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1986-87 vs 2020-21 team who would win??

Starters
1 - BJ Armstrong vs Connor McCaffery - 1986
2 - Kevin Gamble vs CJ Fredrick - 1986
3 - Roy Marble vs Joe Wieskamp - tie
4 - Ed Horton vs Jack Nunge - 1986
5 - Brad Lohaus vs Luka Garza - 2020
Bench:
Jeff Moe vs Jordan Bohannon - 2020
Bill Jones vs Patrick McCaffery - 1986
Michael Reaves vs Joe Toussaint - 2020
Gerry Wright vs ? - 1986
Al Lorenzen vs ? 1986
Kent Hill vs ? 1986

After writing this out we need more forwards. Damn, that 86-87 team was talented. I remember the hockey line changes that year.
 
I give the nod to 2020 because of shooting and the sheer dominance from Luka. But it would be close.
 
Starters
1 - BJ Armstrong vs Connor McCaffery - 1986
2 - Kevin Gamble vs CJ Fredrick - 1986
3 - Roy Marble vs Joe Wieskamp - tie
4 - Ed Horton vs Jack Nunge - 1986
5 - Brad Lohaus vs Luka Garza - 2020
Bench:
Jeff Moe vs Jordan Bohannon - 2020
Bill Jones vs Patrick McCaffery - 1986
Michael Reaves vs Joe Toussaint - 2020
Gerry Wright vs ? - 1986
Al Lorenzen vs ? 1986
Kent Hill vs ? 1986

After writing this out we need more forwards. Damn, that 86-87 team was talented. I remember the hockey line changes that year.
don't know if I would say Marble and Wieskamp are a tie. That is no knock to Joe, but Marble was pretty freaking good
 
One of the reasons the 86/87 team failed to advance was the fact that they had no true center on that team.....Lohaus was more of a perimeter player like Nunge and Wright, although a great leaper was only 6'7". As athletic as that team was they were not a great shooting team from outside, most of their points came from inside except from Moe who was really their only consistent outside threat.
Athletically, there's no comparison between the two teams, the 86/87 team wins hands down...but shooting the basketball because the game has changed so much since the mid 80's, well, I'll take the 2020/21 team just because the 3 point shot has become such a weapon....and Garza is such an unstoppable force.
 
For the middle aged and older Hawkeye fans!
The current team would prevail.

* No one would be able to stop Garza, who likely will go down as the all time leading scorer, passing Roy Marble.

* Double team Garza, fine. A 3 pointer will do. The 86 team did not shoot a lot of them. At all.

* Our 3 point shooting would do them in (JBo, Weezy, CJ, Garza).
 
That’s ridiculous. 6-7 guys on that 86 team played in the pros. Plus an incredibly deep bench. This is clearly Frans best team but we have maybe 1 pro in Luka. Granted, he’s the hardest working and best player we have had since that era but that team was loaded. Should have been a national championship team.
 
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Starters
1 - BJ Armstrong vs Connor McCaffery - 1986
2 - Kevin Gamble vs CJ Fredrick - 1986
3 - Roy Marble vs Joe Wieskamp - tie
4 - Ed Horton vs Jack Nunge - 1986
5 - Brad Lohaus vs Luka Garza - 2020
Bench:
Jeff Moe vs Jordan Bohannon - 2020
Bill Jones vs Patrick McCaffery - 1986
Michael Reaves vs Joe Toussaint - 2020
Gerry Wright vs ? - 1986
Al Lorenzen vs ? 1986
Kent Hill vs ? 1986

After writing this out we need more forwards. Damn, that 86-87 team was talented. I remember the hockey line changes that year.
Wieskamp might end up as good or better than Roy, but he hasn’t come close yet.
 
The current team would prevail.

* No one would be able to stop Garza, who likely will go down as the all time leading scorer, passing Roy Marble.

* Double team Garza, fine. A 3 pointer will do. The 86 team did not shoot a lot of them. At all.

* Our 3 point shooting would do them in (JBo, Weezy, CJ, Garza).
Well pretty much all teams from the 80's didn't shoot 3s as much as today. Different type of game wasn't it?
 
One of the reasons the 86/87 team failed to advance was the fact that they had no true center on that team.....Lohaus was more of a perimeter player like Nunge and Wright, although a great leaper was only 6'7".
Are you saying Lohaus was only 6'7"?
 
I have to go with 1986-87. Talent was out of this world and the press was vaporizing. But, the eras are now different and offenses were not built on the 3 (except for UNLV) like they are today. The rankings of many of the players on the 1986-7 team were also more lofty. Not thank ranking mean anything, but I believe at least 9 of those guys had a least a cup of coffee in the NBA.
 
Are you saying Lohaus was only 6'7"?

Lohaus was 7 foot tall or so, but like Nunge played outside the box, Gary Wright who played mostly the center position was only 6'7" tall but could leap like a gazelle, breaking his hand and having to play with a cast on didn't help either.....
 
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Just look at how deep that old team was. Look at that bench!

Add Michael Morgan as 12th man- a prolific scorer out of Louisiana, and he rarely played. Probably would’ve started during the Lick era.
 
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Fortunately, the results of this thread is not black or white (no pun intended) both teams are or will become one of the best in Iowa history...just like picking the best between Michael Jordan or Lebron James there or no winners or losers. It's all good!
 
A collection of really good players on the 86-87 team, but the current Iowa team has the best player in college basketball surrounded by players who play great together. It would be a fun matchup.
 
Starters
1 - BJ Armstrong vs Connor McCaffery - 1986
2 - Kevin Gamble vs CJ Fredrick - 1986
3 - Roy Marble vs Joe Wieskamp - tie
4 - Ed Horton vs Jack Nunge - 1986
5 - Brad Lohaus vs Luka Garza - 2020
Bench:
Jeff Moe vs Jordan Bohannon - 2020
Bill Jones vs Patrick McCaffery - 1986
Michael Reaves vs Joe Toussaint - 2020
Gerry Wright vs ? - 1986
Al Lorenzen vs ? 1986
Kent Hill vs ? 1986

After writing this out we need more forwards. Damn, that 86-87 team was talented. I remember the hockey line changes that year.

You have Roy Marble and Weezy as a tie? Hmmm.
 
You have Roy Marble and Weezy as a tie? Hmmm.
I had a tough time with this one. Marble was further along in most areas but shooting can be the great equilizer and second year Marble didn't have a consistent outside shot yet. Got it his senior year. He was a great defender but wouldn't be able to sag off of Joe for help defense.
 
I had a tough time with this one. Marble was further along in most areas but shooting can be the great equilizer and second year Marble didn't have a consistent outside shot yet. He wouldn't be able to sag off of Joe for help defense.

Oh, good point. I forgot he was only a sophomore then.
 
Starters
1 - BJ Armstrong vs Connor McCaffery - 1986
2 - Kevin Gamble vs CJ Fredrick - 1986
3 - Roy Marble vs Joe Wieskamp - tie
4 - Ed Horton vs Jack Nunge - 1986
5 - Brad Lohaus vs Luka Garza - 2020
Bench:
Jeff Moe vs Jordan Bohannon - 2020
Bill Jones vs Patrick McCaffery - 1986
Michael Reaves vs Joe Toussaint - 2020
Gerry Wright vs ? - 1986
Al Lorenzen vs ? 1986
Kent Hill vs ? 1986

After writing this out we need more forwards. Damn, that 86-87 team was talented. I remember the hockey line changes that year.
Roy would eat Joes lunch and would be a huge mismatch
 
Last edited:
Personally, I would take the ‘69-70 team. With the 3 point shot, Fred Brown would probably average 30 points/game.
I would too, but that wasn't one of the choices. Freddie almost averaged 30 without the 3 point shot.
 
If you were playing in the 86, 87 season. Yep It would be obvious. But if they played in 2020, I'd go for the dominant big man with a team of really good shot makers every time. No doubt about it analytics have changed the game.
 
Would be a great game to watch. The 86 87 team was up and down the court fast. Full court press and lots of subs. This years team is going to be a half court team with a great inside game and great outside shooters Would be fun to watch. This years team will go as deep into the bench as the 86 87 team. Better shooters on this team better inside game with this team. Better driving to the bucket and shooting with the 86 87 team
 
But remember that Marble was a soph that year.
True, but through their soph years, I take Marble in a sec. Joe can get there. He has the tools he just needs to toughen up a bit and develop that killer attitude. When he does that, watch out.
 
Lohaus was 7 foot tall or so, but like Nunge played outside the box, Gary Wright who played mostly the center position was only 6'7" tall but could leap like a gazelle, breaking his hand and having to play with a cast on didn't help either.....
Those cartwheels Gary did with the ball were pretty crazy too!
 
Tom Davis’s soft zone drove me crazy at times. Iowa could be playing the #1 ranked shooting team in the country and he wouldn’t make any adjustments. This Iowa team would torch 86-87.
 
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