Virginia

theboat

Well-Known Member
I can't help but think what could have been for this years iowa team when I watch them win the ACC. This is a team that iowa beat at their place last year and their season is going tge way most here had hoped Iowa's would've gone. If only we could have had a closer.

Oh well. Ifs and buts. Bring on the boilermakers
 
Completely agree, UVA has basically the same team as last year, yet took a major step that Iowa didn't have the cajones to take. In life there are winners and there are people who hope they win. We have now witnessed enough games to know which category this Iowa team falls in.
 
I can't help but think what could have been for this years iowa team when I watch them win the ACC. This is a team that iowa beat at their place last year and their season is going tge way most here had hoped Iowa's would've gone. If only we could have had a closer.

Oh well. Ifs and buts. Bring on the boilermakers

If we go to the elite eight and Virginia loses in the second round, will you still wonder what could have been?
 
If we go to the elite eight and Virginia loses in the second round, will you still wonder what could have been?

Do you still honestly believe that a team who has the inability to close out single digit games will some how grab lightning in a bottle and make a run in the tourney?
 
While they are having a great year, you can't help to look at their schedule and think most solid basketball teams could run through that as well.

Non conference wins: SMU is the best
They lost to: Green Bay, VCU and Tennessee for crying out loud.

As of right now they've beaten two ranked teams this whole year (killed SU and barely beat Pitt), ND might have been at the time as well

I kind of see it as Iowa football next year, a descent season last year and possibly a big jump next year, only because of our schedule.
 
While they are having a great year, you can't help to look at their schedule and think most solid basketball teams could run through that as well.

Non conference wins: SMU is the best
They lost to: Green Bay, VCU and Tennessee for crying out loud.

As of right now they've beaten two ranked teams this whole year (killed SU and barely beat Pitt), ND might have been at the time as well

I kind of see it as Iowa football next year, a descent season last year and possibly a big jump next year, only because of our schedule.

If our football team beats #4 next year, I will dance a jig.
 
While they are having a great year, you can't help to look at their schedule and think most solid basketball teams could run through that as well.

Non conference wins: SMU is the best
They lost to: Green Bay, VCU and Tennessee for crying out loud.

As of right now they've beaten two ranked teams this whole year (killed SU and barely beat Pitt), ND might have been at the time as well

I kind of see it as Iowa football next year, a descent season last year and possibly a big jump next year, only because of our schedule.

But they won the conference games they were supposed to and beat a few top rated teams along the way. Iowa has not done that.
 
Two reasons that Virginia is the 2013-2014 anti-Iowa:

1) They are the #1 scoring defense (54.7 / game) and kempon has their adj-D at #3. Defense is pride, effort and, come tournament time, when shooting slumps can happen on neutral courts and different venues, defense travels.

Iowa is 84th in NCAA and 10th in B1G in scoring defense (allowing nearly 70 ppg). We've witnessed over the last week that they are far worse than that, right now. Iowa's strategy regarding defense is less about locking teams down and preventing them from scoring and more about playing the percentages of the other team -- let them get their shots but expect they will miss more than not -- and don't allow 2nd chances.

Last year, when Iowa was a sucky shooting team, their only hope was to focus on defense. This year, Iowa has a sucky defense because they simply are not emphasizing it. Their entire focus is on quick transition offense and outscoring other teams. The problem occurs when other teams have good shooting nights (fOSU, Wisconsin, Minny, Indiana) and decide to outrun Iowa (Minny and Indiana) because the Hawks aren't focused on defending. As Iowa experiences more and more of those prolonged scoring droughts (anything over 4 - 5 minutes will doom the Hawks) they simply don't have the defense to weather it.

2) Tighter rotation. 8 guys avg 10+ minutes / game. That 8th guy = 11.8 mpg. Top 7 guys go 18.6 - 30.7 mpg.

Meanwhile, Iowa has 10 guys avg 12+ minutes / game. The 10th guy (Clemmons) = 12.8 mpg. The next 9 all average over 16.3+ mpg!! One of your key strengths this year -- size and length -- have your post players (Woody, Gabe, McCabe) all averaging only 16.3 mpg. Take a look at this and go figure ... Iowa Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball Talk about complete dilution of talent, mismanagement of personnel due to a blind perception that quantity = quality.

It's the old football cliche, "When you have 2 QB's, you have none." Well, it appears when you have 2 platoons in basketball, you have none.
 
But they won the conference games they were supposed to and beat a few top rated teams along the way. Iowa has not done that.

Agree, but the middle of the pack ACC teams (NCST, Flordia St, Maryland), don't even compare to Nebraska, Indiana and Minnesota this year. Either way a great season for them as you can only play the games on your schedule.
 
@OSU (#3 at the time) and Michigan (#10) say hello.

Who cares? OSU has shown they never deserved that high of a ranking. And his point was that Virginia has beaten some top teams AND taken care of business against the teams they should beat. Iowa has absolutely not done that.
 
No. My point is that there is a lot of basketball yet to be played. Let's not rush any obituaries here.
Is that what you think is going on here? I even point out in my OP that the season isn't over, but as of today I bet it is way gooder being a Cav fan than where we are.
 
Agree, but the middle of the pack ACC teams (NCST, Flordia St, Maryland), don't even compare to Nebraska, Indiana and Minnesota this year. Either way a great season for them as you can only play the games on your schedule.

I'm not sure sure about that. All three of those teams have pushed the ACC's top teams to the brink; over the last couple weeks, Maryland lost to Duke, Syracuse and Virginia by a combined 12 points. NC State lost to Syracuse by 1 on the road and UNC by 1 in OT. Those three teams beat the bottom tier teams pretty consistently, lose (close) to the top teams and then pick at each other.

They've not gotten some wins over the top teams, but I think beating Duke or Syracuse, especially, is quite a bit tougher than beating the best in the B1G this year. In the B1G, everybody took a couple steps closer to the middle of the spectrum; last year's bad teams are better and and the good teams are a little worse. That creates some insane parity, but doesn't mean anyone in the conference is all that and a bag of chips.
 
I'm not sure sure about that. All three of those teams have pushed the ACC's top teams to the brink; over the last couple weeks, Maryland lost to Duke, Syracuse and Virginia by a combined 12 points. NC State lost to Syracuse by 1 on the road and UNC by 1 in OT. Those three teams beat the bottom tier teams pretty consistently, lose (close) to the top teams and then pick at each other.

They've not gotten some wins over the top teams, but I think beating Duke or Syracuse, especially, is quite a bit tougher than beating the best in the B1G this year. In the B1G, everybody took a couple steps closer to the middle of the spectrum; last year's bad teams are better and and the good teams are a little worse. That creates some insane parity, but doesn't mean anyone in the conference is all that and a bag of chips.

I get ya, and that will happen in conference play when teams are familiar with each other, excluding Syracuse and Pitt. The conferences are hard to compare due to the ACC having 15 teams, but the middle tier teams in both conferences are pretty well apparent by now. Which is Pitt, Maryland, Fla St, NCST and Clemson for the ACC, and Iowa, Minn, Ind, and Neb. Heck we could even through Ill in there.

Vs RPI top 50

Maryland: 0-9
Fla St: 3-7
NCST: 1-8
Clemson: 1-5
Pitt: 1-6

Iowa: 4-8
Ind: 3-6
Minn: 3-7
Neb: 3-7
ILL: 3-7

The ACC is bad this year besides the top four teams, and even then I'm not sure their top four are that much better then the Big10's top four.
 
Two reasons that Virginia is the 2013-2014 anti-Iowa:

1) They are the #1 scoring defense (54.7 / game) and kempon has their adj-D at #3. Defense is pride, effort and, come tournament time, when shooting slumps can happen on neutral courts and different venues, defense travels.

Iowa is 84th in NCAA and 10th in B1G in scoring defense (allowing nearly 70 ppg). We've witnessed over the last week that they are far worse than that, right now. Iowa's strategy regarding defense is less about locking teams down and preventing them from scoring and more about playing the percentages of the other team -- let them get their shots but expect they will miss more than not -- and don't allow 2nd chances.

Last year, when Iowa was a sucky shooting team, their only hope was to focus on defense. This year, Iowa has a sucky defense because they simply are not emphasizing it. Their entire focus is on quick transition offense and outscoring other teams. The problem occurs when other teams have good shooting nights (fOSU, Wisconsin, Minny, Indiana) and decide to outrun Iowa (Minny and Indiana) because the Hawks aren't focused on defending. As Iowa experiences more and more of those prolonged scoring droughts (anything over 4 - 5 minutes will doom the Hawks) they simply don't have the defense to weather it.

2) Tighter rotation. 8 guys avg 10+ minutes / game. That 8th guy = 11.8 mpg. Top 7 guys go 18.6 - 30.7 mpg.

Meanwhile, Iowa has 10 guys avg 12+ minutes / game. The 10th guy (Clemmons) = 12.8 mpg. The next 9 all average over 16.3+ mpg!! One of your key strengths this year -- size and length -- have your post players (Woody, Gabe, McCabe) all averaging only 16.3 mpg. Take a look at this and go figure ... Iowa Official Athletic Site - Men's Basketball Talk about complete dilution of talent, mismanagement of personnel due to a blind perception that quantity = quality.

It's the old football cliche, "When you have 2 QB's, you have none." Well, it appears when you have 2 platoons in basketball, you have none.


Funny, I was just thinking of the 2 qb comparison yesterday.
 
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