Here's the article, which I found worth reading, FWIW to you: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nc...is-worse-than-you-think/ar-AAVrLJq?li=BBnbfcL
Interesting, fair analysis of Sweet 16 failure under Fran
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Doesn’t really cover anything new but nothing that anyone can disagree with either. I’m sure someone has covered Illinois’ drought as well. That’s probably more shocking to me considering the amount of talented recruits right in their own backyard.
One has to wonder if Fran does something with his approach to the team or his mannerisms prior to tourneys that make the team play tight.
This year's team looked so loose the last 10 to 12 games including the final in the BTTourney. But they looked tight, nervous, and second quessing therefore thinking about their moves in the game against Richmond.
This year's team looked so loose the last 10 to 12 games including the final in the BTTourney. But they looked tight, nervous, and second quessing therefore thinking about their moves in the game against Richmond.
Pretty balanced article I thought that dives into the enigma of Fran's coaching record at Iowa. The one thing that surprised me the fact that the offense under performs in the tournament although we clearly saw that this year. Fran deserves credit for adapting to the Big Ten and making his teams respectable within that realm. He has never emerged from that as a big game coach outside of that sphere and at this point in his career it doesn't seem a good bet that will come. We can all hazard our own guesses as to why.
Based on seedings, the only times Iowa has underperformed in the NCAA tournament are last year and this year. We’ve even overperformed our seeding on occasion, winning a first-round game as a double-digit seed.
Our streak of not making the S16 has more to do with simply not being good enough than it does with anything resembling a pattern of March meltdowns.
Also, the article seems to be counting our failure to advance in the 2020 season against us; but that was the year there was no tourney.
Our streak of not making the S16 has more to do with simply not being good enough than it does with anything resembling a pattern of March meltdowns.
Also, the article seems to be counting our failure to advance in the 2020 season against us; but that was the year there was no tourney.
Bourbon is the elixir of choice for me when pondering the mysteries of the universe.
Perhaps it a case of familiarity. Players know how to get ready for B1G games. They know they players, the style - usually easiy to find some reason to be energized for the game.
Maybe Fran doesn't do a good enough job scouting a "new" opponent. The players can't get revenge against a team they've never played before. And, when they are favored, maybe they just don't have enough "juice" to win when the other team plays well.
The opponent is new, the arena is new, the ball is new, the hotel is new, the logistics are new - IDK.
It's not an excuse - pretty much every team in the Dance is in a similar situation.
Sometimes the program is the one with the ceiling not the coach. Mick Cronin has already won more NCAA Tourney games at UCLA than he did at Cincy. I think is more of an Iowa problem than a Fran problem.
This is 100% true. Tom Davis made the S16 once with his players. Alford, (name redacted) and Fran 0 times. Looks like more of a program issue than an individual Coach issue.
Back in my college days Lute Olson took this team to the Final Four and could have conceivably won the whole thing if not for the injury to Ronnie Lester. The absolute best basketball I have watched at Iowa in my 65 years. Different era obviously and a once in a lifetime coach but it goes to show you can get it done at Iowa. Some great basketball before my day as well.
Tom Davis made it twice, then onto the Elite Eight all star line up and his last year as Iowa’s coach.
Lute was a blip. He knew Iowa was a dead end for him so he got out as soon as he could.
That's your opinion, but maybe not the real reason he left and it didn't take Lute more then 12 year to reach higher then the 1st weekend either...I'm beginning to believe Fran's more interested in pimping some of his players for the NBA draft then he is getting to the 2nd weekend of the Tournament.
Okay. What's your point?
And BTW, I was living in Iowa City and a student at Iowa at the time. I think I have a pretty effing good idea of what was going on. The "fishbowl" at Iowa pissed off Lute enough that he left. His leaving, Raveling running away, and TD getting "retired" left Iowa with a somewhat bad reputation for how coaches were treated. That's a fact whether you want to face it or not.
He coached them so they were his players, otherwise, Raveling would of never left if he could of coached them.
Yes, being in a fishbowl was probably 1 of the reasons Lute left. Being that there's no professional sports teams in Iowa he was a highly recognizable figure, another reason you forgot to mention was that his wife had respiratory issues which was attributed to Iowa's cold weather.
Being in a fishbowl, lt was also the reason George left and another reason was there were not enough female companionship for George's liking.
You can dispute these reason's all you want, but they were some of the reasons Lute left for Arizona and not because he felt Iowa was a dead end and you claim.
I hope you understand the difference of walking into a situation where you have 7 NBA players(at least a cup of coffee) on the roster vs Lick’s leftovers. There’s a reason Davis’ results fell off after they left campus.
I think I'll just dial back my expectations/hopes. I'm throwing out the NCAA Tourney, and I'll cheer for a top 4 finish in the BIG. A BIG Tourney Championship would be a bonus.
I brought this up in another thread but never got an answer. I’ve noticed that Iowa assigns coaches to scout other teams they could play. In this years case, he had assistants assigned to Creighton, Kansas, SDSU; which would be Sweet 16 matchups.
My question, is that how most teams approach the tournament? It seems like scouting teams that you’d have 5-6 days to scout (if you advance that far) is kind of dumb. But again, it could be common.
I do. But it also takes coaching is all I’m saying. He is the head coach and the Elite Eight was made under his direction.
Fran had Speraw scout Richmond, Taylor Providence, and Dillard SDSU. If they made it past Richmond and Providence, then they’d do the same with Kansas, Miami, and ISU.
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There was mention of San Diego State being really impressive. Unless the SDSU got lost in translation.
Liked your comment by mistake just so no one gets the wrong impression. Thought IllQChawk's response got right to the point.
On the whole Lute Olson issue a few years back before his health went south Lute flew to Iowa City for one of the games and of course had a nice meet up with Fran. I think he always had a positive outlook about Iowa but just needed to move on with both his professional and personal lives. We won't see another like him in basketball at least under the current regime.
Iowa city was a fishbowl in lute and George’s time. I remember people bugging lute in public for an autograph, heard some parked in front of his Iowa city house and tooted the horn to see if he would look out. I saw George in a grocery store trying to buy groceries and people also asking for an autograph. Has that subsided? I assume so. At that time iowa bball was the only good game in the state. Iowa city is no smaller than many other college towns. Let’s win again.
You can unlike a post. Doh! And I definitely wouldn't be offended.😉
It’s not real difficult. We don’t play defense well and fran prefers skinny lanky player. Look at your tvs tonight and tomorrow, those guys look like men. We have boys by comparison.
Exactly right. We had 14 turnovers because we couldn't handle the physical play and speed of the tournament.
I think he is in a catch 22. Building a roster to compete in the B1G hurts you in the NCAA. You cant get to NCAA if you cant compete in the B1G.
This season‘s last game failure boiled down to one thing, bad shooting in the game. Now, Fran as a coach should have recognized that and altered the game plan, but the game plan that was devised before tip off was sound. If we hit our normal percentages the game isn’t close.
We weren’t the only team that shot much worse in that arena and with that ball. It sucks but sometimes you have a cold day and it hit us in a single elimination tournament.
We weren’t the only team that shot much worse in that arena and with that ball. It sucks but sometimes you have a cold day and it hit us in a single elimination tournament.
I think the tournament the past two years have exposed this as a myth.
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