It’s been exactly 44 years…

[Hawksfor3]

Since Iowa was last in the Final Four.

March 22, 1980.

Sigh.

The good news is that Life Expectancy has increased again.

 

[BurgHawk87]

Yep and don't even get me started on what happened with Ray Thompson and the '89 tournament.
2021 - the only team to get an auto-covid victory in the first round was right next to us (Oregon).

And when was the last time Iowa has benefitted from an upset in their bracket? In my lifetime, try never. All chalk, every single year. No madness in our brackets. Nope.

Iowa is the madness in the bracket (when they make it).

 

[QChawks]

in 2064...

 

[TampaHawkfan]

I was a freshman at UI. Definitely remember the wild welcome return for the team at the Field House after the Georgetown win.

As someone who turns 63 in a couple of months, here is the sobering reality regarding Hawkeye men's basketball...

• Have to be at least in your early thirties to have a memory of Iowa’s most recent Sweet 16 appearance (1999)
• Have to be in at least in your early-to-mid forties to remember watching Iowa’s last Elite 8 team (1987 – what a painful loss to UNLV)
• Have to be at least 50 or over to remember Iowa making it to the Final Four (1980)

In a sport where success is measured by how a team performs in the NCAA tournament, there is damage done to the level of fan engagement when the program goes that long without at least minimal success in the tournament (making it to the second week). While a Sweet 16 is not the ultimate goal for a program, I do notice that even the "blue bloods" keep track of their Sweet 16 appearances.

My son graduated from Iowa (B.A.) last May. My wife and I hosted some of his friends for a get-together the day after the graduation ceremony at Carver. While all of my son's friends attended football games (due to tailgating), and they were all talking about the women's team (fresh off championship game appearance), only one of my son's friends had even attended a men's game that past season (22-23). None of these students were born the last time Iowa men's BB made a tournament run.

See that Fran's most ardent supporters on this site (along with many Iowa media members) have decided that the only thing that matters is to be at least .500 in conference regular season play. I couldn't disagree more.

Well said.

I'm 47, and while I have some vague memories of the Raveling years, that 86-87 team was the first I remember with any kind of clarity. As painful as that UNLV loss was (is), that team made me the fan I am today. I was rabid as an Iowa hoops fans for years and years after that, even through the 1990s and into the 2000s. I've gotten pretty apathetic after this much time without any meaningful postseason success.

Would I be an Iowa hoops fan if the 1986-87 team wasn't so great? Sure. Would I still be following this closely today? That's hard to answer. Probably not. That high level of success reeled me in as a youngster. It's in my DNA. That's not something today's Iowa students have been able to experience.

 

[Tom Paris]

Or Notre Dame, USC, FSU, Georgia, Iowa St, KS St, NC St, PSU, Pitt, Wake Forest, Washington,....

There are plenty of big name schools with 40+ year droughts. It's fair to criticize Iowa's lack of success in the early rounds, but not really the final 4 drought.

One of those schools is not like the others. NC State has 2 national titles in my lifetime. Yeah, it's been awhile but at least they have those to fall back on.

 

[83Hawk]

Well said.

I'm 47, and while I have some vague memories of the Raveling years, that 86-87 team was the first I remember with any kind of clarity. As painful as that UNLV loss was (is), that team made me the fan I am today. I was rabid as an Iowa hoops fans for years and years after that, even through the 1990s and into the 2000s. I've gotten pretty apathetic after this much time without any meaningful postseason success.

Would I be an Iowa hoops fan if the 1986-87 team wasn't so great? Sure. Would I still be following this closely today? That's hard to answer. Probably not. That high level of success reeled me in as a youngster. It's in my DNA. That's not something today's Iowa students have been able to experience.

My first team was '69-70. I know how you feel!

 

[Hawksfor3]

My first team was '69-70. I know how you feel!

Yep. J-Ville over Iowa. I cried after the game ended.

 

[Beattheohiostate]

Since Iowa was last in the Final Four.

March 22, 1980.

Sigh.

My parents, my brothers, and my wife were there . . . Market Square Arena in Indy. I still remember hanging around outside with Ralph Sampson towering over everyone. Another instance that forces me to say, "Man, has it been that long? It seems like . . . even longer."

 

[HawkLogic]

now tell us the last time Purdue was in the Final 4.

True both Purdue and Iowa have long dry spell since last final-4, but Purdue has a bunch of B1G regular season titles under Keady and Painter. Painter has sweet16s and an Elite8 for Purdue fans to console themselves.

Final-4 is very hard to reach....but come one, Fran has had 14 years at Iowa and not a single sweet16 and 40+ years since last Big10 conference title.

 

[blubberhawk]

now tell us the last time Purdue was in the Final 4.

Or ISU

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Since Iowa was last in the Final Four.

March 22, 1980.

Sigh.

Damn, I am getting old.

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

I don’t hold onto that dream, anymore. If it happens, great. I doubt it happens again in my lifetime.

At this point... I feel this way about a damn sweet 16. Seems unreachable... Which is BS

 

[blhawk]

now tell us the last time Purdue was in the Final 4.

Cool. I'm guessing their 11 conference championships, 11 sweet 16s and 4 elite 8s since then soften the blow. Now tell us the rest of the pre expansion b10 teams who do have a final 4

 

[Hawksfor3]

Kevin Harlan and Stan Van Gundy doing Purdue game. One of my favorite announcing teams.

 

[OutbackBowl2017]

Since Iowa was last in the Final Four.

March 22, 1980.

Sigh.