An early look at the Big Ten, in shorthand.

[DanL53]

Michigan State is not only far and away the favorite in the Big Ten. But should be in the conversation for National Champions.

Purdue is not what it was in 2016/17. But in this league, this year, they are still the best of the rest.

Unless Minnesota or Iowa have something to say about it. Each should be just inches behind Purdue.

And depending on development, Northwestern could make a case for that second spot.

There's your top five and if anyone else cracks it I will be surprised.

Hoping to nab an NCAA invite, Michigan looks like a solid top seven. And of all the teams, this one earns my "Am I overlooking them" award.

Wisconsin by virtue of tradition may be tough at home.

Then there are Penn State and Maryland, each with some pieces and some severe questions as well.

Illinois has talent. If they decide to be coached. Still, best case is upper second seven. Same for Indiana, talent.

Bottom three, in no particular order: Ohio State, Nebraska, Rutgers.

It's a fight for second this year. I think Iowa, with good fortune, can realistically steal it from Purdue. With all of our young guys, this is setting up for something special.

(This is what I call shorthand.) specifics are out there...

 

[HeRKeYHoPeFuL]

Seems fair - I'll be getting into more depth over the next few weeks as well after having more time to process the turnover from each team (and seeing if there are any late transfer additions headed to the B1G that would be immediately eligible).

I view Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Indiana and Michigan as wildcards of which you could throw them in a hat, pull them out and I wouldn't be surprised to see any order between 3-7 (agree on MSU, then Purdue so far). I think "luck" (schedule, injuries, foul trouble, random events... like not being granted time outs, etc.) will have a lot to do with how these teams finish.

It looks like Indiana was overlooked - I assume that is the team rounding out the top 7 near Michigan?

I'm curious whether Michigan State will really have the guards to be an "elite" team this next year. I think they're loaded down low with Bridges and Ward leading the way, but perhaps a team like Iowa could give them some trouble by throwing body after body at them to stay fresh and having Bohannon, Moss, Ellingson... (Dailey, Baer, Nunge, Kriener, Garza) rain down threes.

I also think teams like Penn State, Maryland, Wisconsin will be good enough to knock off the second tier teams on any given night - should be another pretty balanced year.

 

[Suterman]

I would put the order like this.................

MSU
Northwestern
Minnesota
Purdue
Wisconsin
Iowa
Maryland
Michigan
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Illinois
Nebraska
Rutgers

 

[perryhawk]

I think Ohio State, Rutgers, and Nebraska battle in the basement with the ability to beat some of the top tier teams on a given night.

MSU is the favorite.

Not sure about Penn St and Wisconsin.....not giving Wisconsin the benefit of the doubt under current circumstances.

The rest of it will be a dog fight.

Seems like the league is really really strong.

Northwestern could be really good....makes me uncomfortable.

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

I would put the order like this.................

MSU
Northwestern
Minnesota
Purdue
Wisconsin
Iowa
Maryland
Michigan
Indiana
Ohio State
Penn State
Illinois
Nebraska
Rutgers

I like this list. Purdue isn't a lock for #2.

MSU
Minnesota
Purdue
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Maryland
Iowa
Michigan
Illinois
Penn St
Ohio St
Nebraska
Rutgers

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I like this list. Purdue isn't a lock for #2.

MSU
Minnesota
Purdue
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Maryland
Iowa
Michigan
Illinois
Penn St
Ohio St
Nebraska
Rutgers

My way too early prediction would be close to your list in general range with some minor switches.

MSU
Minnesota
Purdue
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Maryland
Michigan
Iowa
Penn St
Indiana
Ohio St
Illinois
Nebraska
Rutgers

 

[perryhawk]

I think Wisconsin and Michigan in particular lose too much from last year to be in the top 4/5......Maryland maybe. Not saying they won't be good but this league will be very very tough.

 

[CanadaHawk]

MSU is the obvious favorite.

Next group (2-6 in no particular order):
MN will be good but I’m apprehensive about their depth.
Purdue: I’m surprised by the love for Purdue. I think the loss of Swanigan is pretty big. That said, they return a lot of pieces from a B1G championship team.
Northwestern returns basically everyone.
Iowa’s talented and gritty freshmen become sophs and add new bigs to shore up interior D.
Maryland has talent but must replace a primary playmaker in Trimble.
IF Michigan’s transfer PG works out, they could be a top 5 force in the B1G.

8: Wisconsin. I may be wrong, but I’ve got to place them here. They lose too much.

The Bottom 6: lots of coaching turnover, attrition, and uncertainty here so it’s hard to predict the order.
Penn State
Illinois
Indiana
Ohio State
Nebraska
Rutgers

 

[HeRKeYHoPeFuL]

1. MSU - losing very few critical pieces that played the entire season. They return the favorite for B1G player of the year and had no key unscheduled departures.

2. Purdue - Losing Swannigan hurts, but they still return Haas and Edwards. They also return almost everyone else of consequence to give them significant continuity to continue incorporating Carsen Edwards at the point.

3. Northwestern - I think they retain the most repeatable pieces of the remaining groups, plus their recruiting has been better the last few years from what I can recall. If their newcomers can surprise and add solid minutes to what they bring back...

4. Iowa - there some concerns about how the "middle" of the roster will work (thinking the 2-3 spots on the floor if you want to label them with numbers). There's depth questions in the backcourt (would Connor continue to redshirt if Bohannon went down?). However, we were so young last year, and I expect to see solid improvement from some of the sophomores that make up for what Jok provided throughout the year.

5. Minnesota - They return almost everyone, but not much reliable outside shooting. Will they be able to consistently space the floor for their driving guards to get into the lane? If they face a bunch of zone, will they have anyone who can consistently beat it from outside? Can Lynch consistently stay out of foul trouble? I just keep seeing more and more question marks from this roster that was hailed as one of the biggest turnarounds from the previous year.

6. Michigan - Losing Walton Jr, Irvin, and DJ Wilson will hurt. I just don't know how effective their guard play will be, as it seemed like those three mostly ran the show offensively. Beilein is a top notch coach, though, so they may end up higher.

7. Indiana - They have a lot of solid recruiting pieces from the last few years, but losing Thomas, Blackmon and OG is hard to overcome. They'll likely take their lumps in year one, but I expect them to be back toward the top of the conference in the next few years, unfortunately.

8. Wisconsin - I shouldn't doubt them. Every year, we ask if this is the year. This time, I'm predicting it is. You just don't go and lose 4 senior starters at a developmental school and maintain.

9. Maryland - Melo won them a lot of games being able to get to the line and hit free throws. That is now gone, we'll see how Turgeon can do without one of the top PGs in the league (according to national pundits)

10. Penn State - They've got some good young talent, it's time to see if Chambers can put it all together. If not, I think his stint is coming to an end.

11. Ohio State - How do you lose an entire recruiting class of that caliber? Still, they've got the name brand to rebuild, but we'll see if Holtman is up to the challenge.

12. Illinois - I'm not buying what they're selling. I don't trust Groce's talent evaluation, even if they seemed to play Iowa tough every year.

13. Nebraska - I think this is it for Miles. They've got a few decent pieces, but they just aren't keeping up with the rest of the league on the recruiting trail (or keeping them when they do).

14. Rutgers - Who will they pick off this year? Who knows, but it will help everyone else and only hurt that team.

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

Maryland won't take a nose-dive from losing Trimble. Anthony Cowan will be taking over for Trimble at point guard. He averaged as many assists as Trimble while playing off Trimble much of the time. They are going to miss Dodd's defense more than anything. If Bruno Fernando comes in and replaces Dodd's production, they won't miss a beat.

 

[doughawk]

I think Iowa will finish the Big Ten next year in the top 4. The order will depend on how the the conference schedule falls for them. We should have a great season considering we get the Europe games to bond and additional practices.
I think our lineup will be :
Point guard = Bohannon with Williams backing him up
2 guard = Moss with Ellingson and Dailey backing him up
Small Forward = Baer with Nunge backing him up
Power Forward = Cook with Pemsl and Wagner backing him up
Center = Garza with Kreiner backing him up

This will be the best starting group Iowa has had in years and the second team is better than Iowa's first team some (Lick's) years.

 

[And1Hawk]

I am also surprised by the love for Purdue. Swannigan is a B1G loss that really set the table for them. Purdue will feel his loss. They have a few other solid players but not enogh to be considered for a top 2 in the league.

Agree that MSU is the likely favorite. Bridges is outstanding and Ward emerged as an inside threat. I was not impressed by Winston and there was not a lot of other impressive players.

I think Northwestern is likely top 3. Minny should be very good but needs depth. Wisconsin always seems to cobble something together but how can they not finally fall back a little after losing that senior core with final four experience?

I think Iowa has potential to factor in.

 

[JEDN]

My buddy Suterman has Wiscy rated much too high. This is the year the loss of Bo will start to be felt.

 

[HeRKeYHoPeFuL]

I'm giving Purdue the benefit based on expecting Haas to take up 25-30 minutes a game. If he's able to effectively be on the floor at the higher end of that, Purdue will have the offense hummimg.

Vince Edwards should make some all B1G ballots, and Carsen Edwards will likely pass PJ Thompson at some point in the year. They didn't lose much productivity outside of Swannigan, so I look for jumps elsewhere to offset that loss.

 

[War Hawkeye]

1. Iowa

 

[CanadaHawk]

I'm giving Purdue the benefit based on expecting Haas to take up 25-30 minutes a game. If he's able to effectively be on the floor at the higher end of that, Purdue will have the offense hummimg.

Vince Edwards should make some all B1G ballots, and Carsen Edwards will likely pass PJ Thompson at some point in the year. They didn't lose much productivity outside of Swannigan, so I look for jumps elsewhere to offset that loss.

Haas has never gotten to 20min/gm for Purdue. Even if he does get to 25 per, he's not near the player Swanigan was. Edwards being the main option for them I just don't think will get them to #2 in the B1G.

 

[mazda1]

I like the Iowa pieces, but I'm hesitant to predict great things because we have 3 big questions.

1. CAN WE DEFEND?
2. Will we rebound (we can, but do we have the will)?
3. How will we function offensively without Jok? Not a popular question I'm sure, but there will be different defensive keys. Jordan will be the end of clock option, but he may be challenged without a Jok threat. I don't know who is a shot creator we can get the ball to. For all the frustration from his defense Jok could score and especially early on was a force rebounding.

I see Iowa about 5th today with the potential to go as high as two IF a lot of things go right.

 

[HawkAssassin]

1. Sparty - Only true final 4 contender
2. NW - I put them here because I think they'll be a consistent team on offense and defense.
3. Gophers - I don't really want to put them here, but I think Iowa will take time to sort itself out. Added guard depth will be helpful.
4. Iowa
5. Purdue - This'll be the first time these seniors haven't had at least two good postup players to throw the ball to for 40 minutes. That could potentially be good or bad depending on what you think of the other players.
6. Michigan - Lost tremendous leadership. Can Wagner hold down the fort defensively on his own?
7. Wiscy - I'd feel more comfortable putting them higher if their upperclassmen had shown more. They might play more freshman than normal.
8. Terps - The Turgeon hate is strong with me, but if he can find ways to get Jackson more involved I can rescind some of that hate.
9. IU - Dangerous, but in a transitional period.
10. PSU - Chambers has to prove that he can coach talented players to a high level. It's different then teaching unreceuited guys willing to fight for just a win.
11. Illini - They're always talented enough to get some teams. Defense will be a question.
12. Nebrasketball - Watson is awesome and Miles is not.
13. Rutgers - They'll show some fight to finish here.
14. OSU - lot of questions.

 

[hawk-i bob]

Whether is be 2nd or 7th..IMO there isnt anyone in the B1G other than maybe MSU that has a 'better' collection of roster talent. This is the best group of players on one team that we have had in a long time.

The quicker we come together as a team (overseas will help) and place as much emphasis on defending as scoring...the quicker we become another high(est) upper conference team.

 

[wcbtee]

I like the Iowa pieces, but I'm hesitant to predict great things because we have 3 big questions.

1. CAN WE DEFEND?
2. Will we rebound (we can, but do we have the will)?
3. How will we function offensively without Jok? Not a popular question I'm sure, but there will be different defensive keys. Jordan will be the end of clock option, but he may be challenged without a Jok threat. I don't know who is a shot creator we can get the ball to. For all the frustration from his defense Jok could score and especially early on was a force rebounding.

I see Iowa about 5th today with the potential to go as high as two IF a lot of things go right.

I agree defense is my biggest concern. Fran will emphasize D and due to depth, any lack of effort should send the offender to the bench quickly. Like the length that Garza & Nunge bring. I expect us to improve from a bad defensive team to at least an average one this year.

I am not worried at all about offense. Three point shooting will come from JBo, Dailey, Moss, Ellingson, Nunge, Baer & Kreiner. I think Moss will be able to take the ball to the hole. Baer, Pemsl, Cook & Garza will all play well around the basket.

 

[wcbtee]

I agree Whisky loses a ton, but they seem to plug and play every year. My heart says they will be 7th or 8th, but I have been fooled before, they will likely exceed expectations.

 

[C/Seahawk]

I agree defense is my biggest concern. Fran will emphasize D and due to depth, any lack of effort should send the offender to the bench quickly. Like the length that Garza & Nunge bring. I expect us to improve from a bad defensive team to at least an average one this year.

I am not worried at all about offense. Three point shooting will come from JBo, Dailey, Moss, Ellingson, Nunge, Baer & Kreiner. I think Moss will be able to take the ball to the hole. Baer, Pemsl, Cook & Garza will all play well around the basket.

While I agree with this statement, it should have applied last year and didn't which is my only cause for hesitation in believing the above statement. The lack of tenacity on D was/is my biggest frustration under Fran. There should be no excuse to not go all out at both ends of the floor while running the floor with obvious effort and purpose. This is the area that needs to improve the most if this team hopes to do big things.

 

[hawk-i bob]

I agree Whisky loses a ton, but they seem to plug and play every year. My heart says they will be 7th or 8th, but I have been fooled before, they will likely exceed expectations.

I agree it seems they do....or did under Ryan.
Granted Gard was a top assistant under Ryan but still its his baby now. Losing the players they lose...if Gard does exceed expectations to the tune of a top 4...that would be very much Bo Like.

 

[IowaNiceHawk]

1. Iowa

THIS ^^^^

GO HAWKS ------------A breakout year for Fran's team
Get ready, because you heard it from War and INH first

 

[hawk-i bob]

While I agree with this statement, it should have applied last year and didn't which is my only cause for hesitation in believing the above statement. The lack of tenacity on D was/is my biggest frustration under Fran. There should be no excuse to not go all out at both ends of the floor while running the floor with obvious effort and purpose. This is the area that needs to improve the most if this team hopes to do big things.

The effort got better as the season progressed. It is very easy to be fooled & equate tenacity on D to experience/playing together. I'm not saying the efforts on defense were what they should have been...but I've spent some time watching replays the last couple months from last year & 2015. The Indiana game at home last year was later in the year (the tenacity on defense was terrific we ran on defense with purpose...) the execution was horrible for the most part.. Compared to 2016 (Woody & the guys) to 2017...

I agree good things will happen with a much better executed defense.

 

[Suterman]

My buddy Suterman has Wiscy rated much too high. This is the year the loss of Bo will start to be felt.

Logic says you are correct. Last dozen years history says Wisconsin finishes in the Top 4. I would love to see them have a bad year but I don't think they will.

 

[HoustonHawkeye]

While I agree with this statement, it should have applied last year and didn't which is my only cause for hesitation in believing the above statement. The lack of tenacity on D was/is my biggest frustration under Fran. There should be no excuse to not go all out at both ends of the floor while running the floor with obvious effort and purpose. This is the area that needs to improve the most if this team hopes to do big things.

But this years team is different defensively:

• Jok no longer out there
• Cook, Pemsl, Kreiner, Bohannon, Moss no longer freshmen. They will all improve on D.
• Pemsl was playing hurt all year. How much better can he be?
• We now have 1-2 additional low post defenders to rotate in, though they are freshmen.
• Wagner, Dailey, Ellingson, Williams & Uhl all one year older and wiser.

Veteran teams usually play better Team D. We only loose Jok and add 2 big men to the mix. I believe we will be better on Defense.

 

[srams21]

I really think people are underestimating Maryland. Trimble was good, but Cowan is pretty good too. They have a nice core while adding some talented freshmen (much like us). I could see them in the top four.

1 - MSU
2 - MD
3 - Iowa (could finish higher if defense takes big leap forward)
4 - Purdue, NW or Minny

I think Wisconsin slides down to 6th or 7th and is a bubble team. They lose a lot in Koenig, Hayes, Showalter, and Brown. They also lost guard Jordan Hill who was an experienced defender off the bench. Their backcourt will be very young and inexperienced. Trice, Pritzl, and one of the incoming freshmen.

Below that, I think Indiana and Illinois are the two wildcards. New coaches but they do have some talent. They both lost some experienced players from mediocre teams. Wait and see on those two teams.

 

[C/Seahawk]

But this years team is different defensively:

• Jok no longer out there
• Cook, Pemsl, Kreiner, Bohannon, Moss no longer freshmen. They will all improve on D.
• Pemsl was playing hurt all year. How much better can he be?
• We now have 1-2 additional low post defenders to rotate in, though they are freshmen.
• Wagner, Dailey, Ellingson, Williams & Uhl all one year older and wiser.

Veteran teams usually play better Team D. We only loose Jok and add 2 big men to the mix. I believe we will be better on Defense.

The lack of intensity, effort and effectiveness on defense can be traced back to Fran's first year at Iowa, it wasn't just last year. I would give Fran a pass his first couple years as we lacked talent and depth, but one consistent theme defensively is we do not seem to place a premium on getting stops and despite our desire to play with pace, you see players that doesn't exactly run baseline to baseline with a sense of urgency despite our depth and increased overall talent. It gives the appearance that Fran doesn't demand these things on defense, otherwise the players who fail to exhibit this type of effort would be sitting next to him more often. Baer is about the only player that plays to the point of exhaustion, others should be too and subbing a bit more frequently. If Fran is going to continue to have a rotation that exceeds 10 players (heck, this year it appears it could extend to 13 if he intends to get Garza and Nunge PT), they need to be playing to the point of exhaustion after 5 minutes on the floor, perhaps the exception being Bohannon as i'd like him on the floor as much as possible. At least would be my opinion and strategy, but Fran gets paid the big bucks for a reason.

 

[hawk-i bob]

The lack of intensity, effort and effectiveness on defense can be traced back to Fran's first year at Iowa, it wasn't just last year. I would give Fran a pass his first couple years as we lacked talent and depth, but one consistent theme defensively is we do not seem to place a premium on getting stops and despite our desire to play with pace, you see players that doesn't exactly run baseline to baseline with a sense of urgency despite our depth and increased overall talent. It gives the appearance that Fran doesn't demand these things on defense, otherwise the players who fail to exhibit this type of effort would be sitting next to him more often. Baer is about the only player that plays to the point of exhaustion, others should be too and subbing a bit more frequently. If Fran is going to continue to have a rotation that exceeds 10 players (heck, this year it appears it could extend to 13 if he intends to get Garza and Nunge PT), they need to be playing to the point of exhaustion after 5 minutes on the floor, perhaps the exception being Bohannon as i'd like him on the floor as much as possible. At least would be my opinion and strategy, but Fran gets paid the big bucks for a reason.

this is not correct...Iowa was toward the top of the B1G in defense efficiency 4 consecutive years...2013 2014 2015 2016.
You dont do that and not place a premium on getting stops.

 

[C/Seahawk]

this is not correct...Iowa was toward the top of the B1G in defense efficiency 4 consecutive years...2013 2014 2015 2016.
You dont do that and not place a premium on getting stops.

Iowa finished 9th in the B1G in 2014 in defense efficiency per Kempom...I think we have different definitions of 'toward the top' if we're going to include that year

Woody was a great leader on defense no doubt about it, he made a huge impact from day one, but overall during Fran's tenure it appeared our strategy was to outscore opponents and it often meant we gave up easy looks and considering our depth didn't place a premium on the defensive end of the court. It will be interesting to see if Fran really plays 13 guys this year...generally you only see that with teams that press for 40 minutes, similar to the early Dr. Tom years, Nolan Richardson, etc. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2017/18. I would simply hope that the message is clear this year, incredible effort on defense and in transition this year. We know we can score, that has never been an issue with Fran, but to make it past the opening round in the big dance, not to mention B1G tourney, it takes more than that.

 

[hawk-i bob]

Iowa finished 9th in the B1G in 2014 in defense efficiency per Kempom...I think we have different definitions of 'toward the top' if we're going to include that year

Woody was a great leader on defense no doubt about it, he made a huge impact from day one, but overall during Fran's tenure it appeared our strategy was to outscore opponents and it often meant we gave up easy looks and considering our depth didn't place a premium on the defensive end of the court. It will be interesting to see if Fran really plays 13 guys this year...generally you only see that with teams that press for 40 minutes, similar to the early Dr. Tom years, Nolan Richardson, etc. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in 2017/18. I would simply hope that the message is clear this year, incredible effort on defense and in transition this year. We know we can score, that has never been an issue with Fran, but to make it past the opening round in the big dance, not to mention B1G tourney, it takes more than that.

and Iowa was 60th in the country in 2014
33rd in 2013
40th in 2015
76th in 2016

that is out of 351 schools....that doesnt equate to lack of intensity, effort and being ineffective

 

[lonewolf52]

I like the Iowa pieces, but I'm hesitant to predict great things because we have 3 big questions.

1. CAN WE DEFEND?
2. Will we rebound (we can, but do we have the will)?
3. How will we function offensively without Jok? Not a popular question I'm sure, but there will be different defensive keys. Jordan will be the end of clock option, but he may be challenged without a Jok threat. I don't know who is a shot creator we can get the ball to. For all the frustration from his defense Jok could score and especially early on was a force rebounding.

I see Iowa about 5th today with the potential to go as high as two IF a lot of things go right.

Very valid points. I think the key to lessening the loss of Jok will be to fuether develop the inside-out game. Naturally, this means our post guys like Cook, Pemsl, Garza, Kreiner, Wagner etc need to be true and cobsistent scoring threats within 7 feet. Get those guys going and guys like J Bo, Moss, Ellingson, etc will get better open looks from outside as opposed to having a guy like Jok running off screen after screen to get a look.

 

[RocknRollface]

You can emphasize defense, doesn't matter unless you have the players to do it.

The 2014 class had 3 really good defenders and those were Frans best defensive teams.

Lets be honest, Fran emphasises offense more than most and not as much defense as most in college.

If defense were top priority Iowa wouldn't play at the pace they do.

You have to give up something somewhere unless you're Kentucky. Im fine with it. They can get allot better than what they did last year though.

 

[hawkeyeguy69]

The lack of intensity, effort and effectiveness on defense can be traced back to Fran's first year at Iowa, it wasn't just last year. I would give Fran a pass his first couple years as we lacked talent and depth, but one consistent theme defensively is we do not seem to place a premium on getting stops and despite our desire to play with pace, you see players that doesn't exactly run baseline to baseline with a sense of urgency despite our depth and increased overall talent. It gives the appearance that Fran doesn't demand these things on defense, otherwise the players who fail to exhibit this type of effort would be sitting next to him more often. Baer is about the only player that plays to the point of exhaustion, others should be too and subbing a bit more frequently. If Fran is going to continue to have a rotation that exceeds 10 players (heck, this year it appears it could extend to 13 if he intends to get Garza and Nunge PT), they need to be playing to the point of exhaustion after 5 minutes on the floor, perhaps the exception being Bohannon as i'd like him on the floor as much as possible. At least would be my opinion and strategy, but Fran gets paid the big bucks for a reason.

Unfortunately, I have to agree. Fran just does not do defense. Hate saying that, but it is true. Just look at rebounding. How the heck do we not block out? We just don't. That has to be a factor of coaching. I keep thinking things will change, but we are in year 7 here and the theme remains the same.
As for the effort part, some of that is coaching and some the players. They should be balls to the wall. But then again you have to maintain control. So there is some balance to be had.

 

[hawk-i bob]

You can emphasize defense, doesn't matter unless you have the players to do it.

The 2014 class had 3 really good defenders and those were Frans best defensive teams.

Lets be honest, Fran emphasises offense more than most and not as much defense as most in college.

If defense were top priority Iowa wouldn't play at the pace they do.

You have to give up something somewhere unless you're Kentucky. Im fine with it. They can get allot better than what they did last year though.

I guess that is my point ...we have had really good defensive teams & rebounding teams under Fran...so to say otherwise doesnt match the stats both B1G & nationally in the years 2013 2014 2015 & 2016. I think last year was more of an experience issue & the fact we were playing alot of players together for the first time...opposed due to a lack of effort. The replays I have been watching the effort is there the execution as a team not so much.

It got better as the season progressed...I would suspect that trend will continue come fall.
I dont think we have to give up defense to play offensively. Iowa's trapping & court pressure has been very effective (even last year).

I would agree its a transition from high school & AAU to college. Defending a high school kid in Iowa is a little different than a D1 B1G player. And I'm sure all would agree most AAU programs dont spend alot of time on defense. Most.

 

[DodgerHawki]

You can emphasize defense, doesn't matter unless you have the players to do it.

The 2014 class had 3 really good defenders and those were Frans best defensive teams.

Lets be honest, Fran emphasises offense more than most and not as much defense as most in college.

If defense were top priority Iowa wouldn't play at the pace they do.

You have to give up something somewhere unless you're Kentucky. Im fine with it. They can get allot better than what they did last year though.

We have no idea how much Fran does/does not emphasize defense vs. offense. Just because a team plays fast doesn't mean they can't play defense. The beauty of tempo-free stats is it allows you to see how good/bad a team is defensively, as raw points per game isn't a very good defensive metric. Teams can hold down the score just by playing slow and holding the ball on offense. That doesn't make them a good defensive team. Wisconsin is an example of a team that plays slow and is also very good on defense. That makes playing them very difficult, as being behind by 8 points feels like you are behind 15 to most other teams. It makes the late Iowa comeback in Madison last year all that more remarkable.

Fran has had some good defensive teams. 2013, 2016 and 2017 were all top 30 defensive teams in terms of defensive efficiency. Iowa had tall guys who could protect the rim with enough length on the perimeter to contest 3-point shots and generally keep guys in front of them.

Last year, at times, the defensive effort was lacking. Mostly because new players have no idea how hard they have to play and how together they have to play to stop teams at this level. It did get better, and the defensive improvement keyed Iowa's late surge. The last 3 games (BTT and the two NIT games) was a relapse into terrible defense but some of that was to be expected given the age/experience of most of the players.

I have some issues with how Fran chooses to defend the pick and roll and in the post, but those aren't really big things. If the effort and understanding of team defense improve to make Iowa just above average on defense, the team will have a very good year.

 

[DanL53]

I guess that is my point ...we have had really good defensive teams & rebounding teams under Fran...so to say otherwise doesnt match the stats both B1G & nationally in the years 2013 2014 2015 & 2016. I think last year was more of an experience issue & the fact we were playing alot of players together for the first time...opposed due to a lack of effort. The replays I have been watching the effort is there the execution as a team not so much.

It got better as the season progressed...I would suspect that trend will continue come fall.
I dont think we have to give up defense to play offensively. Iowa's trapping & court pressure has been very effective (even last year).

I would agree its a transition from high school & AAU to college. Defending a high school kid in Iowa is a little different than a D1 B1G player. And I'm sure all would agree most AAU programs dont spend alot of time on defense. Most.

The facts, the stats, the results are not matching up with SOME of the counterpoints you are up against Bob. You've brought up several years where Iowa has been quite competitive or better on defense. But the answer is it was personnel. Well, YEAH. Like when Woody and Gesell arrived and our defensive efficiency shot up from in the hundreds to, if memory serves, 19th, according to Kenpom.

I'm not sure why people aren't getting your point on that.

Then there was a comment about Iowa never suffering from offense. That same year Woody and Gesell arrived? We were an offensive powerhouse??!!?? We couldn't hit a urinal that year even we were sober!

I think people forget shit like White getting moved from small forward to power forward that year because he didn't think he could stop anybody on defense. That was when Clemmons was brought in to start. Not a defensive adjustment? But eventually White found that extra bit of energy (not resting on defense) and found his way back to the three.

And, we don't emphasize defense because we play fast?
What the hell is that press thing we do?

The part that amazes me is we had ONE bad year defensively since season two of the McCaffery years. And there is all this panic and sky is falling fear that we will never play defense again.

We had two power forwards, freshmen, trying to play center. We had a freshman point guard and how often does that work in the Big Ten? We had Pete, playing on balsa wood ankles. It takes one chink in the armor and the armor is useless. Very much the same for a college basketball team. And we had many weaknesses.

But it wasn't effort. And it wasn't coaching. And the guys did improve throughout the year.

We may not have as yet a shut down defender. We are still young. But no way is there reason to actually FEAR that our defense will not improve. I mean, to the folks that are worried. Seriously? We've worried about a lot of crud that turned out alright. When has Fran let us down?

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

"Fran has had some good defensive teams. 2013, 2016 and 2017 were all top 30 defensive teams in terms of defensive efficiency."

That's not true at all. Let's get some accurate data and then discuss. According to this site, Iowa was ranked #200 in defensive efficiency in the 2016-17 season. They were #76 in 2015-16 and #33 in 2012-13. Simply basing those rankings on there being 351 D1 teams doesn't do it justice. There are a lot of bad D1 basketball teams so that seems to muddy the water quite a bit. To narrow it down, it's important to illustrate that there are 65 Power 5 Conference teams and probably 20 other small conference teams that are decent for a total of 85. Being in the top 30 is pretty dang good, #76 is blah, and #200 is terrible.

 

[DanL53]

"Fran has had some good defensive teams. 2013, 2016 and 2017 were all top 30 defensive teams in terms of defensive efficiency."

That's not true at all. Let's get some accurate data and then discuss. According to this site, Iowa was ranked #200 in defensive efficiency in the 2016-17 season. They were #76 in 2015-16 and #33 in 2012-13. Simply basing those rankings on there being 351 D1 teams doesn't do it justice. There are a lot of bad D1 basketball teams so that seems to muddy the water quite a bit. To narrow it down, it's important to illustrate that there are 65 Power 5 Conference teams and probably 20 other small conference teams that are decent for a total of 85. Being in the top 30 is pretty dang good, #76 is blah, and #200 is terrible.

Obviously there was a typo in the years. 2017 JUST ended. Let's try this....every dang year since McCaffery has been here..Defensive, offense, and RANK.

By the way, Power 5 is really a football term and the Big East, Atlantic Ten...and several other schools and even conferences would like to have a word with you. Fran's first season here? 15 of the top 30 Defenses WERE NOT from your Power Five.

This is the first seven years under Fran. Adjusted Defensive Efficiency, Adjusted Offensive Efficiency, rank, and finally how other conferences outside the Power Five finished in the top 30 ADE.

58 -152-88-15
206-40-102-18
25-56-29-15
77-5-22-14
33-30-23-10
30-25-22-9
122-43-71-12

First off, that's one heck of a showing for conferences like the Big East, Atlantic Ten, and others, to have better than 44% of the top 30 spots the last seven years. Again, Power Five is a Football Term.

Next, you can see where that typo came from...I knew it the second I saw it, but just for the record the poster meant 2013, 2015, 2016.

Lastly, while our offensive rankings are better, I'm not seeing a vastly tilted emphasis in the results. That middle year where our defense finished 77th? We were in the low 30's until the infamous "collapse".

Oh, and this is all KenPom. Where did you get that #200 from last season?