Learning and playing defense is extremely hard work, doesn't have the "show results" of offense, and is most often underappreciated and seldom praised. You need "numbers" to be on the stage for a move up. Thus, defensive proficiency and effort, often in the shadows, isn't a good fit for the millennial snowflakes of today.
Recruiting lock down, defense loving recruits, and coaching to their strengths could be a way for a low to mid tier Midwestern program to find a niche to succeed. Trying to run up and down the court at greyhound speed trying to compete with top tier programs with NBA talent might be fun to watch but most often doesn't have a happy ending. It can succeed if the "threes are falling" but those dazzling sporadic wins are aberrations that mask the talent gap.
Fran, the staff, and the players seem content on racing up and down the court, with mixed results. For most teams with talent, Iowa is like a day off, given there will be little frustrating defensive pressure placed upon them. And if it there, it is often there in spurts until Iowa tires of it or reverts back to their default settings.
In those big games each year (not the cupcakes) Iowa struggles to compete on a regular basis.
Perhaps another philosophy of recruiting and coaching will help Iowa be what they currently aren't.
It sounds like the new PG fits this mold a bit. I look forward to seeing what he brings to the defensive side of Iowa's game. Perhaps it will be contagious.