Dec 31 ESPN Bracketology: Iowa is on the bubble & the 2nd team out
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
I actually think they will.
Iowa will be 10-3 heading into their final 18 games (all conference games).
If they go 9-9, that puts that at 19-12 (10-10 conference) heading into the B1G Tournament.
Gotta protect home court & hopefully steal a game on the road.
Good question on Ohio St; they had a HUGE win yesterday, beating #4 Kentucky 85-65.
@MrsScrew , with all of the talent Rutgers (now 7-5) has, what is going on? You lost to Princeton yesterday 83-82!
The Big 10 is the 5th best conference this year. It’s a league of average to above average teams. Dont let its history or brand fool you. No reason Iowa can’t win 11-12 conf games.
Full text of tweet:
Thank goodness for multiple screens! Don’t think I’ve turned off sports once today.
Some huge winners & losers in College Hoops today!
Winners:
- Iowa (neutral Q1/Q2 W over Utah)
- UConn (win @ Butler to continue streak)
- Mississippi State (dominant win @ Memphis)
- North Carolina (massive comeback win over UCLA)
- Auburn (again, this time over Purdue)
- Ohio State (blowout of Kentucky on a neutral court)
Losers:
- Rutgers (loss at home to Princeton, at-large chances fading quickly)
- UC Irvine (16 point loss to Duquesne on the road)
- Nevada (Q3 home loss to Colorado State, Mountain West fading early)
- Kansas State (again, this team is a disaster. Blowout loss to Wichita State)
Thank goodness for multiple screens! Don’t think I’ve turned off sports once today.
Some huge winners & losers in College Hoops today!
Winners:
- Iowa (neutral Q1/Q2 W over Utah)
- UConn (win @ Butler to continue streak)
- Mississippi State (dominant win @ Memphis)
- North Carolina (massive comeback win over UCLA)
- Auburn (again, this time over Purdue)
- Ohio State (blowout of Kentucky on a neutral court)
Losers:
- Rutgers (loss at home to Princeton, at-large chances fading quickly)
- UC Irvine (16 point loss to Duquesne on the road)
- Nevada (Q3 home loss to Colorado State, Mountain West fading early)
- Kansas State (again, this team is a disaster. Blowout loss to Wichita State)
Sean is hoops writer for the Field of 68 Daily. He is also an MLB/CBB writer for Action Network HQ. He hosts The Field of 68 Mid Major Show.
Full text of his tweet:
I’m still buying a ton of stock in Iowa. Still not at 100% without Seydou Traore.
That starting lineup is lethal. Two ball-handlers in Thelwell/Harding that can initiate offense for Payton Sandfort/Owen Freeman/Josh Dix. That’s an outstanding trio.
Freeman doesn’t get enough love. Scored 16 on 7-11 in 19 mins against Utah today.
Full text of his tweet:
I’m still buying a ton of stock in Iowa. Still not at 100% without Seydou Traore.
That starting lineup is lethal. Two ball-handlers in Thelwell/Harding that can initiate offense for Payton Sandfort/Owen Freeman/Josh Dix. That’s an outstanding trio.
Freeman doesn’t get enough love. Scored 16 on 7-11 in 19 mins against Utah today.
Illini took down Mizzou today 80-77. Jairniviuos(sp), Illini frosh guard scores winning hoop and finished w 24...7th straight game over 20 points..stud.
Tony Perkins finished w 18 points, 6 tbs,3 assists....played well when I watched but Mizzou seems to be mainly hero-ball team. Tony did not get many passes from teammates.
I know he got paid but do wonder if he is enjoying playing on that team.
Tony Perkins finished w 18 points, 6 tbs,3 assists....played well when I watched but Mizzou seems to be mainly hero-ball team. Tony did not get many passes from teammates.
I know he got paid but do wonder if he is enjoying playing on that team.
Mizzou won't be a tourney team, and that win won't be a Q1 win.
Illinois has a lot of talent but they sure play like a team full of freshman. I think they are going to lose a lot of conference games.
Dec 24, 2024 Update:
Joe Lunardi/ESPN projects the B1G getting 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament.
The 10 Teams & their projected Seed:
3 Oregon
4 UCLA
5 Purdue
5 Michigan State
6 Illinois
7 Maryland
7 Michigan
8 Wisconsin
10 Penn State
11 Ohio State (Gets 1 of Last 4 byes)
Others, on the Bubble:
Nebraska.........1st Team OUT
IOWA...............4th Team OUT
Northwestern...7th Team OUT
The Full Bracket:
Joe Lunardi/ESPN projects the B1G getting 10 teams into the NCAA Tournament.
The 10 Teams & their projected Seed:
3 Oregon
4 UCLA
5 Purdue
5 Michigan State
6 Illinois
7 Maryland
7 Michigan
8 Wisconsin
10 Penn State
11 Ohio State (Gets 1 of Last 4 byes)
Others, on the Bubble:
Nebraska.........1st Team OUT
IOWA...............4th Team OUT
Northwestern...7th Team OUT
The Full Bracket:
Bracketology: Could ... Oregon earn a No. 2 seed?!
For all the big-name Big Ten additions, Oregon is the most surprising -- and among the best -- of the bunch.
www.espn.com
I looked up schedule, and put this in another thread. Only 3 chances left as of now for a bad loss. New Hampshire next Monday, Minnesota on the 21st and Washington in February. Every other game they play should be quad 1 or 2. That should be a good resume provided we win those 3 games, all at home
Those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.
I have no crystal ball that can predict if Iowa is going to make the dance or not, but what I do know is after watching Nebraska play these last few days in Hawaii, if they can provide enough offensive and compete on the defensive end like I saw they played, they will defiantly be in in the dance and not just on the bubble. That team is athletic and Fred has them playing like they have been together for years instead of having 11 transfers. I wish Fran had adapted to using the portal like Hoiberg has. I don't know if Iowa's roster can do the unthinkable and take down this years addition of Nebraska, we shall see. Very impressed with the red and white these last 4 days.
Haven't you railed against Fran bringing in transfers in the recent past?
You really want 11 new guys every other year?
I know Fred has done ok doing that but Iowa's family culture does not allow for creaning 4 or 5 scholarship guys annually.
Iowa needs to hire a calipari-lite coach to change to a one year and out culture if a culture change is desired.
The word is edition,.. and I expect us to split with Nebraska.
YES, but times have changed, until the NCAA somehow levels the playing field with the money that these players are getting, coaches that have the money and the knowledge to manipulate the portal to their advantage are taking over the NCAA tournament and leaving the schools that rely on mostly high school recruits in their wake. Coaches like Fran are at a disadvantage and the old school of recruiting is falling by the wayside. In the coming years teams like Connecticut, Iowa St, Alabama, Gonzaga, and others will continue to excel unless the NCAA can take control of the portal and the money each school throws at players now to level the playing field.
Evidently Fred Hoiberg has come to that conclusion and is now recruiting less high school players and bringing in more experience players from the portal to fill out his roster. Having the money and fan support that Nebraska has also helps, something again that is working against Iowa as long as Fran is coach.
And I can’t believe anyone puts any credence in any post season predictions this early in the season. Total waste of time.
Sick of hearing Lunardi and Herbstreit. Come to think of it, I am sick of all of them. I watch pretty much all games with the volume off. Missing out on all of those exciting sideline reports and stupid ass comments from the “expert official” on duty is a plus too.
That shot by Dix against Northwestern was huge. That would have been a tough loss to overcome
49 currently in the NET with no Quad 1 wins. At this point they have 9 Quad 1 games, that will obviously adjust
49 currently in the NET with no Quad 1 wins. At this point they have 9 Quad 1 games, that will obviously adjust
BirdistheWord
HB Legend
Utah is at 63, could move to a Q1 if Utah improves
You’re not learning very well. The worst conference record Iowa has had since 2017-18 is 10-10.
That means judging from the past, they will at worst be .500.
It is so nice to come out of December at 1-1 in conference play. Sooooo close to 2-0!
Matt is a contributor to the Bracket Project. He tied for 5th in the 2024 Bracket Matrix.
He has Iowa as the 1st team OUT.
He has Iowa as the 1st team OUT.
Just 3 B1G teams are 2-0 in conference play (Michigan, Michigan State and UCLA).
12 B1G teams are 1-1.
The remaining 3 B1G teams are 0-2 (Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin).
Our next B1G game at Wisconsin will be very tough, to say the least; they will be very motivated to get their first B1G win and to avoid going 0-3 in conference play.
Wisconsin's 2 B1G losses: home to Michigan, 64-67; at Illinois, 80-86.
12 B1G teams are 1-1.
The remaining 3 B1G teams are 0-2 (Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin).
Our next B1G game at Wisconsin will be very tough, to say the least; they will be very motivated to get their first B1G win and to avoid going 0-3 in conference play.
Wisconsin's 2 B1G losses: home to Michigan, 64-67; at Illinois, 80-86.
Yes important game for both teams looking for a spot in the tournament. Probably more important for Wisconsin than the Hawks because losing 2 home games in this league doesn’t portend well. Not the end but winning road games in this league against anybody is not an easy task.
If you throw out his first season (playing with Lickliter's crew) and his other losing season (unexplainable) he has averaged a 5th place finish, which is in the upper half of every configuration of the league that he has participated in. Of course, you won't be willing to give him an inch. You are a one trick pony whose posts are getting me on the verge of making you the first person I've put on ignore, and that's saying something considering some of the other half wits that have posted on here.
Of the three, I like your Illini the best. You have some great freshmen and a great environment with the Orange Crush. Rutgers looks like they are still trying to put their team together. I've only seen Michigan St. once and it was their loss to Kansas, so I can't make much of a prediction for them except to point out that they generally improve as the season goes on. So far, they've beaten the teams that they were favored to beat. That said, I'm not sure yet where Iowa falls. We have had so many injuries to start the season, it will be interesting to see how the team fares when at full strength. I would bet that we don't finish 10th in the league as so many experts placed us.
A coach's record is a coach's record. You start "throwing out" entire seasons, it becomes just a big cope.
Most coaches take over a sh*t show. That's just the nature of the business.
You may want to keep your 88% FT shooting player on the floor at the end of close games. Just sayin'
The B1G Conference looks about as mediocre as I can ever remember. Lots of decent teams, including Iowa, but there aren't any really great ones.
6 teams in the Kenpom top 25. 8 teams in Kenpom top 30. 11 teams in Kenpom top 40.
Half of the league is in the top 30; 60% of the league in the top 40?...6 teams in the top 25 NET rankings; 10 teams in the top 40...that's a pretty damn tough league. "Mediocre" is not a word that I would use to describe this league.
Does the B1G have a final four team? Don't know but Maryland, UCLA, Illinois ... all look the part to me so far.
P.S. Iowa is not one of the teams in the top 40 of either Kenpom or NET.
