Trying to look through the raw feelings about today's game and analyze and it comes back to defense. 90+ to this team? 80+ to several others who struggled to hit 60 in other games? That just won't cut it. You can't outscore people. I am not gonna pound on Connor. He would be fine as a role player if they could play D. Yes Nebraska hit some tough shots, but they gave up a lot of driving layups too. Its beyond me how Fran can think they can win consistently like that. I am not saying he has to be Tony Bennett all of a sudden, but how about middle of the pack D.
Defense remains the core problem
- Thread starter JRHawk2003
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We had to do something to disrupt rhythm that final minute. Watson was just dribbling into pull up threes in rhythm and unmolseted. JBO was in decent position but Watson knew he was too short and unatheltic to affect his shot.
I like JBo a lot, but he's always going to be a weak link out there on defense. You just can't have 2 other weak links out there. Palmer had his way and and of course their 6'8 PF went off for 4/4 from 3 because Iowa just doesn't bother to guard 3pt line.
Fran is the problem.
Which means Barta is the problem.
Which means everything else is window dressing.
Which means Barta is the problem.
Which means everything else is window dressing.
It’s amazing how poor they are year after year at defense - hoping that in year 10, we finally have a super athletic defensive pest up top who will be a 4 year heart and soul leader of a new dawn of Iowa hoops. I’m trying to be optimistic which isn’t easy because the variances in effort and consistency are mind numbing at times.
Awesome finishing last in scoring defense in big-10 games givinging up 76.6
Roby is a 32% 3pt shooter on the year. Leave him wide open, and what are the odds he goes 4/4 from three? Let alone hitting step backs with a hand in his face at the buzzer. We can talk about how lucky Iowa has been this year with some of their wins, but the Hawks get unlucky quite a bit too
Seems like the pressure is getting to these kids to say the least, or they didn’t know how to handle success. Ranked team, NCAA tourney bound, hunted not the hunter.
This core group of Jr’s hasn’t been ranked or to the dance before this season, so I guess I can’t blame this group.
But...I can blame the adults w 6/7 figure salaries for not coaching the kids on how to deal with it.
This core group of Jr’s hasn’t been ranked or to the dance before this season, so I guess I can’t blame this group.
But...I can blame the adults w 6/7 figure salaries for not coaching the kids on how to deal with it.
Fran has built a roster that is incapable of playing man to man defense in the big ten with our lack of athleticism. We are severely handicapped on the defensive end and forced to play mostly zone.
We gave up 62 points in the last 25 minutes today.....
First two minutes of the game Nebraska ALREADY ha 4 offensive rebounds! Scored after each one of them.
This staff is the core problem of this group.
All we heard after last year was the focus on defense...defense this and defense that. At this point, Fran dropping "phenomenal" and "tremendous" is equal to the words of "subpar" and "crap".
All we heard after last year was the focus on defense...defense this and defense that. At this point, Fran dropping "phenomenal" and "tremendous" is equal to the words of "subpar" and "crap".
We are 120 places higher in defensive efficiency than last year. We aren’t good, but that’s a big improvement. Why can’t we get better?
It's a personnel issue.
Bohannon can't defend.
Garza has slow feet and can't jump. He's a center that averages 4 boards per game.
Bohannon can't defend.
Garza has slow feet and can't jump. He's a center that averages 4 boards per game.
Those gains were aided by playing not good teams. The blue print is out on how to stop this team and Fran cannot come up with a counter.
Because I'm out of beer and I'm buying more time between your replies so I can go buy more.
We are far and away the worst defensive team in the big ten.....that is the most important problem. The coaches have stayed in zones mostly this year to hide our deficiencies, so we have risen some overall, but still incapable of guarding anyone in man to man defense. The roster construction of not very good big ten athletes, paired with a staff that has never established a culture of defense and blocking out has us where we are at..... which is 0 threat for any postseason run.
I certainly think it Jim’s and Joe’s not Xs and Os.
Those Woodbury, Gessell, Clemons teams were typically pretty good defensively—top 35 or so in defensive efficiency.
Joe W and Dailey are pretty much the only two decent perimeter defenders we have. JBO tries but is small and slow. We just don’t have much lateral quickness with Moss, Baer, Connor, JBO, Cook, Garza, and Kriener.
We could get better but I don't see defense and fundamentally sound basketball as a core teaching of this staff.
They are almost a decade in and that hasn't ever been the case.
Why no Defensive Specialist in off-season.Others do it? Coaching Staff might and players might pick-up some info? Fran does not know everything on the 'd' side huh? Next Game win pleese. Hawk Players Tough...
I think Bohannon’s defense was ok. The problem was Garza, Cook and even Kriener (our best interior defender) were getting torched and their defensive rebounding was pathetic. Garza in particular. Garza will improve with another year of experience, but that won’t help us this year. Fixing our defensive rebounding would go a long ways to fixing our defense.
I agree.Fran needs to get an assistant who focuses on man to man defense. Period.
Defense is an issue no doubt. I believe the biggest mistake is when the center screens on JBo up high Garza switches in a heartbeat. Let JBo at least try to get through it. First possession of the Nebby game this happened. It's ridiculous imo !! Cook does it too. Our guards have to fight through them more. Even if they aren't good at it.
Well there ya go...........that's tremendous, phenomenal!!
If fran can focus on defense in this next off season we might get ourselves to the level of being "poor defensibly" and not "horrible defensibly".
Yes, D remains bad both by eye test and metrics.
Some early season improvement, combined with opponents who have turned out to be worse than thought at the time, resulted in a bit of false promise.
They are still better than last year. But the bar was so low after that garbage that the improvement hasn't been nearly enough.
Some early season improvement, combined with opponents who have turned out to be worse than thought at the time, resulted in a bit of false promise.
They are still better than last year. But the bar was so low after that garbage that the improvement hasn't been nearly enough.
It's tough. Amazing that in a couple of weeks Iowa is now in a position where if they stink it up and go 1 and done at the BTT there will be some anxious moments on Selection Sunday.
I like the players on this team. They appear to try hard and share the ball. Something is broken in how the pieces fit all together.
Lol good gosh man if you were on the Titanic you would be complimenting the staff on the close up view of the bottom of the ocean before you realized you were sunk. Three reasons: 1) Fran and his assistants will be here. 2) Those guys will be doing the recruiting / player development. 3) Iowa's guards can't defend mid+ level guards and we suck on the boards.
Other than those 3 things it should be seamless.
Fran has had top 40 defensive teams several years at Iowa. Given the improvement we showed over last year I don’t feel the need to freak out. He will try his best to make changes, but based on his past history of having good defensive teams I feel like most of the blame is on the players.
Maybe so but how do you account for the inability to score in late game situations? For an offense first coach Fran should be held accountable for something right? He is the person getting paid a lot of money to coach. Iowa in late game situations gets exposed for its lack of play makers. It's Bohannon or bust and he can't get clean looks. If you are right and it's the players then he needs to recruit them to the bench or out. Lots of juco talent in Texas.
By defensive efficiciency, Fran has had two top 40 teams. Both of those came in the Woody/Gesell/Clemmons years. Is it possible those players were good defensive players and the system/coaching is more the problem? Genuine question.
Year Rank
'10 151
11 287
12 33
13 60
14 40
15 76
16 200
17 308
18 203
Agree. When do these guys play their best? IMO when shots fall. Shots haven't fallen / teams have clamped down on the perimeter the past month + and gotten back on D to limit any Iowa transition hoops. Lack of post feeds have resulted in fewer free throws. Add these 3 together and you have a very stagnant offense that is painful to watch and likely very frustrating to play in.
the reason those numbers aren't quite as good as the Pomeroy numbers for Iowa's defense is they aren't adjusted for strength of opponent. But even the adjusted numbers don't tell a great story in terms of defensive efficiency.
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