OK HN, it's Game Day, how do the players/coaches respond heading into Dayton?

[DesMoinesHawki]

I don't see us beating Tennessee. If Iowa was going to have a wake up call it should have happened in the Big 10 tourney. Instead, we bombed against a below-average Northwestern team. No reason to expect the Hawks will come out and all of a sudden be the team that throttled Michigan in Iowa City. That team disappeared about a month ago ... Best wishes for Fran's son today ...

 

[DaHawk56]

The last 2 years, Iowa finished the season strong, playing their best basketball of the year going into the NIT. Iowa's strong play continued in the NIT with Marble, especially, taking games over and looking like a star.

This year, Iowa was playing their best basketball in January. Although Marble has been putting up good numbers, the team has been out of sync. The BTT loss to Northwestern on a neutral court going into the NCAAs gives me a bad feeling because that was a great opportunity for Iowa to regroup heading into the NCAAs.

Although we've seen what this team is capable of, I'm not sure if they have the mental toughness to turn the page from February and the first half of March and get back to doing the things that made them successful?

Is Fran's family situation a rallying cry for the team or a distraction? Will Iowa come out tight, trying to do too much, and fall into the "hear we go again" mental state? Will Iowa come out blazing only to fall asleep in the second half as we've seen so many times in the past month and a half? Or can Iowa play a full 40 minutes as a team and finish the game to get the "W"?

I'm concerned with the sophomore slump of our point guards. I'm concerned with Woodbury and Uthoff being weak with the ball against a big, athletic front court. I'm concerned with White continuing to get his touches around the perimeter instead of in a position where he can do something with it. I'm concerned that McCabe doesn't match up well with athletic big men. I'm concerned that Marble may force things and/or if Marble finds the open man, the open man might not have the confidence to take the shot or make the play. I'm concerned that Olaseni won't get a chance to get comfortable in the game due to foul trouble or Fran sticking with Woodbury too much or a smaller lineup. I'm concerned that Jok may get too much of a chance when he may not be ready (regardless of how he has practiced). I'm concerned that Iowa won't make an effort to get the ball inside to Basabe to put pressure on the Vol big men and settle on shots from the perimeter.

I'd love to see Iowa make a run here but more than anything, I want to see the effort. I know these kids want it. I hope they go out and take it. It's been a long road back, I hope they make the most of it.

Go Hawks!

 

[TritonHawkeye]

If the Hawks can put the majority of their effort on the defensive side of the ball, they will win. However, if their efforts are all about offense see ya next November....

 

[MiniMoeHawk]

Iowa is going to play more like the team in Atlantis / last year in the NIT....The effort will be there on defense for this game. Now only if the shots will fall

 

[NEIChawk]

If the Hawks can put the majority of their effort on the defensive side of the ball, they will win. However, if their efforts are all about offense see ya next November....

Totally agree about the defensive effort....it has to be there or it's more of the same...I also have chill going through me that Dev might try and do too much....we have to remember this could be the last game for Dev, Zach, and Melsahn...God I hope not for their sake....the teams gotta continue to fight through it, and I hope the coaching staff does as well....

 

[Sooby]

If the team couldn't get motivated with P-MAC T-shirts during the Big Ten Tournament, playing a team they previously, beat, by 26 points, I'm not sure they'll be motivated, tonight in the First Four.

 

[1hawkeye1]

The team has deep internal issues. If they haven't been solved by now, they won't be.

 

[kicker22]

As a player/coach I'm not sure how'd they'd respond. On one hand they could feel snubbed that they're in a play in game. On the other hand its a one game play off to put the entire season behind you, finding yourself 40 minutes away from accomplishing your biggest preseason goal of making the round of 64.

Whether they consider it "in" at this point or not, they're faced with one game to reach that goal and put the past behind them. Despite the fact that they can't turn the clock back and "fix" how the season ended they totally control their own destiny at this point and all the hard work and years of effort is within their grasp. Play-in game or not, if I were a player/coach I'd be ready to go.

 

[kicker22]

If the team couldn't get motivated with P-MAC T-shirts during the Big Ten Tournament, playing a team they previously, beat, by 26 points, I'm not sure they'll be motivated, tonight in the First Four.

Agreed, but at the same time basketball and most sports are games of instincts and repitition. Its easy to find yourself a step behind if your head isn't in the game. They're hearts may have been there, but clearly i could see how their heads weren't. Motivation may not be the issue.

 

[fsanford]

If you look at last nights game

NCST came in winning 4 of 5, while Xavier came in losing 4 of 5, NC State rolls.

Tennessee comes in winning 5 out of 6, and winning big, only loss to Florida in a close game.

Iowa coming in like Xavier last night. Not playing very well.

I would guess it is a pro Tennessee crowd given only the 4 hour driving distance..

Lots of things stacked against Iowa, but maybe something will finally click, and shots will fall when they need them to.

 

[JonnyGuido]

From what I understand about Patrick's situation. The surgeon will operate and will determine how much of the thyroid needs to be removed during the operation. If only half of the thryoid or less needs to be removed then that is a good sign. They will have to section the tumor and send away for the results but they may have a real good idea today whether it is malignant or not. They may not know the final determination for a couple weeks. He may or may not have to take Synthroid the rest of his life.

 

[DP5555]

I'm probably known for writing long-winded posts as I often get carried away with things on here.... However, today I'm going to keep it short and simple.

The last few weeks should be flushed by now. These guys know what they are capable of. Come together as a team, and as a family. Rally around your coach, and play your hearts out. Just win baby.

 

[kicker22]

You tend to find out what people/teams are truly made of when they're faced with adverstiy and pinned into a corner. Can't think of a scenario that would test a team more than what we're faced with tonight.

 

[trj]

Mentally, I think this team is toast. However with all the negativity and what is going on with Patrick McCraffrey hopefully that it is enough to inspire a max effort. Don't get it twisted I realize Patrick's health trumps everything if it happens to inspire a victory so be it.

 

[DenchyDave]

You tend to find out what people/teams are truly made of when they're faced with adverstiy and pinned into a corner. Can't think of a scenario that would test a team more than what we're faced with tonight.

 

[DenchyDave]

LOL! A bunch of half *** troll attempts capped off with a troll fail…love it!

 

[HawksMN]

Iowa is going to come out tonight and put Rocky Top 10 ft under. This isn't MSU or Florida we are playing people. That team can be beaten with a good perf. from the Hawks.

Per above, who is that wuss looking NW player? Do they even sweat?

 

[glidinghawk]

I expect this game to be a war on the inside. The team that wins will be the one that hits the boards very hard, plays good interior defense, makes good interior passes, picks up garbage, and blocks some shots.

I think the score will be in the high 50s or low 60s.

 

[Skeets77]

Perspective from an Iowa fan - VolNation

" Hey there guys, have been lurking a bit and have come to the conclusion that both teams are in pretty much the same boat and nobody really knows what to expect at this point. Maybe I can clear things up a bit for what to expect from the Hawks on Wednesday. To a point, we've been two different teams, so it's kinda hard to make any sort of predictions for what will happen. I'm going to try to give both sides of what we've seen this year from the team.

First the players (there's a lot of them).

Starters...

1. Devyn Marble, senior SG/PG: The team's best player. A versatile guard who can hit the three, slash to the hoop and hit the pull-up, mid-range jumper as well as a pretty nice fade-away. Spells Gesell at the point and is very capable there as a passer/creator as well. Not a lock down defender, but is long enough and quick enough to be adequate. Gets more than his share of steals. Only had one game where he didn't get double figures, so has been very consistent as well. Will need to play well for Iowa to have a shot.

2. Aaron White, junior SF/PF: Long and lanky and loves to get out on the break in transition. Is a bit lost on offense in the half court game unless he can get post position where he's great at drawing fouls with very good footwork. Can hit the three occasionally, but only when he catches and shoots in rhythm. Not a great defender. Has really struggled the last several games which is a big part of the reason we've slid. He's my barometer for our game Wed. If he's getting his, the Hawks will be just fine. If he plays the way he has lately, Iowa's in a heap of trouble.

3. Mike Gesell, sophmore PG/SG: My second barometer for this game. Was 0-10 in our loss to NW in the Big Ten Tourney. Typically quite consistent and a decent outside shooter if open. Good off the dribble drive going to the tin. Very good A/TO ratio. Solid defender who works hard and moves his feet well. He needs to take half the shots and pass twice as much as he did in his last game.

4. Adam Woodbury, sophmore C: A work in progress. The lefty plays hard and probably gives the most hustle of anyone on the team. Still not strong enough, but has improved in this area. Little to no vertical. Good footwork in the post with a variety of moves to go to over both shoulders. Decent jumper out to 15 feet and has good vision/passing ability. Plays solid position defense and does a good job of hedging on screens and recovering.

5. Melsahn Basabe, senior PF: Garbage man who works hard and can also step out and hit the 15 footer consistently. Not quite big enough and not quite strong enough, but quick off his feet and has long arms. Not the best hands and will turn the ball over more than he should. Good weak-side shot blocker.

Subs...

1. Gabe Olaseni, junior C/PF: List him first off the bench because he's my favorite player and because if Woody happens to get in foul trouble, he'll be in pretty quickly. Has only played organized hoops for 6-7 years, but has loads of talent. The fastest player on the team at 6'10" and is also the most improved. Still a bit raw, but is a tenacious rebounder, very good shot blocker and has an offensive game that is developing, albeit a bit slower than Woodbury. Will be one of our better players next year if he improves again as much as he has from last year.

2. Jarrod Uthoff, sophmore SF: Skinny 6'9" dude with very good handles and a nice jumper out beyond the arc. Way too skinny and not nearly strong enough to do much in the post. Pretty athletic, but is a long strider with not much short area quickness. Had one of his best games of the year last week vs. NW. Was very aggressive on offense.

3. Josh Oglesby, junior SG: Very good outside shooter who has struggled as of late. Not very good at creating his own shot, but will run off screens a lot to get open looks. A pretty good position defender, but limited athletically, so can be had off the dribble by quicker guards.

4. Zach McCabe, senior PF/SF: The guy drives me nuts. Complains about every legitimate foul called against him. Jacks up threes almost whenever he's open and really just has had a negative attitude in general. On the plus side, he is a pretty decent shooter and plays with a football mentality, bringing some much needed physical toughness to a team that really needs more of it. Will get in foul trouble. Will be surprised when a block/charge call goes against him after he was either to slow to get position or leans to draw contact.

5. Peter Jok, freshman SG/SF: A very promising player who was one of the nation's top recruits until he blew a knee as a sophmore in HS. Very good outside shooter, good ball handler and passer. Defense is a work in progress and probably prevents him from getting more PT. Has seen the court a lot more our last few games. Still missing the explosiveness he had prior to the injury, but has a very mature game offensively for a freshman.

6. Anthony Clemmons, sophmore PG: Has seen his minutes greatly decrease as the season has worn on due to not taking care of the ball. Probably our best on the ball defender. Decent shooter, but hasn't taken many. Not sure how much he will play unless Gesell gets in foul trouble.

Iowa will try to go up-tempo when the situation presents itself. They do this off makes, misses and turnovers from varying degrees of a full court press. The half court offense is pretty much a motion based scheme with a lot of drive and kick and some pick and roll. Marble ends up with a lot of late clock shots due to being the one guy who can consistently get a shot off when needed. He hasn't exactly been nails in this role, but is the only guy we've got for this. He's much better when things happen for him in the normal flow of the offense.

On defense, you'll see all sorts of approaches with some of it designed to confuse the offense. Toward the end of the Big Ten season, nobody was confused. Earlier in the year our defense was actually very well thought of, which is why we ascended to a #10 ranking.

We do run a lot of out of bounds plays designed to score off the inbounds pass. Look to see more of this now that we'll have an opponent who might not know us as well.

The key to the game for me will be how it is called. Iowa does not do well against physical defenses, but if the refs are calling contact, will win the game at the FT line as they have been able to make more than the opponents have attempted. The secondary key for me will be on the glass as both teams put an emphasis on rebounding, with both being big up front.

I have no idea how things will play out. If the team from earlier in the season can show up, I really like the Hawks chances, even with the Vols best effort. Iowa was thought of as a possible final four team about halfway through the conference slate, then the wheels came off and here we sit at an 11 seed. You guys are on the upswing and prior to this matchup being announced I had you pegged as one of the teams I would be moving along in my bracket as a strong dark-horse. Now I'm conflicted. I just don't know if Iowa can right the ship at this point as things have really gone south, especially on defense.

I see Iowa playing a lot of zone. Good luck hitting the three. Most teams have done well in this capacity lately which is why we've dropped 6 of 7. Only problem with zone D is that it's hard to matchup for blockouts, which leaves your very good offensive rebounding team a clear path to the basket. I think we'll get our points, I just don't know if we'll be able to limit you guys enough to have more in the end.

Good luck and may the best team win and then go kick the crap outta Duke. "

 

[Skeets77]

I'm probably known for writing long-winded posts as I often get carried away with things on here.... However, today I'm going to keep it short and simple.

The last few weeks should be flushed by now. These guys know what they are capable of. Come together as a team, and as a family. Rally around your coach, and play your hearts out. Just win baby.

[video=youtube;Z2PloBdHeow]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2PloBdHeow[/video]