NikeHawk21
Well-Known Member
Just rewatched both games because I’m weird like that. Sometimes it’s nice to watch without the emotion of winning or losing. Saw some things that maybe didn’t stick out watching live.
The good:
-Weiskamp defense. People remember his struggles on offense, but his defense was really good. Against Oregon he was on Paul White a 5th year senior and White could not get a step on him. In the zone Weiskamp’s athleticism and length allows him to cover a lot of ground.
-Moss jump shot. I know everyone wants him to do other things, but I don’t think people give him credited for how well he can stroke it. If his feet are set and he has room he can really shoot it. Made two in both games and had two others that were halfway down.
-Cook’s engagement. He’s just playing a lot harder and with much more emotion this year. You can tell he really wants the team to play well.
-Offensive rebounding. In two games where I would say our offense never totally clicked, although it was pretty good against UConn, we hit the offensive glass in both games and got a lot of extra possessions.
The bad:
-Kriener’s defense. Kriener had a good tournament overall I think and proved he’s a capable reserve big man, but his defense wasn’t great. In the Oregon game he gave up a couple baseline drives for easy buckets. In the UConn game he came in and UConn got two or three easy buckets on him before he picked up two quick fouls.
-Jbo. He didn’t have a good tournament in my estimation. Had some silly turnovers and had some difficulty handling the pressure. Didn’t shoot well either. I’m not overly concerned because I think he will get it going.
The part you don’t want to hear:
-We played two teams on bad nights. Okay I know someone is going to say well Iowa caused that, and they most certainly did in part. Last year I often said the reason teams shot the lights out against us is because we let them get their confidence and rhythm early so Iowa deserves credit for limiting the defensive breakdowns and easy baskets to let these teams get comfortable, but with that said I still have to call a spade a spade. I think I counted Oregon missed 7 or so layups in the second half alone and we were up between 7-10 most of the half. Iowa challenged some of these but for the most part these were routine shots for a college player. UConn started something like 0-13 on 3s with 15 turnovers, I don’t care how good you are, that’s not all great defense. Many of Uconn’s turnovers were unforced, a few travels and simple passes thrown away. That’s part of the game and it was nice to see Iowa catch some breaks.
Overall, two great wins at the Mecca MSG. A lot of things to be excited for going forward with this team. As Hawkeye fans we should also know not to get too high with our expectation as we have been let down before. Hopefully this team continues to play very hard and improve, but I think they’ve shown the potential is there for a very good season.
Can’t wait until our next game to watch this team again!
The good:
-Weiskamp defense. People remember his struggles on offense, but his defense was really good. Against Oregon he was on Paul White a 5th year senior and White could not get a step on him. In the zone Weiskamp’s athleticism and length allows him to cover a lot of ground.
-Moss jump shot. I know everyone wants him to do other things, but I don’t think people give him credited for how well he can stroke it. If his feet are set and he has room he can really shoot it. Made two in both games and had two others that were halfway down.
-Cook’s engagement. He’s just playing a lot harder and with much more emotion this year. You can tell he really wants the team to play well.
-Offensive rebounding. In two games where I would say our offense never totally clicked, although it was pretty good against UConn, we hit the offensive glass in both games and got a lot of extra possessions.
The bad:
-Kriener’s defense. Kriener had a good tournament overall I think and proved he’s a capable reserve big man, but his defense wasn’t great. In the Oregon game he gave up a couple baseline drives for easy buckets. In the UConn game he came in and UConn got two or three easy buckets on him before he picked up two quick fouls.
-Jbo. He didn’t have a good tournament in my estimation. Had some silly turnovers and had some difficulty handling the pressure. Didn’t shoot well either. I’m not overly concerned because I think he will get it going.
The part you don’t want to hear:
-We played two teams on bad nights. Okay I know someone is going to say well Iowa caused that, and they most certainly did in part. Last year I often said the reason teams shot the lights out against us is because we let them get their confidence and rhythm early so Iowa deserves credit for limiting the defensive breakdowns and easy baskets to let these teams get comfortable, but with that said I still have to call a spade a spade. I think I counted Oregon missed 7 or so layups in the second half alone and we were up between 7-10 most of the half. Iowa challenged some of these but for the most part these were routine shots for a college player. UConn started something like 0-13 on 3s with 15 turnovers, I don’t care how good you are, that’s not all great defense. Many of Uconn’s turnovers were unforced, a few travels and simple passes thrown away. That’s part of the game and it was nice to see Iowa catch some breaks.
Overall, two great wins at the Mecca MSG. A lot of things to be excited for going forward with this team. As Hawkeye fans we should also know not to get too high with our expectation as we have been let down before. Hopefully this team continues to play very hard and improve, but I think they’ve shown the potential is there for a very good season.
Can’t wait until our next game to watch this team again!