Final Analysis: IOWA a Top 25 team

[RockEyeState]

In the final Computer poll (Sagarin) the IOWA HAWKEYES were ranked
#23 overall, after all the games were played.

Considering the late season swoon, #23 isn't really too bad.

#goHawks

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Close the book on a fascinating, fun and frustrating season!

And, one more F than I won't mention.

 

[Ronman]

Just another reason for McCaffery to be on the hot seat, right?

 

[RockEyeState]

Iowa was also in the final AP Top 25 poll.

So there's that too. #goHawks

 

[paul_burmeister]

So fellas if i may ask, what exactly is the reward for finishing the season on an ugly downward spiral, limping into the ncaa tourney, getting absolutely manhandled and embarassed in round 2, but we finished 25th in the final rankings LOL. The real final answer is this, the team was exposed down the stretch as soft and when the going got tough, this iowa team folded like an 8 dollar lawn chair from wal mart, and did I mention we lost against in round one of the big ten tourney to a god awful opponent? some of you can go beat your chest to this final top 25 ranking, but truth is, it means nothing as Iowa was nowhere near a top 25 team at the end of the season. The End.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

So fellas if i may ask, what exactly is the reward for finishing the season on an ugly downward spiral, limping into the ncaa tourney, getting absolutely manhandled and embarassed in round 2, but we finished 25th in the final rankings LOL. The real final answer is this, the team was exposed down the stretch as soft and when the going got tough, this iowa team folded like an 8 dollar lawn chair from wal mart, and did I mention we lost against in round one of the big ten tourney to a god awful opponent? some of you can go beat your chest to this final top 25 ranking, but truth is, it means nothing as Iowa was nowhere near a top 25 team at the end of the season. The End.

I like Fran the coach, but Fran the recruiter needs to step up and get more than 2 scorers on the floor and address the PG situation. Maybe it's Williams, we will see, but pretty suspect given how little PT he got. IMO, Fran was loyal to a flaw with the seniors. Once their productivity started to decline, he needed to get Williams and Wagner more involved. If he has 0 confidence in guys he offered scholarships to, then he needs to examine his evaluation process. Not playing D, learning 3 positions, understanding the complexity of the scheme were Bravo Sierra excuses. It took about 2 minutes of PT to see that Williams could play and Wagner improved throughout big ten play.

There were multiple blowout non conference games that when Fran could have rolled the younger guys out there for major minutes, but instead opted to wait until 2-3 minutes left. I am conflicted because I posted at one point that Fran should be a COY candidate, but the way he handled the team down the stretch was awful. I don't know how much of this was on Fran or the players, but calling them 'soft' is being generous. If not for Woody's tip back, we lose another game in gut-wrenching fashion after blowing a 10 point lead.

 

[DanL53]

In the final Computer poll (Sagarin) the IOWA HAWKEYES were ranked
#23 overall, after all the games were played.

Considering the late season swoon, #23 isn't really too bad.

#goHawks

Thank you, and as we have been for the last four years. KenPom, 25, 28, 19, 23. Eighty-Nine wins. Three trips to the NCAA's. Improvement every year, though admittedly this season it was only by ONE extra win in the non-conference.

No reason to believe we've cheated. The worst behavior of any player involved a Moped. Meanwhile guys from other teams are making porno videos, stomping around a small town in France like Godzilla, pulling knives on bouncers, shoving opponents heads into the floor.

We've got a coach who occasionally gets angry, but what, no hookers!?!?

We got beat by a team in the NCAA's and some fans freaked at how badly. Ummmmmm, how does that loss look now compared to how other teams fared against Villanova?

What's that, we petered out at the end? Yeah, we did. Reasons why are a matter of opinion and personally I say that the officiating allowed more contact the last half of the league. That was a downfall of our team this year, and last year as well. When allowed to play basketball with the freedom of movement that is supposed to be a part of the game we do pretty well. But hey, yeah, that is a weakness. Teams have them!

Talk of bad recruiting but again, three straight trips to the NCAA's and the only other two Big Ten teams to accomplish that? Wisconsin and Michigan State? Must be great bench coaching? No, people complain about that. Must be great development? No, people complain about that. Must just be freagin' luck, because we sure can't give Fran credit for anything, nor his players!

We say the crowd at Carver stinks, Carver itself stinks, the only thing good about the place is the ice cream. Sounds like something an eight year old kid would say. But mention the rebuild and compared to Alford and Lickliter (not supposed to bring Lickliter up anymore but it is OK to say this....compared to them Fran has GREAT facilities.

Cheating? Example. Minnesota has two guys on their team that came for the same so called "basketball academy" in Europe. That Academy has the SAME address as a travel agency where Minnesota paid a butt load of money to travel Europe playing basketball. Not just Little Ricky's team, but Daddy's team in Louisville has done the same thing. Guess what, it's not against the rules, YET, because crud cheaters love new ways to stay ahead of the rules. Still freagin' cheating, just, creative.

Of the new coaches in the league, who is ahead of us? Pitino? Miles? Groce? Collins?

Cripes! Maryland was preseason number one in some polls. They played ONE ranked team in the non-conference and lost. They finished 12-6 in the Big Ten, just like us. They managed an amazing 1-1 in the Big Ten tournament and reached the Sweet Sixteen playing #12 South Dakota State and #11 Hawaii before losing to Kansas by 16 points. Sixteen points! We flipped out because we lost to Villanova by nineteen! And our late season swoon? We went 2-6 the last eight games, Maryland went 4-4, and if you look at the teams each played there isn't much to excuse Maryland for finishing .500. All this...and we complain about Fran?

And lastly, for the TL/DR crowd. It takes about one minute to read this...good lord, you could read it four times while you heat up your microwave burrito!

 

[whatsup13579er]

So fellas if i may ask, what exactly is the reward for finishing the season on an ugly downward spiral, limping into the ncaa tourney, getting absolutely manhandled and embarassed in round 2, but we finished 25th in the final rankings LOL. The real final answer is this, the team was exposed down the stretch as soft and when the going got tough, this iowa team folded like an 8 dollar lawn chair from wal mart, and did I mention we lost against in round one of the big ten tourney to a god awful opponent? some of you can go beat your chest to this final top 25 ranking, but truth is, it means nothing as Iowa was nowhere near a top 25 team at the end of the season. The End.

Compared to what Villanova did to some 'better' teams in the NCAA Tourney, Iowa's 2nd round exit isn't as embarrassing as it was a couple weeks ago. Villanova had the game well in hand for the entire 2nd half but Iowa came out and competed. That is more than you can say for a couple of the teams Nova blew out...

 

[luvmyhawks]

So fellas if i may ask, what exactly is the reward for finishing the season on an ugly downward spiral, limping into the ncaa tourney, getting absolutely manhandled and embarassed in round 2, but we finished 25th in the final rankings LOL. The real final answer is this, the team was exposed down the stretch as soft and when the going got tough, this iowa team folded like an 8 dollar lawn chair from wal mart, and did I mention we lost against in round one of the big ten tourney to a god awful opponent? some of you can go beat your chest to this final top 25 ranking, but truth is, it means nothing as Iowa was nowhere near a top 25 team at the end of the season. The End.

Iowa folded way easier than those piece of junk 8 dollar chairs. Them things are hard to fold.

 

[ketelmeister]

Compared to what Villanova did to some 'better' teams in the NCAA Tourney, Iowa's 2nd round exit isn't as embarrassing as it was a couple weeks ago. Villanova had the game well in hand for the entire 2nd half but Iowa came out and competed. That is more than you can say for a couple of the teams Nova blew out...

So you are saying the Villanova loss was a moral victory?

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I think there is middle ground between 'Fire Fran' and 'It's better than the Lickliter years and at least we aren't cheating'. Fran needs to do better with recruiting or he will never be more than a second round punching bag for whoever we play. No excuse for playing 2 on 5 offensively this year or for burying Williams and Ellingson on the bench and whiffing on Fleming. Sorry, you can spin this however you like, but other teams got contributions from freshman and Wagner's hustle, while appreciated, was not enough.

Fran had plenty of spots open and knew what he was losing in White and Olaseni and didn't have with the returning starters. How long can you say 'He tried, but couldn't get anybody'. That in itself is a problem as we head into year 7. There are some very basic skills needed on this team like a PG and PF that Fran has yet to land. Yes, there is potential in some incoming guys, but I heard the same about Hutton, Moss, Fleming, etc.

I like Fran and think he is a great ambassador for Iowa basketball, but expected more on the recruiting front based on the senior staff he hired. No, I am not talking about 5 star recruits at every position, so save that argument. I am talking about being eyes wide open with respect to the skill sets lacking vs. players recruited. 3 guards, none capable of playing, despite brutal guard play for half or more of the season. Hard to figure what Fran was thinking.

 

[MepoDawg#]

Iowa wasn't as good as they played to begin the B1G, but wasn't as bad as they played down the stretch. They ended where they probably should have. If everyone knew that they'd finished tied for 3rd in the B1G, win a game in the NCAA before the season started most would have taken it.

It's dumb to even consider Fran to be on the hot seat. If they don't take the next step in the next 2 years then maybe.

 

[whatsup13579er]

So you are saying the Villanova loss was a moral victory?

I'm saying Iowa didn't quit like OU and to a lesser extend The U. If you think that qualifies as a 'moral victory' then I guess so. I was happy to see Fran and the players kept fighting in that 2nd half. I think that kind of puts to rest the 'Fran lost the team' narrative and bodes well for the future.

 

[TheGuy9]

I like what Fran has done, but I hate his offense. In many of the games they lost late in the season, they had nobody going to the basket for a "AND 1." The offense we run tends to lend itself to shooting jump shots. We ran very few isolations, other than for Mike who missed far more than he made. When you are trying to stop a run, you go to the basket.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I like what Fran has done, but I hate his offense. In many of the games they lost late in the season, they had nobody going to the basket for a "AND 1." The offense we run tends to lend itself to shooting jump shots. We ran very few isolations, other than for Mike who missed far more than he made. When you are trying to stop a run, you go to the basket.

Good post. Unfortunately the apologists will likely respond with "We could have John Lickliter at PG, would you like that better"? Pretty clear that while Gesell got the blame for late game misfires, it falls on Fran for not having enough scorers on the team. Gesell was the guy that ended up having to try to do something because there were no other options. Jok and Uthoff could spot up, but not create.

 

[relishingwinning18]

So fellas if i may ask, what exactly is the reward for finishing the season on an ugly downward spiral, limping into the ncaa tourney, getting absolutely manhandled and embarassed in round 2, but we finished 25th in the final rankings LOL. The real final answer is this, the team was exposed down the stretch as soft and when the going got tough, this iowa team folded like an 8 dollar lawn chair from wal mart, and did I mention we lost against in round one of the big ten tourney to a god awful opponent? some of you can go beat your chest to this final top 25 ranking, but truth is, it means nothing as Iowa was nowhere near a top 25 team at the end of the season. The End.

It's amazing how different people can look at different things. The very end of the season wasn't that bad. We lost to the National Champion, and a crappy Illinois team. However, we beat two NCAA tourney teams in Michigan and Temple.

 

[RockEyeState]

It's amazing how different people can look at different things. The very end of the season wasn't that bad. We lost to the National Champion, and a crappy Illinois team. However, we beat two NCAA tourney teams in Michigan and Temple.

Agree with relish.........Overall, beating Michigan State twice, Purdue twice and getting knocked out by the #1 team in America,.......that's a decent year

 

[Ronman]

Some of you guys obviously deserve a better program than Iowa's.

 

[waterboy4582]

I think the lesson is don't expect much with Iowa basketball. First round Ncaa tourney win is about the ceiling. Don't hold your breath for any championship(of any kind) banners to be hung from the rafters.

 

[relishingwinning18]

I think the lesson is don't expect much with Iowa basketball. First round Ncaa tourney win is about the ceiling. Don't hold your breath for any championship(of any kind) banners to be hung from the rafters.

I feel like you are getting it now. Welcome to Iowa sports.