ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Last years 9th place team reached the tournament.
Iowa is gonna need a lot to go right in order to out perform those projections.
Media Picks Hawks to finish 9th
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Last years 9th place team reached the tournament.
Iowa is gonna need a lot to go right in order to out perform those projections.
Luftgekuehlt67
Well-Known Member
A ton of production to make up, for sure. That's called "opportunity knocks" in my book!
Tell you guys what though, given the vacuum he's stepping into and his trajectory and growth last season, I really think Keegan Murray could be a first round draft pick next summer. Lottery pick might be getting a little greedy, but late first round? I don't think it's far fetched.
If he proves to be that level of guy, the whole outlook changes. If Keegan can be that kind of force, suddenly it opens the door for some of these other guys to nestle into roles that are consistent with their current development levels rather than being depended upon to do too much too soon.
Can Keegan be That Guy and then how do those role player pieces fit together around him. This team might surprise.
I said "might"
ssckelley
Well-Known Member
Yes, Keegan is definitely part of what needs to go right for Iowa this season.A ton of production to make up, for sure. That's called "opportunity knocks" in my book!
Tell you guys what though, given the vacuum he's stepping into and his trajectory and growth last season, I really think Keegan Murray could be a first round draft pick next summer. Lottery pick might be getting a little greedy, but late first round? I don't think it's far fetched.
If he proves to be that level of guy, the whole outlook changes. If Keegan can be that kind of force, suddenly it opens the door for some of these other guys to nestle into roles that are consistent with their current development levels rather than being depended upon to do too much too soon.
Can Keegan be That Guy and then how do those role player pieces fit together around him. This team might surprise.
I said "might"
I sure wish Nunge would have stayed.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
We will miss Nunge big time
Amen. I was looking forward to seeing how he kept improving. He might not make drastic improvements like Garza did but he was already a pretty dang good player. Would much rather still had him then not. But I'll be happily rooting for him to do well. Good kid has had some tough breaks along the way. He deserves to be happy
InGoodCo
Well-Known Member
That's kind of my point - Fran in reverse has placed
3rd
5th
6th
11th
5th
3rd
3rd
6th
7th
10th
9th
9th is kind of a slap in the face for a program that rarely finishes that low in the standings IMO
Also in my opinion, it's not like you have to replace 23 points per game from Luka. You have to replace his efficiency on the shots he took. If he took 20 shots per game, it's not like we are going to take 20 shot clock violations without him.
What's going to happen is we are going to shoot a lower percentage on those 20 shots. Maybe 50% instead of 60%. That's going to be a handful of less points scored on the shots he took. Hopefully we can make up for some of those points with better defense.
What's really going to hurt is our margin of error, especially in close games. In crunch time, we can't just feed the ball to Luka and get a bucket. But its also possible the rest of the team will be more engaged knowing they can't defer to him. That could make up for some of the loss too.
Wieskamp might be even tougher to replace because his points per shot were really high (at least it seems like they were higher than Luka's). Also he was good at both ends of the floor so you can't really hope to make up for some of his offense with better defense like you can with Luka. Man they were both awesome tho.
trj
Well-Known Member
The Sandfort comp to Wieskamp is obvious and unfair, but if he can give you 7 ppg and 2 rpg that would be huge. imo, Sandfort and Kris Murray and their progression and/or development are the key. That combo doesn't makeup for the loss of Wieskamp, but if they can give you 12 and 7(combined), you are talking a 8,9,10 seed in the tournament.
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SomersHawk
Well-Known Member
Perkins is getting little mention and he is gonna be explosive this year. Going to provide lots of highlight reel material. Rotating him and JBO and the 2 spot will be dynamic.
I love the makeup and potential of this team. Excited to see maybe the most athletic team top to bottom since the 80s.
9th place my ass!
I love the makeup and potential of this team. Excited to see maybe the most athletic team top to bottom since the 80s.
9th place my ass!
beavdawg8216
Well-Known Member
Offensively we are not going to slip much if at all. Defensively i think 1-4 minus Bohannon might be our best defensive group in the fran era. What really worries me is our interior defense. Rebraca is only 6'9 and there are some damn good centers in the league. I think Big O could be an X factor defensively against those guys. I think Riley is to raw to feed him to the wolves.
BigD
Well-Known Member
^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^
Of course we can all sit around and dream about player ability but this is not your grandma’s backyard. This is among the best conference in the country. Unless everyone else lost as much as we did, I wouldn’t expect too much.
I see they are picked to finish ninth. I had said tenth or worse. Of course I hope I am wrong and yes it is just a guess. Years and years of following Big Ten basketball tends to tell you that experience and ability are vital to any success in the conference.
Maybe I will be surprised and we can squeeze into one of the available tournament spots at the end of the season. There are a lot of variables here. How good will the transfers center be. Will guards be able to hold up under the long season and against seasoned Big Ten guards.
Common sense says it’s gong to be rough once we get into conference play. So it’s seems that wisdom would indicate that we just try to get pleasure out of watching the players develop and prepare for the season after this one.
One question that may be intriguing is when the BTT rolls around where will these players be compared to where they were at the beginning of the season. That can build Enthusiasm going into the following year. Relax, enjoy watching their development and look to the future.
I just see this year as a year of development, learning, and growth…………… might want to have a supply rolaids and aspirin in the cupboard though.
Would love to be wrong.
BigD
Well-Known Member
It’s all this speculation that makes it fun. I am not saying this team will be bad, but that the conference is just that good. I think most of us are expecting a little more in quickness and given what happen to us in the tournament it was obvious that we need to improve there. If our bigs can stand ground and defend the basket then we may surprise a lot of people. Hoping the twins are equally capable and talented (That would be HUGE).
Gonna be interesting for sure!
Yeah the new big guy Rebracca is just an unknown to a degree. How does he fit how much do we play through him etc? The younger big guys are an even more unknown. If this Iowa team is in the top 7 of the BIG that would be a pretty big time accomplishment. Nothing is impossible.
What if the Murray bros and PM turn into big time studs? What if JT plays under control and starts hitting jumpers just a little bit better? It's not out of the realm that these guys could be pretty darn good. It's just a matter of how high could the ceiling be? But yeah anywhere between 7th and 11th in the BIG seems likely anything better then that would be awesome.
HuckFinn
Well-Known Member
We talk a lot about big men, especially because we had a guy like Luka, who is a once in a lifetime player. What if we play this season with a front line that is populated by 6’9” guys who can run, jump, shoot, drive, rebound. And, 2 or 3 point guards who can drive, play solid D, and lead the transition game. That may generally describe what I see for Iowa this season, big men be damned. I seem to remember a team that took us out of the Dance last year that was built the same way as I described. This is not to predict Iowa’s record in what we know is the toughest conference in the country about every year. But, the way we seem to be built will be fun to watch.
STILLBUSTER
Well-Known Member
It comes down to how much Josh-O developed offseason and how much of Joe-Vies can Filleep replace. Also, gotta see a next-step from Keegan.
If the middle of the offense is weak, ain't no matter what the guards do cuz they won't be open to shoot. As it is, I expect Jo-Bo to avg less than 10 ppg but am hoping Tony Perkins can offset that.
9th - 11th is about right - somewhere around 7 conf wins.
If the middle of the offense is weak, ain't no matter what the guards do cuz they won't be open to shoot. As it is, I expect Jo-Bo to avg less than 10 ppg but am hoping Tony Perkins can offset that.
9th - 11th is about right - somewhere around 7 conf wins.
dahlhawk
Well-Known Member
This team will find their roles early in the season and be a dangerous team come Big Ten time. I think people are seriously underestimating this teams potential. Best collection of athletes Fran has assembled yet. Lot of experience coming back. I predict a top 7 finish the league.
Northside Hawk
Well-Known Member
Lots of questions, but thats what makes it exciting and interesting to watch and Iowa isn't the Lone Ranger in this regard.
But yes, who is going to replace Luka in trying to match up with the Kofi Cockburn's and Travion Williams of the world? (I suspect a lot of zone defense is coming)
How many players on this team have done the league circuit in front of raucous arenas (It’s going to be different going into East Lansing, Columbus and Madison this year).
Will Keegan Murray be able to escape the sophomore jinx that has cursed at least one Fran player every year he has been here (Joe T being the latest example)
Who in the heck is running the point?
Is Connor really capable of elevating offensive numbers now that it is probably necessary or is that lip service?
How well can this team shoot free throws?
Can these boards deal with yet another year of J Bo's defense?
Tune in, same Fran time, same Fran channel. It begins very soon!
But yes, who is going to replace Luka in trying to match up with the Kofi Cockburn's and Travion Williams of the world? (I suspect a lot of zone defense is coming)
How many players on this team have done the league circuit in front of raucous arenas (It’s going to be different going into East Lansing, Columbus and Madison this year).
Will Keegan Murray be able to escape the sophomore jinx that has cursed at least one Fran player every year he has been here (Joe T being the latest example)
Who in the heck is running the point?
Is Connor really capable of elevating offensive numbers now that it is probably necessary or is that lip service?
How well can this team shoot free throws?
Can these boards deal with yet another year of J Bo's defense?
Tune in, same Fran time, same Fran channel. It begins very soon!
SmokeTownHawk
Well-Known Member
And yet, with Luka, Weisy, and CJ, how far did we get in March?
Nothing against that crew at all, but a new group with fresh leadership just might surprise us. Not saying Iowa even sniffs the top third of the league, just all is not necessarily gloom and doom.
