Why Do Iowa Teams Chit The Bed So Much?

[Oldmanhawk]

While we are disappointed with the way things turned out, would you rather be a cyfan who can't beat division 2 football teams and a basketball team that next year won't be competitive. I would rather get close and fail than be a total loser.

This is why each of our fan bases scratches their head at each other..as much as I'd like to see Isu fail, what u said from a bball standpoint is ridiculous honestly. They return more talent than we do. Monte, Thomas, Naz, Burton might be ok...that right there might give them one of the better back courts in the entire country...you have that and you can go far. They also have a decent recruiting class coming and a 6'7 senior transferring in. They won't be as good as this year but it will probably be a bubble type team. As much as at pains me to admit the IsU program is a top 15 program right now...until proven otherwise.

 

[docholihawk]

To answer your question of why we can't have what the clowns have. Maybe it's because we don't take transfers who've been kicked off other teams or maybe because we don't have fake degrees and show up on 60 minutes because of it. Maybe because we don't have recruiting violations or maybe we don't have a coach who hands out game tickets to cops to keep his players out of legal trouble. If those kind of things don't bother you you're following the wrong program.

 

[docholihawk]

I have a feeling it's not as painful as you describe.

 

[HawkeyeWalker]

1. Iowa never seems to have complete teams. General example in basketball, we have wing players, but not elite guards or a center. Football team has a quarterback, but no wide receivers, elite tailback, safeties, etc.

2. Coaching Conservative or very good coaching M through F, but not on gameday.

3. Injuries and Lack of depth.

4. Losing players to academics and ******* in hotel lobbies. Girl and boyfriend problems. Lack of chemistry.

5. Other teams have more elite players in their front lines and back lines.

6. When Iowa has a chance to step forward into elite status or taste it, they don't take advantage of it. Iowa then losses out on getting the big fish when they Iowa got embarrassed in the big games. Vicious cycle.

7. The University has made some bad coaching hires (Lick, Alford) and is forever married to its historically good/mediocre, but not great coaches (ala Ferentz). Mr. Davis is the outer in the marriage department (probably similar to Ferentz, but with less brass), but the way that situation was handled was very destructive to the basketball program. Mr. Davis retires at Iowa you have more NCAAs and probably a title by now. He should have had one when Minny cheated that year.

8. Gable is like Wooden. UCLA is not the same without Wooden and Iowa Wrestling is not the same without Gable.

9. Three or four teams control women's basketball and then there is everyone else. We get some pretty blonde girls playing under Bluder. UConn gets the street ballers.

10. Iowa needs to update its home environments to get more intemidating. Students need to be courtside, etc.


Bonus.....let's not forget this Iowa basketball team lost to a Division 3 (or D2 school whatever it was) school at the beginning of the year. Very good D3 school, but that should not happen on your own home court ever for a major D1 program (unless the flu breaks out or something).

Regarding #9...some of those pretty blonde girls would whoop most of us high school/intramural ballers ***. My intramural team was pretty solid, my sister coached for Creighton in the late 90's, a few of us scrimmaged them, and got beat up. I was about 6'3" 225 at the time, decent athlete for scrub... Their forward (who was hot) had no issue elbowing and hand checking....and boxing out (which honestly I didn't hate, but I digress). I know, dumb story, just saying...she was a bad *** pretty blonde....

 

[PCHawk]

They've also been to 5 straight NCAA tournaments (no "Play-In" game") and 2 Sweet Sixteen appearances in those 5 years. What makes them capable of this while Iowa can't? In the same state with the same resources, Iowa should be able to have this kind of success as well.

Iowa State is really good right now. I'll worry about being worse than them when they start sucking again. It's not a big deal if you're worse than a team that's really good. That said, it sucks being worse than them.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

To answer your question of why we can't have what the clowns have. Maybe it's because we don't take transfers who've been kicked off other teams or maybe because we don't have fake degrees and show up on 60 minutes because of it. Maybe because we don't have recruiting violations or maybe we don't have a coach who hands out game tickets to cops to keep his players out of legal trouble. If those kind of things don't bother you you're following the wrong program.

Maybe Iowa should be a little less picky about the types of players that are recruited - we are not Duke, UK, etc. who can expect to land the perfect recruits who get good grades, have zero baggage, and have elite game. As long as we are not breaking any rules and end up on probation, post-season bans, etc., then I personally do not give a rip. Of course, I'd rather have clean recruits who can play.. Just am not sure if it's realistic to do that at Iowa AND expect to win at a higher level than we've seen the last 30 years.

I don't take it that seriously - to me, it's just basketball and I watch it to be entertained. I won't stop watching if any of our players might have a bit of baggage, or a GPA < 3..

I'm starting to wonder if Iowa doesn't win at a higher level than it does because of the overall culture within the University and Athletic Department, not so much because it "can't be done". If ISU can do it, so can we.

That's probably not a popular sentiment with the "right way" crowd, but that's where I stand.

Clarification: None of this means that I'm not happy with the job Fran has done to date, but I'd like to at least make the occasional Sweet 16 if nothing else.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Iowa State is really good right now. I'll worry about being worse than them when they start sucking again. It's not a big deal if you're worse than a team that's really good. That said, it sucks being worse than them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DIETlxquzY

 

[lightning1]

What is it? Why can't we win, or at least the big games. First the football team has an epic year and folds in the Rose Bowl game. The basketball team was having what was going to be arguably one of the best seasons and hit the wall in the end. The game against 'nova was embarrassing and over by half-time of not sooner. It felt similar to watching the 1st half of the Rose Bowl.

Why can't Iowa win? Why can't us fans have our moment in the light on occasion? It's similar to being a Cubs fan, I guess.

It starts with the AD. He doesn't know what a good basketball coach looks like.
Then comes the basketball coach that the Ad hired - Fran. Fran can't recruit well enough to win a BIG title here. All too often he ends up with fall back recruits at the guard spots.
Then there's his in-game coaching. Fran believes you put your work in during practice and at game time, you let the players play. Players love that (which makes the recruiting struggles harder to comprehend) but any time you get in a game with good in-game coaches, they are going to make adjustments. This is Fran's Achilles heel.

 

[homes]

As opposed to never beating anyone, good or bad?

Not passively accepting the status quo nor thinking they can't/shouldn't do better, but sometimes I think we don't realize how bad it could be. I also don't think we, as a fanbase, are alone in the belief that our team repeatedly (and exclusively) "chits the bed".

 

[Joshbrown]

What is it? Why can't we win, or at least the big games. First the football team has an epic year and folds in the Rose Bowl game. The basketball team was having what was going to be arguably one of the best seasons and hit the wall in the end. The game against 'nova was embarrassing and over by half-time of not sooner. It felt similar to watching the 1st half of the Rose Bowl.

Why can't Iowa win? Why can't us fans have our moment in the light on occasion? It's similar to being a Cubs fan, I guess.

Next time you pass a mirror, in it you'll find the answer to your question.

 

[Cydkar]

While we are disappointed with the way things turned out, would you rather be a cyfan who can't beat division 2 football teams and a basketball team that next year won't be competitive. I would rather get close and fail than be a total loser.

I love this post.

 

[Locker67]

I was never thrilled when Lick was hired but I , like a lot of fans, thought Alford was a great hire. Those doing the hiring ended up a mistake with both. But we the fans made a mistake when excited about the Alford hire. Easy being a Mon. morning QB

 

[1977Hawkeye]

It starts with the AD. He doesn't know what a good basketball coach looks like.
Then comes the basketball coach that the Ad hired - Fran. Fran can't recruit well enough to win a BIG title here. All too often he ends up with fall back recruits at the guard spots.
Then there's his in-game coaching. Fran believes you put your work in during practice and at game time, you let the players play. Players love that (which makes the recruiting struggles harder to comprehend) but any time you get in a game with good in-game coaches, they are going to make adjustments. This is Fran's Achilles heel.

Recruiting cures a lot of ills, no doubt, but Iowa had the same PG when they rose to #3 in the country at one point last January, as they did the rest of the year when it all came crashing down. I'm not saying that PG couldn't be better, but Iowa was good enough as-is, for most of the season.

Almost without fail, the losing streaks start in February. I can't help but notice that this is around the time where we start seeing conference opponents for the second time. Are they figuring us out and our coaching staff has no answer for it? Do our players get too comfortable when they are having success?

February meltdowns were a problem under Alford, and Fran's teams seem prone to it as well. Under Lick, the entire season was a meltdown. But there has to be something to it.. Not just bad luck, coincidence, etc. It's been a pattern.

I just have to wonder if we're simply being out-coached.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Next time you pass a mirror, in it you'll find the answer to your question.

Doesn't make sense.

 

[lightning1]

Recruiting cures a lot of ills, no doubt, but Iowa had the same PG when they rose to #3 in the country at one point last January, as they did the rest of the year when it all came crashing down. I'm not saying that PG couldn't be better, but Iowa was good enough as-is, for most of the season.

Almost without fail, the losing streaks start in February. I can't help but notice that this is around the time where we start seeing conference opponents for the second time. Are they figuring us out and our coaching staff has no answer for it? Do our players get too comfortable when they are having success?

February meltdowns were a problem under Alford, and Fran's teams seem prone to it as well. Under Lick, the entire season was a meltdown. But there has to be something to it.. Not just bad luck, coincidence, etc. It's been a pattern.

I just have to wonder if we're simply being out-coached.

This is where the in-game coaching matters. Conf coaches will figure you out the 2nd time around. They'll make adjustments.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

I was never thrilled when Lick was hired but I , like a lot of fans, thought Alford was a great hire. Those doing the hiring ended up a mistake with both. But we the fans made a mistake when excited about the Alford hire. Easy being a Mon. morning QB

I was kinda lukewarm on the Alford hire. I wasn't that excited about his 2nd/3rd place MVC finishes, but came around some when his SWMS team made the Sweet 16. It was hard not to be excited after his first couple years in Iowa City, but it was mostly uninspired basketball after that.

I was definitely "meh" on the Lick hire, especially after hearing Barta say the hire was going to have "sizzle". My reaction to the hire when my parents called and told me about it, was pretty much literally: "Iowa hired Todd Lickliter.. Who? Butler's coach... Oh. Yeah, I guess Butler had a solid team this year".

Initially I wasn't happy with the Fran hire - I was skeptical about hiring a 50-year old coach who'd spent his whole career in the mid-majors (I figured there was a reason a major conference school hadn't hired him by that point in his career, and I thought we were basically getting Dana Altman lite, but Altman's done great at Oregon so what do I know). Fran's done a solid job to this point. Jury's still out on whether he's already taken us as far as he can, though. But yeah, overall, I like Fran, and my initial reaction to his hire was wrong.

 

[Hawk5656]

This is where the in-game coaching matters. Conf coaches will figure you out the 2nd time around. They'll make adjustments.

I noticed how Fran was talking about how great of a coach Crean is and he shouldn't be on the hot seat. He even went as far as mentioning how Crean will have his team ready to go tonight because he's a great coach and has had a week to prepare for the game. Thought that was odd considering he had a week to prepare for a bad Illinois team and lost at home

 

[lightning1]

I noticed how Fran was talking about how great of a coach Crean is and he shouldn't be on the hot seat. He even went as far as mentioning how Crean will have his team ready to go tonight because he's a great coach and has had a week to prepare for the game. Thought that was odd considering he had a week to prepare for a bad Illinois team and lost at home

Coaches won't talk bad about fellow conf coaches. That's not surprising.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Not passively accepting the status quo nor thinking they can't/shouldn't do better, but sometimes I think we don't realize how bad it could be. I also don't think we, as a fanbase, are alone in the belief that our team repeatedly (and exclusively) "chits the bed".

Not like we do though. I'm fine with having great teams occasionally and being competitive the other years. But, why when Iowa is having a great season (outside the usual curve) they can't complete the season with a great bowl win or finish the season as conference champs?

Look at Wisconsin, for example. I view Wisky and Iowa as very similar for various reasons. Historically, they are very close but each has a decade where one is a little better such as Iowa in the 1980's and Wisky in 2000's. The only difference is that Wisky great teams win big bowl games (Rose) and or do well in the Final Four (couple years ago), Iowa doesn't and chits the bed in those games (Iowa vs UNLV to go to Final Four, 3 Rose Bowl losses, BCS losses to USC and Stanford, basketball team on top of BIG before crapping out late in season........). The point of my thread is asking why Iowa doesn't finish big, while teams like Wisconsin do.

 

[Hawk5656]

Coaches won't talk bad about fellow conf coaches. That's not surprising.

I know that I just thought the week to prepare comment was ironic