JBO makes things really hard on Fran

[jonesy5960]

IMO Iowa is a contender when they play decent defense AND JBO is on. That's what we saw in that 5 game stretch before JBO's shooting/scoring went south again. When either one of those things doesn't happen they are a good team with one great player and a few good shooters. They are still probably a top 10-20 team. When both of those don't happen they become a very average team with one great player. I think that Fran realizes this and that's why he's been reluctant to pull the plug on JB's minutes this season even when he knows that he's a net liability when he's not hitting shots. JB needs a long leash to try and shoot his way out of whatever is going on because the team's success this year to a great extent is tied to his ability to hit big shots.

From a defensive perspective the first unit simply doesn't have the skills to play strong defense over any extended period of time. I've given up hoping that's going to change and it's not just JBO. They are all below average defenders and you can't have that unless your offense is clicking on all cylinders. The second group has those skills in spades. In my opinion when we are struggling to get stops early as we were last night, Fran needs to have a quicker hook and insert backups in place of at least 2 out of 3 of CMac, JW and CJ. Leave in whoever appears to have the hottest hand and/or isn't getting abused at the other end. I know a lot of people feel differently but IMO CMac shouldn't be getting starters minutes so he should normally be one of those replaced. Below average defense, 3.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.6 points isn't a starter's line. Give Keegan Murray those minutes and he blows that line away while playing much better defense and collecting 2-3 times as many rebounds. If no one is playing particularly well then replace all three. We can't continue to let teams go on extended runs like MSU did last night for nearly the first 10 minutes of the game allowing their guards to catch fire. The defense was horrific. The same thing happened at the start of the second half and cost Iowa the momentum they had going into halftime. Need Fran to recognize when the starters are outclassed defensively and act sooner.

 

[wbrhawkeye]

I would agree with that but I would sub out Connor and JBo, not Weezey and CJ. Those two are great offensive players and not bad defensively.

 

[RocknRollface]

I would agree with that but I would sub out Connor and JBo, not Weezey and CJ. Those two are great offensive players and not bad defensively.

Exactly, JBO can't shoot himself out of anything because his problem is that he can't get shots off in the first place.

And there's nothing he can do about it with the ball in his hands. He can't even get a shot off of a screen because he doesn't use them well enough.

Luka is great but Iowa has allot more weapons besides just he and JBO.

Weiskamp and CJ are all conference caliber players who are both capable of getting their own offense and going for 20 any night.

Keegan Murray might be the second best player on the team and has as big of an impact on a game as anyone but Garza.

Jack Nunge has been terrific lately and is getting better every game.

Toussaint, Perkins, Ulis and PMAC are all very athletic talented starter caliber players in this conference.

Bohannon should not be occupying such a primary role when he really only does one thing well and can't do it with out the help of others.

 

[SotaHawk87]

Not being a sarcastic ass here but it seems everyone has figured out how to feed the post just fine lately. Struggling to see what Connor is bringing. It used to be toughness and grit. He used to be the one to pull them all together. Hope we can get that back!

 

[Eternal Return]

Not being a sarcastic ass here but it seems everyone has figured out how to feed the post just fine lately. Struggling to see what Connor is bringing. It used to be toughness and grit. He used to be the one to pull them all together. Hope we can get that back!

If Connor still played with that toughness and chip on his shoulder things might be different. But he's not playing like that any more. I don't see him diving for loose balls, closing out effectively on 3s, boxing out, etc. He brings good passing, but that's it this year for the most part.

 

[jonesy5960]

Exactly, JBO can't shoot himself out of anything because his problem is that he can't get shots off in the first place.

And there's nothing he can do about it with the ball in his hands. He can't even get a shot off of a screen because he doesn't use them well enough.

Luka is great but Iowa has allot more weapons besides just he and JBO.

Weiskamp and CJ are all conference caliber players who are both capable of getting their own offense and going for 20 any night.

Keegan Murray might be the second best player on the team and has as big of an impact on a game as anyone but Garza.

Jack Nunge has been terrific lately and is getting better every game.

Toussaint, Perkins, Ulis and PMAC are all very athletic talented starter caliber players in this conference.

Bohannon should not be occupying such a primary role when he really only does one thing well and can't do it with out the help of others.

CJ is a good player and a very good shooter. He is simply not a great offensive or defensive player today. Could he be? Probably but today he simply isn't. He has a great FG percentage but he has only scored in double figures in 5 out of 16 games. 20 on any given night? Sure, but he's only done it once in 11 conference games. He's been more likely to score 2. He's averaging 8 points and 2 assists per game in conference play. That's solid but it puts him at 7th on a per 40 basis behind JBO (3 spots below JBO) who btw has a better FG% (46% vs 45%) and a way better FT% (93% vs 59%) in conference play. JBO is averaging 11.6ppg in conference and 4.5 assists. He even gets over 4 rebounds per game compared to CJ's 1.4. He's been better statistically than Fredrick in every way and scored in double figures 5 straight games. Unfortunately the only consistent scorer among the starters besides Garza has been Weezy.

I'm not bashing C.J.. He's a good player, but I've said it before. IMO JBO is the x-factor this year. If he's not dropping 3's the odds of the Hawks making a deep tournament run are very slim. If he is the sky is the limit.

 

[silasstarr]

Exactly, JBO can't shoot himself out of anything because his problem is that he can't get shots off in the first place.

And there's nothing he can do about it with the ball in his hands. He can't even get a shot off of a screen because he doesn't use them well enough.

Luka is great but Iowa has allot more weapons besides just he and JBO.

Weiskamp and CJ are all conference caliber players who are both capable of getting their own offense and going for 20 any night.

Keegan Murray might be the second best player on the team and has as big of an impact on a game as anyone but Garza.

Jack Nunge has been terrific lately and is getting better every game.

Toussaint, Perkins, Ulis and PMAC are all very athletic talented starter caliber players in this conference.

Bohannon should not be occupying such a primary role when he really only does one thing well and can't do it with out the help of others.

Keegan has been a good surprise but he hasn’t been playing as well of late. It could be due to teams scouting him.

 

[RocknRollface]

CJ is a good player and a very good shooter. He is simply not a great offensive or defensive player today. Could he be? Probably but today he simply isn't. He has a great FG percentage but he has only scored in double figures in 5 out of 16 games. 20 on any given night? Sure, but he's only done it once in 11 conference games. He's been more likely to score 2. He's averaging 8 points and 2 assists per game in conference play. That's solid but it puts him at 7th on a per 40 basis behind JBO (3 spots below JBO) who btw has a better FG% (46% vs 45%) and a way better FT% (93% vs 59%) in conference play. JBO is averaging 11.6ppg in conference and 4.5 assists. He even gets over 4 rebounds per game compared to CJ's 1.4. He's been better statistically than Fredrick in every way and scored in double figures 5 straight games. Unfortunately the only consistent scorer among the starters besides Garza has been Weezy.

I'm not bashing C.J.. He's a good player, but I've said it before. IMO JBO is the x-factor this year. If he's not dropping 3's the odds of the Hawks making a deep tournament run are very slim. If he is the sky is the limit.

If you give me the choice between the two im taking CJ without hesitation. Much better more complete player.

JBO scores and assists more because he has the ball in his hands all the time and also gets plays run for him to get shots.

The worst part of CJs game is that he's too passive.

Honestly, JBOs defense is such garbage that id rather not even have him on the court.

This team would be better if Ulis and Toussaint ran the point exclusively.

 

[jonesy5960]

If you give me the choice between the two im taking CJ without hesitation. Much better more complete player.

JBO scores and assists more because he has the ball in his hands all the time and also gets plays run for him to get shots.

The worst part of CJs game is that he's too passive.

Honestly, JBOs defense is such garbage that id rather not even have him on the court.

This team would be better if Ulis and Toussaint ran the point exclusively.

"The worst part of CJs game is that he's too passive". That's exactly the problem and why he's only averaging 8 ppg in conference play. Unless he fixes that he'll never be more than a role player.

 

[innercircle287]

If Connor still played with that toughness and chip on his shoulder things might be different. But he's not playing like that any more. I don't see him diving for loose balls, closing out effectively on 3s, boxing out, etc. He brings good passing, but that's it this year for the most part.

He plays soft so he won't pick up fouls and get sat. He is the worst defender, scorer, and rebounder on the team. Last year his toughness was needed. This year we have plenty of toughness and leadership where Connor is a liability getting any minutes. JBO has no trouble getting shots when we run plays for him. The problem is for some reason we rarely run any sets for the guards which makes it easy for them to get out of the flow. We probably need to run some more sets to keep JW and JBO in the offensive flow. That will also open it up more for Garza.

 

[Eternal Return]

He plays soft so he won't pick up fouls and get sat. He is the worst defender, scorer, and rebounder on the team. Last year his toughness was needed. This year we have plenty of toughness and leadership where Connor is a liability getting any minutes. JBO has no trouble getting shots when we run plays for him. The problem is for some reason we rarely run any sets for the guards which makes it easy for them to get out of the flow. We probably need to run some more sets to keep JW and JBO in the offensive flow. That will also open it up more for Garza.

Yes, I was screaming for Fran to run some sets for Weiskamp. JBo would likely benefit from that, too. The type of offense you're talking about is the type run for Uthoff and Jok when they were the focal.points of the O. The first half in yesterday's game was relentless post feeds so that's why no sets for anyone but Garza.

But in the 2nd half they went away from the post feeding and yet I didn't see any set plays for anyone else. I guess they were running the motion offense for that first 8 minutes, but it wasn't really working for anyone.

As far as Connor goes ... maybe time to exclusively focus on baseball?

 

[RocknRollface]

"The worst part of CJs game is that he's too passive". That's exactly the problem and why he's only averaging 8 ppg in conference play. Unless he fixes that he'll never be more than a role player.

Hes a sophomore and the 4th option on the best offensive team in the conference with three other high volume scorers.

He gets no plays run for him.

He should be a little more aggressive but I understand why he doesn't force stuff.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I think one glaring problem right now, is that we have several key contributors who are good at one thing, or a few things, but are not all-around players and our opponents are able to exploit that more and more through scouting.

Connor- Plays hard on defense, but will occasionally get caught napping in help side rotations, arguably best passer on offense, and can shoot it inside the arc........but if he never takes another 3 pt shot again while Iowa isn't winning by 20, I would be just fine with that.

Jordan- Arguably our best 3 pt shooter (when making shots), and arguably our worst presence on the floor when he's not...........

Joe T- Fastest player on the floor, and best at creating his own shot on the drive when given some space (that is a criticism of this team btw.............please stop standing and gtfo of the way), and maybe our best on-ball defender because of his speed to hang with opposing guards trying to play And-1 streetball, but still doesn't take 3s unless WIIIIIDE open and is still working on his turnover issues......oh and has improved slightly in staying on the floor longer in the 1st half by not picking up the dreaded 2nd foul.

Just to name a few....

 

[RocknRollface]

He plays soft so he won't pick up fouls and get sat. He is the worst defender, scorer, and rebounder on the team. Last year his toughness was needed. This year we have plenty of toughness and leadership where Connor is a liability getting any minutes. JBO has no trouble getting shots when we run plays for him. The problem is for some reason we rarely run any sets for the guards which makes it easy for them to get out of the flow. We probably need to run some more sets to keep JW and JBO in the offensive flow. That will also open it up more for Garza.

The main reason set plays work so well is they are unexpected.

I agree they could use a few more in the mix for JW, JBO and CJ but if you use them to often the opponents will be prepared for them.

 

[goodbyebobby]

Exactly, JBO can't shoot himself out of anything because his problem is that he can't get shots off in the first place.

And there's nothing he can do about it with the ball in his hands. He can't even get a shot off of a screen because he doesn't use them well enough.

Luka is great but Iowa has allot more weapons besides just he and JBO.

Weiskamp and CJ are all conference caliber players who are both capable of getting their own offense and going for 20 any night.

Keegan Murray might be the second best player on the team and has as big of an impact on a game as anyone but Garza.

Jack Nunge has been terrific lately and is getting better every game.

Toussaint, Perkins, Ulis and PMAC are all very athletic talented starter caliber players in this conference.

Bohannon should not be occupying such a primary role when he really only does one thing well and can't do it with out the help of others.

But he can play off the ball. He, Joe, Ke.,Luka.

Whatever, he needs to be running off screens like Alford as I think he could be lethal in that role.

 

[RocknRollface]

Yes, I was screaming for Fran to run some sets for Weiskamp. JBo would likely benefit from that, too. The type of offense you're talking about is the type run for Uthoff and Jok when they were the focal.points of the O. The first half in yesterday's game was relentless post feeds so that's why no sets for anyone but Garza.

But in the 2nd half they went away from the post feeding and yet I didn't see any set plays for anyone else. I guess they were running the motion offense for that first 8 minutes, but it wasn't really working for anyone.

As far as Connor goes ... maybe time to exclusively focus on baseball?

Garza is the most efficient offensive player in modern college basketball history.

It makes sense to get him the ball every time down court.

 

[RocknRollface]

But he can play off the ball. He, Joe, Ke.,Luka.

Whatever, he needs to be running off screens like Alford as I think he could be lethal in that role.

I actually don't think he's physical enough or relentless enough to do it.

Plus it really makes no sense to not give Garza the ball as often as possible.

 

[jonesy5960]

Hes a sophomore and the 4th option on the best offensive team in the conference with three other high volume scorers.

He gets no plays run for him.

He should be a little more aggressive but I understand why he doesn't force stuff.

Don't really care what year he is as we are talking about what's going on today. This year he simply disappears in a lot of games and in terms of production JBO gets the nod. The numbers don't lie and all of them are significantly in JB's favor. I totally agree that he is often abused defensively, just like every other starter. If we could merge the starters with the backups to create superhawks we'd really be in business.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I don't recall an Iowa team ever being at such extremes comparing offense and defense performance.
They are incompetent on D, and JBo is the worst. None of them are good. CJ and Wieskamp being the best of the usual starters, and even they are meh. It's just tough to cover up for one really poor defender's deficiencies when the others have their hands more than full.
Granted, it's not an easy call given Jordan's history. But if he goes 0 for 3 to start or can't get any space to even get a shot off then he needs to sit.

 

[kcgolfer]

Teams have scouted Iowa very well.
1. put your best guard defender on JBO and not let him get open
2. let Conner’s man drop off to double Garza.
Now we are down to two scoring options. Not good.

This is why we are a better, more athletic team with the reserves in the game.

 

[ajdl]

Hes a sophomore and the 4th option on the best offensive team in the conference with three other high volume scorers.

He gets no plays run for him.

He should be a little more aggressive but I understand why he doesn't force stuff.

Oh and he’s been hurt for awhile too.

 

[RocknRollface]

Don't really care what year he is as we are talking about what's going on today. This year he simply disappears in a lot of games and in terms of production JBO gets the nod. The numbers don't lie and all of them are significantly in JB's favor. I totally agree that he is often abused defensively, just like every other starter. If we could merge the starters with the backups to create superhawks we'd really be in business.

2 ppg more from a player who has the ball probably %50 more often and has set plays run for him is actually not at all significantly in said players favor.

JBO simply disappears in allot of games. Like more often than not.

Give your nod to whoever, it doesn't matter. He is not the key to the season. His role continuing to diminish is a key to the season because he's one of the easiest players in the league to defend.

This team has plenty of other offensive to compliment Luka. JBO should be a role player spot up shooter not a primary ballhandler.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Teams have scouted Iowa very well.
1. put your best guard defender on JBO and not let him get open
2. let Conner’s man drop off to double Garza.
Now we are down to two scoring options. Not good.

This is why we are a better, more athletic team with the reserves in the game.

Yeah, that's certainly the formula which is why Weiskamp then becomes so important. I just hate watching the lackluster defense. It's got to be painful for Fran to deal with this. He, and the staff, know what the issue is but he knows that removing key pieces may have an influence on the squad.

I feel that we are at the point where it's time for Bohannon to get Mossed. Rin sets for him, see if he's on fire. If not, bring in someone else.

 

[DirtyJohns97]

I think a lot of it is a bad mix, and not about what players are good or bad. I love CJ, but he isn’t creating his own shot, and when the other guard is JBo, he’s not going to get one, because they never have to leave him. Ulis or Joe T are going to give CJ and JBo more open looks. Pair them up that way

 

[DirtyJohns97]

Also, off topic. The high pick and roll with JBo and Garza is not working, and is a time suck on the shot clock. Whenever they try it, we are bound for a terrible possession. (Yes I know it worked beautifully on that one inbounds play)

 

[RocknRollface]

Also, off topic. The high pick and roll with JBo and Garza is not working, and is a time suck on the shot clock. Whenever they try it, we are bound for a terrible possession. (Yes I know it worked beautifully on that one inbounds play)

Its amazing that you have two excellent shooters run a high screen and 9 times out of ten neither one gets a shot out of it.

JBO is not good at using screens and if he does get the corner turned he is no threat to keep going to the basket.

You can't run a ball screen for a guy who isn't a threat to take it into the lane. The defense just follows him around the top of the screen with no consequences. The big stays with Luka and doesn't need to help.

From what I've seen Ulis is the best guy we have at using ball screens.

 

[chuck285]

So far the last few games CJ has been hurt and shouldn't be playing at all. Bad at every faze of the game. Put Joe T. at point and start JBO at the other guard. ?? Best thing would be just to win the game!!!

 

[Ihawkhoops]

IMO Iowa basketball is very similar to Iowa football. Every opponent knows what to expect in the run game so no surprises. Same with Iowa hoops. I don't think there is anything that can be done within the framework of the offense outside of a different set out of a timeout etc., to get CJ, Jbo, or JW open looks. Watch teams defend Iowa's screens. They know where the screen will be set, who is trying to come off the screen and they jump it. The pass or handoff may be executed, but the resulting bottleneck gets Iowa off script and in scramble mode.

I don't think the offense is bad or broken per se, it just lacks the guy who can get the defense out of synch so somebody can flow to the open spot. For Jbo, JW or CJ to get shots up they have to rush them or step back--neither helps their shooting %.

 

[Hawkamaniac14]

No real threats to drive to the rim in the starting 5. JW is the biggest threat and he gets stuffed a good amount of times, CJ every now and then will have an occasional drive, JBo is getting nowhere near the rim anymore (check decline in free throw attempts) Connor doesnt look to score much ( thought he did very well in Illinois game), and Garza hasnt shown much of driving to the rim after setting screens. Seems to look for the 3pt shot which I have no problem with. Need a threat of getting around the screen and driving to the hoop

 

[jonesy5960]

Garza is the most efficient offensive player in modern college basketball history.

It makes sense to get him the ball every time down court.

On this point I think we can all agree. At the same time we need the shooters to make the opponent play more honest and then pay for those double and triple teams.

 

[jonesy5960]

2 ppg more from a player who has the ball probably %50 more often and has set plays run for him is actually not at all significantly in said players favor.

JBO simply disappears in allot of games. Like more often than not.

Give your nod to whoever, it doesn't matter. He is not the key to the season. His role continuing to diminish is a key to the season because he's one of the easiest players in the league to defend.

This team has plenty of other offensive to compliment Luka. JBO should be a role player spot up shooter not a primary ballhandler.

Without JBO scoring this team is good, not great.

2 ppg more from a player who has the ball probably %50 more often and has set plays run for him is actually not at all significantly in said players favor.

JBO simply disappears in allot of games. Like more often than not.

Give your nod to whoever, it doesn't matter. He is not the key to the season. His role continuing to diminish is a key to the season because he's one of the easiest players in the league to defend.

This team has plenty of other offensive to compliment Luka. JBO should be a role player spot up shooter not a primary ballhandler.

No, but 3.4 more ppg, 2.3 more assists per game, 2.7 more rebounds per game and and 93% vs 59% at the foul line is very significant. The guy you say disappears in conference play is tied with Connor for leading the team in assists, is the 3rd leading scorer, and the 5th leading rebounder. For a guy that you say disappears more often that not, he's really not very good at it. Compare his numbers in conference with CMac and CJ and get back to me.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Seems like we end up here every season. Jbo's prowess as a 3 point shooter and clutch ft shooter is irrefutable. The issue remains he can't create separation and you can't slide a piece of paper between him and his defender. He doesn't need much space or time, but he needs more than he has been getting this year. I would love to see one game where Fran puts Ulis and or Joe T. / Perkins to see if they can set him up for good looks. Much more feasible that he knocks down a few in this scenario vs. thinking teams are going to lose him on D.

 

[RocknRollface]

IMO Iowa basketball is very similar to Iowa football. Every opponent knows what to expect in the run game so no surprises. Same with Iowa hoops. I don't think there is anything that can be done within the framework of the offense outside of a different set out of a timeout etc., to get CJ, Jbo, or JW open looks. Watch teams defend Iowa's screens. They know where the screen will be set, who is trying to come off the screen and they jump it. The pass or handoff may be executed, but the resulting bottleneck gets Iowa off script and in scramble mode.

I don't think the offense is bad or broken per se, it just lacks the guy who can get the defense out of synch so somebody can flow to the open spot. For Jbo, JW or CJ to get shots up they have to rush them or step back--neither helps their shooting %.

To effectively run screen and roll you need the ball handler to be a guy who can attack the paint.

Without that you don't put pressure on the big defender to really have to help.

Most of the time JBO doesn't even get his defender into the screener so there really is no point.

 

[FranklinHawk]

Teams have scouted Iowa very well.
1. put your best guard defender on JBO and not let him get open
2. let Conner’s man drop off to double Garza.
Now we are down to two scoring options. Not good.

This is why we are a better, more athletic team with the reserves in the game.

He's done it occasionally, but not enough in my opinion. When Connor's guy drops to double Luka, Conner needs to dive to the basket. Frequently that will end with a layup, a foul, or someone else having to drop and cover Connor leaving one of our shooters open.

 

[icwesthawk]

Thought from the summer that JBO should be coming off the bench. Run a couple of plays for him and let him try to get his against backups. If he's not making his shots or even getting shots, back to the bench. OP is correct, it's a tough spot for Fran but that's why he makes the big money

 

[RocknRollface]

Without JBO scoring this team is good, not great.


No, but 3.4 more ppg, 2.3 more assists per game, 2.7 more rebounds per game and and 93% vs 59% at the foul line is very significant. The guy you say disappears in conference play is tied with Connor for leading the team in assists, is the 3rd leading scorer, and the 5th leading rebounder. For a guy that you say disappears more often that not, he's really not very good at it. Compare his numbers in conference with CMac and CJ and get back to me.

Every single team can take him out of any game if they want to.

Hes the easiest pg to defend in the country.

Teams game plan for Luka and he still gets his 28 , they plan for JBO and he gets 2 shots off while giving up everything on defense.

I'd love it if there was a way to get jbo 10 good shots a game but there isn't.

Any big ten pg can lock him down. He's so easy to overplay for the jump shot.

Im sure there will be a few more games where he goes off on transition looks and offensive rebound kickouts but its not consistent.

I can say this team is good not great without Joe W, CJ, Touissant or Keegan scoring.

This team doesn't need to rely on JBO to be great, it needs better defense and pg play out of Toussaint and Ulis.

 

[RocknRollface]

He's done it occasionally, but not enough in my opinion. When Connor's guy drops to double Luka, Conner needs to dive to the basket. Frequently that will end with a layup, a foul, or someone else having to drop and cover Connor leaving one of our shooters open.

Im hoping we can get back to some semblance of ball movement off the post ups.

It was really working well for a while but the lane is so congested now that I'm not sure there is even room for Connor to cut.

The opposite side corner is usually whats left open

Connor still needs to cut to make the D watch him too but Luka needs to be thinking skip pass to the corner.

 

[jonesy5960]

He's done it occasionally, but not enough in my opinion. When Connor's guy drops to double Luka, Conner needs to dive to the basket. Frequently that will end with a layup, a foul, or someone else having to drop and cover Connor leaving one of our shooters open.

Connor is not a scorer. You can't drive in when your defender is laying off. He doesn't have that in his arsenal because he doesn't have the quickness to get around his defender or the shot to draw him in, Everyone is just going to sit back and wait for him like they do every single game.

 

[jonesy5960]

Every single team can take him out of any game if they want to.

Hes the easiest pg to defend in the country.

Teams game plan for Luka and he still gets his 28 , they plan for JBO and he gets 2 shots off while giving up everything on defense.

I'd love it if there was a way to get jbo 10 good shots a game but there isn't.

Any big ten pg can lock him down. He's so easy to overplay for the jump shot.

Im sure there will be a few more games where he goes off on transition looks and offensive rebound kickouts but its not consistent.

I can say this team is good not great without Joe W, CJ, Touissant or Keegan scoring.

This team doesn't need to rely on JBO to be great, it needs better defense and pg play out of Toussaint and Ulis.

Iowa can be good and sometimes better without JB shooting this season. No doubt about that. JT, Perkins and Ulis add a dimension that JB obviously does not possess. Unfortunately I don't believe they will ever be final four great. Not this season anyway. I want to believe something different but I just don't see them making that kind of run without him. Now if you want to change the starting lineup by inserting one of those 3 for Connor and cutting his minutes in half I might think differently but that's not going to happen.

 

[RocknRollface]

Iowa can be good and sometimes better without JB shooting this season. No doubt about that. JT, Perkins and Ulis add a dimension that JB obviously does not possess. Unfortunately I don't believe they will ever be final four great. Not this season anyway. I want to believe something different but I just don't see them making that kind of run without him. Now if you want to change the starting lineup by inserting one of those 3 for Connor and cutting his minutes in half I might think differently but that's not going to happen.

I'd be all for replacing Connor with a pg too.

It'll will be interesting to see what the first sub is tonight and how quickly it happens.

You got to think Toussaint has played himself back to 6th man.