What are your expectations for next year?

I don't see why we have to 'temper' expectations. Iowa has to start setting its 'own' standard and measuring itself to it. Like it or not, a run like this in the NIT, and 9 of your top 10 coming back should equal high expectations. That should be Iowa's standard. That should come from inside the program and it will definitely come from outside the program. And I would be shocked if Caff isn't thinking that way. Quite frankly, if Iowa isn't competing for the league crown and a threat to make a run in the NCAA tournament, then this team will be a disappointment. Yes, each player has to improve and make strides. But why wouldn't you expect that. Barring injuries, this club should be a very good basketball team.
 
You would hope that with a year of experience and getting stronger Olesani and Woody could become beasts. Everyone should be better. Add 1 or 2 legit 3point threats(JOK ,Uthoff) and this team will be a handful. I'm looking at a BIg contender. But will likely end up 3rd or 4th.
 
NCAA Tourney, 4-7 seed.
Top 5 in B1G.
22ish wins before the BTT depending on the slate of games.

This + 1 win in the tourney. I would maybe say top 4 B1G and 23-24 total wins.

Anything beyond this is bonus.

Dang hard to win in BIG and past the first round of the Dance.....just ask the clones (sorry...had to do it)
 
My expectations are to have a great time watching Iowa BB, and be entertained. I will be pizzed off when they lose, and think they are terrible. I will be pumped up when they win, and think they are a elite 8 team.
 
What do I expect from next year's team? Well, it's hard to answer that exactly, but yeah, obviously an NCAA Tournament bid. I expect them to improve, and in be in a position where they aren't trying to scratch and claw their way onto the bubble just to get a bid like they were this year. I expect them to be a bit more solid at-large team. Anything less will mean a lack of progress, which is all I really expect.

As far as seeding or how deep in the tournament they go.. I guess I will keep my expectations in check and say a 7 seed in the dance, give or take. That would put them in, as a solid at-large. Win their first round game. That seems like a reasonable next step to me.

However I think they could do better if things break right - maybe 4 or 5 seed and get to the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 depending on matchups in their region. Then again, Wichita State is in the Final Four as a 9 seed, so who knows?
 
I expect 12 wins non-con & 12 wins conf. NCAA seeding can't have expectations cuz da committee is full of used douches.
 
I'm hoping we do the same thing we've done the last 3 years. Start out at about where we left off the year before and get noticeably better as the year goes on. I think next year will be easier to do this then the previous years were because who we lose and how little we will need to rely on incoming freshmen.

If we do this I don't see any reason why we can't have a chance to be in the mix to win the conference.
 
Top 4 finish in the B!G regular season, final 4 in the B!G tourney
At least 1 win the Dance with a 50/50 shot at the Sweet 16
 
4th or higher in regular league standings
BTT--don't much care...overrated unless you're on the bubble
Sweet-16+ in NCAA

Marble--1st team Big-10
 
Keep in mind....MSU is a national title contender...Ohio State and Michigan may not be far off..All three of those teams are preseason Top 15 teams, Iowa is not AND Iowa will be playing each of them twice next year as opposed to just once this past season. Indiana will have a lot of young talent. Purdue is going to be an NCAA bubble team perhaps and I think Wisconsin will be in that range, too.

Five seed suggests a team ranked 17th-20th in the polls, ish.

Really depends who is coming back for Michigan and OSU... if Michigan only returns McGary and Staukas (sp) that's a step below Iowa.

MSU is solid but they are very beatable.
 
I don't really care where we finish in the BIG. As Michigan proves this year, it is irrelevant. It is a grueling BIG season, and you will lose games you shouldn't (every BIG team lost a game or two they had no business losing) and go into mini slumps. I think more important is getting a 6 seed or better in the NCAA tourney.
 
I don't really care where we finish in the BIG. As Michigan proves this year, it is irrelevant. It is a grueling BIG season, and you will lose games you shouldn't (every BIG team lost a game or two they had no business losing) and go into mini slumps. I think more important is getting a 6 seed or better in the NCAA tourney.

Um, you can get that where you finish in the league will impact your NCAA seeding, right?
 
Um, you can get that where you finish in the league will impact your NCAA seeding, right?

Really? How did that work out for Iowa this year? Michigan finished 5th, got a 4 seed. Iowa finished 6th, didn't make it in.

Illinois, Minny, and Purdue finished with the same BIG record. One got a 7 seed, one a 11 seed, and one was left out.
 
Really? How did that work out for Iowa this year? Michigan finished 5th, got a 4 seed. Iowa finished 6th, didn't make it in.

Illinois, Minny, and Purdue finished with the same BIG record. One got a 7 seed, one a 11 seed, and one was left out.

good perspective. when you play in a tough conference, record can be misleading. here's to hoping we play (and beat) some decent teams in the non-con next year too. we could finish 10-8 in conference and that would be a significant improvement since we play a much harder conference schedule.
 
Really? How did that work out for Iowa this year? Michigan finished 5th, got a 4 seed. Iowa finished 6th, didn't make it in.

Illinois, Minny, and Purdue finished with the same BIG record. One got a 7 seed, one a 11 seed, and one was left out of the NCAA and the NIT.

Fixed the Purdue part. You're exactly right, the non-conference season seems to be at least as important as the conference season and the standings don't really have any bearing on tournament seeding.
 
A few thoughts of mine....

1. Keep in mind that we had one of the easiest B1G schedules, if not THE easiest, of the Top 6 teams in the conference. We got PSU, Neb, and NW twice and only had to play MSU, Mich and OSU once. That probably ain't gonna happen next year.

2. Although we were competitive against the Top 5 teams ahead of us (with the exception of Michigan and 1st half of OSU), the fact remains that, other than a home win against Wisky, we lost all the other games against the teams ahead of us. Those teams aren't just going to roll over and give up their spots in the Top 5, we have to take it.

3. While this team is playing like a team (the sum is definitely better than the individual parts), the fact remains that we do not have a shooter that has shown a consistent ability to hit the 3 ball, nor do we have a guy that can consistently break his man down off the dribble and get to the rim. We have decent talent....enough to beat the Top 50-100 RPI teams like ISU, Virginia, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Can the players improve enough to get some Top 25 wins against the likes of OSU, MSU, Mich or Indiana?

With all that being said, I think we definitely have a team capable of breaking into the Top 5 of the conference. I think we can overtake Wisconsin.....even though Bo Ryan has never finished below 4th in any of his 12 years at the school. I'm not sure we have the talent to break ahead of any of the other "Big 4" yet, though. But if we can get to 11-7 in the conference with at least 2 of those wins being over the "Big 4", I think we can finish 5th in the conference and get somewhere around a 5-7 seed. After that, it's all about matchups in the tournament. If we can avoid the dreaded 8/9 seed, we definitely have a chance of getting to the 2nd weekend.
 

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