JoshO, Sandfort and the bench; Connor's sly and one; the whole team

[HaydenHawk56]

Yep, but Perkins, PMac, JoeT, and Rebraca if he stays need to improve their jump shooting. Losing two very good arc shooters in JBo and Keegan. Sandfort is a shooter

Agreed, especially Joe T and Bebraca. Perkins seems to be moving in that right direction.

 

[uihawk82]

Agreed, especially Joe T and Bebraca. Perkins seems to be moving in that right direction.

Agree on Perkins and if Perkins feels more confident and that he has the green light he will start shooting a little earlier in the shot clock when he is not so rushed.

PMac seems to have a somewhat lower trajectory on his long shots. I am not sure what is Iowa stats are for 3 pt shooting but he seems to be a little off right now. If he became a 40% shooter at the arc with his height then wow!!!

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I thought he was only here for one year? If he has another year, I can't imagine him staying if Fran tells him he'll continue to be slotted at the Center position which he played this year. He was never a Center, is not a Center, and that will never be his best position. Now if Fran tells him that Mulvey and The Big O are going to alternate as Centers next year and he'll be slotted as a starting power forward -- and he works on his jump shot -- then I could see him sticking around.
Also wonder if both JT and Uhlis will stick around. JT seemed to be in the doghouse near the end of the season and a couple games in a row his body language was poor and when he did get in he messed up -- but then at the end and in the BTTourney it was JT as the 1st sub off the bench. With the emergence of Perkins at the G spot, JT will have a hard decision to make after this season. Same with Uhlis. Whatever they decide, glad they could experience yesterday as Hawk.

Um, he did just fine starting at center for a Top 20 team all year long. Yes, he is undersized. But, he also plays physical and holds his own just fine, even with guys 4-5 inches taller. I suspect he will be back for a COVID year and will start at the 5 all year. What else is he going to do? Transfer again? Why?

 

[thedukeofearl]

The BTen used to be the most physical conference in the land, but from the games I watched this year, I don't think that's the case anymore. The Big East games were like watching a football game -- with no refs! I think those teams may have real trouble if the NCAA tourney refs call it close. That said, yesterday's Purdue game was the most physical game I think the Hawks played this year, outside of the Rutgers contests. Ivey just took a beating yesterday: JT hard-hipping him on every attempted drive, inside guys hammering him when he drove the lane -- dude looked like a physical wreck by the end of that game.

JoeT threw a hard body block that knocked Ivey on his ass quite nicely

No foul called

Hawks can play tough with any team in America

But they also can tone it down and still be as effective

The Hawks conditioning is much better than the teams we play

I remember Ohio State being fatigued late in the first half

And starters were being benched early in the second half

JoeT and Ulis are relentless coming off the bench

Perkins is a demon on defense

When he sits down, there are no breaks because Ulis and JoeT
are bringing the PAIN

 

[Ree4]

JoeT threw a hard body block that knocked Ivey on his ass quite nicely

No foul called

Hawks can play tough with any team in America

But they also can tone it down and still be as effective

The Hawks conditioning is much better than the teams we play

I remember Ohio State being fatigued late in the first half

And starters were being benched early in the second half

JoeT and Ulis are relentless coming off the bench

Perkins is a demon on defense

When he sits down, there are no breaks because Ulis and JoeT
are bringing the PAIN

This cant be understated. We are so much better conditioned than the teams we play, do you remember a single player looking gassed? It makes me laugh guys like Edey and Cockburn can only play about 5 minutes at a time against us.

 

[Dadman]

This cant be understated. We are so much better conditioned than the teams we play, do you remember a single player looking gassed? It makes me laugh guys like Edey and Cockburn can only play about 5 minutes at a time against us.

Yeah, Purdue looked like they didnt have any legs- the only sign of fatigue I saw was the full court pass to Keegan- it should have been a posterizing dunk, instead, it was a run of the mill two handed stuff.........it was still a beautiful thing to see- it was a dagger

 

[PCHawk]

Yeah, Purdue looked like they didnt have any legs- the only sign of fatigue I saw was the full court pass to Keegan- it should have been a posterizing dunk, instead, it was a run of the mill two handed stuff.........it was still a beautiful thing to see- it was a dagger

I don’t know about that. I bet Connor shit a little when he let that pass go. I know I thought it was going to be a turnover. Keegan did good to run that down, but by the time he did he was already right under the basket. There isn't a Hawkeye that I remember that would have run that pass down and dunked it.

 

[PCHawk]

What a great 4 games. The huge blowout where the hawks could have scored 140. Then 3 gritty performances coming back from early double digit deficits twice. We all know Keegan, Perkins, JBo, PMac are playing well but the bench.

JoshO with 5 big points and some good D and rebounding, Sandfort again with big buckets and a guy in his jersey on one of them, JoeT with quick hands and some good assists and sheer terror for us fans, Kris Murray good again yesterday and all 4 games. Hell of a bench and some will start next year.

And what can you say about Connor's And One after the timeout with about 3 minutes to go. Shot clock getting low, no options, drives into that big guy and lifts him, then the jump into NBA foul draw while he shoots a sweet little jumper. Wow, that was a huge play and the hawks had had a couple of turnovers and the lead had gone to 1. If the hawks fail there and lose the lead it could have been so different. I have always faulted Connor's shooting for being such an outstanding athlete and with his strength I always wanted him to drive it in closer but I guess that was not his role. And now he is shooting better.

Filip, Kris M, Perkins, PMAC JoeT, Sandfort, JoshO, Ulis are a pretty good 8 to start with next year. But this year not done.

I think the two biggest shots of the night were Connor's 3 point play and Sandfort's first 3. With Connor's it was late in the game and we were struggling to score. That play changed all the momentum back to us. Sandfort's first 3 was so big because without hitting that one he very well may not have even taken the second one.

 

[NorthKCHawk]

I don’t know about that. I bet Connor shit a little when he let that pass go. I know I thought it was going to be a turnover. Keegan did good to run that down, but by the time he did he was already right under the basket. There isn't a Hawkeye that I remember that would have run that pass down and dunked it.

Connor did not shit. We all did. Not Connor. He knew exactly what he was doing. Connor is a magician. Watch the replay, he threw it high and he put backspin on the ball so it would pop up high right under the hoop. Keegan actually slowed up a bit to catch and dunk in stride. There isn't another kid in the country that could have done it better.

 

[okeefe4prez]

Connor did not shit. We all did. Not Connor. He knew exactly what he was doing. Connor is a magician. Watch the replay, he threw it high and he put backspin on the ball so it would pop up high right under the hoop. Keegan actually slowed up a bit to catch and dunk in stride. There isn't another kid in the country that could have done it better.

Petras could have. Petras owns Purdue and would have put it right on the money.

 

[PCHawk]

Iowa gets better a lot of times when it brings in the bench, not many teams can say that. Iowa is going to be good at basketball for awhile my dudes. We have a coach that can identify talent, recruit it and develop it. He produces a 1st all conference or better player every season. Our attrition, while still happening and we're not immune to it, is a lot less than other programs and frankly has been since Fran got here. I am thankful Fran is locked up and anyone trying to sell that Iowa is going to take a step back next season because we lose Keegan and Jordan need to check yourself a little. It will without a doubt be difficult to replace them but at this point if you're picking Fran to not finish in the top half of the conference that's on you for not paying near enough attention to this program.

At the end of the year, I usually make a list of reasons to be optimistic for next year. That list is pretty big this time.

We need one center to become serviceable and we have two options.

Perkins could take off to a 1st team all big 10 type player.

Sandfort could up his game big time.

Kris could become a slightly less version of Keegan which would still be 1st team big 10.

We have 3 options for an upgrade at point guard.

Patrick could get a little stronger and a little better at handling the ball. Slight improvements in both areas would make him a way better player.

Dix could be an instant contributor. This one is unlikely because of his injury but it's still possible.

If just half of those things happen we could end up being just as good or better next year. Especially since we got off to a bad start this year. We could easily be better at the 1, 2, 3, and 5. The biggest questions are how close can Kris be to being Keegan and can our bench be just as good.

 

[PCHawk]

Connor did not shit. We all did. Not Connor. He knew exactly what he was doing. Connor is a magician. Watch the replay, he threw it high and he put backspin on the ball so it would pop up high right under the hoop. Keegan actually slowed up a bit to catch and dunk in stride. There isn't another kid in the country that could have done it better.

You're probably right. I did notice the backspin. Without it it might have gone out of bounds or at least made Keegan jump to save it.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Iowa gets better a lot of times when it brings in the bench, not many teams can say that. Iowa is going to be good at basketball for awhile my dudes. We have a coach that can identify talent, recruit it and develop it. He produces a 1st all conference or better player every season. Our attrition, while still happening and we're not immune to it, is a lot less than other programs and frankly has been since Fran got here. I am thankful Fran is locked up and anyone trying to sell that Iowa is going to take a step back next season because we lose Keegan and Jordan need to check yourself a little. It will without a doubt be difficult to replace them but at this point if you're picking Fran to not finish in the top half of the conference that's on you for not paying near enough attention to this program.

Remember those six, seven minute scoring droughts we would get when we started bringing bench players into the game?

I think out longest fg drought in any game last weekend was between three an four minutes. This team has the proper chemistry to produce points when they're needed most. Like late in the Indiana and Purdue games. Or when Rutgers and Indiana boat raced us early. How about those sneaky buckets PMac scored in the second half of the Indiana game to keep us from falling 10-12 points behind.

 

[Seth53]

JoeT threw a hard body block that knocked Ivey on his ass quite nicely

No foul called

Hawks can play tough with any team in America

But they also can tone it down and still be as effective

The Hawks conditioning is much better than the teams we play

I remember Ohio State being fatigued late in the first half

And starters were being benched early in the second half

JoeT and Ulis are relentless coming off the bench

Perkins is a demon on defense

When he sits down, there are no breaks because Ulis and JoeT
are bringing the PAIN

This

It's what everybody's been screaming about for years....Fran's lack of a stud point guard.

So, how about a tri-image, unlenting, fresh, pushing and punishing...works for me.

 

[okeefe4prez]

You're probably right. I did notice the backspin. Without it it might have gone out of bounds or at least made Keegan jump to save it.

The best thing about that play is it was O'Keefe-esque in that it will give opponents another play to worry about in the waning seconds of a game and make executing an inbounds pass way easier. When you have to keep a high safety back there it will open everything else up. It takes big balls to call a play like that and showing that degree of execution will scare the opposition and they'll spend hours gameplanning just one play. At this point the only thing left to do is figure out where to hang the NCAA banner and come up with a football game where Keegan can get back to town for the national championship ceremony at halftime and dovetail it into a hoops game. It won't be easy.

 

[uihawk82]

I don’t know about that. I bet Connor shit a little when he let that pass go. I know I thought it was going to be a turnover. Keegan did good to run that down, but by the time he did he was already right under the basket. There isn't a Hawkeye that I remember that would have run that pass down and dunked it.

Connor might have put a little backspin on that pass because most of you know that a basketball can really grip the hardwood. Pete Maravich was the most amazing passer I ever saw and especially putting spin on a bounce pass. I watched LSU and Pete M beat Kentucky and Dan Issel for the SEC championship so long ago and Pete through a pass that went about 2 feet sideways after it grabbed the floor. The camera angle was perfect to capture it as the ball went by a defender, bit the floor and then scooted sideways right to a fast breaking player. amazing

 

[Northside Hawk]

LOL. Iowa can play finesse just fine. The Big Ten officials let home and favored teams get away with murder every freaking night, which is probably part of the reason the B1G hasn't won a title in 20 years. Iowa was simply matching Purdue's "physicality." Cockburn and Edey are two guys who better be careful in the dance because they both should have had 2 fouls by the first TV timeout the last times they played Iowa. I'm pretty sure that if they draw a Big East or Pac 10 crew Purdue could have 6 cumulative fouls called on its two solid centers by halftime if they aren't careful and they want one of them on the court at all times.

Nailed it. Crappy spineless officials have been an issue in this conference since the days of Knight, Keady and Heathcote and its a well known national fact. These players, and coaches, almost have to play completely different games once they get different officials. It's definitely a factor in our 21 year conference national championship drought.

 

[HuckFinn]

Iowa gets better a lot of times when it brings in the bench, not many teams can say that. Iowa is going to be good at basketball for awhile my dudes. We have a coach that can identify talent, recruit it and develop it. He produces a 1st all conference or better player every season. Our attrition, while still happening and we're not immune to it, is a lot less than other programs and frankly has been since Fran got here. I am thankful Fran is locked up and anyone trying to sell that Iowa is going to take a step back next season because we lose Keegan and Jordan need to check yourself a little. It will without a doubt be difficult to replace them but at this point if you're picking Fran to not finish in the top half of the conference that's on you for not paying near enough attention to this program.

We led the league in bench points this regular season, if I recall correctly. Anyone confirm?

 

[Northside Hawk]

I don’t know about that. I bet Connor shit a little when he let that pass go. I know I thought it was going to be a turnover. Keegan did good to run that down, but by the time he did he was already right under the basket. There isn't a Hawkeye that I remember that would have run that pass down and dunked it.

Gerry Wright or Doug Thomas.

 

[HuckFinn]

I hope he does. Is Connor done now, or does he have one more year if he wants it?

Conner can come back for another year, Covid allowance, I think.