Anyone really surprised ... ??

[Whinny]

... that the national media chalks MSU's loss to the combination of Valentine's absence and the unfortunate passing of Izzo's dad? I knew how those reports would be worded before I even read them. Iowa didn't win because they were the better team in this game. They won because MSU was handicapped by circumstances. *rolling my eyes* Nothing new here. As a Hawkeye fan of 60+ years, I know the drill. It's extremely frustrating, yet totally expected.

 

[QChawks]

your screen name is so fitting

 

[wyohawk]

I actually thought ESPN's coverage had equal parts praise of Hawks (referring to it as "comfortable" and sometimes a "rout") as it did excuses.

 

[revkev73]

Losing Valentine is a big deal...just the way it is.

But...other players need to step up...like Izzo said, they consistently lost the balls on the floor, etc. and didn't hustle...got punked.

It is always tough when complimentary players have to jump into front line production...

 

[MepoDawg#]

Losing Valentine is a big deal...just the way it is.

But...other players need to step up...like Izzo said, they consistently lost the balls on the floor, etc. and didn't hustle...got punked.

It is always tough when complimentary players have to jump into front line production...

You mean like Iowa's did with Uthoff struggling.

 

[iahawkeyes17]

I actually thought ESPN's coverage had equal parts praise of Hawks (referring to it as "comfortable" and sometimes a "rout") as it did excuses.

After listening to ten different football analyst talk about Chip Kelly firing finally showed Iowa highlights. The first half basically showed all the Spartan miscues on offense instead of giving Iowa credit. Which were actually great and smart defensive plays by Iowa like Mike's heady play of swiping ball near mid court before PG could call a time out and Baer's great block hustling back on D. 2nd half of highlights finally gave Iowa some love for the win.

 

[Drmac22]

Didnt we play MSU last year and lost without White.. I thought we had a game or even both where we were missing a key player. Might have been Marble the year prior. cannot remember.

 

[revkev73]

Yes, like Iowa's players did with Uthoff in foul trouble...

If hitting on all cylinders...Iowa is deep...

Iowa's biggest weakness is between the ears...tendency to retreat, get fragile, when the game is one the line. Hopefully the MSU game can be a springboard to changing that a bit... Bit win for sure.

 

[Pepperman]

Yeah we easily win if they have Valentine available. I mean, that's not even up for dispute.

 

[sloehawk]

Yeah we easily win if they have Valentine available. I mean, that's not even up for dispute.

Well, to be fair, players get hurt all the time, you play with what you got. That applies to every team that suits it up. AND, I'm quite confident the large majority of their players were considerably higher value targets in recruiting.

To Iowa's credit, they didn't fold like they typically do, especially against Michigan State. We kicked their ass with the players they put on the floor.

Would Valentine had made a difference? Sure he would have. They may very well have won, but we'll never know that. Even in the rematch, it will be a totally different set of circumstances if they happen to win with Valentine on the court. Maybe Utoff goes for 35 if he isn't in foul trouble and it doesn't matter if Vaentines on the floor or not.

We won, they lost. I'm assuming they'll deal with it just fine.

 

[iahawkeyes17]

Didnt we play MSU last year and lost without White.. I thought we had a game or even both where we were missing a key player. Might have been Marble the year prior. cannot remember.

Lost 2 years ago without Marble vs MSU at home in a close one. Last year White went out early in Purdue game and we lost that one last minute as well.

 

[hooper56]

I was at the game so didn't hear what the announcers said, but I am guessing they never mentioned the fact that Iowa was without Dale Jones who was expected to make a significant contribution this year and was Iowa's best 3 point shooter and possibly our best rebounder.

 

[Whinny]

Just to clarify, I was not speaking of the ESPN game announcers when speaking about the lack of respect for the Iowa win. I had no problem with them. It was the members of the national print media who made sure that all readers were aware of why Sparty lost the game. The Hawks won it because State was "disadvantaged", not because Sparty didn't hustle, didn't shoot well, and really didn't compete. Just tired of the disrespect.

 

[Hawk68]

... that the national media chalks MSU's loss to the combination of Valentine's absence and the unfortunate passing of Izzo's dad? I knew how those reports would be worded before I even read them. Iowa didn't win because they were the better team in this game. They won because MSU was handicapped by circumstances. *rolling my eyes* Nothing new here. As a Hawkeye fan of 60+ years, I know the drill. It's extremely frustrating, yet totally expected.

Vegas thought we were going to win since we were the 2.5 favorite.

 

[artradley]

Just to clarify, I was not speaking of the ESPN game announcers when speaking about the lack of respect for the Iowa win. I had no problem with them. It was the members of the national print media who made sure that all readers were aware of why Sparty lost the game. The Hawks won it because State was "disadvantaged", not because Sparty didn't hustle, didn't shoot well, and really didn't compete. Just tired of the disrespect.

As a fan who has spent decades lamenting the fact that we lost Ronnie Lester in the Final Four, I have no problem with the mention that a teams best player is not playing.

We beat the team currently ranked #1. But the team on the court tonight was nowhere near the best team in the country. It's hard to imagine that not being mentioned.

FWIW, the BTN showed a long highlight is the game, a fit showed nothing but big plays by Iowa.

 

[yerpHAWK]

Denzel Valentine is the best player in the country. I think Michigan State is the best team with Denzel Valentine, and not even a top 25 team without him. I would almost compare it to taking Lebron off the Cavs.