Game 1 was huge success

[CentralIAHawk]

I really can't see any reason for anyone to be upset or disappointed with game #1. That SIUe was a scrappy team, the kind that usually make us nervous, and we handled them by 30.

There aren't but a handful of teams that can put the kind of offense in the lane that we can (Garza) - and that is without CP's contributions, which will be significant.

There are also not many teams that can spread the floor with shooters like Jbo, JoeW and CJ...every team in the country is jealous of that firepower. It looks like any of all of them could go off for 4-5 from the arc in a half at any time.

We have 2 PG's in Cmac and JoeT who are just soph and frosh. They are growing each game, and each bring very unique stuff that is invaluable: Conner - size, strength and wisdom beyond his years...JoeT - athleticism & grit. Can't wait to see that pair come tourney time!

That alone is 7 quality players that will be very fun to cheer for come B1G season.

Add senior JK, soph JN and athletic Bakari...those are an excellent 8-10. There have been many years they are 3-5 in our rotation (been watching 50 years).

Even Till would be in the rotation many, many years. I like that kid as a spark plug at #11...he has a fun job.

Mark my words, this team will lose some games for sure, but they are going to be very fun to cheer for this winter.

Go Hawks!

 

[CentralIAHawk]

Shoot, I even forgot about Pmac...I predict he will have some very fun highlight dunks this year as well...Aaron White with handles.

Go Hawks!

 

[JAMAM]

Yes, fun to watch! Garza Looks to be a 1st team conference player. I'm cautiously optimistic!

 

[CP84]

Nunge is better than he showed yesterday. We'll have some 4 options with Pemsl back.

 

[perryhawk]

I am not expert.........but I think SIUE was better than anticipated and our guys still played well. That said, it is very early and it's really hard to tell because we just don't know if the competition is any good.

Depaul will give us that first good test. I think they are a legit opponent that would be better than a couple of the bottom B10 teams....my guess from having watched some of them already, they are better than both Nebraska and NW at this point....maybe quite a bit better. I think that if we win that game it's a credible sign that we are on track to be decent this season.

I am impressed with all 3 freshman....CJF plays the most mature of the 3 of them at least in part from his redshirt year. Like Moss he did not have a big offensive game last night, but unlike Moss his contributions on defense were very important. I really wonder if Moss would have made that layup on the pass from JBO......I thought that was a much better play than it got credited with being from CJF's part of it. It was a great pass because CJF finished with a guy flying at him and he had a very small window to get the ball up to the basket in a very short time......honestly thought at the instant he got it that he would be to far under or the shot would be blocked......

Joe T and Patrick are really talented...they just need to mature quickly in terms of concentration and knowing how they fit. I think that's a lot to ask but I think they have a shot to get there fairly soon..One is a coaches kid and the other has that NY toughness and confidence...and I think it's all about the mental part of it with these two.

Pemsl could be a very important part of this team...

 

[TritonHawkeye]

Patrick reminds me of body and movement White's freshman year. I came away impressed and think he will be a good one.

Was disappointed in Evelyn, maybe expected too much from a Senior tranfer...just seemed lost and didn't get the sense of leadership.

JT was impressive, the more he played the more I see his potential to really run this team.

CM was serviceable but at some point should move to a reserve role.

Garza is a beast, fearless and a leader. Same for JW(scared the crap out of me when he went down)

Nunge, seemed timid and deferred to Garza several times. He should be Garza's reserve at the 5. He looked slow and sluggish, not the player he was as a freshman. Not sure the added weight is great for him.

CJ is impressive. Loved his D and just needs to look for his a bit more. Would like to see him drive to the hoop and either kick or shoot.

Overall Offense a bit behind where I thought but Defense a bit ahead. This could be a really good defensive team.

 

[hooper56]

SIUE was not the most talented team but I'll tell you what, they were very well coached. Their defense took some things away from us and we had to make adjustments. Their biggest issue was lack of inside size. You simply cannot guard Garza/Kriener with 6'7" players. But they repeaedly got the ball inside against our zone and hit those little 10 footers that are available against that defense. I was impressed with their coach. Team played hard and did what it could. Their little point guard could start for a lot of teams.

 

[HawkSTL]

There is a lot of angst with Nunge but I like the fit next to Garza. Garza is a very good low post player and for spacing reasons pairing him with some like Nunge who can draw his man to the perimeter makes sense. The fact that Nunge also has tremendous defensive length and can add some rim protection and rebounding is a huge bonus.

Garza and Pemsl want to operate in the same spot. And the 4 out 1 in offense should be effective when the interior guy is as skilled as Garza and he is surrounded by shooters. Nunge is a essentially just a stretch 4 and can add defensive length.

 

[CentralIAHawk]

Good point about that Jbo to CJ fast break.

Likewise, CJ made that finish on the out of bounds play look easy...and it wasn't.

Go Hawks!

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Let's not get carried away.

 

[amahawk]

I do not see Nunge as a 4 at all. Maybe in very limited situations. A Garza /Nunge combo is too slow..

 

[anon_wic6m41528ao4]

Let's not get carried away.

I thought the first half was fine, bordering on concerning. Defense was fine, lots of late rotations, and the offense is still HEAVILY dependent on getting to the foul line. That bodes trouble when we go on the road and the refs aren't as friendly.

Nunge has shown me nothing that says he deserves to start. He was not aggressive last night and he looked like he had cement shoes on. Again, only one game. That very well may change, but I'm hoping Pemsl is good enough to start on Monday.

 

[Hawksfor3]

.........but I think SIUE was better than anticipated and our guys still played well. That said, it is very early and it's really hard to tell because we just don't know if the competition is any good.

I agree. We need a larger sample size. That said, I thought they did well and will continue to improve as Fran continues to refine the starting lineup and so on.

CJ is impressive. Loved his D and just needs to look for his a bit more.

Really enjoyed watching CJ last night. I like his (and JT's) hustle and defense. I agree that he should look for more shots, and I imagine he will as his confidence continues to grow.

 

[Maddux04]

The #1 thing that caught my eye was the defense. It seems they are talking, helping and rotating better. Is it great... no, but it is definitely improved. Rebounding will get better with CP back.

It may not translate into the win column, but it will be fun to watch with the offensive weapons the team has in place!

 

[slipHawk]

Shoot, I even forgot about Pmac...I predict he will have some very fun highlight dunks this year as well...Aaron White with handles.

Go Hawks!

Um, Aaron had a motor PMac can't touch. Not quite.

 

[Hawksfor3]

The #1 thing that caught my eye was the defense.

Definitely see improvement especially with CJ and Joe T!

 

[BBHawk]

Typical 1st-game analysis. Glass half full or glass half empty.

This is a young team still trying to mesh. Let's hope that it happens fast.

 

[SSG T]

I am not expert.........but I think SIUE was better than anticipated and our guys still played well. That said, it is very early and it's really hard to tell because we just don't know if the competition is any good.

Depaul will give us that first good test. I think they are a legit opponent that would be better than a couple of the bottom B10 teams....my guess from having watched some of them already, they are better than both Nebraska and NW at this point....maybe quite a bit better. I think that if we win that game it's a credible sign that we are on track to be decent this season.

I am impressed with all 3 freshman....CJF plays the most mature of the 3 of them at least in part from his redshirt year. Like Moss he did not have a big offensive game last night, but unlike Moss his contributions on defense were very important. I really wonder if Moss would have made that layup on the pass from JBO......I thought that was a much better play than it got credited with being from CJF's part of it. It was a great pass because CJF finished with a guy flying at him and he had a very small window to get the ball up to the basket in a very short time......honestly thought at the instant he got it that he would be to far under or the shot would be blocked......

Joe T and Patrick are really talented...they just need to mature quickly in terms of concentration and knowing how they fit. I think that's a lot to ask but I think they have a shot to get there fairly soon..One is a coaches kid and the other has that NY toughness and confidence...and I think it's all about the mental part of it with these two.

Pemsl could be a very important part of this team...

I agree, except the first part. SIUE is not good. If Iowa's offense isn't sideways the first 12-15, they're up by 40 when they're putting the walk ons in.

Now, I think their offense was sideways because it's the first true game. I mean, it was pretty bad at times the first half and they still put up 87 pts. But yes, DePaul will be a better test.

 

[go-hawks37]

First off I wanted to see if Luka and JW made improvements from last year. Answer is a definite yes. This is important because our offense will go thru them. They are studs and very efficient scoring options. Last year TC and Moss were talented but inconsistent.

Lot of people rag on Connor but I’m in the opposite camp. Better defender then Jordan by a big margin. Gets the ball where it needs to be. Plays with an edge.

C.J. is just a good basketball player. He makes others better. Does a lot of little things. Great shooter and much better passer and better handles then Moss. He’s a winner. Upgrade.

Jack was disappointing. Got pushed around in the block by smaller players. How will that look during Big 10 play. Looks a little slow reading things on defense. Jack plays to high in the post and smaller players are able to push him off his spot with lower leverage.

Jordan appears to be deferring to other guards and playing the two guard. He adds two big things that win games, big time shot maker and ability to control the game the last 5 minutes. Be a bonus if he can play.

RK had a nice game. 9 points and 5 boards in 15 minutes. Also 5 for 5 from the line. Probably talks the most out of all of the bigs. He and Jordan play most of there time with 3 newbies, JT, Bakari and Patrick. They do spend a lot of time talking with those 3 on defense and out of bounds plays. It does affect Jordan and RK as they are new to the system and the offense is not as fluid with the 3 new players. RK could have scored another 3 or 4 buckets easily as he had his man pinned deep continually. This is where CP and RK are superior to Jack especially against bigger/stronger players.

JT had a nice game. Nice defender. Looks up the court very well in transition. In the offense his reads are a little slower yet. Made a couple 3’s. If Jordan doesn’t play he will be counted on.

I was disappointed in Bakari. Looks shaky in the set offense. i’m not sure Fran will trust him in crunch time, similar to Moss.

All of this can change as we get to Big play. Lot of guys can play in games like this. Some can’t during Big Ten play.

 

[walleye hunter16]

I agree, except the first part. SIUE is not good. If Iowa's offense isn't sideways the first 12-15, they're up by 40 when they're putting the walk ons in.

Now, I think their offense was sideways because it's the first true game. I mean, it was pretty bad at times the first half and they still put up 87 pts. But yes, DePaul will be a better test.

SIUE made a TON of difficult shots in that game and it is very unlikely many teams will do the same over the course of a season.

 

[BBHawk]

SIUE made a TON of difficult shots in that game and it is very unlikely many teams will do the same over the course of a season.

This. Several late in the shot clock shots fell, funky banks, etc.

 

[twindman]

as for Garza, am I mis-remembering or did he play high post around the line a lot of time last year? I thought he was good at the 15-18 foot shot so with RK or Nunge underneath it would be a good system.

 

[hooper56]

as for Garza, am I mis-remembering or did he play high post around the line a lot of time last year? I thought he was good at the 15-18 foot shot so with RK or Nunge underneath it would be a good system.

Mostly last year it was Cook down low playing the 5 spot which left Garza more on perimeter or slashing to the rim. This year Garza has been solidly inside the whole time where he can really get things done.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

This staff has been good at scheduling buy games with teams that end up being way better than the previous year would indicate, which is why the scheduling outrage annoys me.

 

[perryhawk]

This staff has been good at scheduling buy games with teams that end up being way better than the previous year would indicate, which is why the scheduling outrage annoys me.

I really thought that SIUE was better than certainly I anticipated...they were bigger, more athletic, more disciplined than the team I envisioned. I will be surprised if they aren't competitive in their league.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

I really thought that SIUE was better than certainly I anticipated...they were bigger, more athletic, more disciplined than the team I envisioned. I will be surprised if they aren't competitive in their league.

At some point within the last year I posted the previous year ending KenPom or RPI versus the actual season ending numbers. I think there was only one team that did not finish several dozen spots ahead of the previous year.

 

[hooper56]

I really thought that SIUE was better than certainly I anticipated...they were bigger, more athletic, more disciplined than the team I envisioned. I will be surprised if they aren't competitive in their league.

They have good athletes and they are well coached.,Probably one of the quicker teams we will see this year. I bet they have a winning record anyways.

 

[SSG T]

At some point within the last year I posted the previous year ending KenPom or RPI versus the actual season ending numbers. I think there was only one team that did not finish several dozen spots ahead of the previous year.

Of the non P5 schools in the OOC, using KenPom (start season v end season). 2 got "several dozen" better, UW Green Bay and W Carolina.

UMKC +24
UWGB +72
Ala St +7
UNI -55
W Car +55
Sav St +6
Bryant -9

 

[HawkRugged17]

Game 2 ...