Hawkeye Women’s BBall Season 2023-2024
- Thread starter huntermmm
- Start date
I've wondered that, but she's dressed for the game, so I don't think it's an injury. And if she's sick, sitting in the middle of the bench isn't ideal.
yeah, if she was at all injured, i doubt the coaches would have risked her playing meaningless minutes against FDU last game.
Is Gabbie really gonna wait until February for her shot to start dropping again? 😂
Sorry for all the posts tonight but something occurred to me-- is the win over Virginia Tech tonight possibly Iowa's best ever win of the non-conference season under Lisa Bluder? (assuming Virginia Tech lives up to their ranking this season)
The only other non-conference Top 10 win of the Bluder era I could find quickly was Iowa State last year, and the Cyclones obviously didn't finish strong.
To the extent "best" means something other quality opponent I'm partial to the comeback win over Iowa State in 2020. I think that really launched the Clark era and was one of the more incredible comebacks I've ever seen.
You could see on her face she was frustrated. Plus having to cover Amoore!
Really impressed by Feuerbach last night; made mistakes but has more talent than I thought.
Affolter: 14 rebounds!? Are you kidding!?
Defense was much better than anything we saw last year.
A different looking team vs last year for sure; will be intriguing to see how they develop.
Affolter: 14 rebounds!? Are you kidding!?
Defense was much better than anything we saw last year.
A different looking team vs last year for sure; will be intriguing to see how they develop.
The bench is the big difference between last year's and this year's team. The headline is Clark's 44 points, but they don't win last night without key contributions off the bench from Syd (25 minutes and 14 rebounds), Sharon (22 minutes and good defense) and Kylie (17 minutes and big baskets). Last year's bench was Hannah and not much else consistently.
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I've seen some discussion of the crazy amount of fouls Clark drew against Virginia Tech (16), but I'm not sure there's enough discussion about how that impacted the game.
Carleigh Wenzel was excellent for Tech last night, but she was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble. Cayla King is one of their better shooters, but never really got going because of fouls.
Amoore was excellent, but she needed to be in large part because Clark had her role players on the bench for long stretches.
Carleigh Wenzel was excellent for Tech last night, but she was limited to 17 minutes because of foul trouble. Cayla King is one of their better shooters, but never really got going because of fouls.
Amoore was excellent, but she needed to be in large part because Clark had her role players on the bench for long stretches.
It’s clearly still early but last nights rotation may have answered some questions regarding where people stand in the backcourt depth chart. Affolter and Feuerbach had big minutes (and some nice production), while McCabe didn’t see the floor. I can’t imagine O’Grady will continue to be benched all season but it’s possible that in big games, the 8 we saw on the floor will be the 8 we roll with.
Bluder has been a master of the RPI, but she has rarely been willing to schedule the athletes of the ACC/SEC or willing to schedule top 15 teams in the non-conference, other than Iowa State. Of course, Iowa played in the ACC Challenge (RIP, 2007-22), where it played 6 top 15 teams, including NC State last year, and Notre Dame twice at # 1, and lost all six games. I'll be pulling for Va Tech in the hope that last night's victory stands the test of time.
Va Tech will play at LSU on Nov. 30. A good measuring stick to see how good either team is.
On top of last seasons tourney run, a few other recent milestones may signal the potential of a new era for this program. Perhaps this W is another.
Belmont is currently up 23 on Georgia. We defeated both last season. SE Louisiana (whom we played in the NCAAT first round) was also keeping it close with Mississippi State (tied up at 26 at one point) but seem to be falling behind now.
Today’s game at UNI streams on ESPN+, one of five streaming services I have to subscribe to this month to get all the women’s games. Since this is the only scheduled game on ESPN+, I am looking for an alternative to paying $11.
November 6: B1G+ ($10)
November 9: ESPN2 (via Sling $27.50 first month)
November 12: ESPN Plus ($11)
November 16: FS1 (Sling)
November 19: FS1 (Sling)
November 24-26: FloHoops ($30)
That’s almost $80 this month to watch 8 games. And no, I don’t want to pay more so I can get more stuff because I won’t watch more stuff.
So how can I watch ESPN Plus cheaper than $11? I couldn’t find coupons/discounts.
Signed,
Grumpy Old Man on a Fixed Income.
November 6: B1G+ ($10)
November 9: ESPN2 (via Sling $27.50 first month)
November 12: ESPN Plus ($11)
November 16: FS1 (Sling)
November 19: FS1 (Sling)
November 24-26: FloHoops ($30)
That’s almost $80 this month to watch 8 games. And no, I don’t want to pay more so I can get more stuff because I won’t watch more stuff.
So how can I watch ESPN Plus cheaper than $11? I couldn’t find coupons/discounts.
Signed,
Grumpy Old Man on a Fixed Income.
So how do we feel about the current lineup of Clark, Davis, Marshall, Martin and Stuelke? Anyone thinking that O’Grady or Goodman will make their way back for KSU? Crazy to think of going small against Ayoka Lee, but it somehow worked versus Kitley??
I rly don’t know if either of our posts are ready or not, but I do think Feuerbach and Affolter are also pushing for Davis’s spot. Feuerbach isn’t afraid to shoot from deep and has been hustling. You can see she wants the ball and is quick. I’d venture to say she is the quickest team member after Clark and Stuelke. Meanwhile Affolter is rebounding the hell out of the ball lol. She has struggled in traffic, I’d say, but so has Feuerbach (to a lesser extent).
Davis I think still has the maturity factor going for her and is less foul / turnover prone. If she can’t start hitting 3s soon tho…Bluder will I think have to explore other options.
Also, is there any reason to think that if Edigar weren’t injured, she’d have been given a chance to start at the 5?
I rly don’t know if either of our posts are ready or not, but I do think Feuerbach and Affolter are also pushing for Davis’s spot. Feuerbach isn’t afraid to shoot from deep and has been hustling. You can see she wants the ball and is quick. I’d venture to say she is the quickest team member after Clark and Stuelke. Meanwhile Affolter is rebounding the hell out of the ball lol. She has struggled in traffic, I’d say, but so has Feuerbach (to a lesser extent).
Davis I think still has the maturity factor going for her and is less foul / turnover prone. If she can’t start hitting 3s soon tho…Bluder will I think have to explore other options.
Also, is there any reason to think that if Edigar weren’t injured, she’d have been given a chance to start at the 5?
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I'm a bit mystified by Bluder's thinking here. It makes for an undersized team, and so far it has resulted in Hannah getting in early foul trouble and on the bench. True, O'Grady and Goodman don't look great, they're not very athletic, and slow of foot and reaction time. But they do have size/strength in the paint, so I'd still rather see her platoon them at the 5, and allow Hannah to play her best position at the 4.
Not sure re: the status of Ediger's injury? I've been an advocate of trying her at the back-up 4 against bigger teams, but maybe she's better used at the 5 if the other two don't improve. I do think she's a bit more athletic/quick.
One positive is that trio of Marshall, Feuerbach and McCabe are hitting threes. I'm thinking (maybe hoping) we'll see Feuerbach playing more as the second 2, and Molly more as the backup 1. Feuerbach even as a second 4 when we want to go fast. Affolter is def earning her minutes, I think by season's end she'll probably have played as much as Kate.
Here's a stat I never really thought about. 5 more triple doubles and Iowa will tie the all-time national program record. Love to see Kash's legacy living on -- she was our star player when I started following the team in college.
I started watching w/ Sam Logic. Still catch an occasional game of hers, playing EuroCup in Luxembourg.
Is Oregon in a dumpster fire similar to Washington after Kelsey Plum graduated? The Huskies still have not recovered.
Did virtually all of Washington’s players (i.e., multiple all Americans, an entire recruiting class) transfer amid rumors that their HC is a real a**hole? If so, yes.
Sydney Parrish, now at Indiana, has said twice on camera that playing basketball at Oregon made her hate the sport.
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Interesting developments about Oregon — their former Assistant is now the HC at TCU. He took over in the Spring the TCU coach (who landed Tomi Taiwo after she graduated from Iowa) was fired.
He has since recruited Oregon transfer Sedona Prince (whom some here had hoped Bluder might look to — but it was obvious she already knew where she was going) and named former Oregon standout Ruthy Hebbard to his staff.
Then just today he landed Haley Cavender, who will return for her 5th year of eligibility after graduating from Miami last year (the team that knocked off Indiana in the round of 32).
As you may have gathered, much has been said about that now-HC…e.i., that he was the real draw / program leader during the Ionescu years.
No one has yet filled the Baylor-sized hole in the Big 12 since Mulkey left for LSU…TCU might be in position to become a major player in a conference which has also seen two of its other best programs (OU and Texas) leave for the SEC.
Iowa State collapsed after winning the ‘23 big 12 tourney and the off-season hit them really, really hard, so the race is pretty wide open this year. OU, Texas, and a resurgent Baylor (featuring an Iowa State transfer) and TCU seem to be the heaviest hitters. Utah, Arizona and Colorado however could immediately raise the bar again next year tho.
Other tidbits about students (STARS) who have left Oregon in recent years:
He has since recruited Oregon transfer Sedona Prince (whom some here had hoped Bluder might look to — but it was obvious she already knew where she was going) and named former Oregon standout Ruthy Hebbard to his staff.
Then just today he landed Haley Cavender, who will return for her 5th year of eligibility after graduating from Miami last year (the team that knocked off Indiana in the round of 32).
As you may have gathered, much has been said about that now-HC…e.i., that he was the real draw / program leader during the Ionescu years.
No one has yet filled the Baylor-sized hole in the Big 12 since Mulkey left for LSU…TCU might be in position to become a major player in a conference which has also seen two of its other best programs (OU and Texas) leave for the SEC.
Iowa State collapsed after winning the ‘23 big 12 tourney and the off-season hit them really, really hard, so the race is pretty wide open this year. OU, Texas, and a resurgent Baylor (featuring an Iowa State transfer) and TCU seem to be the heaviest hitters. Utah, Arizona and Colorado however could immediately raise the bar again next year tho.
Other tidbits about students (STARS) who have left Oregon in recent years:
- Jaz Shelley is now at Nebraska. Despite it being a decidedly mediocre team, she is thriving and seems to love Lincoln and her friends there.
- Taylor Mikesell (who transfered to Oregon from Maryland) chose to transfer AGAIN (to Ohio state). She risked having to sit a year rather than stay.
- Tehina Pao-Pao is now at South Carolina and is a big reason they are #1 again.
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In Bluder's press conference today (which featured Kylie and Syd), someone asked about the starting lineup, and whether she thinks she will settle on a starting 5 or rely on match ups. Bluder said that though she's always been the type to pick 5 and stick with em, she doesn't think this team needs to do that.
I think that philosophy shift is a byproduct of having more depth on this roster than Bluder has ever had.
I started following the team in 2017. Between 2017 and last year, the starting 5 in each season always seemed fairly obvious. There was a clear drop off in talent from the starting 5 to the bench, and from the first few bench players to the rest.
This year Clark, Marshall, Martin, and Stuelke should all start, but there are at least 5 others (Davis, Affolter, Feuerbach, Goodman, O'Grady) that could be the 5th starter and no one would be shocked.
With so many good options it makes sense to mix and match based upon matchups.
It’s nice to not be worried about the back court for next year (Clark’s possible departure not withstanding). In some ways Kylie and syd are upgrades over Martin and Marshall.
Here's my preview of the Kansas State game tonight. This will be more interesting than most games against an unranked opponent, I think. Kansas State returns 4 of 5 starters from last year, and it also gets back Ayoka Lee, who is one of the best posts in the country.
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/preview-iowa-wbb-vs-kansas-state
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/preview-iowa-wbb-vs-kansas-state
Not really sure where to post this...but something has happened behind the scenes at LSU and it's spilled over onto Twitter and Instagram in a very messy way -- it includes former players as well as mothers of current players.
It's funny and all but at the end of the day, I think the takeaway is that #culturematters (we always knew that though). None of this is surprising to those of who have long followed this game and have seen what Mulkey is really all about.
This is really only tip of the iceberg...there's a lot more out there and it gets worse lol.
Anyway, the real reason I'm posting this? If nothing else, let's all cross our fingers that this helps nudge Addi Deal in our direction...Iowa may have lost the NC but we've certainly won what I guess can only be described as the "culture" battle lol. NTM that we've certainly started the season off on stronger footing.
It's funny and all but at the end of the day, I think the takeaway is that #culturematters (we always knew that though). None of this is surprising to those of who have long followed this game and have seen what Mulkey is really all about.
This is really only tip of the iceberg...there's a lot more out there and it gets worse lol.
Anyway, the real reason I'm posting this? If nothing else, let's all cross our fingers that this helps nudge Addi Deal in our direction...Iowa may have lost the NC but we've certainly won what I guess can only be described as the "culture" battle lol. NTM that we've certainly started the season off on stronger footing.
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Final from Eugene:
Santa Clara: 89
Oregon: 50
I have never heard of the school that won this game. Graves may not last the season…
don't know much about the women's program. the mens program is ok. but i've heard Oregon is a dumpster fire and the coach's personality has a lot to do with it.
Here's my preview of the Drake game tonight. There should be a lot more offense in this one.
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/preview-no-2-iowa-wbb-vs-drake
https://iowa.rivals.com/news/preview-no-2-iowa-wbb-vs-drake
That KSU loss stings considering we led by multiple possessions in the closing minutes. But if you would have told me we'd go 3-1 against Virginia Tech, UNI, KSU, and Drake, I likely would have been... pleased? Our teams in 21-22 and 22-23 returned all 5 starters and had loftier expectations than this years bunch, yet in many ways we've already gotten off to a better start in 23-24. I'll take it.
