Let's give Fran some credit here...

[skydog0784]

...out-coached Beard tonight. We've all been critics (myself included, that's part of the gig) but Fran really had the team locked in and just as importantly - had an outstanding game plan tonight.

Excellent blend of inside-outside offensive sets, mixed up defenses, good substitution patterns except for one point in the first half with the "wholesale line change".

Well done Fran and company...

 

[CEDHawk]

I’ll give Fran just as much credit as I’ll give Texas Tech. The offensive game plan was solid and Fran did change the lineup pretty quick after he realized that lineup wasn’t going to work. Perimeter defense is definitely improving but TT going 4-24 from deep wasn’t solely because of our defense. Tech missed quite a few open threes but everyone knows that’s how the game goes sometimes.

 

[Hawksfor3]

He definitely had the team ready.

 

[And1Hawk]

I do think Fran is very underrated in terms of getting credit for getting as much out of his team’s talent level as possible. I think we fade sometimes because he gets the team playing above their level for awhile but it can’t be sustained later in the year.

His substitutions and lack of boxing out/rebounding drive me crazy though.

 

[Hawkfan_08]

Hopefully we get another one tomorrow night. That would be a fantastic coaching job! Resume builder for the Hawks tonight!

 

[iowa surfer]

He definitely had the team ready.

Agree.

 

[twindman]

...out-coached Beard
Excellent blend of inside-outside offensive sets, mixed up defenses, good substitution patterns except for one point in the first half with the "wholesale line change".
.

Also in the 2nd half he had Pemsl, Bakari, and Tousaint in at the same time. No reason to guard any of them outside the lane. I just don't understand his pattern. I would maybe put 2 guys in but always have 1 or 2 other scorers in. Then 3 minutes pull one and put another one in. Than back to starters.

 

[owenhawk]

Also in the 2nd half he had Pemsl, Bakari, and Tousaint in at the same time. No reason to guard any of them outside the lane. I just don't understand his pattern. I would maybe put 2 guys in but always have 1 or 2 other scorers in. Then 3 minutes pull one and put another one in. Than back to starters.

That was my one criticism as well. They really need Wieskamp, Frederick, or Bohannon (and realistically two of them) our there most of the time to keep teams honest on the perimeter.

 

[crstuff]

...out-coached Beard tonight. We've all been critics (myself included, that's part of the gig) but Fran really had the team locked in and just as importantly - had an outstanding game plan tonight.

Excellent blend of inside-outside offensive sets, mixed up defenses, good substitution patterns except for one point in the first half with the "wholesale line change".

Well done Fran and company...

He definitely had the team ready.

They were committed defensively, early. That's a really good sign we're heading In the right direction.

 

[Hawk-Fran1]

Fran is an outstanding coach like any program we fans like to want things perfect and rarely are they. If Jordan plays bad tonight hes getting ripped for playing a kid who had surgery, if Conner has a To or two why is he in and not Joe T, If Luka forces a shot hes a black hole.....Lets do the right thing and give Fran 100 percent credit. Kids played confident and with a ton of emotion. When we dont we give him all the blame so tonight we did and he should get all the credit imo.

 

[BirdistheWord]

Our defense and rebounding won this game, well done. Fran had them ready and went with a tight lineup.

 

[ROCKY MOUNTAIN HAWK]

I do think Fran is very underrated in terms of getting credit for getting as much out of his team’s talent level as possible. I think we fade sometimes because he gets the team playing above their level for awhile but it can’t be sustained later in the year.

His substitutions and lack of boxing out/rebounding drive me crazy though.

I thought we boxed out pretty well tonight.

Tex T was an aggressive team & they were sending a lot of guys to the boards all night.

I never did see the final rebounding stat though.

 

[HawkAssassin]

I do think Fran is very underrated in terms of getting credit for getting as much out of his team’s talent level as possible. I think we fade sometimes because he gets the team playing above their level for awhile but it can’t be sustained later in the year.

His substitutions and lack of boxing out/rebounding drive me crazy though.

Statistics actually show that this might be the best rebounding team under Fran.

Best DReb% under Fran - 72%. (Generally in 67-70% range which is poor).
This year - 76.3 %.

Worst game was 75% versus an aggressive/physical Tech team.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

Defensive effort was much better. Still gave up a lot of easy baskets in the second half and TT missed a lot of bunnies. Regardless, a W is a W and Fran and staff had the team ready with a good game plan. Much better level of intensity than against DePaul. Tough night for Kriener but credit Pemsl for stepping up and knocking down free throws and giving good effort on both ends. JT only had 2 points, but I liked his toughness and tenacity and he played within the system.

 

[And1Hawk]

I thought we boxed out pretty well tonight.

Tex T was an aggressive team & they were sending a lot of guys to the boards all night.

I never did see the final rebounding stat though.

Out rebounded 40-36, giving up 10 offensive boards. Many of those O boards lead to second chance points that kept Tech in the game.

My comment about rebounding is not just about tonight. We do not box out, especially on the back side. We do ‘hope and pray’ rebounding and in many cases we are in a good position and it works but it could be better with more attention to detail.

 

[And1Hawk]

Statistics actually show that this might be the best rebounding team under Fran.

Best DReb% under Fran - 72%. (Generally in 67-70% range which is poor).
This year - 76.3 %.

Worst game was 75% versus an aggressive/physical Tech team.

Too early to make that statement this year based on stats with only 2 games against power 5/6 teams. Can you run the numbers against just Tech & DePaul? Our numbers should look good against the Cal Polys of the world.

 

[vgshwk]

...out-coached Beard tonight. We've all been critics (myself included, that's part of the gig) but Fran really had the team locked in and just as importantly - had an outstanding game plan tonight.

Excellent blend of inside-outside offensive sets, mixed up defenses, good substitution patterns except for one point in the first half with the "wholesale line change".

Well done Fran and company...

Great game and win all involved. I was at the game tt was pushing off with their elbow all game long not called and we could’ve fed Luka more,

 

[Eternal Return]

Count me as shocked by Iowa (in a good way). They actually came to play and didn't look intimidated. They actually played defense! JBo looking healthy is HUGE! I can't believe I'm saying this, but McCaffery played great defense. Weiskamp finally hit some shots first half. Garza might actually get drafted by the NBA. Pemsl with a big save and pass to CJ to hit a HUGE bucket late. Joe T. and Bakari were uneven, but created some havoc defensively. Overall, impressive win against a really good team. They didn't look slow for the most part, either, and seemed to know their roles. Kept fighting off Texas Tech's comebacks and never relinquished the lead. Impressive all around. Let's hope this is the real team and not the crap they played against DePaul.

 

[Herky T Hawk]

Not relinquishing the lead was important. I think if Tech managed to get ahead of us in the 2nd half like they almost did late, our house of cards would have come crashing down and we wouldn’t have been able to make a comeback after giving up that lead. But as long as we had the lead our guys had the confidence to keep it going.

 

[Hawks2405]

Fran runs some of the best in-bounds plays I’ve ever seen. He is very effective at that.

 

[millhawk]

...out-coached Beard tonight. We've all been critics (myself included, that's part of the gig) but Fran really had the team locked in and just as importantly - had an outstanding game plan tonight.

Excellent blend of inside-outside offensive sets, mixed up defenses, good substitution patterns except for one point in the first half with the "wholesale line change".

Well done Fran and company...

Maybe Billy Taylor was a great hire. Or I'm all wet.

 

[unIowa]

Love Fran, he needs to recruit a bit better though. Counting on finding some diamonds in the rough is a difficult strategy to pull off over a long haul.

 

[VicHawkeye]

Love Fran’s intensity and passion.

 

[anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba]

Fran kept his composure as well tonight as he ever has, given the circumstances. That was awesome, and I can't help but think it helped the Hawkeyes nail that one down. Hey, those guys, those Iowa boys, just beat the NO. 12 team in the nation who finished second in the country a few months ago. And it was a team effort with lots of toughness and hustle, especially when it mattered most.

No matter what else happens, that was a fantastic win for Iowa last night.
I can't help but wonder what the big, tall Hawkeye fans in Oskaloosa think about it. LOL

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

It was a great win, but let's pump the brakes a bit. It's a long season. There have been quite a few early signature wins throughout Fran's tenure only to see the team collapse in February.

Enjoy the win but let's keep things in perspective.

 

[kceasthawk]

I do think Fran is very underrated in terms of getting credit for getting as much out of his team’s talent level as possible. I think we fade sometimes because he gets the team playing above their level for awhile but it can’t be sustained later in the year.

His substitutions and lack of boxing out/rebounding drive me crazy though.

Agreed. Hopefully he learned last night that the hockey line change wasn't going to work with this team, even though he's been doing it for years. As soon as the new five guys came in, it was like who is going to score with this group out there.

 

[kceasthawk]

Fran kept his composure as well tonight as he ever has, given the circumstances. That was awesome, and I can't help but think it helped the Hawkeyes nail that one down. Hey, those guys, those Iowa boys, just beat the NO. 12 team in the nation who finished second in the country a few months ago. And it was a team effort with lots of toughness and hustle, especially when it mattered most.

No matter what else happens, that was a fantastic win for Iowa last night.
I can't help but wonder what the big, tall Hawkeye fans in Oskaloosa think about it. LOL

We'll see how it play out this season. It kind of seems like Fran has turned down the anger dial a little this season. I don't know if having both boys on the team has mellowed him a little, or perhaps Patricks recent struggles have put things back in perspective for Fran. Hoping everything works out on that front for sure.....

 

[L. Wade Childress]

It was a great win, but let's pump the brakes a bit. It's a long season. There have been quite a few early signature wins throughout Fran's tenure only to see the team collapse in February.

Enjoy the win but let's keep things in perspective.

lol

 

[Mohawkeye]

Out rebounded 40-36, giving up 10 offensive boards. Many of those O boards lead to second chance points that kept Tech in the game.

My comment about rebounding is not just about tonight. We do not box out, especially on the back side. We do ‘hope and pray’ rebounding and in many cases we are in a good position and it works but it could be better with more attention to detail.

Luka is a beast on the boards this year and many of those O rebounds we gave up were when he was our. Thought JW did well on the boards but we do need some others like RK to step up and box out more aggressively.

 

[michael.nelson311]

I do think Fran is very underrated in terms of getting credit for getting as much out of his team’s talent level as possible. I think we fade sometimes because he gets the team playing above their level for awhile but it can’t be sustained later in the year.

His substitutions and lack of boxing out/rebounding drive me crazy though.

Fran can't box out. They had to get back to stop the fast break. Make TT play in the half court...isu may beat em too.

 

[owenhawk]

It was a great win, but let's pump the brakes a bit. It's a long season. There have been quite a few early signature wins throughout Fran's tenure only to see the team collapse in February.

Enjoy the win but let's keep things in perspective.

The reason you are seeing people go overboard is because of the extreme negative responses by a number of people when they lost to DePaul. Like with most everything, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[relishingwinning18]

It was a great win, but let's pump the brakes a bit. It's a long season. There have been quite a few early signature wins throughout Fran's tenure only to see the team collapse in February.

Enjoy the win but let's keep things in perspective.

Good lord, just be happy for now.

 

[old brother]

I don’t think Texas Tech is the same team they were last year by any means. They shot 4-24 from 3 and 33% from the field. I think we dodged a bullet on a cold shooting night for the other team.

 

[owenhawk]

I don’t think Texas Tech is the same team they were last year by any means. They shot 4-24 from 3 and 33% from the field. I think we dodged a bullet on a cold shooting night for the other team.

Always excuses for Iowa wins.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

lol

I laugh at you too.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Good lord, just be happy for now.

I am happy. I think it's great.

I just know Iowa fans. The Hawkeyes are either Top 10 or the worst P5 team ever. Not a lot of in between.

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

The reason you are seeing people go overboard is because of the extreme negative responses by a number of people when they lost to DePaul. Like with most everything, the truth is somewhere in the middle.

Exactly.

I hope I'm wrong, but I still see this Iowa team as NIT bound.

Time will tell.

 

[Ronman]

If you watch any college basketball, you would realize that McCaffery is only about a 5 on the Izzo 10 point scale for sideline demeanor. He was so calm last night, he may as well have been lounging in a LaZBoy on the sidelines.

 

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

Losing two four star players from last year, Iowa still has more talent than we've had in years, at least based on recruiting, Luka, Joey W, and the Mac boys all ESPN top 100 4 starts; Joey T and Jordan are ESPN four stars and top 120 players.

Although PMac isn't playing the other 5 four stars are playing well, as they should and should be expected to play.

Plus CJ. Obviously should have been a four star player, just based on HS pedigree and accomplishments. Another very talented player that is also playing well, as a RS freshman.

We can certainly improve the recruiting but these are a group of talented players and we should expect them to win and be an NCAA team.

 

[L. Wade Childress]

I am happy. I think it's great.

I just know Iowa fans. The Hawkeyes are either Top 10 or the worst P5 team ever. Not a lot of in between.

you are complaining about...yourself