When is the Euro trip?
Is NIT to NIT a good season?
- Thread starter Bigtenchamp
- Start date
When is the Euro trip?
deanvogs
Well-Known Member
Going from NIT to NIT isn't really a good thing. I think in our case it was more a less an expected thing though. I felt we COULD make the dance, but didn't know if we WOULD make the tourney. We let too many close ones slip away and here we are.
The team is undoubtably better this year, and I think next year they make a similar progress. That would mean we are watching the selection show to see what seed we are.....not hoping we merely make it in.
The team is undoubtably better this year, and I think next year they make a similar progress. That would mean we are watching the selection show to see what seed we are.....not hoping we merely make it in.
TritonHawkeye
Well-Known Member
Oregon also returned 9 Jr and Sr's.
This team is actually further than most of us expected. The roster for the first time next year will actually carry multiple contributing upper classman. This year most expected an NIT birth and that is where we landed but only a game out or two out of the dance.
With such a young team we really played the top level teams well and showed we are very close to that level ourselves.
Yes this season was a good season without question. We continued to close the gap between else and the top teams in the conference. Last year we lost five games in the B10 by double digits, this year we lost two, and they were on the road to the number one and number two teams in the nation. Last year we were outscored by an average of 3.8 ppg, this year we outscored the opponents by 1.7 points. Last year we were ranked 180th in the nation in defense, this year we're 21st. A 159 place improvement in defense with three freshman playing heavy minutes. Our wins last year were somewhat fluky, with one guy going off and carrying us in several of the games. This year there was nothing fluky at all about our performance, we brought defense and rebounding every night. With a slight improvement in offense, we're going to be a 25 win, top 3 in the B10 team next year.
This season was definitely a success. 6th in the B1G, a few bounces away from an NCAA tourney. Also, defensively we were a nightmare last year and only allowing 62 ppg this year is a night and day improvement compared to 72 ppg last year. Shows growth and hopefully leads to more success next year.
bcl20
Well-Known Member
This season was a missed opportunity. However, everyone (but May) gets a chance to make up for it.
RocknRollface
Well-Known Member
I would say it was fluky that Iowa lost as many games they did. You don't usually see one team on the end of even half as many bad bounces, bad calls, bad decisions and bad luck as Iowa had all in one season.
goldenhawk96
Well-Known Member
As great at the Gator's run was, if you think we were better the year before, you missed games like Campbell, like ISU woodshed ding us along with Northern Iowa. Then you can throw in some tremendously bad blowout losses in Big Ten play.
volhawk50
Well-Known Member
goldenhawk is right. Last year's season was closer to being a horrible season if they hadn't beaten those 4 and @Minnesota. Losses in those 5 would leave them 11-20 (3-15 B1G) and out of the postseason. As it was, they were a game above .500, had about 10 horrible losses, and wouldn't have gotten in the NIT if they hadn't said they would turn down a CBI invitation. There is no argument here, the team is significantly better than last year's team.
BJHawkstrong
Well-Known Member
Don't forget that this is still year 3 of the Fran era. He is and was still working through the previous coach's roster. I think it is fair to say that last year and this year are far different teams. Last year's team had some marquee wins for sure. But as a whole were very inconsistent. This year's team lacked the marquee wins but were far more consistent and imo vastly improved in what was also a vastly improved conference this season. If you take into account the amount of youth in the roster turnover from last year to this year I think you have to consider this year a great success
STILLBUSTER
Well-Known Member
While I agree a bit with the bad calls part, the biggest "bad" the Hawks suffered from this year was shooting.
Consider this ... if JO can improve from 26.2% to 30% on the same 145 attempts, that's 6 more 3's = 18 points. If the team can improve from 30% to 33% on the same 577 attempts, that's 17 more 3's = 51 points.
All things equal (i.e. the rebounding, defense and blocks, which were dramatically improved, stay the same) if Jok / Uthoff / Oglesby can simply improve the perimeter offense to merely average this team will win those 6 close games and challenge for the B1G title.
The curve is very similar to the early Ferentz years. Year 4 (2002) they were a national story. This team has the potential pieces for Fran's 4th year to be the same.
Makavelihawk
Well-Known Member
I am incredibly happy with the direction of the basketball program. What Fran has done, when taking into account fan support and interest as well as wins, is nothing short of amazing. A stark contrast to my feelings about the football program.
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
I'm disappointed the team blew so many opportunities this year, and really ought to have been in the NCAA Tournament.
That said, regular season win totals the last three years: 11, 16, 20.
Seems like progress to me, so this season was still somewhat of a success IMO. Just as long as Fran and Co. build on this year and get us to the NCAA's next year, I'm good.
That said, regular season win totals the last three years: 11, 16, 20.
Seems like progress to me, so this season was still somewhat of a success IMO. Just as long as Fran and Co. build on this year and get us to the NCAA's next year, I'm good.
WindsorHawk
Well-Known Member
This year's team is better than last year's team. The Hawks were better at the end of this season than at the beginning of this season. I have no doubt we will be better next year than this year, play in the NCAA tournament and get a good seed. I think this is all true if we played the exact same schedule next year as we did this year because we win the games we won and win about half of the games we lost IMO.
HerkeyHawk
Banned
We backed into the NIT last year. We almost backed into the NCAAs this year. We beat the teams we should, and were competitive with the teams better than us (save the one Michigan game). Seems to be huge improvement to me, making it a good season. How quickly we forget exactly where we were during the Lickliter debacle.
blkngldFRO
Well-Known Member
if this team did not start 2 freshmen at two of the key positions then I would call it a step back for not getting those wins.
Seth53
Well-Known Member
Can't compare this year to Lick's years...apples to oranges.
Can compare to last year. Better record, better NIT seed, higher finish in league, better eye-test.
So, yes, an improvement.
Did we optimize what this team could have done? No.
But, better product than last year...definitely.
Can compare to last year. Better record, better NIT seed, higher finish in league, better eye-test.
So, yes, an improvement.
Did we optimize what this team could have done? No.
But, better product than last year...definitely.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't say we backed in last year and almost backed in this year. That suggests that we already had a spot in the NIT last year and a spot in the NCAA this year already locked up, then played like crap down the stretch and still made it (Minnesota). But Iowa carried a degree of momentum into the NIT last year, and quite a bit of it this year (winning 7 of 10).
