On to MSU

[dirtwrap]

I know most of us have this as a loss, mainly because we never play well there and we all know that there will be felonies committed in the paint and not called. However, saying that, we can win this game. We match up favorably to MSU.

1. Nobody will be able to body up Garza. He will out-size and out-muscle anyone that MSU has by far.
2. Playing the big lineup with Kreiner, nobody will be able to body him up either.
3. I think this is the opponent we have been waiting for to see Joe T shine. He has the capability to severely limit Winston as long as he stays out of foul trouble. I hope Fran instills confidence in him that he will stick with him through the 5th foul because he will probably use it.
4. I think the matchups of Brown/Wieskamp and Ahrens/CMac will push, although I do believe that Brown will be a problem we have to deal with all game because with Kriener on Tillman, Brown is going to want to take Garza out to the 3 line.

I think we can hammer MSU on the block in a very similar fashion to what we did to OSU. If we can value each possession, bring the energy and stick to the plan I think we can pull it out.

 

[PCHawk]

I may be reading to much into this, but I think the combination of Evelyn making those free throws the other night and Garza finding him right after the game to praise him might have been just what he needed to start contributing at a way higher level. Now he's got another huge game in the bank. If he and Pemsl can do anything close to what they did tonight the rest of the year, we could finish really strong. Gotta get Wieskamp going again.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Tillman will be allowed to mug Garza.

Michigan State runs a ton of pick and roll stuff and Iowa sucks at defending pick and roll. If we switch to zone we gotta hope they are missing but they are a good passing team and have some shooters.

I do not like Iowa chances, which obviously isn’t a bold take here. Hope to be proven wrong which this iowa team has done many times this year.

 

[Xerxes]

Garza is going to have to be especially careful against MSU. Its the kind of game where he could drop 15+ in the first 15 minutes with no fouls and then get called for 2 cheap ones like a screen or some bump off the ball or on a rebound (like Minnesota) and it will change the entire complexion of the game.

 

[Hawkeyes5]

It's tough but doable! Go Hawks! We will have to play tough nose d and have alot of body wrap and ice afterwards

 

[PCHawk]

Tillman will be allowed to mug Garza

Like every other player all year.

 

[NikeHawk21]

Like every other player all year.

I mean Garza has gotten several players / teams into foul trouble. That won’t happen under Izzo’s watchful eye.

 

[mopkins]

ESPN right now gives Iowa a 19.4% chance to win in East lansing. I just hope they don't pull a Purdue again. If the Hawkeyes can steal this game then....amazing.

Who knows maybe Iowa wins and Maryland drops a couple. Suddenly Iowa has a shot at the title...although not a good shot.

 

[WindsorHawk]

We got the 2 wins we had to have. Both without CJ. From a fan point of view the pressure is off. The NCAA is a given.

Now we have 4 more tough games. All are winnable. Only Purdue would be a shocking loss. I will be thrilled with 12-8. If we get to 13-7...Next year’s NCAA run may come a year early.

 

[PCHawk]

I mean Garza has gotten several players / teams into foul trouble. That won’t happen under Izzo’s watchful eye.

I agree. No way anyone gets into foul trouble. I just meant they can rough Garza up all they want. The only way he doesn't get 20 is if they call 3 fantom fouls on him to keep his minutes under 25. Which is at least a 50/50 chance.

 

[PCHawk]

We got the 2 wins we had to have. Both without CJ. From a fan point of view the pressure is off. The NCAA is a given.

Now we have 4 more tough games. All are winnable. Only Purdue would be a shocking loss. I will be thrilled with 12-8. If we get to 13-7...Next year’s NCAA run may come a year early.

As long as we win our 2 home games, we won't fall out of the rankings this year.

 

[DDThompson]

Like every other player all year.

This is Izzo

At Michigan State

Big10 needing MSU to stay relevant.

They need a quality win to right the ship.

It’s not Garza that we need to worry about being bodied up — it’s JoeW; when he gets bodied he iis like we all are — dust in the wind

 

[cohawkeye]

If Joe W doesnt take it up several notches this will be a blowout like Purdue guaranteed.

 

[oregonhawkeye]

Good points really. Wiezy struggles against the grab and hold defense. Having CJF back and hitting could be huge. Keeping Luka out of foul trouble is crucial.
Iowa with full strength CJ is probably the better team.
Honestly we can win this one. If we're truly only given a 19% of winning I'd take those odds on a bet.

 

[hawks23]

Road win in Lansing probably isn’t happening, but I hate betting against this team. Can’t wait to see the next game and what unfolds.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Tillman will be allowed to mug Garza.

Michigan State runs a ton of pick and roll stuff and Iowa sucks at defending pick and roll. If we switch to zone we gotta hope they are missing but they are a good passing team and have some shooters.

I do not like Iowa chances, which obviously isn’t a bold take here. Hope to be proven wrong which this iowa team has done many times this year.

It’s always 5 vs 8 (9 if you count the way Slizzo crowds the floor during play) when Iowa travels to East Lansing. Always.

With JBo and CJ available we possibly would have a chance. But I’m not seeing it now.

 

[dahlhawk]

Good points really. Wiezy struggles against the grab and hold defense. Having CJF back and hitting could be huge. Keeping Luka out of foul trouble is crucial.
Iowa with full strength CJ is probably the better team.
Honestly we can win this one. If we're truly only given a 19% of winning I'd take those odds on a bet.

Call it the grab and hold is like calling grand theft auto "borrowing a car". I was watching the play of Wiese and Garza tonight and how they were defended and it's worse live than on TV. Wiese literally takes full body blows on his drives and cuts that would make a middle linebacker proud. Garza spent the night being pushed out of the free throw line extended by Wessen. This isn't hand fighting or trying to get low block positon, it was flat out physical assault. Wessen violently pushed Garza using his hands and body 5 or 10 feet. What gives with the officials. Joe T almost had his head taken off by I think Wessen that was only a foul, not a flagrant, and they didn't check the monitor. Garza got fouled on almost every made basket and the refs call about 10%. This is the game plan by the Big against Garza and Wiese. Is Fran saying anything to the league office, sending videos asking for explanations? I know that's a PR stunt but why is the league allowing their star player (Garza) to get treated like this. I've been watching Big Ten basketball for over 40 years and have rarely seen a player being roughed up the way Garza does.

 

[oregonhawkeye]

Call it the grab and hold is like calling grand theft auto "borrowing a car". I was watching the play of Wiese and Garza tonight and how they were defended and it's worse live than on TV. Wiese literally takes full body blows on his drives and cuts that would make a middle linebacker proud. Garza spent the night being pushed out of the free throw line extended by Wessen. This isn't hand fighting or trying to get low block positon, it was flat out physical assault. Wessen violently pushed Garza using his hands and body 5 or 10 feet. What gives with the officials. Joe T almost had his head taken off by I think Wessen that was only a foul, not a flagrant, and they didn't check the monitor. Garza got fouled on almost every made basket and the refs call about 10%. This is the game plan by the Big against Garza and Wiese. Is Fran saying anything to the league office, sending videos asking for explanations? I know that's a PR stunt but why is the league allowing their star player (Garza) to get treated like this. I've been watching Big Ten basketball for over 40 years and have rarely seen a player being roughed up the way Garza does.

Minnesota totally silenced JW by holding. Garza will get pounded nightly. You're right that it sucks but that is the reality that needs to be adapted to. Garza has adapted and thrived (though he gets some major screw calls against him at times). JW needs to find a way to be offensively relevant against B10 defenses the next 4 weeks regardless of which whistles blow when.

 

[ModebaSan]

If the Hawks can pull out a win here, it would the biggest win of the season. The odds are stacked against us, but if we can stay close, we may be able to steal this one at the end. I’m hoping CJ is well enough to give us 15-20 quality minutes. Even if he doesn’t score a point, just his presence alone could open some lanes for Wieskamp.

 

[chucktownhawk]

I believe we have a great chance at a steal here. My key will be rebounding, mainly our opponents offensive rebounds. We got killed (again) on the boards. Our kids needs to have all hands on deck to limit offensive rebounds. MSU crashes hard, so we need to respond