What’s everyone’s thoughts? Both teams are struggling, but the Illini put together some games down the stretch. Their guards are pretty good!
I’m hoping for a NW win myself!
I’m hoping for a NW win myself!
Iowa vs NW/ILLINI
- Thread starter HaydenHawk8
- Start date
Best we could hope for. Then we would draw MI, which is also the best we could hope for. Just need to play better. Easy enough.
I’m not gonna lie but I don’t want to play MICH after that MSU game. I’m betting they are POd and will take it out on whoever they play on Friday.
This is a very favorable draw for us, so I expect loss to Northwestern.
I hear ya, but I certainly don’t want to play MSU and at least we would have a level of confidence knowing we’d beaten Michigan once already.
True! I just don’t see Iowa seeing Saturday of the BTT this year.
Iowa has not seen Saturday since 2006.
What is Fran's record for 1st game in BTT? I seem to recall most of the 1st game losses have been to either Illiniois or Northwestern under Fran.
A
anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba
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One of Fran's teams--I'm in no mood to look it up--went into the BIG tourney a high seed and played a horrible NW team in the first game. And promptly got embarrassed by about 20 points. Iowa might win a game or two, but there is no evidence to suggest that's going to happen no matter the opponent. But there is ample evidence pointing to a certain loss in game one, again regardless of the opponent.
2-11. That stat is a fire-able offense in itself
Agreed. Fran in 9 years has never seen Saturday of the Big Ten tournament. That’s freaking depressing.
When was the last time iowa saw Saturday? 2005? 14 years, my god.
He's coached 13 first round games in 8 previous B1G tourneys?
No that Iowa hasn’t seen Saturday in a LONG TIME. I think every other team (outside Rutgers) has at least made it Saturday. Iowa’s last trip 2005??
Just looked it up. Since 2006 (Iowa, Rutgers, nebbie) are the only teams not to see the weekend in the BTT! Wow that is just sad.
I'll root like crazy for the Hawks if they play Illinois, but I admit that if we play Northwestern, the masochist in me will want to see a loss. I just want to able to go around and tell people that the head coach of my favorite college basketball team, who has coached in 9 B1G Tournaments and has rock-solid job security, owns losses to the #9, #10, #11, #12, #13 and #14 seeds in the B1G Tourney. I wouldn't know whether to cry or laugh. They could play the B1G Tourney for another 500 years and you might not see that level of incompetence.
Right now, I think the best this team can hope for is good travel weather late Thursday night...
Same thoughts about Iowa after losing their last four games!! Poor Illinois having to play the Hawks
One thing is for certain, Iowa scares nobody and I am sure teams are giddy at the prospects of notching an easy win. Look at how melancholy we are about Iowa hoops when we should be jacked for the BTT and NCAA tournaments. We know there won't be any surprises this week--another first round exit and same with the NCAA tournament. Glad we have a coach that knows how to get his team play their best ball in March. This would be the exact opposite of Iowa hoops under Fran.
Illinois beats us by 12. Northwurstern beats us by 3 in a maddening game.
Look, we are all upset that Iowa is sucking right now, but you're non-stop whining is just too much. Please give it a rest. Nobody missed you during the season when things were going good.
Iowa has a chance if they play Northwestern. They will be boatraced by Illinois.
Feel free to bump all of the L.Wade and Sutterman threads about how Fran is the answer and Iowa fans should not have expectations if they are more to your liking. I would rather be posting about how excited I am about the BTT and NCAA's but Fran has squashed that dream (again).
It won't matter if they don't show up, but as good a draw as we could have asked for I guess. *IF* we can get to Friday - Iowa seems to have fared well against Michigan. Took them to the brink in the BTT last year, and handled them in IC this year.
I'd much rather have Michigan than MSU, I'll tell you that much. MSU seems like a horrible match up for us.
I'd much rather have Michigan than MSU, I'll tell you that much. MSU seems like a horrible match up for us.
Boatraced by a team who's also los 5 of 6, and only win is 5 points over NW at home? A team who lost at home last week to Indy, a team we swept in the last month, by 18?
Nobody thinks Fran is the answer here. I just think there are much smarter people, that realize Fran isn't going to be fired any time soon. On top of that, why waste non-stop tears and posts complaining about it, it just makes you look whiny. We finished 21-10, what was your prediction at the beginning of the season?
What was my prediction? If you go back and ready my posts I said win two BTT games and compete in a 2nd round NCAA tournament game. I could care less about the regular season records. I guess I am one of those crazy dreamers who expects Fran to actually move the program forward. Sorry I will do my best to celebrate mediocrity moving forward. Good job Fran for only losing to a depleted Nebraska team by 2! Way to compete. Is that better?
I'm asking you, what was your prediction? Is making the NCAA tourney not moving forward? 21-10 is not mediocrity, I don't care how you try to spin that. The end of the season sucked, but some of you guys are going overboard.
Preseason predictions are meaningless. It's all based on a team that you haven't seen play a single game yet.
This team was on track for a Top 5-6 or better seed just a couple weeks ago, but had yet another meltdown. More opportunity pissed away. Just like 2013-14, and 2015-16. It's the third time in 6 years (every other year on average) that this has happened. It's a trend.
It kind of depends on how you get to where you are. Did you start slow and improve as the season went along? I think most of us would feel pretty good about that. Or did you regress and fritter away what WAS (past tense) a really darn good season?
They weren't predicted to be a five seed any time recently. They aren't meaningless when you say the team is gonna suck, then they outperform what you predicted to begin with, only to turn around and bitch about how they outperformed what you actually thought was gonna happen. It's just kind of weird to complain about that, wouldn't you think? Some people just like to bitch.
They’ve all got his email. They’ve been emailing him nonstop since Sunday. Most have realized Barta don’t care about them though.
I think we’re going to see a game Thursday night.
Could care less if they are a high seed or get in through a play in game. Do something in March. When has a Fran team ever played well in March? In my opinion the answer is never. Every season the same topics swirl: Team is tired, team is sick of Fran's bluster, this guy is leaving, need a PG, can't finish games.
You are right the record is what it is but the record includes 2 wins against NCAA tournament teams and Fran won't have a cupcake schedule every year. So give Fran his bonus for beating crap teams, making the dance and completely tanking in March (when it matters). It's almost impossible to get teams not to play with extreme urgency this time of year but Fran has found a way to do it.
In all fairness, this team looked fantastic in the 2013 BTT and NIT, and that win at Virginia remains one of Fran's best wins as HC.
And to think I thought that NIT run was a sign of great things to come in the future for Iowa's basketball postseason.....6 long years later and here we are.
Illinois is the only team in the field I feel absolutely confident of beating. We’re a terrible matchup for them.
I think they’ll lose to Northwestern but if they don’t we’ll beat them bad again.
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The year we made the NIT championship we played well, as well as the two years we won a game in the tourney. But yes, it's few and far between.
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