual champion.
Soccer actually has a much more reliable system for deciphering the best teams.
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
Iowa is not short of anything to make the sweet 16. They've had a team the past 4 seasons capable of it, it just didn't happen. They'll likely have a team good enough to do it next year to.
Look, under Fran, up until this season, they had never won more than 1 B1G tournament game. Then this season they won 4. Before the B1G tournament run it was said that "Fran is a terrible coach in the B1G tournament and will never win a B1G conference tournament". Than he did it. He didn't do it with a special team, or some once in a lifetime talent, his team just stepped up at the right moment.
It's the same thing with the sweet 16. Iowa has had plenty of teams capable and talented enough to make it probably even further, they just haven't.
As an Iowa fan, I just want a coach that is going to keep giving us shots to advance
Look, under Fran, up until this season, they had never won more than 1 B1G tournament game. Then this season they won 4. Before the B1G tournament run it was said that "Fran is a terrible coach in the B1G tournament and will never win a B1G conference tournament". Than he did it. He didn't do it with a special team, or some once in a lifetime talent, his team just stepped up at the right moment.
It's the same thing with the sweet 16. Iowa has had plenty of teams capable and talented enough to make it probably even further, they just haven't.
As an Iowa fan, I just want a coach that is going to keep giving us shots to advance
Fryowa
Administrator
Final Four and the championship matchups should both be best of 3 series.
If your team has won 4 tournament games in a row to reach the Final Four I think it's pretty tough to debate that your squad is one of the 4 best in the nation. Then to really see who's top dog, best of 3 would separate the really good teams from the truly elite ones. And how could you argue with it? It removes all flukey stuff from the games.
Fryowa
Administrator
And not get the U wrapped up in cheating scandals, or wreck his Harley with his side piece on the back, or be accused of abusing players.
I'll take Fran over the Pitino or Calipari or Petrino or Izzo types any day of the week.
