Is the Purdue game a must win?

What percent chance do you give Iowa to win on the road at Purdue?

  • Less than 30%

    Votes: 15 32.6%

  • 40%

    Votes: 13 28.3%

  • 50/50

    Votes: 9 19.6%

  • 60%

    Votes: 4 8.7%

  • 70% or more

    Votes: 5 10.9%
  • Total voters
    46
  • Poll closed .
I

Ian Pike Hammer

Guest
Given our 0-2 start, can we afford to go 0-3 in conference play?
This is a road game but in my humble opinion, a winable game. While Carsen Edwards is among the elite players not only in the conf., but also the entire country, his supporting cast is not as powerful as in years past. He can go off for 30 points any game and gets them in every possible way: cutting to the basket, 3 point shooting, steals, free-throw shooting, coast to coast. He prolly has more layups than any other player in the conf.
Better to let him get his and shut down the entire rest of the team, or double-team him as much as possible and hold him under 20?
 
Like 2016, it may be an advantage to play at Mackey while the students are absent.

Then again, I predicted early December would be a good chance to catch Sparty so take my prognosticatons with the proverbial grain of salt.
 
Watched this team play a couple of times. Not as good a team as the last couple of years. Weak ball handlers, Iowa will pressure and pack in the paint. Like our chances.
 
Not a must win, but pretty close. The thing I've never really understood is there isn't really a TON of significance to starting 0-2 or 0-3. It's not good by any means, but it doesn't change the fact that there are still 17 or 18 ball games left to go. Iowa's first 2 opponents look to be the top of the conference, their 3rd game is on the road (which IMO, road games are very difficult no matter the opponent and any win is big). It wouldn't be great, but IMO, is not as "important" or stressful as some make it out to be because it's just a 2 or 3 game snap of a 20 game season.
 
I mean, we used to say starting out 0-2 in an 18 game season as something you wanted to avoid. Now that there are 20 games, is it more significant? Less? The same? You have 2 more games to cover ground? Just curious, I honestly have no idea. I've just never completely understood it. Is 0-3 significant if Iowa goes 11-6 the rest of the way? I dunno. It does created a smaller window for error, but I just don't know that it means much in the grand scheme of things. I guess you could say it makes it, face value at least, less likely of a better outcome down the stretch?
 
It's a good thing we play NW and Rutgers twice. It's too bad we only play Illinois and Penn St once. That should be 6 guaranteed wins right there.

Purdue's not that good this year. I understand it's tough playing on the road in the B1G, but it'd be really nice to get this win. If we lose by a sizable amount, it might be a sign of things to come.
 
RobHowe said:
Northwestern lost by two points at Indiana and took Michigan to OT. I watched both of those games. Those won't be layups for the Hawks.
Click to expand...
That's a great point. Looks like all 4 of their losses are to pretty darn good teams. I guess we only have 4 guaranteed wins. That's a bummer. :(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top