New AP Poll - Iowa In The Top 10

Dudes, I don't want to get greedy here, but I really, really, really, really, really want to see a regular season conference title. Last year, 14-4 was good enough, but this year I think at least 15-3 (prolly 16-2) will be needed because last year the top 5 teams absolutely cannibalized each other, but I don't see that happening this year because Indiana, OSU and Wisconsin are all pretty average. For us to have a shot at the crown, we have got to win in Ann Arbor. Don't feed me this "As long as Iowa plays well I don't mind a loss" nonsense. Once Marble leaves, I think we drop back to a 10 or 11 win type of team but I firmly believe that right now we have the narrowest of windows to maybe get a regular season conference crown, which hasn't happened in over 30 years.
 
I know not many on here care about it but fwiw Iowa is up to #26 in the RPI (via ESPN) with a good chance to move up a little after tonights games.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Dudes, I don't want to get greedy here, but I really, really, really, really, really want to see a regular season conference title. Last year, 14-4 was good enough, but this year I think at least 15-3 (prolly 16-2) will be needed because last year the top 5 teams absolutely cannibalized each other, but I don't see that happening this year because Indiana, OSU and Wisconsin are all pretty average. For us to have a shot at the crown, we have got to win in Ann Arbor. Don't feed me this "As long as Iowa plays well I don't mind a loss" nonsense. Once Marble leaves, I think we drop back to a 10 or 11 win type of team but I firmly believe that right now we have the narrowest of windows to maybe get a regular season conference crown, which hasn't happened in over 30 years.
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^^ and I am old fashioned because I think the regular season conf crown is much bigger accomplishment than winning 3 or 4 games in a row at the conf champ tourney.

If the hawks could go thru this gauntlet and finish with 2 to 4 losses and win outright or share the regular season championship it would make this one of the best teams in school history. Two times in the late 1950's, 1968, 1970, and around 1980 or so, that is it folks for regular/real conf champs in bball.

If you go into the champ. tourney as a 4-5 seed even you should be favored in your first game, then pull out a win on Saturday over probably a slightly higher seed and all of a sudden you are playing on Sunday for the tourney crown and anything can happen. Not so over 18 games.
 
ssckelley said:
You think that will happen? I have to admit Michigan scares the hell out of me. Stauskas has stepped it up big time this year but I think Iowa is one of the few teams that can defend him.

This game has me nervous.
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Marble can handle Stauskas, but can Stauskas handle Marble?

Good matchups.. Gesell on the freshman PG Watkins, Devyn on Staukas, White on LeVert, Basabe on Robinson, Woodbury/Gabe on Horford/Morgan.

LeVert and GRobIII have been playing well as of late. White and Basabe will have their hands full handling those two guys. I think this is a game where Melsahn will concentrate much more on defense than on offense.

Scary game, but I think they all are, even home games.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Dudes, I don't want to get greedy here, but I really, really, really, really, really want to see a regular season conference title. Last year, 14-4 was good enough, but this year I think at least 15-3 (prolly 16-2) will be needed because last year the top 5 teams absolutely cannibalized each other, but I don't see that happening this year because Indiana, OSU and Wisconsin are all pretty average. For us to have a shot at the crown, we have got to win in Ann Arbor. Don't feed me this "As long as Iowa plays well I don't mind a loss" nonsense. Once Marble leaves, I think we drop back to a 10 or 11 win type of team but I firmly believe that right now we have the narrowest of windows to maybe get a regular season conference crown, which hasn't happened in over 30 years.
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Probably will not happen. 12-6 is realistic, hoping for 13-5 at best.

The main thing is that Iowa will go Dancing....
 
uihawk82 said:
^^ and I am old fashioned because I think the regular season conf crown is much bigger accomplishment than winning 3 or 4 games in a row at the conf champ tourney.

If the hawks could go thru this gauntlet and finish with 2 to 4 losses and win outright or share the regular season championship it would make this one of the best teams in school history. Two times in the late 1950's, 1968, 1970, and around 1980 or so, that is it folks for regular/real conf champs in bball.

If you go into the champ. tourney as a 4-5 seed even you should be favored in your first game, then pull out a win on Saturday over probably a slightly higher seed and all of a sudden you are playing on Sunday for the tourney crown and anything can happen. Not so over 18 games.
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The only person who gives any credence to the tourney champ is me when I protect Alford from an onslaught of criticism. But at the end of the day, even I have to concede that the regular season crown, which eluded Raveling, Davis, Alford and Lick, would be great. I don't expect this team to win the tourney and the distance that we make it will depend completely on who we draw (not even seeding because that is such a joke now - heck I'll take the 8 if Wichita State is the 1 in our bracket), how the games are officiated and whether or not we get some luck and hot hands at just the right time. But yeah, this team would go down in history as one of the better Iowa has ever had (though the 87 team that played in a much tougher Big Ten was better).
 
When is the last time Iowa was ranked higher than Louisville, Kentucky, and Duke? I say maybe about 35 years ago?
 
glidinghawk said:
Probably will not happen. 12-6 is realistic, hoping for 13-5 at best.

The main thing is that Iowa will go Dancing....
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You don't understand. The Basketball Gods owe us. The rest of the conference has dropped pretty dramatically year over year and we have improved. This just doesn't happen to Iowa. Years in which we have good teams we run into some stacked Michigan or Illinois team or something. Like, I just refuse to believe that we can go 50 years without a conference crown and I have a gut feeling the stars may align this year, but it really all hinges on what happens in Ann Arbor. I mean, the stars are completely aligned here, we go to Sparty the penultimate game and then the Cryin' Illini come to Carver to close out the season. This is what destiny is made of.
 
ssckelley said:
Stauskas has stepped it up big time this year but I think Iowa is one of the few teams that can defend him.
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I'll bet McCaffery, staff, and team are watching a lot of tape from the Michigan-Duke game. Stauskus played 34 minutes, took only 2 shots, and didn't make either one of them. How did that happen? Fran will have a plan for the "YouTube" wonder boy.
 
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