Should we ever really care about preseason predictions again?
Thoughts on how the so called experts were so wrong concerning Iowa football and Iowa basketball?
From HawkCentral.com:
In football, the Hawkeyes were picked to finish fourth in their seven-team West Division. All they did was rise to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings before losses in the Big Ten title game and Rose Bowl.
In basketball, media members no longer predict the order of finish in the Big Ten Conference, but a Big Ten Network panel picked the Hawkeyes to finish ninth out of 14 teams in the league. All they have done is rise to No. 3 in the AP Poll.
Back then, point guard Mike Gesell said this: “People forget how much experience we have back. We’ve got a bunch of guys that know how to win, know what it’s like to go into a hostile environment and win ballgames.”
Gesell’s words have been spot-on, as Iowa is riding experience and key road wins to a 7-0 mark in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1969-70 team went 14-0. And those wins have come against top-echelon competition – six of the seven have come against opponents with an above-.500 league record.
This is the second straight week Iowa is ranked in the top 10, something last done by Tom Davis’ 1988-89 Hawkeyes. That team never returned to its high point of No. 4 after a stunning 110-92 loss on Christmas Day in a Hawaii tournament to Cal-Riverside, which made 21 of 36 3-point attempts that night.
Iowa’s first game as a top-five team in 27 seasons will be a doozy: Thursday at No. 7 Maryland (6 p.m., ESPN), which is 13-0 at home since it joined the Big Ten.
“The message will never change, but I think if we all look at it pragmatically, we go on the road to play Maryland on Thursday. That in and of itself is going to keep you grounded,” said McCaffery, who will for the first time lead a top-five team in his 619th game as college head coach. “I mean, they’re incredibly talented.”
The Terrapins, viewed as the Big Ten preseason favorite, are 17-3 overall, and will have stewed for five days about a 74-65 loss at Michigan State. With a 6-2 Big Ten mark, Maryland can't afford to add a third loss before Iowa has any.
The Hawkeyes, who start four seniors and a junior, know that a small number next to their name creates a big target.
“It just means we’re playing really well right now. It’s cool to get that recognition. It’s really fun for our fans,” Gesell said. “… Every game we win, we’re going to have a bigger target on our back. Teams are looking to beat us to build their resume. And Maryland’s right on our heels, so they’ll be trying to get us.”
http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...eyes-ranked-top-five-fran-mccaffery/79298040/
Thoughts on how the so called experts were so wrong concerning Iowa football and Iowa basketball?
From HawkCentral.com:
In football, the Hawkeyes were picked to finish fourth in their seven-team West Division. All they did was rise to No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings before losses in the Big Ten title game and Rose Bowl.
In basketball, media members no longer predict the order of finish in the Big Ten Conference, but a Big Ten Network panel picked the Hawkeyes to finish ninth out of 14 teams in the league. All they have done is rise to No. 3 in the AP Poll.
Back then, point guard Mike Gesell said this: “People forget how much experience we have back. We’ve got a bunch of guys that know how to win, know what it’s like to go into a hostile environment and win ballgames.”
Gesell’s words have been spot-on, as Iowa is riding experience and key road wins to a 7-0 mark in Big Ten play for the first time since the 1969-70 team went 14-0. And those wins have come against top-echelon competition – six of the seven have come against opponents with an above-.500 league record.
This is the second straight week Iowa is ranked in the top 10, something last done by Tom Davis’ 1988-89 Hawkeyes. That team never returned to its high point of No. 4 after a stunning 110-92 loss on Christmas Day in a Hawaii tournament to Cal-Riverside, which made 21 of 36 3-point attempts that night.
Iowa’s first game as a top-five team in 27 seasons will be a doozy: Thursday at No. 7 Maryland (6 p.m., ESPN), which is 13-0 at home since it joined the Big Ten.
“The message will never change, but I think if we all look at it pragmatically, we go on the road to play Maryland on Thursday. That in and of itself is going to keep you grounded,” said McCaffery, who will for the first time lead a top-five team in his 619th game as college head coach. “I mean, they’re incredibly talented.”
The Terrapins, viewed as the Big Ten preseason favorite, are 17-3 overall, and will have stewed for five days about a 74-65 loss at Michigan State. With a 6-2 Big Ten mark, Maryland can't afford to add a third loss before Iowa has any.
The Hawkeyes, who start four seniors and a junior, know that a small number next to their name creates a big target.
“It just means we’re playing really well right now. It’s cool to get that recognition. It’s really fun for our fans,” Gesell said. “… Every game we win, we’re going to have a bigger target on our back. Teams are looking to beat us to build their resume. And Maryland’s right on our heels, so they’ll be trying to get us.”
http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...eyes-ranked-top-five-fran-mccaffery/79298040/
