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Bright spots

Chicagoherky71

Team MVP
Nov 20, 2007
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1. Uhlis has improved a lot, both offensively and defensively. He deserves to start over Sanford who is struggling with his shot this year.

2. Bowen is starting to flash just how damn good he will be. He just needs more experience and to bulk up.

3. Rabracha is much better offensively and more confident this year. But we have no quality depth behind him.

4. Tony is a junk yard dog, tough defender, and can make tough plays at the rim. But his weakness remains shooting the long ball.

Like others have said, this is a good team. We just really needed an experienced center/power forward that can defend and rebound but Fran struck out and didn’t have a back up plan other than getting josh back.
 
Great to see Ulis gain some confidence, as well as Bowen have some success. Iowa will need them to contribute this year. Can see Ulis moving to starting lineup with Sandfort coming off bench, may take some pressure off Sandfort as well. I think people underestimate playing back to back nights, Iowa just did not have their legs or stamina last night especially Patrick. Iowa will need deeper rotation, really need Ogundele to be able to contribute minutes.
 
This team seems like other Fran team's but with less 3 point shooting, and some better D at guard but inside rebounding and D seems same as usual.
 
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I hope a bright spot is that we have this stinker of a game out of our system before we face Duke.
Asst coach Dillard said we weren’t ready to play to start the game.
If we do that again, Duke will undress us in front of a national audience.
 
Bright spots... Ulis, Perkins and Bowen. Really like what I see out of those guys so far.

The rest of the team needs to pick it up. That was some rotten outside shooting this weekend.

Defense remains a concern for me as always, and the team seems soft in the paint. Really need a Reggie Evans to anchor things down there IMO. Someone that's good for 10+ rebounds most nights.
 
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Bright spots... Ulis, Perkins and Bowen. Really like what I see out of those guys so far.

The rest of the team needs to pick it up. That was some rotten outside shooting this weekend.

Defense remains a concern for me as always, and the team seems soft in the paint. Really need a Reggie Evans to anchor things down there IMO.
Sandfort got 5 rebounds in 15 minutes. Which is a big part of why I think Fran should move him inside. He’s a sneaky good rebounder, has a little Aaron White in him in that respect. Ulis rebounds well for a guard, too. Bench Sandfort and start PMac but on a short leash and if he’s not rebounding and playing D then replace him Sandfort.
 
Sandfort got 5 rebounds in 15 minutes. Which is a big part of why I think Fran should move him inside. He’s a sneaky good rebounder, has a little Aaron White in him in that respect. Ulis rebounds well for a guard, too. Bench Sandfort and start PMac but on a short leash and if he’s not rebounding and playing D then replace him Sandfort.
It'll never happen. Kind of like how there's always a McCaffrey on the floor at all times.
 
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It'll never happen. Kind of like how there's always a McCaffrey on the floor at all times.

That has been the rule for 3 years now. CMAC has improved so at least he deserves being in Top8 rotation these days.

This is a good team, small chance they will becom great and get to sweet16. They got to get a lot tougher rebounding/defending inside the paint to be a sweet16 type team.

PMAC is good offensively if teams are finesse teams. Sandfort at the 3 probably better option than PMAC at the 3 when we face a big, physical team. PMAC wants no part of fighting for rebound. Sandfort just as scrawny, but always gives his best effort.
 
Patrick is the one who needs to be benched. Fran should tell him his minutes going forward will be determined by how well he rebounds and defends.
Correct but zero chance it happens.

Patrick should be a spot time player because really all he does well is shoot open 3s and run the floor.

Connor should probably be a less than 5 minute a game guy.

Obviously neither of these will ever happen with their dad being the coach.
 
That has been the rule for 3 years now. CMAC has improved so at least he deserves being in Top8 rotation these days.

This is a good team, small chance they will becom great and get to sweet16. They got to get a lot tougher rebounding/defending inside the paint to be a sweet16 type team.

PMAC is good offensively if teams are finesse teams. Sandfort at the 3 probably better option than PMAC at the 3 when we face a big, physical team. PMAC wants no part of fighting for rebound. Sandfort just as scrawny, but always gives his best effort.
Yea. Starting CMac over a top five nba draft during 20-21 season was head scratching to say the least. He’s been playing well and deserves his minutes this season tho.
 
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You’re wrong about Connor. He actually deserves his minutes.
The team deserves to have the best players on the floor as often as possible.

Its not about a player deserving minutes in a vacuum. Any minutes a player gets come at the expense of another.

Connor doesn't hurt you but he's not a difference maker either.

He should be used only situationaly.

Part of this weird guard rotation where everyone is playing out of position is to get Connor on the floor.
 
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I can't believe we are still complaining about either of the McCaffery boys being allowed to play. No one complained about Patrick after the Clemson game and Connor, while not getting that many minute to start with, makes the best of them when he's in. It's just taking an underhanded shot at the coach.
 
I can't believe we are still complaining about either of the McCaffery boys being allowed to play. No one complained about Patrick after the Clemson game and Connor, while not getting that many minute to start with, makes the best of them when he's in. It's just taking an underhanded shot at the coach.
More of a direct shot.

I don't hate Connor playing id just rather see Bowen get most of those minutes.
 
Patrick is the one who needs to be benched. Fran should tell him his minutes going forward will be determined by how well he rebounds and defends.
This is spot on, and has nothing to do with taking a shot at his Dad. He is not built for this level, athletically or mentally. The game is more than hanging out around the perimeter waiting for the ball to find you, while others are in mixing it up. He's 6'9" and 3 years in. AAU ball ended long ago. Been there, done that.
 
Patrick is the one who needs to be benched. Fran should tell him his minutes going forward will be determined by how well he rebounds and defends.

Patrick will always have a problem with overly physical play like we experienced here with TCU...
 
Pmac is in a tough spot because he and Fran believe his game is suited for driving/slashing to the hoop. In reality, he doesn't have the frame, handles or left hand to play this style effectively. IMO, Pmac adds the most value as a catch and shoot guy whether it be beyond the arc or mid-range. He has a decent arsenal of floaters, runners and step backs but all require space that he struggles to create himself. Fran could help out by running some sets for him to get some clean looks.
 
I think Fran gave PMac fewer minutes against TCU, because it was obvious that he is going to struggle against an ultra physical team, especially defending the interior or rebounding.

I agree that against physical teams, Ulis should play more, along with Tony or Dasonte. I agree that Sandfort is also a better option than PMac against those teams. CMac is still a valuable part of the rotation, although he did not have a great game against TCU. We are a big man short, although JoshO has been OK for a few minutes. He was even good against Clemson.
 
The most disappointing thing for me was the defense seemed to be impacted by the perimeter shots not falling (saw some of this in the Richmond game). That's a common trait for young teams (which we really aren't). Need to do better there if the shots aren't falling and take it personal on the defensive end.

Get a win tomorrow and let's hope they ramp it up for the tough December stretch.
 
I think Fran gave PMac fewer minutes against TCU, because it was obvious that he is going to struggle against an ultra physical team, especially defending the interior or rebounding.

I agree that against physical teams, Ulis should play more, along with Tony or Dasonte. I agree that Sandfort is also a better option than PMac against those teams. CMac is still a valuable part of the rotation, although he did not have a great game against TCU. We are a big man short, although JoshO has been OK for a few minutes. He was even good against Clemson.

Good post. Josh holds his own defensively and has done a nice job of moving his feet and staying vertical--even when he gets stuck on the high ball screen switch. The head scratcher for me is that he does not appear to have a single post move. He catches the post feed and freezes while thinking about what to do. I liked his two assists against Clemson but would rather see him dunk on people.
 
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This year it's going to be very important to use the top 10 guys and play different combinations depending on how individuals are playing and the other team. It's not about benching someone, it's about playing the right guy.
I personally would like to see Mulvey get more minutes during the games. I think he'll only get better and we're going to need him next year. Even if he plays 5 minutes and fouls out, we need him to get minutes and be aggressive.
 
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This is spot on, and has nothing to do with taking a shot at his Dad. He is not built for this level, athletically or mentally. The game is more than hanging out around the perimeter waiting for the ball to find you, while others are in mixing it up. He's 6'9" and 3 years in. AAU ball ended long ago. Been there, done that.
Oh for gods sake.

It's fine to say Pat had a bad game and should see fewer minutes if he's playing poorly. But you lose all credibility when you say he's "not built for this level".

He's our second leading scorer and second leading rebounder. He just poured in 21 points against another P-5 team. Richmond played us super physical, yet he dropped 18 points against them (no one else besides Keagan scored more than 6 that game). Is Pat a future 1st round draft pick? No. Is he a solid B10 contributor? Absolutely.
 
Oh for gods sake.

It's fine to say Pat had a bad game and should see fewer minutes if he's playing poorly. But you lose all credibility when you say he's "not built for this level".

He's our second leading scorer and second leading rebounder. He just poured in 21 points against another P-5 team. Richmond played us super physical, yet he dropped 18 points against them (no one else besides Keagan scored more than 6 that game). Is Pat a future 1st round draft pick? No. Is he a solid B10 contributor? Absolutely.

I agree that Pmac is a legit B1G player but Fran's inability to effectively build a complimentary roster accentuates deficiencies instead of strengths. We should have a legit 5 so Rebraca can play the 4. Because Josh and Mulvey (apparently) still aren't able to walk and chew gum, everyone on the team, including Pmac, is asked to do more. Fran played this off in the pre-season saying he has all these guys that can play multiple positions but that is easier to do at 1-3 than it is 4 and 5.

TCU is an exceptionally physical and mature team. Some of those dudes look closer to 30 than 20 but I guess when you are on your third school, that will happen. Hopefully the team and Fran learned from the game and will adjust moving forward. It is a bit frustrating to me that Fran didn't make more adjustments in the second half when the game was still somewhat within reach. Go with Josh and Rebraca/Mulvey and use all 15 fouls. I would rather have seen TCU win at the FT line than get straight line drive layups and 2-3 offensive boards.
 
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Oh for gods sake.

It's fine to say Pat had a bad game and should see fewer minutes if he's playing poorly. But you lose all credibility when you say he's "not built for this level".

He's our second leading scorer and second leading rebounder. He just poured in 21 points against another P-5 team. Richmond played us super physical, yet he dropped 18 points against them (no one else besides Keagan scored more than 6 that game). Is Pat a future 1st round draft pick? No. Is he a solid B10 contributor? Absolutely.
I give you props for trying to give a legitimate response instead of just laughing at that nonsense, which is really all the response that is deserved for that drivel.
 
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This is spot on, and has nothing to do with taking a shot at his Dad. He is not built for this level, athletically or mentally. The game is more than hanging out around the perimeter waiting for the ball to find you, while others are in mixing it up. He's 6'9" and 3 years in. AAU ball ended long ago. Been there, done that.
Jesus
 
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1. Uhlis has improved a lot, both offensively and defensively. He deserves to start over Sanford who is struggling with his shot this year.

2. Bowen is starting to flash just how damn good he will be. He just needs more experience and to bulk up.

3. Rabracha is much better offensively and more confident this year. But we have no quality depth behind him.

4. Tony is a junk yard dog, tough defender, and can make tough plays at the rim. But his weakness remains shooting the long ball.

Like others have said, this is a good team. We just really needed an experienced center/power forward that can defend and rebound but Fran struck out and didn’t have a back up plan other than getting josh back.
Who?
 
Good post. Josh holds his own defensively and has done a nice job of moving his feet and staying vertical--even when he gets stuck on the high ball screen switch. The head scratcher for me is that he does not appear to have a single post move. He catches the post feed and freezes while thinking about what to do. I liked his two assists against Clemson but would rather see him dunk on people.
For the most part Josh is a liability defensively.

He can hold his own the 3 or 4 times a game someone tries to back him down or score over him but he struggles big time in ball screens and thats most of what defense is anymore at his position.

He is a good rebounder though.
 
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This year it's going to be very important to use the top 10 guys and play different combinations depending on how individuals are playing and the other team. It's not about benching someone, it's about playing the right guy.
I personally would like to see Mulvey get more minutes during the games. I think he'll only get better and we're going to need him next year. Even if he plays 5 minutes and fouls out, we need him to get minutes and be aggressive.
No more Mulvey please. Last time he was out there he looked like a spectator.
 
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I would like to see more of Josh and Mulvey to spell Rebraca. Throwing Kris, Sandfort, or Connor down there is futile. Josh has done a nice job of moving his feet and staying vertical on defense but he has no offense. Mulvey can't be worse than Josh and from a very limited sample size does have a couple post moves. If all else fails he is tall with long arms and should be able to block/alter a shot or two. Both guys are equally underwhelming but Mulvey at least has the chance of scoring in the post where Josh still looks lost when he catches the ball. They each have 5 fouls to give so when either are in, they should contest the hell out of any drive to the hoop.
 
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I give you props for trying to give a legitimate response instead of just laughing at that nonsense, which is really all the response that is deserved for that drivel.
lol

Look at him right now. If he entered the portal and you were a B1G coach in need of a 3/4, would you go after him? Keep in mind that B1G coaches not named Fran also have defense in mind.

Full candor — I‘m not crazy about either of his kids. Never have been. Never will be. To me, both of them (likely will be all three…ugh) soak up a high major, P5 scholly that likely could have and should have been given to a player that could improve the team more than either of them do. Sure…PMac is a legit D1 player. So what? Is he the best player at that position that Iowa could have offered a scholly to? Not sure at all about that. And that’s ok.

This idea that you have to love the coach’s kids in order to be a good fan is stupid.

P.S. Not crazy about his wife either.
 
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lol

Look at him right now. If he entered the portal and you were a B1G coach in need of a 3/4, would you go after him? Keep in mind that B1G coaches not named Fran also have defense in mind.

Full candor — I‘m not crazy about either of his kids. Never have been. Never will be. To me, both of them (likely will be all three…ugh) soak up a high major, P5 scholly that likely could have and should have been given to a player that could improve the team more than either of them do. Sure…PMac is a legit D1 player. So what? Is he the best player at that position that Iowa could have offered a scholly to? Not sure at all about that. And that’s ok.

This idea that you have to love the coach’s kids in order to be a good fan is stupid.

P.S. Not crazy about his wife either.
Lol at you, indeed. Look at all those conclusions you jumped to, Tom Smikowski. And a big LOL at the bolded part. What are you too young to remember the Lick years? What a stupid comment, of course you don't have to like the coaches kid.
 
Lol at you, indeed. Look at all those conclusions you jumped to, Tom Smikowski. And a big LOL at the bolded part. What are you too young to remember the Lick years? What a stupid comment, of course you don't have to like the coaches kid.
What conclusions?

Were there ever any threads praising John Lickliter’s sick post feeds or his “cerebral“ play? lol. Because we have had plenty of those here about CMac.

Posts drooling over highlight vids of Frans youngest kid scoring against 5’0“ 8th graders on some horse shit AAU team? lol. It’s cult level delusion for many (not all) here.

Learn to read a room, dummy.
 
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Lol at you, indeed. Look at all those conclusions you jumped to, Tom Smikowski. And a big LOL at the bolded part. What are you too young to remember the Lick years? What a stupid comment, of course you don't have to like the coaches kid.

What conclusions?

Were there ever any threads praising John Lickliter’s sick post feeds or his “cerebral“ play? lol. Because we have had plenty of those here about CMac.

Posts drooling over highlight vids of Frans youngest kid scoring against 5’0“ 8th graders on some horse shit AAU team? lol. It’s cult level delusion for many (not all) here.

Learn to read a room, dummy.
Can you two please get a room and save the rest of us from reading your crap?
 
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