GoIowaAwesome has posted an interesting analysis...

[paladinhawk]

on how Iowa is doing without JBo this year(thanks for the correction 428Hawk):

For example, on December 13th, the #1 offense was Iowa with 1.149 PPP. Today it’s Gonzaga with 1.201 PPP. The #176 ranked offense (right in the middle of the 353 D1 teams) was UMass with 0.999 PPP. Today, #176 is Tulane with 1.03 PPP. Thus the current 0.977 adjusted DPPP is actually better than the 0.968 adjusted DPPP that Iowa had on December 13th and this is reflected in the improved defensive ranking. In the possessions that I have tracked from the Cincinnati game until present, Iowa is actually scoring 0.04 more PPP, and allowing 0.05 less PPP, than they did up through December 13th. The bottom line is this: Iowa's defense is better than it was and the offense has not fallen off very much at all.


It is not surprising that Toussaint and Evelyn are proving to be better defenders than a hobbled Bohannon was. What is surprising is that Iowa's offense hasn’t really skipped a beat. Although no longer ranked #1, Iowa is certainly still an elite offensive team. The rest of this article will focus on that question, examining changes in the usage rate and effectiveness of certain players. There are a few players who stand out in terms of performance improvement from December 13th until now: Joe Wieskamp, Ryan Kriener and Bakari Evelyn.

https://www.goiowaawesome.com/iowa-...s-how-are-we-getting-it-done-without-bohannon

 

[Chishawk1425]

Yep to all of that, good stuff. Iowa is missing Jobo's leadership on the floor, clutch shot making and FT making and high quality depth. But otherwise yes to all of that and the why's. But we saw what happened when JoBo's successor also went down in Fredrick, depth impacted as well as a guy who can make clutch 3's and the O was horrific.

 

[sober_teacher]

It's the one nightmare scenario imo that would prevent Iowa from continuing it's good season...one more injury. We're getting by with an 8 man rotation - I prefer having a 9th, mostly for that additional flexibility. We could MAYBE survive losing Pemsl - not because he's been putting up huge numbers but because he allows Fran to buy some rest for Kriener/Garza, or god forbid either has major foul trouble.

@Nebraska showed us what happens if we lose CJ or Joe W.

 

[24 so far]

It's the one nightmare scenario imo that would prevent Iowa from continuing it's good season...one more injury. We're getting by with an 8 man rotation - I prefer having a 9th, mostly for that additional flexibility. We could MAYBE survive losing Pemsl - not because he's been putting up huge numbers but because he allows Fran to buy some rest for Kriener/Garza, or god forbid either has major foul trouble.

@Nebraska showed us what happens if we lose CJ or Joe W.

At Nebraska showed what happens when you start a game 1 of 18 from 3. That's a lot of shots and a ton of them missed, and if you don't get 17 Offensive rebounds well.......it's bad. You shoot like crap, most of the time you lose.

Now no healthy CJ at Penn State was likely the difference in win or lose there when he was bad to start and eventually out completely. He's a difference maker.

 

[BBHawk]

At Nebraska showed what happens when you start a game 1 of 18 from 3. That's a lot of shots and a ton of them missed, and if you don't get 17 Offensive rebounds well.......it's bad. You shoot like crap, most of the time you lose.

Now no healthy CJ at Penn State was likely the difference in win or lose there when he was bad to start and eventually out completely. He's a difference maker.

Iowa was 1 - 11 from the 3 in the first half against WI and was still tied. Iowa's D has improved.

 

[kcgolfer]

I absolutely think the defense has improved. In years past, we struggled to get stops when we really needed them. This team has the ability to get the stops.

 

[428Hawk]

on how Iowa is doing in the 'post Bohannon era':

For example, on December 13th, the #1 offense was Iowa with 1.149 PPP. Today it’s Gonzaga with 1.201 PPP. The #176 ranked offense (right in the middle of the 353 D1 teams) was UMass with 0.999 PPP. Today, #176 is Tulane with 1.03 PPP. Thus the current 0.977 adjusted DPPP is actually better than the 0.968 adjusted DPPP that Iowa had on December 13th and this is reflected in the improved defensive ranking. In the possessions that I have tracked from the Cincinnati game until present, Iowa is actually scoring 0.04 more PPP, and allowing 0.05 less PPP, than they did up through December 13th. The bottom line is this: Iowa's defense is better than it was and the offense has not fallen off very much at all.


It is not surprising that Toussaint and Evelyn are proving to be better defenders than a hobbled Bohannon was. What is surprising is that Iowa's offense hasn’t really skipped a beat. Although no longer ranked #1, Iowa is certainly still an elite offensive team. The rest of this article will focus on that question, examining changes in the usage rate and effectiveness of certain players. There are a few players who stand out in terms of performance improvement from December 13th until now: Joe Wieskamp, Ryan Kriener and Bakari Evelyn.

https://www.goiowaawesome.com/iowa-...s-how-are-we-getting-it-done-without-bohannon

I for one hope it's not the post-JBo era, only the post-JBo season. This team with a healthy JBo next year will be very dangerous. Hope it comes together.

 

[sober_teacher]

Iowa was 1 - 11 from the 3 in the first half against WI and was still tied. Iowa's D has improved.

The other difference was that @ Nebraska was the last game we didn't have CJ either, he was still sitting out that game.

 

[DodgerHawki]

It's the one nightmare scenario imo that would prevent Iowa from continuing it's good season...one more injury. We're getting by with an 8 man rotation - I prefer having a 9th, mostly for that additional flexibility. We could MAYBE survive losing Pemsl - not because he's been putting up huge numbers but because he allows Fran to buy some rest for Kriener/Garza, or god forbid either has major foul trouble.

@Nebraska showed us what happens if we lose CJ or Joe W.

Yep, this is 100% true. The team as currently constructed is good and will make the NCAA tournament. Which, all things considered, is a great season.

They have a great player in Garza and 2 additional very good players in Frederick and Wieskamp. And then role players around them who fit in nicely. But take Frederick out of the equation, and all of their margin for error is gone.

Till could absorb Pemsl's minutes and Iowa would be fine. But rest of the roster is needed. It doesn't mean that Iowa can't win an individual game without one of the core players (the win over Maryland proves that) but over the long haul if Iowa were without one of the 6 top guys the performance would suffer dramatically.

 

[final_flashx]

I think what we're seeing after the injury is that this team has actual talent.... CJF and JoeT being able to come in and do what they are doing is a great indicator of Fran doing a much better job of bringing in talent... previous years if the team suffered an injury, they were forced to play Ellingson out of position and guys like Christian Williams who just weren't up to the task... we're still kind of seeing that with Pemsl playing a lot of meaningful minutes, but that's pretty much due to 3 major players having to sit-out due to injuries/illness

 

[sober_teacher]

I think what we're seeing after the injury is that this team has actual talent.... CJF and JoeT being able to come in and do what they are doing is a great indicator of Fran doing a much better job of bringing in talent... previous years if the team suffered an injury, they were forced to play Ellingson out of position and guys like Christian Williams who just weren't up to the task... we're still kind of seeing that with Pemsl playing a lot of meaningful minutes, but that's pretty much due to 3 major players having to sit-out due to injuries/illness

Pemsl makes me sad to see what his injuries/surgeries did to him. As a freshmen he looked like a guy that could provide quality minutes and points/rebounds off the bench, and was a nice change of pace to Cook. This year, after missing last year to try to get healthy, he just doesn't look like he has much juice and/or confidence in his knees. I firmly believe we don't beat ISU without him suiting up for that game and providing much-needed attitude/energy into the game.

 

[HawkLogic]

With Jbo shut down, a Healthy CJ is critical. The team is B1G contender with him and mediocre without him.

Next year, assuming a healthy JBo is on the team, this would give the team three exceptional high volume 3pt shooters. I don't think multiple games like Wisconsin/Nebraska will happen next year with Jbo, JoeW, CJ taking most of the 3pt shots.

If JoeT continues to develop/gains consistency, this team becomes very tough as his game adds a different dimension.

 

[HawkLogic]

I think what we're seeing after the injury is that this team has actual talent.... CJF and JoeT being able to come in and do what they are doing is a great indicator of Fran doing a much better job of bringing in talent... previous years if the team suffered an injury, they were forced to play Ellingson out of position and guys like Christian Williams who just weren't up to the task... we're still kind of seeing that with Pemsl playing a lot of meaningful minutes, but that's pretty much due to 3 major players having to sit-out due to injuries/illness

Garza, Fredrick, JoeT are examples of Fran doing fantastic recruiting to add out of state stars to the core Iowa group. JoeW was born a Hawkeye, so signing him was more like Holding Serve in Tennis.

I think this year's team (as long as they stay healthy), won't have the Fran Fade. Fran has inside/outside game on this squad and the players react better to physical play. The Uthoff/Jok led team that collapsed was a good defensive team, and had 3 seniors/1 Jr starters, but Fran failed to pull in Freshman/Sophomore talent to augment the Jr/Seniors. B1G teams learned they just had to body up/play physical defense with Jok/Uthoff and that team went from B1G contender to losing ~5 out of last 7 games and getting bounced out in 1st game in B1G tourney.

 

[Vbeachawk]

Joe T is the biggest reason that Iowa's defense is better, as there is essentially no dribble penetration by the other teams pgs when Joe is in the game which helps the rest of the defense to be in better position to defend against their men rather than having to respond to dribble penetration, imo. CJF plays tougher defense than most of the guys have in the past too.

 

[sober_teacher]

Garza, Fredrick, JoeT are examples of Fran doing fantastic recruiting to add out of state stars to the core Iowa group. JoeW was born a Hawkeye, so signing him was more like Holding Serve in Tennis.

I think this year's team (as long as they stay healthy), won't have the Fran Fade. Fran has inside/outside game on this squad and the players react better to physical play. The Uthoff/Jok led team that collapsed was a good defensive team, and had 3 seniors/1 Jr starters, but Fran failed to pull in Freshman/Sophomore talent to augment the Jr/Seniors. B1G teams learned they just had to body up/play physical defense with Jok/Uthoff and that team went from B1G contender to losing ~5 out of last 7 games and getting bounced out in 1st game in B1G tourney.

I really think the Fran Fade argument is at least somewhat overblown. That Uthoff/Jok team (that's the one that lost to Tennessee in the First 4, correct?) was a classic case of an experienced team that dominated early because of their experience while younger teams still figured themselves out, then the league adjusted (thanks B10 refs!) and they struggled down the stretch. I'm firmly of the opinion they do much better if the league ever got serious about cutting down overly physical play, though that team still had serious flaws. The other year that gets too much flak was I think, Gesell and Woodbury's soph year, that struggled down the stretch. We found out at the B10 tourney that Patrick had been diagnosed with cancer, so I'm sure the players all knew about it and I can't blame Fran too much if he wasn't 100% focused on the team.

This year, we're entering a stretch now where we'll have 6 games in 18 days, 4 of which will be on the road, including games @ Minny, @ Purdue, @ Indiana and @Maryland tomorrow. I'll be perfectly happy if the Hawks go 3-3 in that stretch, but 4-2 or better is doable. A struggle in that stretch won't be completely out of the question early. The key thing that I enjoy seeing right now is that the team is fighting hard in every game. Monday was a classic case where past Iowa teams likely lost that game. This year's edition never gave up.

 

[DogBoyRy]

Joe T is the biggest reason that Iowa's defense is better, as there is essentially no dribble penetration by the other teams pgs when Joe is in the game which helps the rest of the defense to be in better position to defend against their men rather than having to respond to dribble penetration, imo. CJF plays tougher defense than most of the guys have in the past too.

This plus having a true point guard is the reason Iowa is playing well.

 

[walleye hunter16]

I think what we're seeing after the injury is that this team has actual talent.... CJF and JoeT being able to come in and do what they are doing is a great indicator of Fran doing a much better job of bringing in talent... previous years if the team suffered an injury, they were forced to play Ellingson out of position and guys like Christian Williams who just weren't up to the task... we're still kind of seeing that with Pemsl playing a lot of meaningful minutes, but that's pretty much due to 3 major players having to sit-out due to injuries/illness

If Pemsl had not become a constant injruy he would be contributing a lot more than we see now.

 

[cleotishaywood]

Iowa was 1 - 11 from the 3 in the first half against WI and was still tied. Iowa's D has improved.

Having Connor drop down to double-team if the ball is in the post has really been effective.

 

[BBHawk]

Having Connor drop down to double-team if the ball is in the post has really been effective.

That and, as noted above, having CJ improves defense and forces opponents to pay attention to that position when they are on defense.

 

[BaldHawk4Life]

The other difference was that @ Nebraska was the last game we didn't have CJ either, he was still sitting out that game.

I agree that it was likely the difference between winning and losing... but don't forget they came home to Iowa City and beat a very good Maryland team (crushed them) without CJ three days later.

 

[mazda1]

Don’t forget Conners ability to assist and limit turnovers. The four had previously been a turnover waiting to happen. Now Conner might attack the basket, move it on quickly yet with a purpose, and his quickness gives us a rebounding advantage that we miss when there’s we’re just big there. With the number of 3 that teams shoot today having someone who can rebound out of his position helps our transition game too.

 

[sober_teacher]

I agree that it was likely the difference between winning and losing... but don't forget they came home to Iowa City and beat a very good Maryland team (crushed them) without CJ three days later.

No question, but that's also the difference b/t home and away games. Iowa made more 3s in the 1st half against the Terps than they did in the entire game vs Nebraska. Hoiberg admitted their only chance was to completely collapse on Garza and hope Iowa was cold from 3. Having one more shooter would have been huge, even on a night when the shots weren't falling.

btw, Maryland also uses Under-Armour basketballs (iowa uses Nike). Why don't they have a set of the under armour balls for practice in the couple of days prior to games like this? I've heard this from other schools that have a similar situation that I do believe the different basketballs throws them off a bit.

 

[Iowa Hog]

on how Iowa is doing without JBo this year(thanks for the correction 428Hawk):

For example, on December 13th, the #1 offense was Iowa with 1.149 PPP. Today it’s Gonzaga with 1.201 PPP. The #176 ranked offense (right in the middle of the 353 D1 teams) was UMass with 0.999 PPP. Today, #176 is Tulane with 1.03 PPP. Thus the current 0.977 adjusted DPPP is actually better than the 0.968 adjusted DPPP that Iowa had on December 13th and this is reflected in the improved defensive ranking. In the possessions that I have tracked from the Cincinnati game until present, Iowa is actually scoring 0.04 more PPP, and allowing 0.05 less PPP, than they did up through December 13th. The bottom line is this: Iowa's defense is better than it was and the offense has not fallen off very much at all.


It is not surprising that Toussaint and Evelyn are proving to be better defenders than a hobbled Bohannon was. What is surprising is that Iowa's offense hasn’t really skipped a beat. Although no longer ranked #1, Iowa is certainly still an elite offensive team. The rest of this article will focus on that question, examining changes in the usage rate and effectiveness of certain players. There are a few players who stand out in terms of performance improvement from December 13th until now: Joe Wieskamp, Ryan Kriener and Bakari Evelyn.

https://www.goiowaawesome.com/iowa-...s-how-are-we-getting-it-done-without-bohannon

Why is Iowa so much better on defense than they were a few years ago besides different players . Do we have some new assistant coachs that have helped this improvement?

 

[sober_teacher]

Why is Iowa so much better on defense than they were a few years ago besides different players . Do we have some new assistant coachs that have helped this improvement?

When our team D was absolutely dreadful two years ago, I thought the two biggest flaws were that 1) players over-committed on screens, jump fakes, etc. and 2) communication on defense was nonexistent, so that help defense was always late - if it showed up at all. But watch them play this year, their heads are almost always moving around, their hands are up (which helps when deflecting passes, causing steals), and you can see they are talking to each other.

That was the infuriating part. Wisconsin has not been an uber-athletic team historically, but they've usually been solid at worst on defense, in large part because those fundamentals were always sound. There's zero reason that 5 guys who work hard, can't be at least average defensively, and our offense is good enough that that should be enough.

We do have 1 new assistant coach - Andrew Francis left.