One problem that won't go away

burky247

burky247

Well-Known Member
under this system is going to be the silent crowds. There is no cure for it in my opinion. Last night was as quiet as I've heard it for a Big Ten game. There are simply no opportunities with this system to have an energetic crowd. The system literally is a momentum killer for the crowd.

Some of you may think I'm a buzz kill after the big win last night. And that's fine. But I wonder how many of you who think that were actually at Carver like I was. I don't know how anyone who was there...and also attended games under the Davis or even Alford era...could ever be happy about what is happening at Carver. Regardless of results.
 
I have to disagree - I believe the results DO matter. The slowdown style of play doesn't help IMO, but I still believe that if the team starts winning consistently and start getting to NCAA Tournaments again, that the fanbase will start coming back. None of this will happen overnight, though.

Also, I've heard numerous times that we've played extra deliberate basketball because of our lack of numbers. Just maybe if we have a full roster next year (I think one of the keys to being able to win), that will enable the team to play a bit quicker pace. Whether they do or not, I don't know. Lick's system will never be run-n-gun.

I think with the lack of depth, it would be a poor strategy to try and run much at present, and we play this pace out of necessity? Just a thought.
 
I think results will get more people in the seats. That I agree on. But I'm very skeptical that will lead to a significant change in Carver's atmosphere. I have seen it too much this year. Even when the crowd tries to get in it and is making some noise, the system takes over. And you find yourself clapping while nothing is happening on the floor. Evenually, you just slowly start to see the fans sink back in their chairs and it's back to a morgue.

I also don't see a full roster changing a whole lot as far as the system. I think it is what it is. And I realize there are tons of people on here(Miller included) who disagree with that notion. I guess we will find out next year.
 
The fact CHA was quiet had more to do with there only being 6000 fans inside than it did with the "style" of play. If that place were sold out the roof would have been blown off when May hit back to back 3's, when Bawlwinkle hit his 4th in the first half, when cole drove to the bucket for drew the fould and finished, when cougs hit his second 3 in as many shots, when May finished his baseline drive, on any number of Fullers offesnive/hustle rebounds, and each time John Lickliter made a pass that didn't result in a turnover.
 
burky247 said:
under this system is going to be the silent crowds. There is no cure for it in my opinion. Last night was as quiet as I've heard it for a Big Ten game. There are simply no opportunities with this system to have an energetic crowd. The system literally is a momentum killer for the crowd.

Some of you may think I'm a buzz kill after the big win last night. And that's fine. But I wonder how many of you who think that were actually at Carver like I was. I don't know how anyone who was there...and also attended games under the Davis or even Alford era...could ever be happy about what is happening at Carver. Regardless of results.
Click to expand...

Hit the nail on the head here. Does there always have to be something negative? We won, enjoy it
 
I don't know the answer. But last night's crowd was one of the weakest I can recall. There have been games where the crowd was rocking. Indiana was one, Ohio State was another. There's been times.

I do understand your point, though, and there is some validity. The lack of steals leading to fast breaks, or secondary fast breaks does kill the mo from time to time. Once Barta realizes he needs to get the students better seats and lower ticket prices for them, it will help.

Right now, there just aren't bodies there.
 
Uptempo games are like a venomous snake, they strike quickly and often. That is when the fans really get into it and blow the roof off.

Certainly the crowd can get into a game in slow down ball when players hit a few back to back shots but that is not often enough in those types of games to keep fans up and rocking for most of a game.

In a slow down game, fans are forced to sit down because there are NO fast breaks, no quick buckets. The game is based on taking 30 seconds off the clock everytime downcourt. Even if fans WANT to continue to be excited, one or two missed shots takes the previous excitement out of the game because the team has taken almost 1 to 2 minutes off the clock.

In an uptempo game, when teams really get going, they might take a bunch of shots and if your team is on a roll they can really put some points on the board, including some some spectactular dunks or shots and the crowd is really rolling at that point.

People WILL pay to see that bb...most definitely. Lick ball, even if they are winning? I wouldn't bet on it...some may come back, but it still is not exciting to watch a team that does not fast break and that might only score once every few minutes and whose primary goal is to keep the other team from scoring. Also people aren't fooled that the primary reason this system is run is because Iowa does not have the players to run an uptempo game because we can not match the players of an MSU and upper division teams in the Big 10.
 
It's not the system. It's more the fact that it was the second to last place team in the Big Ten playing a middle of the pack N'western team in a meaningless Feb game. Not sure what crowd would be going nuts for this game.

Also, any coach of a less talented team knows that one of the most important things to do to pull an upset is to limit possesions. The more possesions there are the more the talent gap becomes evident. This has seemed to be what Lickliter has had to do pretty much since he got to Iowa, if we ever see an increase in talent I would expect our number of 30-35 second possesions to decline.
 
Crazy idea...

How about the Hawks play in a more intimate arena? Seriously. I bet we could sell-out City High's gym, and get the place rockin'. Then, we could move up to the US Cellular Center in CR--that place tops out at about 5000 or so?
 
Maybe since people know Iowa plays a slower style and Northwestern plays a slower style that the game would be kind of boring. But, I thought it was actually pretty exciting, and especially since the Hawkeyes won. I would have liked to see more high flying dunks, but winning was good enough for me.
 
i can't believe this... what on earth do people want? we won and scored 78 points. there were 4 or 5 solid stretches of basketball that were just amazing... the three-for-three duel between iowa and northwestern midway through the second half, may's back-to-back treys, the first six minutes of the game, bawinkel's explosion, and a string of northwestern posessions in the first half when they could barely get a shot off. a full house or even a full student section would have torn the roof off the gym when cougs hit his shot near the end of the first half, when may hit that three to put us up 15 or when cole got the bucket and a foul to basically put it away. there were even some nice transition baskets-- gatens dishing to cole for a wide-open layin comes to mind. the lack of energy from the crowd is on the crowd itself and the 9,000 people who didn't show up. there's nothing else the team can do at this point.
 
olivecourt said:
i can't believe this... what on earth do people want? the lack of energy from the crowd is on the crowd itself and the 9,000 people who didn't show up. there's nothing else the team can do at this point.
Click to expand...

Nothing else the team can do? Yes there is--keep winning. Keep playing the way you did last night.

Put some more sugar in the kool-aid, and more and more people will want to drink it.

And that's where the AD comes in: lower the ticket prices, repackage the product, etc. Have the team thank the crowd that shows up at the end of the game. Be innovative! Keep rewarding the crowd that shows up, and they'll return, and tell their friends how great the experience was.
 
SidFarkas said:
we scored 78 points
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Would've been in the 80's if we would've been hitting our FT's down the stretch, and won by 20 points or so. Hopefully Payne puts in a little extra FT work this week..

There were a few times last night where I thought we had definite opportunities to push the tempo and run a little bit, where we would pull back instead. I would like to see the team pick its spots to run a little more rather than hold the ball and let the defense get back before moving the ball up the court.

Maybe with a full roster next year, that'll change a little bit. I can't say I'd be disappointed to see a few more fast breaks..
 
BA96, i completely agree. the title of the thread, though, is "one problem that won't go away," and that's what bugs me-- the idea that even if they keep winning, the atmosphere won't improve because they don't win the "right way." i wish i'm weren't exaggerated, but there's a very vocal faction on this board that makes this exact argument.

all of the suggestions you make are good ones, though. the ad needs to find a way to fill up the student section at least once before the end of the season... by any means necessary.
 
So, let me get this straight. We win last night and people still criticize Lick for slow ball? So, if Iowa gets this turned around under Lick, some of you are going to continue to complain game in and game out whether it is a win or not? This is gonna be a fun ride.
 
Example of the boring system with quiet crowd...

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NowwrNc_RbY"]YouTube- Butler Sweet 16![/ame]
 
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