New AP poll: Iowa ranked 20th

[NikeHawk21]

From what I have seen of Michigan, they are a legitimate top ten team and should remain there without injuries or ineligibilities down the line.....

Michigan looks good no question. Villanova did end up losing at home this weekend to Furman if you didn’t see.

 

[thedukeofearl]

Ah, right, the Carlton Reed/Seth Gorney team. The team that ran into the Northwestern State juggernaut.

 

[Knight78]

For those interested in a link.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings/_/year/2019/poll/1

Interesting... 6 teams in the Big 10 are ranked in the top 25. The next three, 26 - 27 - 28, are all Big 10 schools as well.

 

[thedukeofearl]

I do like the fact that Oregon is also ranked just behind the Hawks and even ahead in the coaches poll. It makes our ranking more legitimate and is a quality win at the end of the season. Hopefully only one of many to butter the bread of those who choose who gets to play on the dance floor at the end of the season.....

 

[PCHawk]

So say we win out our non conference schedule (only tough team is ISU at home) and split the Wisconsin MSU games. Does 9-9 the rest of the way get us in? .500 in a tough conference with 3 quality non conference wins. That's a decent resume.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

Not bad for a team 2 weeks ago to be picked to finish 10th or lower in the BIG by most of the 'experts'...
A lot can change in hoops pretty quickly. A few years ago we were a top 10ish rated team past the halfway mark of the year and nosedived. So it can worth both ways. I do like what all this group has and can do. If D keeps this up I think our offense will be a tough thing for teams to try defending making us a really hard team to beat.

Turnovers turnovers turnovers. We limit those on our end and the skys the limit

 

[Tierney]

There is a thin line between winning and losing with the Iowa schedule. Will they continue to play defense; will they be injury free; will the rankings go to their head? Anyway, its going to be a few months before we see how it all shakes out. Other teams are going to be more prepared for them than Oregon was. I think Iowa surprised Oregon with their defense.

 

[Hawkfnntn]

There is a thin line between winning and losing with the Iowa schedule. Will they continue to play defense; will they be injury free; will the rankings go to their head? Anyway, its going to be a few months before we see how it all shakes out. Other teams are going to be more prepared for them than Oregon was. I think Iowa surprised Oregon with their defense.

No doubt about it. I don't think the rankings will go to their heads. Cook is on a mission out there. CM seems to be a team leader out there already too. He pretty much fits that coaches kid cliché to a T so far. So the defensive questions/rebounding at that end of the floor and of course the injury bug are huge. It'll be fun to see how things keep going. Oregon I'm not sure is a team that plays all that well from behind. We got to them early and kept our feet on their throats. You turn a team into something they aren't and make them play left handed and you got them where you want them. Good teams have ways of combating that but we mixed up our D playing different zones and had them jacking up tough contested shots that didn't seem to be their game. Their coach Altman didn't want to give Iowa much credit for that but from my biased eyes that's how I saw it...

 

[Chickenlounge]

FINAL FOUR OR BUST!!!

 

[NikeHawk21]

So say we win out our non conference schedule (only tough team is ISU at home) and split the Wisconsin MSU games. Does 9-9 the rest of the way get us in? .500 in a tough conference with 3 quality non conference wins. That's a decent resume.

To answer your question, yes, we absolutely get in at 21-10 (10-10).

However, Iowa State is a rivalry game and no gimme, and we could lose our first two B1G games as well.

 

[Hawk1960]

9 BIG teams in the top 30. This conference is going to be an absolute war this year.

No doubt. I could see a 15-5 record winning the regular season in the B1G. A lot of parity and always tough to win on the road. There could be a log jam of teams with 9-11 B1G wins at the end of the year and on the "bubble". The conference tourney might determine who goes dancing.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

Does this mean we will make the NCAA tourney?

I thought Alford's 3rd team (Recker and Evans senior year) was top 10 or close in January IIRC and ended up in the NIT. So lots of work to be done yet.

Couldn't ask for a better start though.

 

[trj]

Before the season started I was thinking the win total would be in the 18-21 range. Do I dare bump that total up to the 23-25 range? I think I am all in on this team.

 

[ssckelley]

First time since the final '15-'16 poll. Remember 3 years ago when we were ranked as high as 3rd? Seems like eons ago!

That year is the exact reason why we should be cautiously optimistic. I remember we were debating on here whether Iowa would be a 1 seed or a 2 seed and then they crapped the bed down the stretch. All 3 of Fran's tournament teams were like that, got hot in the beginning of the season and then looked like crap down the stretch. The exception may be the 2014/15 team but they got upset against Penn State in the 2nd round of the BTT.

 

[koralakers]

HATE IT!!! It seems, since the 80s anyway, almost every dang time we get ranked in hoops or football we completely disintegrate right after. Akin to the SI Jinx. Did it in football just a few weeks ago.

 

[judzeehawk]

This team keeps up the defensive effort and they'll hang with a lot of teams to the end when it comes down to free throws. Keep after it Hawks! Pretty giddy right now and I want to stay that way.

 

[bogeyman]

A top 25 Basketball season could make this winter go a lot quicker than last for sure!

 

[Northside Hawk]

Lol. Yeah....because when I think of that team, I think of Reed and Gorney.

Don't forget the immortal JR Angle!

 

[Northside Hawk]

No doubt. I could see a 15-5 record winning the regular season in the B1G. A lot of parity and always tough to win on the road. There could be a log jam of teams with 9-11 B1G wins at the end of the year and on the "bubble". The conference tourney might determine who goes dancing.

If that's the case, we ain't dancing.

However, we are beyond overdue to make some noise in that damn thing. Losing to a double digit seed in our first game four years in a row destroyed us. Incredulous that the entire Woodbury/Gessell class won just one single game in that tournament.

 

[99topdawg]

That year is the exact reason why we should be cautiously optimistic. I remember we were debating on here whether Iowa would be a 1 seed or a 2 seed and then they crapped the bed down the stretch. All 3 of Fran's tournament teams were like that, got hot in the beginning of the season and then looked like crap down the stretch. The exception may be the 2014/15 team but they got upset against Penn State in the 2nd round of the BTT.

That may be the best stretch I've ever seen Iowa play. Yes, they won their first 18 games in '86-87, but the '15-'16 team beat top ranked MSU by 13, then beat them again at MSU by 17. Also won at Purdue by 7 (but game was never in doubt) and beat them again by 12. They were just rolling people and went from unranked to #3 in 3 weeks. Was surreal and honestly knew that that had to be their peak, and I remember people actually complaining about peaking too early. I said at the time that I was just glad they were peaking and that their peak was that high.