The go to lineup?

[RocknRollface]

Uthoff can shoot decent yes, but he really doesn't get open or pull the trigger much. I don't like him putting it on the deck, he consistently gets it poked away or fumbles it when he does. Every once in awhile he'll make a great play though and I think these glimpses are what mirror all his struggles with many people. Fran would have him out there more if he was that great. Some teams he just doesn't match up with well and some he does, MSU just too tough and strong for him. Just my 2 cents.

I hear what your saying he makes some of the most spectacular plays and then some of the most pathetic.

I really dont know what to make of him but would rather see him out there working through his mistakes than having Mcabe in doing his usual stuff.

 

[RocknRollface]

Agree that Mike missing clutch free throws has been pretty huge.. I personally am always pretty shocked when he misses so many because he wasn't that bad of a shooter last year. He does play very solid defense and imo is our best PG though. I think Fran just needs to find a specialty role for McCabe.. I honestly think he's trying to make him do too much right now.

It seems like hes trying to find reasons to play him because hes a good guy teammate and a senior.

I dont hate Mcabe, hed be a good role player on most teams but this team is so deep at his positions theres always a better option that could potentialy be out there instead. Especialy center.

It really is taking away from the team.

 

[RocknRollface]

I like a rotating center position with Woody and Gabe. I like three forward positions rotating Basabe, Marble, White, Uthoff, Oglesby. I do NOT want Marble on the point except in specific situations. Gesell is quickly becoming, offensively and defensively, one of the top point guards in the conference. His assist/turnover ratio is off the charts. He screwed up MSU's half court offense Tuesday night with an unbelievable effort and skill set. (remember, Iowa held MSU to 61 points in regulation, one of our best defensive efforts this year) The comments above claiming that he is a poor free throw shooter is totally inaccurate. Granted, he is not shooting them as well right now as he has in the past, but he will get that fixed. And,
we really need to get Clemmons back on track...I still think he has a big upside...drives people crazy on defense, can shoot the ball, can make free throws, but right now is playing with 0 confidence. You have to have two point guards in this conf.

Agree on Mike and Clemmons.

We need to get away from playing two 4s at the same time.

We need to start using more guards on the court together and get White out of the 3 spot, hes totally ineffective in the half court there.

 

[HawksMN]

I think the go to depends on who we are playing.

Brawler team like MSU - want guys who can take the physicality (I think we are one or two short)
Chucker teams like MN - gimme Marble, White, Gesell, Basabe, Woody/Gabe (depends on who is playing better)

 

[brozley]

I like a rotating center position with Woody and Gabe. I like three forward positions rotating Basabe, Marble, White, Uthoff, Oglesby. I do NOT want Marble on the point except in specific situations. Gesell is quickly becoming, offensively and defensively, one of the top point guards in the conference. His assist/turnover ratio is off the charts. He screwed up MSU's half court offense Tuesday night with an unbelievable effort and skill set. (remember, Iowa held MSU to 61 points in regulation, one of our best defensive efforts this year) The comments above claiming that he is a poor free throw shooter is totally inaccurate. Granted, he is not shooting them as well right now as he has in the past, but he will get that fixed. And,
we really need to get Clemmons back on track...I still think he has a big upside...drives people crazy on defense, can shoot the ball, can make free throws, but right now is playing with 0 confidence. You have to have two point guards in this conf.

What about his 1-6 FG and 2-4 from FT line in crunch time makes him one of the best 2 PG's in conference?

I like this kid and want to love him, but he has not stepped up in crunch time.

I bet he could hit 90% of FT in practice, but under 70% in games does not cut it for a PG, sorry. I would have had zero confidence in his making both FT at the end of the MSU game had a foul been called on the last play.

 

[AdamHawk]

I want to see more of Olaseni down the stretch. Remember the Xavier game? Gabe was huge at the end of regulation and OT. Rebounds, blocks, baskets, FT's...he was one of the main reasons Iowa was able to salt that one away late, which obviously is something we struggle with. Yet he hasn't had many (if any) other opportunities to be in the game in the final minutes of a close game. He doesn't seem to get the bubble guts like half of these guys and actually seems to make plays when the game is on the line.

I know he isn't an upperclassman or a team leader but how many times have we seen other guys make mistakes when the game is on the line and continue to trot out there and try it the next time? Might as well keep playing someone who has proven to be capable.

I like Woody and want him to continue seeing minutes as I think he is a solid defender but I want to see Gabe out there in crunch time.

 

[DaHawk56]

Either:

Gesell
Oglesby
Marble
White
Olaseni

Or:

Gesell
Marble
White
McCabe
Olaseni

Basabe could play in place of Olaseni, but I feel White or McCabe are better at the 4 in crunch time because it allows Iowa to spread the floor to provide room for Gesell, Marble, or White to drive to the hoop.

Uthoff plays too soft at this point in my opinion. So when the defense rachets up the intensity, Uthoff seems to me to tend to have the ball taken away from him.

I like Olaseni because he is an active rebounder and has the length and jumping ability to block or at least alter the shots of the opponent as they attempt to get to the bucket at the end of a game.

 

[Knight78]

I'm just curious what you guys think? What lineup do you want to see at the end of a game like the MSU one that would get the damn job done?

Personally, I want to see a scoring PG and the board crashers that do have moderate shooting potential.

Scoring PG: Marble -- I think Gesell would work too.
3 F: White, Basabe, Uthoff -- All three of these guys are solid underneath the basket. Basabe and Uthoff have that 15-18 footer potential as well.
C: Olaseni - I think he's developing into our best player. He's so athletic for a big.

It would allow Dev the opportunity to make something happen.. Which he pretty much does anyway, but it would at least play to the strengths of it. Defensively they could be pretty menacing in the zone.. I think any lineup runs the zone really well on this team though.

What do you guys think? I feel this is something that has cost the Hawks 2-3 games this year.

Gesell and Marble at the guards. White and Basabe at the forwards. After that, whoever is hot and/or whoever is the best matchup against the other team. Personally it's either McCabe, Oglesby or Utoff (not necessarily in that order) depending upon the matchup. I'd not put Olaseni in because he gets beat on defense entirely too many times and doesn't have good handles, especially when the play is physical as it usually is in the final minutes of a game. I'd not put in Woody because he's not a good enough free throw shooter.

 

[tm3308]

What about his 1-6 FG and 2-4 from FT line in crunch time makes him one of the best 2 PG's in conference?

I like this kid and want to love him, but he has not stepped up in crunch time.

I bet he could hit 90% of FT in practice, but under 70% in games does not cut it for a PG, sorry. I would have had zero confidence in his making both FT at the end of the MSU game had a foul been called on the last play.

First of all, he didn't say Gesell was one of the 2 best PG's in the conference. He said one of the top PG's. That's absolutely true. I'd take Mike over Abrams, Sobolewski, Johnson, Webster, Jackson and even Walton and Craft.

Andre Hollins, Appling, Gesell, Frazier, and Ferrell are the league's top PG's, IMO.

But in any case, struggling at the line doesn't mean the kid isn't one of the best point guards in the conference. Talk about throwing the baby out with the bath water.

 

[WindsorHawk]

Gesell and Marble at the guards. White and Basabe at the forwards. After that, whoever is hot and/or whoever is the best matchup against the other team. Personally it's either McCabe, Oglesby or Utoff (not necessarily in that order) depending upon the matchup. I'd not put Olaseni in because he gets beat on defense entirely too many times and doesn't have good handles, especially when the play is physical as it usually is in the final minutes of a game. I'd not put in Woody because he's not a good enough free throw shooter.

We agree on Gesell, Marble, White and Basabe. We disagree on Woodbury. I like his decision making and/or basketball IQ. He's shooting 71.1% from the line which is good enough for me...considering he should only be at the line if he gets a defensive rebound and is fouled right away. Also, only White has a better FT% than Woodbury out of the other 4 guys we both have listed. Uthoff is the only guy on the bench with a better FT%.

 

[Hillcrest1981]

Uthoff = Cowbell
Give Me more cowbell!