Awesome! Averaging 11 losses per season over the past 20 seasons. 3 NCAA TOURNEY WINS IN 20 YEARS! WHAT A FUTILE, DISGRACEFUL B-BALL PROGRAM.

[iahawks10]

OP can’t count to four, what a surprise:

2015: Davidson
2016: Temple
2019: Cincinnati
2021: GCU


Also, Iowa has averaged 14.1 losses per season (not including this year) over the past 20 years. They’ve averaged 18.8 wins per season in that time. They’ve had five losing seasons in those 20 years, but only two with coaches not named Todd Lickliter.

Removing Lickliter’s dark era of Iowa Basketball, they have averaged 19.88 wins per season over the past 20 years and lost an average of 13.1 games. Burn it all down!!!! I NEED TO TYPE IN CAPS AND POST COMPLETELY FALSE INFORMATION!

 

[iahawks10]

It’s Dr. Tom-ish.

Dr Tom averaged:
20.69 and 10.77 at Iowa

Fran has averaged:
20.17 and 13.5 at Iowa


Averages in their last 10 years at Iowa:
Dr Tom: 19.2 wins and 11.5 L’s
Fran: 21.3 wins and 12.5 L’s

In those 10 seasons, Dr Tom played an 18 game B1G eight times and a 16 game B1G schedule twice. Fran played an 18 game B1G schedule six times and a 20 game B1G schedule four times.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Dr Tom averaged:
20.69 and 10.77 at Iowa

Fran has averaged:
20.17 and 13.5 at Iowa


Averages in their last 10 years at Iowa:
Dr Tom: 19.2 wins and 11.5 L’s
Fran: 21.3 wins and 12.5 L’s

In those 10 seasons, Dr Tom played an 18 game B1G eight times and a 16 game B1G schedule twice. Fran played an 18 game B1G schedule six times and a 20 game B1G schedule four times.

So, if you take out the first couple of seasons Dr Tom coasted with George's recruits, and the seasons Fran was recovering from Lick, regular seasons have been pretty comparable. Fran drops the ball is in the dance, where Iowa has been a failure with him as coach. That is the only huge knock I have on Fran, but it is a big one.

 

[nck24]

And that mentality is the very problem I’m highlighting. The goal should be to reach the level of success Iowa had from 1978 to 1988 (e.g). If it’s not, the OP is correct. There is no reason to invest much interest in Iowa basketball. Carver will continue to be a concert hall for octogenarians.

Good times.

You do realize that Iowa lost 10 or more games in 7 out of the 11 seasons between '78-'88?

 

[nck24]

So, if you take out the first couple of seasons Dr Tom coasted with George's recruits, and the seasons Fran was recovering from Lick, regular seasons have been pretty comparable. Fran drops the ball is in the dance, where Iowa has been a failure with him as coach. That is the only huge knock I have on Fran, but it is a big one.

Essentially Dr Tom inherited a very good team and made it into a pretty good team. Fran inherited a very bad team and turned it into a pretty good team.

 

[Garzatough85]

And that mentality is the very problem I’m highlighting. The goal should be to reach the level of success Iowa had from 1978 to 1988 (e.g). If it’s not, the OP is correct. There is no reason to invest much interest in Iowa basketball. Carver will continue to be a concert hall for octogenarians.

Good times.

Until Iowa recruits Chicago better again like Lute did our results will be mediocre with middle of the road players and middle of the road athleticism.

 

[The Iowa Mahomie]

You do realize that Iowa lost 10 or more games in 7 out of the 11 seasons between '78-'88?

Yes.

However, outside of the Raveling years, Lute and Dr. Tom never lost more than 10 games/season during that time frame. The OP stated averaging 11 losses was the threshold of ignominious failure, and I figured most fans would be okay throwing out the Raveling era to meet his criteria. 😉

So, yeah, if you just include Lute and Dr. Tom seasons, Iowa averaged just over 8 losses a season from 1978-1988. Not too shabby.

Regardless, I think the part of the OP most of us are focusing on is the lack of success in the NCAA tournament. Iowa made it to the Final Four, Elite 8, and Sweet Sixteen during that highlighted time frame and also won a conference title. Again, realistically, most fans get Iowa will never have an elite basketball program. However, it does come across to many of us as a bit defeatist, and disingenuous for that matter, to completely accept the idea that a higher level of success than what we have seen over the past 30 years isn’t possible at Iowa. Clearly, it is.

And after 13 seasons under Fran of just slightly above average as the ceiling, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for fans to want change. The whole McCaffrey “Family Business” model has lost its appeal to many of us.

 

[The Iowa Mahomie]

Until Iowa recruits Chicago better again like Lute did our results will be mediocre with middle of the road players and middle of the road athleticism.

Right. It all boils down to recruiting better athletes. The biggest problem with Fran teams is the backcourt is usually terribly limited athletically. On top of that, the team is comprised mostly of tall, lanky shooters who are pretty limited beyond chucking up 3s. When they’re falling, Iowa looks like world beaters. When they’re not, a mediocre Wisconsin team can win by double digits.

Then you throw in the poor defense and rebounding and you get what you get. The trump card the past few seasons has obviously been Garza and the Murrays, but even those guys couldn’t get Iowa past a third place finish in the conference and a first weekend exit in the NCAAs.

Just wait until next season when Murray and Rebraca are gone. The grumbling is going to be unreal.

 

[JRHawk2003]

We’ve only had one season ONE season with less than 9 losses in 40 years! We should just really consider folding the program. It’s just an embarrassment at this point. We’re on track to fall into the NIT this year. Who f’n cares about that garbage tournament!
Love, Roy L Fuchs (F/U)

Who is we?

 

[TampaHawkfan]

Essentially Dr Tom inherited a very good team and made it into a pretty good team. Fran inherited a very bad team and turned it into a pretty good team.

No.

Dr. Tom won 30 games with the team he inherited. Not "pretty good". Elite.

Fran went 11-20 with the team he inherited. I had no expectations given the dumpster fire he inherited, but that statement is false.

Where the programs ultimately ended up under the two coaches, though, is quite similar.

 

[The Iowa Mahomie]

No.

Dr. Tom won 30 games with the team he inherited. Not "pretty good". Elite.

Fran went 11-20 with the team he inherited. I had no expectations given the dumpster fire he inherited, but that statement is false.

Where the programs ultimately ended up under the two coaches, though, is quite similar.

Absolutely correct.

 

[nck24]

No.

Dr. Tom won 30 games with the team he inherited. Not "pretty good". Elite.

Fran went 11-20 with the team he inherited. I had no expectations given the dumpster fire he inherited, but that statement is false.

Where the programs ultimately ended up under the two coaches, though, is quite similar.

Pretty much what I said. Tom inherited a VERY good team and it became a pretty good team. It went downhill not to the level of terrible, but it was never elite again. Just pretty good.

Fran inherited terrible, and has raised the level to pretty good. Not Elite, just pretty good.

 

[iahawks10]

Yes.

However, outside of the Raveling years, Lute and Dr. Tom never lost more than 10 games/season during that time frame. The OP stated averaging 11 losses was the threshold of ignominious failure, and I figured most fans would be okay throwing out the Raveling era to meet his criteria. 😉

So, yeah, if you just include Lute and Dr. Tom seasons, Iowa averaged just over 8 losses a season from 1978-1988. Not too shabby.

Regardless, I think the part of the OP most of us are focusing on is the lack of success in the NCAA tournament. Iowa made it to the Final Four, Elite 8, and Sweet Sixteen during that highlighted time frame and also won a conference title. Again, realistically, most fans get Iowa will never have an elite basketball program. However, it does come across to many of us as a bit defeatist, and disingenuous for that matter, to completely accept the idea that a higher level of success than what we have seen over the past 30 years isn’t possible at Iowa. Clearly, it is.

And after 13 seasons under Fran of just slightly above average as the ceiling, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for fans to want change. The whole McCaffrey “Family Business” model has lost its appeal to many of us.

If Fran is slightly above average, then Dr Tom certainly was as well. With their own players, Fran averages 2 more wins per season and one more loss than Dr Tom.

The main difference between the two was that Dr Tom had one sweet 16 appearance and Fran has played an average of one more B1G game every season. Fran has seven NCAA appearances (counting Covid), to Dr Tom’s six in their last 10 years. The two coaches have very similar resumes with their own recruits.

 

[Letsgohawks411]

No.

Dr. Tom won 30 games with the team he inherited. Not "pretty good". Elite.

Fran went 11-20 with the team he inherited. I had no expectations given the dumpster fire he inherited, but that statement is false.

Where the programs ultimately ended up under the two coaches, though, is quite similar.

Both mired in mediocrity.