JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Emotional roller coaster.
That’s how I would describe this Iowa basketball season. That’s how I would describe the months of February and March. That’s how I would describe this last week. That’s how I would describe March 19th.
When the year began, I was certain Iowa’s season would wind up in the NCAA tournament. It did, but barely, in the form of a First Four game…or play in game, if you will.
Both Iowa and Tennessee were better than 11 seeds, but at the same time they weren’t any better than that.
Over a 30-plus game season, you are what your record says you are. Iowa is a team that flashed and at times played some of the most exciting basketball we have seen in at least a decade, if not two of them.
However, over the course of their last eight games the Hawkeyes lost seven times. Most of those losses came the same way; Iowa would lead early, sometimes by more than 10 points or more. Iowa led at the half in most all of those losses, but the Iowa defense and offense would sputter too much and too often.
At one time, when Iowa was 16-4 and ranked 10th in the nation, we were wondering ‘what might have been’ as their four losses came to teams who were ranked and Iowa had a comfortable lead in each contest.
Now, at the end of the line, there is no ‘what might have been’; they are what they are…or they were what they were.
What were they?
While incredibly frustrating, they were also incredibly exhilarating.
While they could leave you feeling empty at times, they also packed the arena to the gills more often than not for the first time in a decade.
While the last month has been just this side of rank, they also returned to the rankings for the first time in nearly a decade and lived there most of the year.
They had us all looking at the rankings on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. They had us counting down the days and hours until the next game. They had us looking forward through a brutal winter.
They helped make Iowa basketball relevant again. They get a big assist from last year’s Iowa team, as when you count Iowa’s NIT run and add it to the start of this year’s schedule, Iowa had won 20 of its previous 25 games as of January 28th. After Iowa loss to Tennessee, there were more users on our message boards at one time than at any other point in time in the existence of the site.
That’s not bad…not bad at all.
Do we end this season feeling empty? Some will…some will and it will pass. Some will and they will allow it to linger as if they have been personally slighted. That’s too bad for them, but there are more and more people like that all the time…or perhaps they just live on message boards or on social media. Nah, they aren’t just there.
They have always been around it’s just that now they are easy to spot.
The entire #TeamPat thing really helped add some perspective on things for me. Pat McCaffery’s surgery and ongoing medical analysis definitely brought a few things home. Seeing Iowa fans come together and really all of college basketball rally around Iowa and the McCaffery’s was a real cool thing. Fred Hoiberg, the truest Cyclone of them all, shone through with class yet again on this day….as did countless others.
I am disappointed that this team didn’t reach its full potential..or rather that they reached it in January and couldn’t hold onto it for whatever reason.
There will be those who will want to know all of the reasons for the slide, collapse, whatever you want to call it. We may never know them all or maybe it’s as simple as this team wasn’t built the way we thought it was.
Regardless, it’s over. Iowa was 20-13 where last year they were 25-13. Devyn Marble leaves Iowa as one of it’s Top Five scorers of all time. Aaron White has scored over 1,300 career points and could pass Marble next year and has a shot at #2 all time.
Adam Woodbury scored 16 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with 8 boards. Some may laught at me but I think Woodbury will be capable of doing that every night as a senior; 13 & 6 is what I will expect as an average next year. Peter Jok scored 10 points and he is going to fill the rim next year; he’s only scratched the surface of what he can do.
Jarrod Uthoff might be the most intriguing mismatch on the team if he can play aggressively more often than not. Mike Gesell proved he can play point in this league. Gabe Olaseni is not done improving. Josh Oglesby can score more for this team and oh by the way he shot over 40% from three this year.
Iowa also brings in Juco PG Trey Dickerson and is in the running for his pal Willie Atwood, the best PF in the Juco ranks. They may try to take a run at PF Anthony Lee who is transferring from Temple and could play right away; his parents live in the Quad Cities and he’s played in the PTL.
All is not lost for next year. I am not going to sit here and pee on you and tell you it’s rainin by saying next year will be addition by subtraction. Iowa is losing a ton of production in Marble, Basabe and McCabe. However, I do think some players will grow in their absence. It will be interesting to see how McCaffery handles the team next year; is 10 deep too many?
There are many fascinating angles to all of this. Next year should be a lot of fun. Let’s hope it comes on the heels of a football team that lives up to its promise.
Wait a second…football…hey, spring football starts soon!
Just in time.
That’s how I would describe this Iowa basketball season. That’s how I would describe the months of February and March. That’s how I would describe this last week. That’s how I would describe March 19th.
When the year began, I was certain Iowa’s season would wind up in the NCAA tournament. It did, but barely, in the form of a First Four game…or play in game, if you will.
Both Iowa and Tennessee were better than 11 seeds, but at the same time they weren’t any better than that.
Over a 30-plus game season, you are what your record says you are. Iowa is a team that flashed and at times played some of the most exciting basketball we have seen in at least a decade, if not two of them.
However, over the course of their last eight games the Hawkeyes lost seven times. Most of those losses came the same way; Iowa would lead early, sometimes by more than 10 points or more. Iowa led at the half in most all of those losses, but the Iowa defense and offense would sputter too much and too often.
At one time, when Iowa was 16-4 and ranked 10th in the nation, we were wondering ‘what might have been’ as their four losses came to teams who were ranked and Iowa had a comfortable lead in each contest.
Now, at the end of the line, there is no ‘what might have been’; they are what they are…or they were what they were.
What were they?
While incredibly frustrating, they were also incredibly exhilarating.
While they could leave you feeling empty at times, they also packed the arena to the gills more often than not for the first time in a decade.
While the last month has been just this side of rank, they also returned to the rankings for the first time in nearly a decade and lived there most of the year.
They had us all looking at the rankings on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. They had us counting down the days and hours until the next game. They had us looking forward through a brutal winter.
They helped make Iowa basketball relevant again. They get a big assist from last year’s Iowa team, as when you count Iowa’s NIT run and add it to the start of this year’s schedule, Iowa had won 20 of its previous 25 games as of January 28th. After Iowa loss to Tennessee, there were more users on our message boards at one time than at any other point in time in the existence of the site.
That’s not bad…not bad at all.
Do we end this season feeling empty? Some will…some will and it will pass. Some will and they will allow it to linger as if they have been personally slighted. That’s too bad for them, but there are more and more people like that all the time…or perhaps they just live on message boards or on social media. Nah, they aren’t just there.
They have always been around it’s just that now they are easy to spot.
The entire #TeamPat thing really helped add some perspective on things for me. Pat McCaffery’s surgery and ongoing medical analysis definitely brought a few things home. Seeing Iowa fans come together and really all of college basketball rally around Iowa and the McCaffery’s was a real cool thing. Fred Hoiberg, the truest Cyclone of them all, shone through with class yet again on this day….as did countless others.
I am disappointed that this team didn’t reach its full potential..or rather that they reached it in January and couldn’t hold onto it for whatever reason.
There will be those who will want to know all of the reasons for the slide, collapse, whatever you want to call it. We may never know them all or maybe it’s as simple as this team wasn’t built the way we thought it was.
Regardless, it’s over. Iowa was 20-13 where last year they were 25-13. Devyn Marble leaves Iowa as one of it’s Top Five scorers of all time. Aaron White has scored over 1,300 career points and could pass Marble next year and has a shot at #2 all time.
Adam Woodbury scored 16 points on 8-11 shooting to go along with 8 boards. Some may laught at me but I think Woodbury will be capable of doing that every night as a senior; 13 & 6 is what I will expect as an average next year. Peter Jok scored 10 points and he is going to fill the rim next year; he’s only scratched the surface of what he can do.
Jarrod Uthoff might be the most intriguing mismatch on the team if he can play aggressively more often than not. Mike Gesell proved he can play point in this league. Gabe Olaseni is not done improving. Josh Oglesby can score more for this team and oh by the way he shot over 40% from three this year.
Iowa also brings in Juco PG Trey Dickerson and is in the running for his pal Willie Atwood, the best PF in the Juco ranks. They may try to take a run at PF Anthony Lee who is transferring from Temple and could play right away; his parents live in the Quad Cities and he’s played in the PTL.
All is not lost for next year. I am not going to sit here and pee on you and tell you it’s rainin by saying next year will be addition by subtraction. Iowa is losing a ton of production in Marble, Basabe and McCabe. However, I do think some players will grow in their absence. It will be interesting to see how McCaffery handles the team next year; is 10 deep too many?
There are many fascinating angles to all of this. Next year should be a lot of fun. Let’s hope it comes on the heels of a football team that lives up to its promise.
Wait a second…football…hey, spring football starts soon!
Just in time.
