Going to blow another lead in the 4th Q? They were up by 17 and now it's just 5 with plenty of time left.
Iowa women on BTN vs Indiana
- Thread starter IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life
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Tied @ 62 now, unbelievable.....
How many leads has this team lost in the 4th Q, big leads at that.
How many leads has this team lost in the 4th Q, big leads at that.
Never have played great defense in Bluder's era; won by superior 3 point shooting which they don't have this year.
They have no interior post presence on defense. Coley got manhanled by those 2 Bahama-Mommas every time they went inside. Watching the melt-down was very reminiscent of the men's game in Ames. The women need to figure things out defensively!
Bluder needs to figure out a way to sneak the team out of the gym after the third quarter of these games.
Bluder needs to replace Jan Jensen with a coach who knows defense. Iowa has never been a good defensive team with Jensen coaching the "bigs". Doolittle was a good shot blocker...but not really a great defender. I would also find a coach who can coach the guards to value the basketball. The silly turnovers seem to be acceptable to this coaching staff because it happens every year.
Bluder has never been good about developing a great bench. Those coming off the bench now are Kastanek and Peschel. They are two of the slowest players you will see. They really don't bring anything to the game...consistently. This team misses Mohns and Buttenham. Those two do have a little athleticism. The rest of this year will not be very good...but hopefully the future will be better with health and a new class that might have an athlete or two in it.
I'll admit I don't really follow the women team that much but don't they only return like 1 starter and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. I know Jenningings and Coley got playing time last year but they are still really young. I can't wait to see some of fans reaction next year with the mens team and what we all lose after this year. Some of you guys are in for a rough year next year.
The women returned 2 starters...Disterhoft and Jennings. Peschel, Kastanek, Coley and Buttenham all played last year. They did lose a lot in Logic, Dixon and Doolittle...for sure!!!
The "young" excuse only goes so far. This year's team is weak fundamentally. And...unathletic. Slow might be a better word. Thus...a mediocre season and likely to miss the NCAA for the first time in quite a while.
The "young" excuse only goes so far. This year's team is weak fundamentally. And...unathletic. Slow might be a better word. Thus...a mediocre season and likely to miss the NCAA for the first time in quite a while.
Unfair to say this team is slow and unathletic. They are fast and athletic enough to get up by 16-17 in all these games. They just aren't very deep right now and get tired. When you're tired you're a step slower and give up more open shots and/or foul. Then you panic and start missing defensive assignments as well...all the while the other team gains confidence. Especially at home. Not a coincidence most the collapses have happened on the road.
On the bright side, Iowa has 7 games left to play and 5 of them are at home! With all the 4th quarter collapses on the road, they still play pretty well at home. I consider the Penn State debacle at home an anomaly. The opponents they have left to play aren't world beaters. I think it's a good possibility they get 5 and 2 the rest of the way, making it a 10 and 8 record in the Big Ten, which is likely to get them in the NCAA.
What's the story with Till? She seemed to be a quality player who got a good chunk of time last year but hardly see her this year.
Claire Till has had chronic knee problems since before she arrived at Iowa. Hopefully she can get well enough to see the floor again this season. Earlier in the year Mohns moved ahead of her on the depth chart at PF & Gustafson took the majority of the back up post minutes not leaving many minutes for Claire when she could play.
You just cannot lose that much firepower to graduation and not expect a step backwards. Even after losing Logic, Dixon and Doolittle, until Mohhs got hurt, they were in the TOP 25. They are playing their butts off without Mohns and now without Buttenham. Give them and the coaches a freaking break. I can imagine this board next year when the exact same thing happens to the men's team without the 4 seniors.
They were in VERY good shape, even after all the graduating "stars" right up until Mohns got hurt. i think the coaches had been doing a terrific job with this team. We are lucky to have all of them! Next year's recruiting class is very highly ranked.
OMG! next year is going to be a nightmare on this board, even if we win 20 games. Imagine next year if we lose Uhl to injury? Oh, and then we lose Wagner, who brings energy and rebounding off the bench. That is what has happened.
Agree. They are starting a junior, 2 sophs and 2 freshmen. Lex was off to a great start and has not been able to hit her shots recently. I wonder if there is an issue with her, or just a slump. Kali was so good at the end of last year and she hasn't been able to contribute with her scoring so far this year. Then losing Mohns and Christina have further hurt them.
The fact is, Bluder's winning % beats a lot if not most Iowa coaches. SB lost 40 games last year. VB lost all the progress they'd made the season before. When was the last time MBB made the sweet 16? Was just a couple of years ago that Iowa finished last among B10 teams for the Learfield Cup.
I agree with all the reasons why this year's women's team isn't very good. Graduation and injuries have made it difficult (as with every team). Fatigue late in games is obvious. But...the facts remain that those who do play...are fundamentally weak and/or slow with the exception being Ally D...she is a gamer! Go take a look at the season statistics...poor shooting, many turnovers, weak rebounding and bad defense. The 4th quarter collapses are the result...fueled by mediocre coaching at crunch time. That's just the way it is this year. This year's team is simply mediocre (having lost 6 of the last 9). Probably no NCAA tournament this year. Hopefully the current players will improve a lot and the new class will add some quickness for a better year next
There is a difference between being fundamentally weak and just plain making bad decisions. The team's struggles (and losses) are the result of a combination of things.
The game is still moving very fast for the Freshmen Davis and Gustafson, but they give Iowa the best chance to compete by starting. As a result, mistakes are going to happen simply by virtue of the fact those two are having a lot thrown at them.
Jennings finally found her shot last night, and then mysteriously her teammates didn't get her the ball much in the second half. They could learn a lesson from the men's team. When Uthoff and Jok are hot, their teammates feed them just about every trip down the court. Coley is a defensive weak spot at center. She has played there out of necessity, but is clearly a stretch 4. Why she was left in to try to defend Anderson while Gustafson was left on the bench during a crucial Hoosier run is confusing. That one is on the coaches.
While she does average 17 points a game, Ally is not playing consistently well either. 4 turnovers last night and some key missed free throws. She is shooting just 63% from the line in conference play. She also got burned several times defensively by not rotating over in time.
This is a team problem that has been compounded by a lack of depth due to injury and some mistakes by the coaches.
They have 7 games left in the regular season. Right now with 15 wins and most of the remainder at home, 4 wins in the last 7 probably gets them into the NCAA Tournament. Granted as a 9-seed, but in none the less. It will be interesting to see if they are up to the challenge.
The game is still moving very fast for the Freshmen Davis and Gustafson, but they give Iowa the best chance to compete by starting. As a result, mistakes are going to happen simply by virtue of the fact those two are having a lot thrown at them.
Jennings finally found her shot last night, and then mysteriously her teammates didn't get her the ball much in the second half. They could learn a lesson from the men's team. When Uthoff and Jok are hot, their teammates feed them just about every trip down the court. Coley is a defensive weak spot at center. She has played there out of necessity, but is clearly a stretch 4. Why she was left in to try to defend Anderson while Gustafson was left on the bench during a crucial Hoosier run is confusing. That one is on the coaches.
While she does average 17 points a game, Ally is not playing consistently well either. 4 turnovers last night and some key missed free throws. She is shooting just 63% from the line in conference play. She also got burned several times defensively by not rotating over in time.
This is a team problem that has been compounded by a lack of depth due to injury and some mistakes by the coaches.
They have 7 games left in the regular season. Right now with 15 wins and most of the remainder at home, 4 wins in the last 7 probably gets them into the NCAA Tournament. Granted as a 9-seed, but in none the less. It will be interesting to see if they are up to the challenge.
They play hard and compete. Just not good enough to stop other teams when the opponent gets rolling. It's easy to say "lack of fundamentals" or "not playing hard" or whatever. But sometimes you just aren't good enough.
This year was always going to be a transition year, and the injuries made the season more difficult. Iowa lacks the ability of the top-tier teams (and likely will next year too) but with another year of experience and another class brought in, I would expect them to be back in the NCAA tournament. Davis and Gustafson are getting valuable minutes. Iowa currently has just one upperclassmen who is playing much (Disterhoft). Just takes court time for the younger players to become better at playing a full game.
Bluder's run of consistency has been quite remarkable really. When you're not bringing in the elite level talent, there are occasional years where things don't work out as the team transitions to the next set of players. The last 2 recruiting classes appear to be very good. It will just take time to see the results on the court.
We'll likely see something similar on the men's side next year. The men will need a lot to go well next year to be back in the tournament. It will take time to figure out who of the young guys are ready to play and who needs more time. And we'll have people declaring a freshman who have been playing college basketball for a month a "failure."
Dodger, I think we're in agreement ( I can't tell).
My response was attempting to show that the team's struggles are not limited to just one cause or area. If they were, it would be comparatively easier for the coaching staff to fix. There's an old coaching phrase "If you're good enough to win by 20, you're good enough to win by 1". A motivational phrase that makes it sounds much simpler than it really is, but still makes the point. You shouldn't think or play any differently once you're up by 17 points as you did in building that lead. It's tough for young athletes to learn what that means until you actually find yourself in that situation. It was one of the biggest challenges I had when I was coaching, and sometimes it took failure(s) to get that message through.
This team has found itself in those situations several times this season already. As an athlete you do one of two things--rise to the occasion or fold. Several losses like this can test individual fortitude and team chemistry. What any coach would like to see is a fire in their players that (while still respectful) borders on hatred of the opposition the next time they suit up. Iowa probably shouldn't have had a 13 point lead at Michigan St. the first time around. But they did, and when the Spartans raised their intensity late in the game the Hawkeyes didn't match it.
This team has enough talent to beat all but one opponent they have lost to so far this season, but playing 3 quarters isn't enough. Win or lose, I think this weekend, more than any other game so far this season, will show how the team will respond the rest of this year.
My response was attempting to show that the team's struggles are not limited to just one cause or area. If they were, it would be comparatively easier for the coaching staff to fix. There's an old coaching phrase "If you're good enough to win by 20, you're good enough to win by 1". A motivational phrase that makes it sounds much simpler than it really is, but still makes the point. You shouldn't think or play any differently once you're up by 17 points as you did in building that lead. It's tough for young athletes to learn what that means until you actually find yourself in that situation. It was one of the biggest challenges I had when I was coaching, and sometimes it took failure(s) to get that message through.
This team has found itself in those situations several times this season already. As an athlete you do one of two things--rise to the occasion or fold. Several losses like this can test individual fortitude and team chemistry. What any coach would like to see is a fire in their players that (while still respectful) borders on hatred of the opposition the next time they suit up. Iowa probably shouldn't have had a 13 point lead at Michigan St. the first time around. But they did, and when the Spartans raised their intensity late in the game the Hawkeyes didn't match it.
This team has enough talent to beat all but one opponent they have lost to so far this season, but playing 3 quarters isn't enough. Win or lose, I think this weekend, more than any other game so far this season, will show how the team will respond the rest of this year.
