Is this the best Iowa can do?

Your missing my point, Bluder has come out and admitted that they need to play better Defense, Fran has not even addressed that point and quite frankly, I don't think he believes they play bad defense. And by generational player I meant Keegan. I love Garza, but he isn't starting in the NBA.
I agree Fran needs to do something about the defense. I just hope everyone understands it will be at the expense of the offense. Between practice time and energy spent at the defensive end, our offensive numbers will definitely drop. The question is will we be overall better off.

Fran made a big mistake not playing Keegan more his freshman year. But last year was Keegan's only true year of being a "generational talent". So Fran really had one year to do something. Unfortunately the roster wasn't set up that well to take advantage. That's on the coach. But at a place like Iowa that can't just reload every year, we gotta be real and understand it's also just some bad luck timing. And like I've said before, 5 seeds lose first round all the time so it's not like it was some crazy thing. It's not like Kentucky losing first round as a 2 seed with the National Player of the Year.
 
I agree Fran needs to do something about the defense. I just hope everyone understands it will be at the expense of the offense. Between practice time and energy spent at the defensive end, our offensive numbers will definitely drop. The question is will we be overall better off.

Fran made a big mistake not playing Keegan more his freshman year. But last year was Keegan's only true year of being a "generational talent". So Fran really had one year to do something. Unfortunately the roster wasn't set up that well to take advantage. That's on the coach. But at a place like Iowa that can't just reload every year, we gotta be real and understand it's also just some bad luck timing. And like I've said before, 5 seeds lose first round all the time so it's not like it was some crazy thing. It's not like Kentucky losing first round as a 2 seed with the National Player of the Year.
The link below is the 3pt shooting defensive rankings. The top 3 are in the Sweet 16. I also have all four of my potential Final Four Teams going. I think 3pt defense is a key stat in today's game. Obviously, many of these teams are also in total and scoring defense as well.


 
Wuuut??? In my eyes, it is the absolute best postseason tournament in the world with the way it is set up and ran. I think it's the hallmark of crowning a pure champion.

It absolutely has the perfect number of teams for the tournament. Not too much it's watered down but good enough where 1/2-1/3rd of conference teams may get in. A team usually has to have around 20 wins.

Having a single elimination b-ball tournament is terrific. What, you gunna have 3 game series???

The anticipation and excitement of the tourney is all there. It is absolutely a sports spectacle, and nobody plays the what if's after a champion is crowned.

You really think Farleigh Dickinson is better than Purdue? If they played 10 games.. Purdue probably wins 9 out of 10...

The ncaa is fun ya... but it's by far the most inaccurate measurement of who is the actual best team.

Your confusing drama and/or excitement with crowning a legit champion.
 
You really think Farleigh Dickinson is better than Purdue? If they played 10 games.. Purdue probably wins 9 out of 10...

The ncaa is fun ya... but it's by far the most inaccurate measurement of who is the actual best team.

Your confusing drama and/or excitement with crowning a legit champion.

They were that game. The real question is, do you really think that Purdue was going to make it to the Final Four or even Elite 8? I don't have them going in my brackets.

What exactly do you propose they do? There is never going to be, IN ANY SPORT, the perfect solution to crown a champion in everyone's eyes.

The mystique of having to bring it every game in a single elimination tournament is what makes it so great. Sorry Edey didn't get a shot attempt off in the last 8 minutes against a very undersized team.

Yes, the tournament may be more for the casual fans but it is also the high bar for teams entering the season. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm not sure how you would better crown a champion. What are your ideas? Yea, I admit, as a fan it is the most exciting tournament or spectacle in sports. It is absolutely perfect the way it is constructed and ran. You say Purdue would win 9 out of 10 times. One problem, teams don't play more than a possible 3 times a year, and that's rare. You aren't going to have teams play in a series.

Oh, and a true champion is announced at the end, after having ran the gauntlet of 6 games to come out on top. If a team gets thru 6 games, they deserve to be there and crowned a true champion.
 
doesn't mean it makes sense...

I don't like our tournament success... but the NCAA tournament is the biggest joke of a system for crowning a "champion"...

It's good drama though.

Wuuut??? In my eyes, it is the absolute best postseason tournament in the world with the way it is set up and ran. I think it's the hallmark of crowning a pure champion.

It absolutely has the perfect number of teams for the tournament. Not too much it's watered down but good enough where 1/2-1/3rd of conference teams may get in. A team usually has to have around 20 wins.

Having a single elimination b-ball tournament is terrific. What, you gunna have 3 game series???

The anticipation and excitement of the tourney is all there. It is absolutely a sports spectacle, and nobody plays the what if's after a champion is crowned.
Agree with @Bigtenchamp

To crown a true champ it should be single elimination the first 3 rounds, race to 2 for the E8 and FF, and race to 3 for the finals. That would make sure a true champion won it. Get rid of conference tourneys if you think that's too many games, those tournaments are a joke anyways.
 
Agree with @Bigtenchamp

To crown a true champ it should be single elimination the first 3 rounds, race to 2 for the E8 and FF, and race to 3 for the finals. That would make sure a true champion won it. Get rid of conference tourneys if you think that's too many games, those tournaments are a joke anyways.
Well, you can be wrong to. :D ;)
 
They were that game. The real question is, do you really think that Purdue was going to make it to the Final Four or even Elite 8? I don't have them going in my brackets.

What exactly do you propose they do? There is never going to be, IN ANY SPORT, the perfect solution to crown a champion in everyone's eyes.

The mystique of having to bring it every game in a single elimination tournament is what makes it so great. Sorry Edey didn't get a shot attempt off in the last 8 minutes against a very undersized team.

Yes, the tournament may be more for the casual fans but it is also the high bar for teams entering the season. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm not sure how you would better crown a champion. What are your ideas? Yea, I admit, as a fan it is the most exciting tournament or spectacle in sports. It is absolutely perfect the way it is constructed and ran. You say Purdue would win 9 out of 10 times. One problem, teams don't play more than a possible 3 times a year, and that's rare. You aren't going to have teams play in a series.

Oh, and a true champion is announced at the end, after having ran the gauntlet of 6 games to come out on top. If a team gets thru 6 games, they deserve to be there and crowned a true champion.
I'm not proposing anything... I'm just saying college basketball doesn't really have an accurate champion.

College football used to have somewhat a similar problem... but its gotten a lot better.
 
I'm not proposing anything... I'm just saying college basketball doesn't really have an accurate champion.

College football used to have somewhat a similar problem... but its gotten a lot better.


Well, I think that is because they are mimicking having a single elimination tournament (playoff system) like the NCAA b-ball tourney or FCS f-ball championship, but obviously on a much smaller scale. It takes out the guessing game and nobody can really dispute the results. Now, can a team come thru and win that might not be viewed as, "as good", yes. But, it is what it is. These teams can't have a game off at the end of the year.

Fry mentions progressing to small series as the tournament goes on, but I feel that would just be huge convoluted cluster-F. College b-ball doesn't need to add more games with the same teams and it doesn't have to be drawn out more, after an already long season. Again, these are student athletes with emphasis on students. This is not the NBA.

The system doesn't have to be absolutely perfect in everybody's eyes. I think most fans would tell you they are pleased at the end results of pretty much all the NCAA tournaments.

But, this has really been a good debate and topic.
 
Last edited:
Again, these are student athletes with emphasis on students. This is not the NBA.
You better pour that Kool-Aid out before you drink too much of it, cowboy...

These dudes at elite basketball schools are there for hoops just like football players ain't there to learn photoelectron spectroscopy or what affect the end of the Roman Empire had on the Plutocratic ruling class. If they are so inclined to learn those things, 3 or 4 extra basketball games ain't gonna harsh their mellow.

I for one would think it would be AWESOME to see a 3 game series between UCLA and Gonzaga or Texas and Xavier. No flukes are gonna do it, you gotta bring your A game and show that you're really the better squad.

And like I said, get rid of the conference tourney BS and you'd be playing roughly the same number of games anyway.
 
You better pour that Kool-Aid out before you drink too much of it, cowboy...

These dudes at elite basketball schools are there for hoops just like football players ain't there to learn photoelectron spectroscopy or what affect the end of the Roman Empire had on the Plutocratic ruling class. If they are so inclined to learn those things, 3 extra basketball games ain't gonna harsh their mellow.

I for one would think it would be AWESOME to see a 3 game series between UCLA and Gonzaga or Texas and Xavier. No flukes are gonna do it, you gotta bring your A game and show that you're really the better squad.

And like I said, get rid of the conference tourney BS and you'd be playing roughly the same number of games anyway.

Yes they are, but that is a very small % of all the college basketball players as a whole. Most are not going to sniff the NBA or professional league oversees.

Now, you peeked my interest and I could see a 3 game series in the Final Four pretty interesting.

Now that I think about it, I can't recall the last time that I had Kool-aid. lol.
 
Last edited:
I'm not proposing anything... I'm just saying college basketball doesn't really have an accurate champion.

College football used to have somewhat a similar problem
... but its gotten a lot better.
OMG did it ever... The split national championships and ties in bowl games was just beyond ridiculous. Those were the 'good ole days' to some but I'm glad they are over. There's been a ton of evolving with the playoffs and schools jumping around to different conferences. I'd like to think in 5 yrs or so when things get more settled in to a new normal football with 12 team playoffs etc things will have gotten more figured out.... We'll see
 
The link below is the 3pt shooting defensive rankings. The top 3 are in the Sweet 16. I also have all four of my potential Final Four Teams going. I think 3pt defense is a key stat in today's game. Obviously, many of these teams are also in total and scoring defense as well.



Drake is in there at #30

And they misspelled Iowa at #14

Evil Bastatde:cool:
 
Top