Sigh.....I knew I should've started this after the Maryland game. They're leaving me with less and less good news to come up with after each contest.
Good News- So, there were positives underneath all the puke and crud that was the abomination of our game against Nebraska. Actually, a few more than the Wisconsin game, even.
Our offense saw somewhat of a resurgence. Iowa made 10 threes on 38.5% shooting, which is better than what it's been. We shot 43.5% overall and made 21 FTs. Hopefully, this bodes well going forward offensively, at least, that we're breaking out of our funk.
Bohannon and Garza.broke the 20 pt mark, with Garza leading the way at 25 pts on 10 of 16 shooting. He was 0-2 on 3s though, but if we can get that kind of production down the stretch (AND mix in a few step-out 3s) that can only mean good things going forward for Iowa. Cook on the other hand.........
As far as tournament prospects go, we weren't hurt much at all by this loss, as Nebraska was not considered a "bad loss" according to NET, so we got that going for us which is nice.................
Iowa keeps the 6 seed in the BTT, and really everything that's happen thus far (including in other conf. tourneys) has done nothing to change our charted course towards the Big Dance. As I've said before, it's just a matter of what seed we're gonna "earn".
Bad News- Well for starters, we lost to Nebraska, so.................that sucks.
I said after our uncalled-for loss to Minnesota that Bad Tyler Cook = loss for Iowa. Nothing we've done since then has dissuaded that perception, although we have pulled out a few recent games in spite of him.
Cook didn't score in the 2nd half and made 2 FTs in OT, after scoring 7 pts on 2 made FGs in the 1st half.........that's not good.
Iowa, as a team, gave up 7 blocked shots and while they made 21 FTs, it came on 32 attempts in a 2-pt ball game.
Teams going off against us from the 3 pt line didn't change either, as Nebraska hit 13 on 50% shooting, with many of them coming in that ridiculous final minute.
Our defense, as well-documented on this board, has continued to regress rather than progress. Basic fundamental things are lacking with this team. They're giving up right hand layups way too easy and they chase the ball too much, especially in zone, allowing for ball reversals to lead to easy, wide open 3s that teams are making in bunches now.
But the worst part about Sunday's game was that we were so defeated on defense that it basically became like an exhausting football game with multiple OTs (think 2011 Iowa State) where the loser is gonna be whose offense makes a mistake first, and 99 times out of 100 it's Iowa that makes that mistake first.
Nebraska could get to the basket whenever they wanted by the end of the game, and given Iowa's adventures on offense recently, it was a pretty safe bet, they were gonna blink first.
If we don't just get destroyed by whoever we face in the NCAA tournament, be it in the 1st round or against a 1 or a 2 seed in the next, then it has to be a major concern that in late-game situations, we can't trust Iowa to come up with a game-winning defensive stop.
It's nice that Iowa has been able to get the final shot more often than not this year in close games, as opposed to letting that damn shot go in that always goes in...........but why let it always come to needing a desperation, high-pressure shot near or at the buzzer, when we could just force a bad shot, or block a shot, or get a rebound, or heaven f***ing forbid take a gotdam f***ing charge to clinch a game?.......
Is that really so impossible for Division 1 basketball players?
I hope not.
Other News- Illinois awaits tonight in the First Round of the Big Ten Tournament. They sure did expel a lot of energy in their overtime win against Northwestern, but given our recent/bau struggles, and our penchant for playing terrible in the early rounds of the BTT under Fran, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Illinois was licking their chops at the chance to get revenge on Iowa in what their fans are probably mockingly considering a free pass to the Quarterfinals......
A loss tonight more than likely assures us either a 9 or 10 seed. There isn't a whole lot of maneuvering off the dreaded 7/10 and 8/9 lines that we can do, short of a major run in the BTT.
The only other thing I could see happening is that we lose in Frantastic fashion ala Rutgers and the committee "punishes" us with an 11 seed, which I would honestly take over the 7 through 10 seeds at this point.........Of course if we win the whole tournament, I think our ceiling is the 6 seed so we end up there anyway.
But I do hope that any fears that we won't make the NCAA tournament have subsided by now. Based on other results in conference tourneys, and the fact that teams below us in the Big Ten are simply fighting for a possible play-in spot, that should be enough to remove your doubts.
Now whether we win another game this year, that's an entirely different matter.........
Good News- So, there were positives underneath all the puke and crud that was the abomination of our game against Nebraska. Actually, a few more than the Wisconsin game, even.
Our offense saw somewhat of a resurgence. Iowa made 10 threes on 38.5% shooting, which is better than what it's been. We shot 43.5% overall and made 21 FTs. Hopefully, this bodes well going forward offensively, at least, that we're breaking out of our funk.
Bohannon and Garza.broke the 20 pt mark, with Garza leading the way at 25 pts on 10 of 16 shooting. He was 0-2 on 3s though, but if we can get that kind of production down the stretch (AND mix in a few step-out 3s) that can only mean good things going forward for Iowa. Cook on the other hand.........
As far as tournament prospects go, we weren't hurt much at all by this loss, as Nebraska was not considered a "bad loss" according to NET, so we got that going for us which is nice.................
Iowa keeps the 6 seed in the BTT, and really everything that's happen thus far (including in other conf. tourneys) has done nothing to change our charted course towards the Big Dance. As I've said before, it's just a matter of what seed we're gonna "earn".
Bad News- Well for starters, we lost to Nebraska, so.................that sucks.
I said after our uncalled-for loss to Minnesota that Bad Tyler Cook = loss for Iowa. Nothing we've done since then has dissuaded that perception, although we have pulled out a few recent games in spite of him.
Cook didn't score in the 2nd half and made 2 FTs in OT, after scoring 7 pts on 2 made FGs in the 1st half.........that's not good.
Iowa, as a team, gave up 7 blocked shots and while they made 21 FTs, it came on 32 attempts in a 2-pt ball game.
Teams going off against us from the 3 pt line didn't change either, as Nebraska hit 13 on 50% shooting, with many of them coming in that ridiculous final minute.
Our defense, as well-documented on this board, has continued to regress rather than progress. Basic fundamental things are lacking with this team. They're giving up right hand layups way too easy and they chase the ball too much, especially in zone, allowing for ball reversals to lead to easy, wide open 3s that teams are making in bunches now.
But the worst part about Sunday's game was that we were so defeated on defense that it basically became like an exhausting football game with multiple OTs (think 2011 Iowa State) where the loser is gonna be whose offense makes a mistake first, and 99 times out of 100 it's Iowa that makes that mistake first.
Nebraska could get to the basket whenever they wanted by the end of the game, and given Iowa's adventures on offense recently, it was a pretty safe bet, they were gonna blink first.
If we don't just get destroyed by whoever we face in the NCAA tournament, be it in the 1st round or against a 1 or a 2 seed in the next, then it has to be a major concern that in late-game situations, we can't trust Iowa to come up with a game-winning defensive stop.
It's nice that Iowa has been able to get the final shot more often than not this year in close games, as opposed to letting that damn shot go in that always goes in...........but why let it always come to needing a desperation, high-pressure shot near or at the buzzer, when we could just force a bad shot, or block a shot, or get a rebound, or heaven f***ing forbid take a gotdam f***ing charge to clinch a game?.......
Is that really so impossible for Division 1 basketball players?
I hope not.
Other News- Illinois awaits tonight in the First Round of the Big Ten Tournament. They sure did expel a lot of energy in their overtime win against Northwestern, but given our recent/bau struggles, and our penchant for playing terrible in the early rounds of the BTT under Fran, I wouldn't be surprised at all if Illinois was licking their chops at the chance to get revenge on Iowa in what their fans are probably mockingly considering a free pass to the Quarterfinals......
A loss tonight more than likely assures us either a 9 or 10 seed. There isn't a whole lot of maneuvering off the dreaded 7/10 and 8/9 lines that we can do, short of a major run in the BTT.
The only other thing I could see happening is that we lose in Frantastic fashion ala Rutgers and the committee "punishes" us with an 11 seed, which I would honestly take over the 7 through 10 seeds at this point.........Of course if we win the whole tournament, I think our ceiling is the 6 seed so we end up there anyway.
But I do hope that any fears that we won't make the NCAA tournament have subsided by now. Based on other results in conference tourneys, and the fact that teams below us in the Big Ten are simply fighting for a possible play-in spot, that should be enough to remove your doubts.
Now whether we win another game this year, that's an entirely different matter.........
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