Has Iowa ever had a year where they thought they’d dance but didn’t? I’m watching the Wake Forest UNC ACC title game from 94-95 and they talked about Iowa being in the dance but when I went to look it looks like they didn’t make it?
Has Iowa ever been screwed out of the dance?
- Thread starter SotaHawk87
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97-98 they were 20-10 (9-7) and were left out. Went on to lose opening rd of NIT and Dr Tom’s contract was not renewed.
Indiana made it that year despite a (20-11 & 9-7) record and being swept by the Hawks.
Indiana made it that year despite a (20-11 & 9-7) record and being swept by the Hawks.
was this the year they beat Indiana twice and Indiana went with basically the same record? I broke a couple things that selection Sunday.
I was just talking about the 94-95 season yesterday in the ISU players wearing #40 - Hoiberg thread.
Iowa lost in the third rd of the NIT in 95. Pete Lisicky hit a game winning three at the buzzer to send PSU to NYC. Iowa ended the reg season 19-11 that year and (9-9).
Iowa lost in the third rd of the NIT in 95. Pete Lisicky hit a game winning three at the buzzer to send PSU to NYC. Iowa ended the reg season 19-11 that year and (9-9).
Not really committee wise here but the 13-14 team should have beat MSU in the BTT and was f'd by horrific officiating and Teddy V'd in that game, I'll never forget Marble clothes lined shooting a 3 no call and MSU having a shot clock violation easily by 2 seconds and scoring with no overturn. That team was that game away from working their way in. Not really related directly to the OP that one still burns me.
That was infuriating. It was like a solid 14 minutes of game time where the zebras just bent Iowa over.
MSU football thought the Spartan round ballers were getting away with a little too much contact.
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Allegedly, that 1994-95 Iowa team was penciled in as the last at-large team in the tournament, a 12 seed playing Oklahoma in the first round. But then on the last day of the season (this was before the Big Ten tournament existed), Iowa played at Indiana and lost in an embarrassing blowout similar to what we saw last week from Iowa at Purdue. The selection committee removed Iowa from the bracket and selected Manhattan instead. Manhattan went on to upset Oklahoma in the first round.
Are we counting the first four as the dance? I know we lost to Tennessee one of Devyn's years in the first four when we shouldn't have been in the first four...
I believe Tennessee went on to make the Sweet 16 that year...
If so, man, that’s tough. That team already beat IU by 19 earlier in the year. They beat MSU, Duke, and a ranked Ohio Bobcats with Shaq of the MAC Gary Trent. Outside of that Rainbow Classic with Duke (W) and Arkansas (L) their non conf was a little weak. Ohio ended with the NIT like Iowa where they met again in the 2nd rd.
I have never been more angry at an officiating crew in my life. I hated Tom Izzo and his influencing so much that day. If I were Fran I would have been gone...
That was also the year Iowa lost three consecutive Big Ten games by 1 point. Unreal.
If Iowa could have another Soph Andre Woolridge, I’d go back and do it all again.
If I have my numbers right, in the last 35 years, Iowa has finished above .500 4 times in conference play, and not made the tourney: 1998, 2004, 2007, and 2017. Iowa lost its opening BTT game in each of those years, and Iowa's RPI for those years was 73, 86, 96, 83. So screwed out of the dance, probably not. Perhaps scheduled out of the tourney.
In contrast, IU also went 9-7 in 1998, but finished with an RPI of 25 and made the dance. Similarly, Illinois, Purdue and Iowa all went 9-7 in 2007, but Illinois had an RPI of 29, and Purdue had an RPI of 42 (Iowa was 96). Illinois and Purdue made it, and Iowa was left out. Michigan State also went 8-8 that year, but had an RPI of 24 and made the dance.
Finally, 4 teams went 10-8 in 2017, but only 1 was left out, the one with the 83 RPI (the other 3 were all below 50).
In contrast, IU also went 9-7 in 1998, but finished with an RPI of 25 and made the dance. Similarly, Illinois, Purdue and Iowa all went 9-7 in 2007, but Illinois had an RPI of 29, and Purdue had an RPI of 42 (Iowa was 96). Illinois and Purdue made it, and Iowa was left out. Michigan State also went 8-8 that year, but had an RPI of 24 and made the dance.
Finally, 4 teams went 10-8 in 2017, but only 1 was left out, the one with the 83 RPI (the other 3 were all below 50).
Remember that. Iowa lost three straight games by one point that year. Then after a win or two they lost another one point game. 31 point loss to Indiana was a killer.
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1998 was a screw job and I really don't care what the metrics said. Iowa beat Indiana by 13 and 14 points during the season. One was the last regular season game. Indiana finished on a 3 game skid including a 48 point loss to Michigan. Computers instead of actual games played decided the selection. And the committee probably didn't want to answer to Knight and had no fear of Dr. Tom Davis.
Well his contract wasn't renewed, but he did lead Iowa to the sweet sixteen his final year against UConn. Some other guy named Alford in the sweet 16 that year as well......
Izzo made comments to the reporter after that game that basically admitted MSU was given the game by the refs.
Suspect you're right that computers made the decision. Before the RPI was modified in 2005, the highest RPI not to make the 64-team tourney was Oklahoma in 1994 with a 33 RPI. Computers said put IU in the tourney in '98 with a 25 RPI.
One of my memories of that game was Payne for MSU setting a screen by bear hugging the Iowa player, then pushing the Iowa player to the ground to set himself up for a wide open 3 that he drained. It was when Iowa was battling and the game was still in doubt.. it was one of the defining moments of that game.
I remember selection Sunday in 98 when I was 13/14 years old. Watching it with my dad I started jumping up and down getting excited when Iona was out on the board. My dad told me to sit down that wasn’t us and I needed to pay attention.
I remember my dad yelling at me from the other room asking if Iowa got in while I was watching the selection show.
I yelled yeah!! They got in!
Upon further review, it was Iona I read on the 20 inch glass screen.
The NCAA had made it known that sos was going to be emphasized and that they no longer were going to automatically invite teams who are .500 in their conference who schedule nothing but cupcakes out of conference to run up the wins. The push was to help recognize those mid majors who had much better records than some bigger schools like an Iowa but never got invited. The talk was that Bowlesby told Davis to upgrade the schedule to comply, but Davis wouldn't do it and that bit us in the behind. Look at our RPI's as noted in a previous reply here when our W-L records were similar to other schools who got invites and we didn't. Davis didn't take it upon himself to schedule any good teams. When we played someone like Duke, it was generally in a holiday tournament Missing out on those invites because of our sos , as well as, Davis not complying with Bowlesby's directive, is what cost Davis his job. Make no mistake, when Davis didn't get his contract renewed and he coached his last season, Bowlesby wanted to fire him before that season.
That’s funny. Remember those old Mt Dew commercials where they put college teams under the cap. If you had the tournament winner, you won something.
Kid 1 said looking under his cap, “I got Iowa, they’re good.”
Kid 2 “That says Iona.”
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Ive read somewhere, probably here, that Dr Tom went above Bob’s head and pleaded for his job. They let Dr Tom finish out his contract at the expense of the basketball program. Save the sweet 16 run too.
My memory is Aaron White being called for a foul when he blocked a three in the corner with around a minute to go. (The time could be wrong but it was late). Definitely would have put Iowa in.
Tennessee had their bracket get wide open when Mercer upset 2 seeded Duke who Tennessee was supposed to play in the 2nd round.
Davis went to Mary Sue Coleman, the then President of the University of Iowa, and he plead to be able to finish out his contract as if he was just being honorable. Mary Sue decided that keeping him for one last year was better than paying him his salary and also paying a new coach at the same time. Thus set into motion a year without any recruiting contacts when Iowa had some excellent high school prospects. A year when Davis paid even less attention to administrative details causing Life with a G, Guy Rucker, to fall behind in his academic progression and become ineligible for the next season and ever actually. It was a year where good ole Tom Davis waddled around the country while every damn media person bagged and trashed on Iowa for mistreating such a great guy. They did reach the Sweet Sixteen that year for the first time since Marble, BJ and Horton and Raveling's other recruits were all gone, but gone from that team the following year were JR Koch, Jess Settles, Sam Okey, Kent McCausland, Guy Rucker, and Joey Range. Coming back from that team was only Dean Olver, Jacob Jaakes , Ryan Luehrsmann as well as Duez Henderson who averaged 2 points a game, Jason Price and Rod Thompson who each averaged 1 point a game. I laugh at those who say Alford inherited a Sweet Sixteen team because that team was long gone when he got here. I don't believe that Marcelo Gomes, John Ramos, or John Carl Williams contributed much to the Sweet Sixteen team. If Mary Sue wasn't so cheap, Iowa would have hired Dr. Tom's replace before the 1998-1999 season and had him recruiting and coaching while Tom played golf and sat on the bench.
Tennesee was an 11 seed. When does an 11 seed play a 2 seed in the second round?
Mercer was actually a 14 so Duke must have been a 3. But Tennessee played UMASS and then Mercer after us which is about as lovely as a path you can get. They almost knocked off Michigan in the S16 too. Iowa split with Michigan that year which would have been a 50/50 game. That’s kind of my point that it’s all about matchups and anything can happen.
Bowlsby and Alford ran off Range. He flunked out after Alford let him know he was unwanted, because Bowlsby was upset about Dr Tom recruiting him in the first place (criminal record). Which is part of what lead Bowlsby to fire (“not renew”) his contract.
Bowlsby should have never agreed to the one year goodbye. He should have swallowed his pride and reupped Davis’s contract. That mistake set back Iowa basketball immensely.
No, Joey range was a bad person and Dr. Tom was told by Bowlsby not to sign him. This of course manifested itself when range continue to have academic and off the court issues at iowa, some of which never really made the public light.
There were a bunch of frustrated Hawkeye fans that day when they had a press conference and announced that Davis was staying, including myself. I remember going over to the carver media room but I can’t remember if the press conference was to announce that Ricky was leaving or that Dr. Tom was staying. Maybe it was both.
