If Fran can’t win with this team...

[Rustys Dad]

... then I think Iowa should take a close look at the direction of the program.
Arguably the best player in college basketball - coupled with veteran players - and the team is regressing at a rapid pace.

Disappointing is the best way to describe it. Once again we get out coached and can’t close out a game. There really are no excuses to make ...

 

[NevadaHawk]

Fran, (as any good coach would do), needs to recognize what is wrong and make changes. The problem is, he won't. Too stubborn.

 

[Burbank84]

Fran, (as any good coach would do), needs to recognize what is wrong and make changes. The problem is, he won't. Too stubborn.

Stubbornness and nepotism

 

[BirdistheWord]

Lets dissect our losses:

Gonzaga: I thought we battled the entire game, and certainly delivered a respectable performance. But they are a more athletic version of us in many ways. Super efficient, skilled and enough athleticism. JoBo exposed. Keegan not great. JT outstanding. Most everyone else about as expected/solid. Learning: Need more creativity/athleticism at PG, better rebounding and interior defense.

Minny: Seemed to have this game under control. Crushed them on the glass. Defensive wheels fell off late 2nd half. Missed key FT's. Learning: Have to play with urgency to the end. JT missed FT's a bit of a fluke. Probably should have fouled Minny on last possession. Clearly needed to guard 3 point shooters a lot better. Most frustrating loss IMO.

IU #1: I thought they outworked us and wanted it more. Especially in 2nd half. I also thought it was the best low post and help defense against Garza we have seen. They shot the ball extremely well. Learnings: Garza has to recognize the sneaky help D, we need a scorer or creator on floor vs. CMac. I feel like one of these types of games is expected.

Illini: Ayo and Frazier were lights out. Was an epic game. JoBo again not too good in this one. Illinois made a few plays at end. Learnings: Probably could have mixed in some more athleticism/defense. Less JoBo. I felt like we played a pretty good game against a pretty equal opponent.

OSU: I was impressed with OSU, they are big, athletic and can shoot the rock. Additionally, they can rebound with just about anyone. They just blew us out of the water over the last 10-12 minutes. Learnings: need some better perimeter defense to slow all of their 3 point shooting. Need to rebound better.

IU#2: Weird game. Weezy played great in first half. Garza in foul trouble early. We built decent leads a few different times. Ironically, our defensive oriented lineup gave up an onslaught at end of first half. Ugh. Joe T barely played? Garza got going in second half, but rest of team fairly quiet. IU just made plays at end. Sounds familiar. Learnings: Need to get more penetrators on floor, in combination with shooters. We have to finish better around rim. We really miss CJF, he delivers those 8-10 points that we desperately need.

The two games that really bother me the most are Minny, as we really had that one in hand, missed tons of FT's and failed to foul to prevent the game tying shot and OSU because we really started to pull away a few different times then just folded late 2nd half. Terrible defense. Terrible coaching and lineup decisions.

I still believe the answer lies largely in our mix/rotation of players.

1. Continue to add Perkins to the mix. He brings an element we desperately need.
2. Need more JT or Ulis, they can elevate our defense and penetrate more than JoBo/Cmac
3. Get Keegan some easy dunks and layup opportunities, when he plays well, we tend to win


I am kind of burned out after todays loss. I welcome additional thoughts.

 

[SotaHawk87]

Lets dissect our losses:

Gonzaga: I thought we battled the entire game, and certainly delivered a respectable performance. But they are a more athletic version of us in many ways. Super efficient, skilled and enough athleticism. JoBo exposed. Keegan not great. JT outstanding. Most everyone else about as expected/solid. Learning: Need more creativity/athleticism at PG, better rebounding and interior defense.

Minny: Seemed to have this game under control. Crushed them on the glass. Defensive wheels fell off late 2nd half. Missed key FT's. Learning: Have to play with urgency to the end. JT missed FT's a bit of a fluke. Probably should have fouled Minny on last possession. Clearly needed to guard 3 point shooters a lot better. Most frustrating loss IMO.

IU #1: I thought they outworked us and wanted it more. Especially in 2nd half. I also thought it was the best low post and help defense against Garza we have seen. They shot the ball extremely well. Learnings: Garza has to recognize the sneaky help D, we need a scorer or creator on floor vs. CMac. I feel like one of these types of games is expected.

Illini: Ayo and Frazier were lights out. Was an epic game. JoBo again not too good in this one. Illinois made a few plays at end. Learnings: Probably could have mixed in some more athleticism/defense. Less JoBo. I felt like we played a pretty good game against a pretty equal opponent.

OSU: I was impressed with OSU, they are big, athletic and can shoot the rock. Additionally, they can rebound with just about anyone. They just blew us out of the water over the last 10-12 minutes. Learnings: need some better perimeter defense to slow all of their 3 point shooting. Need to rebound better.

IU#2: Weird game. Weezy played great in first half. Garza in foul trouble early. We built decent leads a few different times. Ironically, our defensive oriented lineup gave up an onslaught at end of first half. Ugh. Joe T barely played? Garza got going in second half, but rest of team fairly quiet. IU just made plays at end. Sounds familiar. Learnings: Need to get more penetrators on floor, in combination with shooters. We have to finish better around rim. We really miss CJF, he delivers those 8-10 points that we desperately need.

The two games that really bother me the most are Minny, as we really had that one in hand, missed tons of FT's and failed to foul to prevent the game tying shot and OSU because we really started to pull away a few different times then just folded late 2nd half. Terrible defense. Terrible coaching and lineup decisions.

I still believe the answer lies largely in our mix/rotation of players.

1. Continue to add Perkins to the mix. He brings an element we desperately need.
2. Need more JT or Ulis, they can elevate our defense and penetrate more than JoBo/Cmac
3. Get Keegan some easy dunks and layup opportunities, when he plays well, we tend to win


I am kind of burned out after todays loss. I welcome additional thoughts.

Couldn’t agree more with the burned out piece.. If Iowa doesn’t win their next two it’s going to be seriously concerning for their NCAA chances if Nebraska doesn’t get rescheduled. Not that Nebraska gives a resume boost but has a team 3 games under .500 in their league ever danced before?

 

[goodbyebobby]

Lets dissect our losses:

Gonzaga: I thought we battled the entire game, and certainly delivered a respectable performance. But they are a more athletic version of us in many ways. Super efficient, skilled and enough athleticism. JoBo exposed. Keegan not great. JT outstanding. Most everyone else about as expected/solid. Learning: Need more creativity/athleticism at PG, better rebounding and interior defense.

Minny: Seemed to have this game under control. Crushed them on the glass. Defensive wheels fell off late 2nd half. Missed key FT's. Learning: Have to play with urgency to the end. JT missed FT's a bit of a fluke. Probably should have fouled Minny on last possession. Clearly needed to guard 3 point shooters a lot better. Most frustrating loss IMO.

IU #1: I thought they outworked us and wanted it more. Especially in 2nd half. I also thought it was the best low post and help defense against Garza we have seen. They shot the ball extremely well. Learnings: Garza has to recognize the sneaky help D, we need a scorer or creator on floor vs. CMac. I feel like one of these types of games is expected.

Illini: Ayo and Frazier were lights out. Was an epic game. JoBo again not too good in this one. Illinois made a few plays at end. Learnings: Probably could have mixed in some more athleticism/defense. Less JoBo. I felt like we played a pretty good game against a pretty equal opponent.

OSU: I was impressed with OSU, they are big, athletic and can shoot the rock. Additionally, they can rebound with just about anyone. They just blew us out of the water over the last 10-12 minutes. Learnings: need some better perimeter defense to slow all of their 3 point shooting. Need to rebound better.

IU#2: Weird game. Weezy played great in first half. Garza in foul trouble early. We built decent leads a few different times. Ironically, our defensive oriented lineup gave up an onslaught at end of first half. Ugh. Joe T barely played? Garza got going in second half, but rest of team fairly quiet. IU just made plays at end. Sounds familiar. Learnings: Need to get more penetrators on floor, in combination with shooters. We have to finish better around rim. We really miss CJF, he delivers those 8-10 points that we desperately need.

The two games that really bother me the most are Minny, as we really had that one in hand, missed tons of FT's and failed to foul to prevent the game tying shot and OSU because we really started to pull away a few different times then just folded late 2nd half. Terrible defense. Terrible coaching and lineup decisions.

I still believe the answer lies largely in our mix/rotation of players.

1. Continue to add Perkins to the mix. He brings an element we desperately need.
2. Need more JT or Ulis, they can elevate our defense and penetrate more than JoBo/Cmac
3. Get Keegan some easy dunks and layup opportunities, when he plays well, we tend to win


I am kind of burned out after todays loss. I welcome additional thoughts.

Connor needs to focus on baseball. Nothing personal but both he and JB in the rotation is not good for this squad.

 

[DewHawk]

I really do not think FM can win with any team at the level most fans expect. Bright guy, but he plays favorites and his substitution approach is absurd IMO. The only question is how long fans have to watch the annual collapse.

 

[ZumaHawk]

Bird.....absolutely agree totally with this. We are a few possessions away in just about every loss. Even today it was with 1.6 seconds for Illinois to take the lead. It honestly was another great game.

 

[IllQChawk]

Joe Toussaint is a blazing pile of crap. Out of control, ineffective in controlling the offense, too short to guard anyone, and not skilled enough to make the defensive guard him out to 5ft. Like all of Iowa players they're taught to keep their man in front of them and their help defensive allows for easy 3 point shots. The team rebounding is giving the other team multiple extra second chances and if you want to name one element that is killing Iowa it's bad rebounding. Can't rebound flat footed, it just doesn't work and Iowa is finding it out.
I'll take Ulis or Perkins running the offense every time over Connor or Toussaint and it's not even close. They just need more seasoning.
This season has gone just as past seasons under Fran has gone. No different except we still have the best center in college basketball which gives me hope in the NCAA tournament, if we can win enough games to even get in.

 

[CAhawki]

which was the game when the hawks didnt score for close to 12 minutes.... ?

 

[BirdistheWord]

Joe Toussaint is a blazing pile of crap. Out of control, ineffective in controlling the offense, too short to guard anyone, and not skilled enough to make the defensive guard him out to 5ft. Like all of Iowa players they're taught to keep their man in front of them and their help defensive allows for easy 3 point shots. The team rebounding is giving the other team multiple extra second chances and if you want to name one element that is killing Iowa it's bad rebounding. Can't rebound flat footed, it just doesn't work and Iowa is finding it out.
I'll take Ulis or Perkins running the offense every time over Connor or Toussaint and it's not even close. They just need more seasoning.
This season has gone just as past seasons under Fran has gone. No different except we still have the best center in college basketball which gives me hope in the NCAA tournament, if we can win enough games to even get in.

He is not that bad, but understand your frustration. I have been pushing Ulis over him since late Dec/early January. His lack of height is most evident when he takes the ball to the rim vs on defense IMO.

 

[soybean]

I think this is the first I've ever said a Hawkeye needs to slow down - there is such a thing as trying too hard.

 

[sbhawk64]

Of the many issues with this team, rebounding is at the top. How many tines must I watch one of their players out jump/fight the two to three of our players. So frustrating

 

[Hawksfor3]

I suppose the ice was thin before CJ got hurt, because we're slip-sliding-away, and it isn't looking promising.

 

[hawkquiz]

Todays ugly stat line....JBo 7 boards, Luka 2. And yes I completely agree, poor rebounding, and just lack of hustle to go after 50-50 balls. Leads to way too many second chance points. And its the same every single game.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I thought this team was pissed off 4-5 games ago and Fran or a player promised they would not come out flat and and disinterested again (or whatever the quote was). We hear this after every loss in some form yet the next game is another debacle with the team looking like they are playing together for the first time. This isn't how a veteran team responds and more importantly this is a direct reflection on the crap job Fran and staff have done.

No secrets about what you have and don't have with the starters so I am not sure why people are surprised with the results. Fran was gifted a top 5 pre-season ranking--gifted not earned. Since then Fran and the players talk like they are top 5 team but sure as hell don't play like it.

I think it's very possible they may not win another game in the regular season unless they have some 3 point explosion from multiple guys. They have been exposed the last two weeks and every team is going to utilize the same scheme. I cannot recall seeing a team get beat to more loose balls and give up more rebounds at critical junctures of games than this one. Under 5:00 minute coaching / decision making by Fran would get an F- if grading.

I have been done with Fran for 5+ years. His smug arrogance, thin skin when asked anything but a powder puff question, inability to manage a roster and ineptness late in games haven't improved in 10 years. Maybe Fran should change his laminated badge to anti-winning to be more accurate.

 

[Rifler]

CJ being out has really messed up the rotation,.. At this point I think it's more of a mental chemistry thing than a lack of available talent,.. The starting five just doesn't function like it did with CJ in the mix and the bench doesn't operate as well without Keegan..

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Fran said in his pregame interview with Dolph, that this time of the year they cut back on their practices in mainly focus on film watching and walk-throughs. Fran mentioned they do spend time doing run-throughs but also 2 1/2 hours of practice this time of year was counterproductive to the health of his team

 

[Hawksfor3]

The starting five just doesn't function like it did with CJ in the mix and the bench doesn't operate as well without Keegan..

I had never thought of that. Good observation. If that is the case, then our parts are not as interchangeable as I thought.

 

[HawkGem10]

Joe Toussaint is a blazing pile of crap. Out of control, ineffective in controlling the offense, too short to guard anyone, and not skilled enough to make the defensive guard him out to 5ft. Like all of Iowa players they're taught to keep their man in front of them and their help defensive allows for easy 3 point shots. The team rebounding is giving the other team multiple extra second chances and if you want to name one element that is killing Iowa it's bad rebounding. Can't rebound flat footed, it just doesn't work and Iowa is finding it out.
I'll take Ulis or Perkins running the offense every time over Connor or Toussaint and it's not even close. They just need more seasoning.
This season has gone just as past seasons under Fran has gone. No different except we still have the best center in college basketball which gives me hope in the NCAA tournament, if we can win enough games to even get in.

what an idiotic post by a clueless fool!

 

[Old HawkFan]

It is my humble opinion, that the pressure put on these players to be a top 10 team &
the expectations of a National Championship, has gotten to them. They look to be dog tired, & by the 2nd half are worn out & are unable to live up to the expectations
of all of us. I think it is wearing on the team, from coaches on down.

 

[Rifler]

It is my humble opinion, that the pressure put on these players to be a top 10 team &
the expectations of a National Championship, has gotten to them. They look to be dog tired, & by the 2nd half are worn out & are unable to live up to the expectations
of all of us. I think it is wearing on the team, from coaches on down.

Not sure about national championship,.. but valid post.

 

[cruhawk]

Lets dissect our losses:

Gonzaga: I thought we battled the entire game, and certainly delivered a respectable performance. But they are a more athletic version of us in many ways. Super efficient, skilled and enough athleticism. JoBo exposed. Keegan not great. JT outstanding. Most everyone else about as expected/solid. Learning: Need more creativity/athleticism at PG, better rebounding and interior defense.

Minny: Seemed to have this game under control. Crushed them on the glass. Defensive wheels fell off late 2nd half. Missed key FT's. Learning: Have to play with urgency to the end. JT missed FT's a bit of a fluke. Probably should have fouled Minny on last possession. Clearly needed to guard 3 point shooters a lot better. Most frustrating loss IMO.

IU #1: I thought they outworked us and wanted it more. Especially in 2nd half. I also thought it was the best low post and help defense against Garza we have seen. They shot the ball extremely well. Learnings: Garza has to recognize the sneaky help D, we need a scorer or creator on floor vs. CMac. I feel like one of these types of games is expected.

Illini: Ayo and Frazier were lights out. Was an epic game. JoBo again not too good in this one. Illinois made a few plays at end. Learnings: Probably could have mixed in some more athleticism/defense. Less JoBo. I felt like we played a pretty good game against a pretty equal opponent.

OSU: I was impressed with OSU, they are big, athletic and can shoot the rock. Additionally, they can rebound with just about anyone. They just blew us out of the water over the last 10-12 minutes. Learnings: need some better perimeter defense to slow all of their 3 point shooting. Need to rebound better.

IU#2: Weird game. Weezy played great in first half. Garza in foul trouble early. We built decent leads a few different times. Ironically, our defensive oriented lineup gave up an onslaught at end of first half. Ugh. Joe T barely played? Garza got going in second half, but rest of team fairly quiet. IU just made plays at end. Sounds familiar. Learnings: Need to get more penetrators on floor, in combination with shooters. We have to finish better around rim. We really miss CJF, he delivers those 8-10 points that we desperately need.

The two games that really bother me the most are Minny, as we really had that one in hand, missed tons of FT's and failed to foul to prevent the game tying shot and OSU because we really started to pull away a few different times then just folded late 2nd half. Terrible defense. Terrible coaching and lineup decisions.

I still believe the answer lies largely in our mix/rotation of players.

1. Continue to add Perkins to the mix. He brings an element we desperately need.
2. Need more JT or Ulis, they can elevate our defense and penetrate more than JoBo/Cmac
3. Get Keegan some easy dunks and layup opportunities, when he plays well, we tend to win


I am kind of burned out after todays loss. I welcome additional thoughts.

That nails a lot of issues. Iowa has some really good, young players who will address those problems if given the opportunity. My concern is whether or not they will all stick around.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Buying in to the top 5 hype was a sure way to disappointment.

I disagree with the assumption that they are loaded with talent. Compared to their B1G brethren, Iowa can make the case for being one of the least physically gifted teams in the league. Where they shine is having the best offensive big man in the country. Combine that with stellar 3 point shooting, when the three guys that's expected of are "on", and they can be a formidable offensive machine.

Some of us were skeptical, however, that they would continue to ignore the defensive side of the equation. And that those same players with perimeter shooting skills can be exploited for their lack of physical abilities.

So this is what we have now. A little further than I thought they'd fall, but hardly shocking.
This team is actually a reasonable reflection of Fran as a coach. It demonstrates his strengths, and flaws, as a recruiter and what he emphasizes as game strategy.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

It is my humble opinion, that the pressure put on these players to be a top 10 team &
the expectations of a National Championship, has gotten to them. They look to be dog tired, & by the 2nd half are worn out & are unable to live up to the expectations
of all of us. I think it is wearing on the team, from coaches on down.

Its the 2010 Iowa football deal all over again. All it takes is one or two losses and the doubt creeps in about the pressure of living up to those high expectations (which the players put on themselves, no less) and then as the losses pile up, the team begins to mentally check out and/or feel like there's nothing they can do to salvage it because anything they try to do doesn't work.

One of their biggest goals is now gone, so for a Fran-McCaffrey coached program to try and rally to even come close to living up to expectations would be something they've never done before, and given the remaining schedule and how Fran has under-performed in the Big Ten tourney seems VERY unlikely to happen.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Buying in to the top 5 hype was a sure way to disappointment.

I disagree with the assumption that they are loaded with talent. Compared to their B1G brethren, Iowa can make the case for being one of the least physically gifted teams in the league. Where they shine is having the best offensive big man in the country. Combine that with stellar 3 point shooting, when the three guys that's expected of are "on", and they can be a formidable offensive machine.

Some of us were skeptical, however, that they would continue to ignore the defensive side of the equation. And that those same players with perimeter shooting skills can be exploited for their lack of physical abilities.

So this is what we have now. A little further than I thought they'd fall, but hardly shocking.
This team is actually a reasonable reflection of Fran as a coach. It demonstrates his strengths, and flaws, as a recruiter and what he emphasizes as game strategy.

Good post. Some people claim the team isn't trying or giving effort. I don't agree. They are all giving max effort, they are just going up against better athletes. Technique and scheme can mask athletic deficiencies to a degree, but at some point it's about matchups and outside of Garza, nobody creates a matchup problem for opponents.

The MSU game with the reserves was the first time in a long time that I can remember thinking "Iowa isn't overmatched athletically at 3-4 positions".