Here is what I don't get about this thread: can't expectations change? Iowa's record is about where I thought it would be. However the team is better than I thought it would be, and the late meltdowns compound that. For a variety of reasons the record should be better. So who cares what I thought in September?
I will never understand the mentality that once you get an idea of how good a team is you can't change that opinion. I am not about a game to game roller coaster of emotion but its a complete loser mentality to be so rigid on preseason expectations.
Valid point. And expectations can change, certainly.
But this is the exact sort of thing I expect to see - so I don't feel I need to adjust my expectations.
If others do, then that's their prerogative and I should be more open to their thoughts.
But I'll say it again, and my apologies for beating a dead horse...
Iowa is winning the games I thought they would, losing the games I expected them to. They are having ups and downs inside games and inside the season as we expected.
This is an inexperienced team - if you have 5 star one and done athletes, sometimes pure talent can overcome freshman mistakes - Iowa does not have that leisure.
So using the youth "excuse" is fine for this team because their talent level is conducive to making more freshman (and soph) mistakes out on the court.
Teams like this lose close games. I didn't expect Iowa to be in this many close game, though, so that's a bonus. They need to learn from their mistakes and close games - this starts with better individual play down the stretch by some of the more experienced players. Unfortunately, it hasn't happened. If Iowa wasn't playing in the Big Ten, their record would be much, much better - but it's the same team on the court. Some people forget to keep that in mind, as well. It's a pretty good team, but the B1G is stacked and rebuilding in this conf is slower than in, say, the B12.
I do prescribe to the loser mentality. Instead I am choosing to analyze this team with my head instead of my heart. I think too many fans can't step back from their loyalties to look at the big picture... which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Having realistic expectations doesn't mean you condone losing.
