These next three games....

[mopkins]

Lets put it another way. Here's how the schedule worked out:

**Season Starts**
Cupcakes
Exempt Tournament
ACC/B1G Challenge
2 Big Ten games
Iowa State
***Finals/Winter Break***
Hy-vee Challenge
Cupcakes
Big Ten Schedule

If you put it into that perspective...it all makes a ton of sense.

 

[atomicblue224]

I was confused with the weirdest scheduling of games this year. it makes me think that the staffs must have thought that the players weren't ready to play for the hardcore basketball. If I'm the season ticket holder, I just won't waste my money on this crappy schedule. I can't afford the expenses of watching Iowa beating up the little league basketball teams.

 

[thedukeofearl]

Rhode Island, Texas AM, Georgia, Vandy, Wisconsin, SMU, Southern Miss, Wake Forest and NC State have all played/scheduled one of the next three opponents.

But, yeah, it’s just Iowa that schedules cupcakes.

Yeah, Bro.....

 

[SidFarkas]

Yeah, Bro.....

Manssiere

 

[Northside Hawk]

I call him Gutless Gary for a reason. At this point, I'm shocked anyone is willing to pay good money to purchase season tickets. Your local high school games will be more entertaining than these games. But hell, I guess we got to pad our "body of work" somehow. Don't we?

"Gutless Gary" probably couldn't change a light bulb without breaking it off in his hand.

Then he would try to remove the metal threading by using a damp washcloth without shutting off the breaker.

 

[kicker22]

Lets put it another way. Here's how the schedule worked out:

**Season Starts**
Cupcakes
Exempt Tournament
ACC/B1G Challenge
2 Big Ten games
Iowa State
***Finals/Winter Break***
Hy-vee Challenge
Cupcakes
Big Ten Schedule

If you put it into that perspective...it all makes a ton of sense.

True, but I'd cross out the Hy-Vee Challenge and replace it with another Cupcake.

 

[deanvogs]

True, but I'd cross out the Hy-Vee Challenge and replace it with another Cupcake.

Actually they crossed out the UNI game and they are playing Cincinnati in Chicago to replace it next year. Not sure how anyone can complain about that one.

 

[kicker22]

Actually they crossed out the UNI game and they are playing Cincinnati in Chicago to replace it next year. Not sure how anyone can complain about that one.

Fair enough, but at the same time they could have scheduled Cincy in place of one of the cupcakes.

 

[mopkins]

True, but I'd cross out the Hy-Vee Challenge and replace it with another Cupcake.

Right but they have been playing the hy-vee classic since 2012 so its not like they knew 6 years ago that UNI was going to be terrible this year. Hell 4 years ago UNI had Seth Tuttle and Washpun and won a couple NCAA tournament games

 

[deanvogs]

Fair enough, but at the same time they could have scheduled Cincy in place of one of the cupcakes.

Iowa basically scheduled 6 cupcakes this year, and will schedule 6 cupcakes next year, most teams schedule more cupcakes than this.

Duke - 7 cakes
Kentucky - 7 cakes
UNC - 7 cakes
Virginia - 7 cakes
MSU - 6 cakes
Michigan - 6/7 cakes

I mean seriously we would be stupid adding more competitive games than what the top teams in all of college BB play.

 

[mopkins]

Iowa basically scheduled 6 cupcakes this year, and will schedule 6 cupcakes next year, most teams schedule more cupcakes than this.

Duke - 7 cakes
Kentucky - 7 cakes
UNC - 7 cakes
Virginia - 7 cakes
MSU - 6 cakes
Michigan - 6/7 cakes

I mean seriously we would be stupid adding more competitive games than what the top teams in all of college BB play.

I would argue that Iowa only scheduled 4 cupcakes this year. those 2 games at the beginning of the year were part of the 2k classic that took them to madison square garden.

Granted, I'm 100% sure Fran knew those cupcakes would be....baked.....in (pun-tastic). but still the point remains that Iowa didn't schedule those first two games all by themselves.

 

[kicker22]

Iowa basically scheduled 6 cupcakes this year, and will schedule 6 cupcakes next year, most teams schedule more cupcakes than this.

Duke - 7 cakes
Kentucky - 7 cakes
UNC - 7 cakes
Virginia - 7 cakes
MSU - 6 cakes
Michigan - 6/7 cakes

I mean seriously we would be stupid adding more competitive games than what the top teams in all of college BB play.

Would we be that stupid though? If the goal is to do what is needed to win championships then you need to player better opponents. If I'm one of the top teams in the nation year in and year out then I have the opportunity to schedule cupcakes because at the end of the year if Duke (or any of these teams) are sitting next to Iowa on the bubble, I'm going out on a limb saying Iowa is NIT bound 95% of the time based on reputation alone.

As what I would consider a bubble program, I don't think we make a better case scheduling cupcakes as opposed to quality opponents. I also don't think as an AD I'm going to make the comment about scheduling to win championships while scheduling cupcakes.

If were truly in it to get better from a competitive standpoint then cupcakes aren't the answer. If were doing it to pad the win column to make a .500 record in conference play look better, then its working. While the other teams are scheduling cupcakes they're also scheduling the elite programs in the country. We've got the cupcakes, but I don't see us playing top 25 teams on a regular basis. I think the teams listed above have earned that right.

 

[kicker22]

I would argue that Iowa only scheduled 4 cupcakes this year. those 2 games at the beginning of the year were part of the 2k classic that took them to madison square garden.

Granted, I'm 100% sure Fran knew those cupcakes would be....baked.....in (pun-tastic). but still the point remains that Iowa didn't schedule those first two games all by themselves.

Fair enough. Like I said in my last post prior to this, we can do a better job of bring in better opponents to balance out the cupcakes.

 

[mopkins]

Fair enough. Like I said in my last post prior to this, we can do a better job of bring in better opponents to balance out the cupcakes.

I don't necessarily disagree, but in the end it doesnt really matter. Iowa's postseason chances will be like 80% tied to how well they do in the conference....and IMO thats how it should be.

 

[mopkins]

Fair enough. Like I said in my last post prior to this, we can do a better job of bring in better opponents to balance out the cupcakes.

For fun look at Iowa's 1992 schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992–93_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule/results

Also check out Iowa's last final four schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979–80_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule

If you think this year's schedule is weak and boring...they used to be much...much....much worse.

 

[deanvogs]

Would we be that stupid though? If the goal is to do what is needed to win championships then you need to player better opponents. If I'm one of the top teams in the nation year in and year out then I have the opportunity to schedule cupcakes because at the end of the year if Duke (or any of these teams) are sitting next to Iowa on the bubble, I'm going out on a limb saying Iowa is NIT bound 95% of the time based on reputation alone.

As what I would consider a bubble program, I don't think we make a better case scheduling cupcakes as opposed to quality opponents. I also don't think as an AD I'm going to make the comment about scheduling to win championships while scheduling cupcakes.

If were truly in it to get better from a competitive standpoint then cupcakes aren't the answer. If were doing it to pad the win column to make a .500 record in conference play look better, then its working. While the other teams are scheduling cupcakes they're also scheduling the elite programs in the country. We've got the cupcakes, but I don't see us playing top 25 teams on a regular basis. I think the teams listed above have earned that right.

So how many cupcakes are acceptable? I listed blue bloods because they typically play LESS cupcakes than other teams, and they were still playing more Cupcakes than Iowa. Look at the Big12 ISU and Baylor scheduled 7 or 8 cupcakes. Texas Tech is playing 8 cupcakes and it ain't gonna hurt them.

Move away from the Blue Blood programs and most everyone is playing 7 or 8 cupcakes. Yet Iowa is somehow gonna be better off taking potential losses to a Cincinnati for instance than scheduling a win? Iowa is already playing less cupcakes than most, it would be DUMB to schedule more tough games and take more losses.

 

[InGoodCo]

For fun look at Iowa's 1992 schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992–93_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule/results

Also check out Iowa's last final four schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979–80_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule

If you think this year's schedule is weak and boring...they used to be much...much....much worse.

It's been getting better for a while. In the 80's and 90's it seemed like Iowa would only play like 2 or 3 real "tests" an OOC before the conference schedule. Other than that, it was cupcake city. I think they specifically went really weak when Fran arrived, because wins were what the program needed. It's really gotten better and now that there is a 20 game conference schedule, really all Iowa needs to do is schedule the cupcakes for the rest. With exempts, B1G/ACC Challenge, Gavitt Games, and ISU + the BTT - that's going to be 25-26 games against p5 conference teams every year. Yes, there are still snoozers on the schedule, but it's come a long ways and every program in the country is playing some cupcakes. Just do what I do - get a big old bottle of Jack Daniels Honey. Drop 1 cube in a small glass and fill it a quarter full. Drink one every 10 minutes of basketball. You'll make it through.

 

[kicker22]

For fun look at Iowa's 1992 schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992–93_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule/results

Also check out Iowa's last final four schedule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979–80_Iowa_Hawkeyes_men's_basketball_team#Schedule

If you think this year's schedule is weak and boring...they used to be much...much....much worse.

The whole thing just drives me nuts. I'm just so tired of the "we play in a premiere conference" mentality. I totally agree with you that 80% of making the tournament is tied to conference play, so lets make the most of it. I guess I'm just one of those fans that would rather see us getting beat by the best teams in the county in nonconference games than blowing out a program that 2/3 of the fanbase didn't know existed.

 

[InGoodCo]

So how many cupcakes are acceptable? I listed blue bloods because they typically play LESS cupcakes than other teams, and they were still playing more Cupcakes than Iowa. Look at the Big12 ISU and Baylor scheduled 7 or 8 cupcakes. Texas Tech is playing 8 cupcakes and it ain't gonna hurt them.

Move away from the Blue Blood programs and most everyone is playing 7 or 8 cupcakes. Yet Iowa is somehow gonna be better off taking potential losses to a Cincinnati for instance than scheduling a win? Iowa is already playing less cupcakes than most, it would be DUMB to schedule more tough games and take more losses.

It's the same fan that wants Northern IL or W Michigan off the schedule in football cause they are "fcs teams" (factually not true) and wants Iowa to play Notre Dame or Mizzou instead, and have Iowa play 11 P5 teams while everyone else is playing 8. It'd be more fun for us fans but for a team that is trying to maximize it's place on a totem poll, that's not a great business model.

 

[kicker22]

So how many cupcakes are acceptable? I listed blue bloods because they typically play LESS cupcakes than other teams, and they were still playing more Cupcakes than Iowa. Look at the Big12 ISU and Baylor scheduled 7 or 8 cupcakes. Texas Tech is playing 8 cupcakes and it ain't gonna hurt them.

Move away from the Blue Blood programs and most everyone is playing 7 or 8 cupcakes. Yet Iowa is somehow gonna be better off taking potential losses to a Cincinnati for instance than scheduling a win? Iowa is already playing less cupcakes than most, it would be DUMB to schedule more tough games and take more losses.

I hear you Dean. I guess it depends on how you measure success. The ultimate goal is always going to be doing well in conference play and hearing your name called on selection Sunday, as it should be. I guess I'll always be that person that would rather play the best of the best game in and game out. I just feel that sports are about competition and its gotten the point where teams are stacking the deck when ever possible to avoid that competition. The sports become about being good enough to make a sweet 16 or elite 8, but not proving that your one of the 8 or 16 best teams in the country game in and game out.