Pretty solid effort today

[EddyP]

I thought for the most part the man to man defense was really good. McCabe fought his a$$ off but Leonard was too much for him. Everyone played hard but we couldn't hit the broad side of the ocean(except Gatens) in the first half. The Gatens vs Paul match up was fun to watch. Those two really went at it on both ends. We'll get these next two.

 

[hoffman22103]

All in all it truly was great effort, just an off night on the offensive side of the court. It was just frustrating to know if Iowa gets on a mini run theyre right back into the game. Great defense compared to the beginning of the year!

 

[drew003]

I thought it was decent performance all things considering. Their size and athleticism made it hard to get points in the paint. Jump shots are a tough to way to make a living.

It looked like we were pressing a little times, trying to do too much. But not a terrible performance all things considering. The key is the next two.

 

[Gohawks123]

We lost to a team that was DOA. Illinois has absolutely nothing to play for. Should have won this one.

 

[drew003]

We lost to a team that was DOA. Illinois has absolutely nothing to play for. Should have won this one.

Their pride. There are some pretty talented basketball players on that team. And they were really backed into a corner. They came out fighting. We also aren't the best road team if you haven't noticed.

 

[FalseMirage]

The game was winnable. Fewer turnovers, more shots dropping could've swung the game the other way. Good D for the most part. Debby's going down. Oh baby!

 

[hawk2012]

Both teams gave great efforts, both teams were sloppy with the basketball, both teams shot the ball pretty poorly. The big difference in the game was the home court advantage and a lot of second shot opportunities thanks to them having a 7 foot guy. Also, attribute at least 4 or 5 points to the officials. There were some truly horrendous calls in the second half, most notably blowing our fast break dead.

 

[CharlestonHawkeye]

This team really struggles against teams that have tall players who can score inside. If you take away the second chance points Illinois had today the outcome might have been different. You can't fault the effort of a player who has inside position on a 7 footer but doesn't grab the rebound because he is giving up half a foot. Next years class will greatly improve this.

 

[tm3308]

Overall, I was happy with our effort. We had an off night (outside of Gatens again) offensively; shots just weren't falling. I really liked our defense tonight. We forced several shot clock violations, Illinois hit some contested shots near the end of the clock, and McCabe/Basabe did one helluva job in the second half to fight with Leonard.

It just wasn't enough. The turnovers were the only serious problem, IMO.

 

[trapperjon]

It's not going to happen overnight. But it is happening.

The transformation is fun to watch. We will win the next 2. Feel bad for gator as he will never experience the dance unless we win the B1G tourney.

 

[OUTofTOWNHAWK]

Amen. Another fun one to watch. First half was not as fun though. Lets get these last two this isnt over. Go Hawks. Go Gatens.

 

[tm3308]

It's not going to happen overnight. But it is happening.

The transformation is fun to watch. We will win the next 2. Feel bad for gator as he will never experience the dance unless we win the B1G tourney.

I'd give damn near anything for him to be able to come back next year.

 

[greghammel]

I'd give damn near anything for him to be able to come back next year.

No kidding... one of the greatest Hawkeyes ever... and surely on a short list of my favorites. Roy Marble is my favorite Hawkeye... and I truly enjoyed Luke Recker while he was here.

 

[glidinghawk]

Cartwright, Marble, and White struggled the entire game, never got into their game. Overall, a good team effort.

 

[hawkIhoops]

Certainly one of the better defensive efforts IMO, but cold shooting and TO's hurt. Defensively the switching was much better and IL got few uncontested shots. Unfortunately it looked like they had 7 guys on defense.

 

[eyekwah]

Illinois size upfront was too much. The poor shooting in the first half was the final difference today. The second half was a wash. Leonard has great size and coordination, but he lacks stamina, he really tires fast after having to run the court. Woodbury should be able to nuetralize him next year and Iowa should be able to limit his minutes.