Let's be honest. If you had fallen into a coma after the Illinois game on February 8, when we were 19-4, 10-1, and woke up today in time to see the game, you wouldn't have a clue that anything was wrong. Uthoff hitting all kinds of shots, led virtually from start to finish, very few turnovers. Same team that everyone was calling a potential #1 seed. I realize we can't just forget about the last four games, but hopefully the team has. Sure hope we can build on this win and get at least a couple more in the BTT before dancing. GO HAWKS!!!
Looked like the "old" Hawks tonight
- Thread starter OskaloosaHawk
- Start date
I'm glad the team finally pulled out of their funk and pulled out a game that got close at the end. They had a bunch of turnovers with 3 minutes to go, but got it together for the win. Great game by Jarrod!
I personally liked 2 things tonight:
1. Off the ball movement seemed more crisp and for a purpose. They were moving to get open and their spacing was really good. They did not stand around and wait for JU or Jok to save them. They looked for the opportunities early in the shot clock. The ball went into the post and they looked for Woody with his size advantage. The ball moved from side to side and did not stay in one area.
2. 3rd scoring option. Clemmons came to play tonight. he was able to get open looks and knock them down. Gessell also hit some shots early. I will say this, the key for Iowa moving forward is for the combo of Clemmons/Gessell to score 15+pts. If they can do that, Iowa will be a tough team to beat.
1. Off the ball movement seemed more crisp and for a purpose. They were moving to get open and their spacing was really good. They did not stand around and wait for JU or Jok to save them. They looked for the opportunities early in the shot clock. The ball went into the post and they looked for Woody with his size advantage. The ball moved from side to side and did not stay in one area.
2. 3rd scoring option. Clemmons came to play tonight. he was able to get open looks and knock them down. Gessell also hit some shots early. I will say this, the key for Iowa moving forward is for the combo of Clemmons/Gessell to score 15+pts. If they can do that, Iowa will be a tough team to beat.
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Any win is a good win, especially on the road. But is there another college basketball team you feel less confident about at the end of a game than the Hawks? Up 10, with 2 minutes left, thought we could easily lose the game. Very difficult to figure this team out.
I still think Iowa played a shaky game tonight, and they are still not back to the level they were playing in Jan, but it was nice to get a win.
As you said, the ball movement was much better and we got some scoring from someone outside of Jok and Uthoff. Still, Uthoff had a great game and the Hawks had their hands full because the bench looks terrible right now. What the hell happened to Uhl? I don't even want him on the floor now. He's playing as poorly as he did to start the season, then the conference season started and he looked like a different player, but now he looks as lost, confused, lacking in confidence, as he did to begin the season. I'd rather see Williams play more and less of Uhl.
Kudos to Uthoff for stepping up and carrying the team tonight. Not only did he score a lot but he made same huge shots when Iowa was in a scoring drought.
I still would like to see Woody be more of a focus of the offense. When they ran the offense through him he made some great passes to wide open shooters. He also made some buckets going to the basket. Get him the basketball. He should be Iowa's 3rd option after Uthoff and Jok. He can score some points and he opens up the spacing, scoring opportunities for the outside shooters.
LSU is worse. They won some close games, but it was because they were up double digits and hung on.
I thought offensively they played better except Jok still struggled. Better defensive intensity, but still gave up way too many open looks and offensive rebounds.
I thought they looked a hell of a lot better, you know, with the winning thing. That was the biggest difference.
Agree with everything here.
Iowa played better, which wasn't hard to do, but still very shaky IMO. Michigan missed a lot of open shots. Make a couple of those and it's a different game in the final 2 minutes. Still, a good win and one the hawks can build momentum off of right now.
Uthoff was great last night. Pleased to see that as this team goes as far as uthoff goes. As great as jok is, as we saw last night, when he is off, Iowa can still win if uthoff is playing with confidence and leading the team. Don't know if the pressure is now off, but hopefully it continues. Have fun young man, this is it. This is your time.
I also do not understand why the offense does not run through woody more often. We look so much better on offense when it does. I just don't think our fans give Adam enough credit for what he brings to this team. He will be sorely missed next year.
Of course part of this is Michigan is missing 2 players and had no inside game at all. When you jack up 34 3's, some 10 - 12 feet behind the arch you're making it pretty hard on yourself. Not being over matched at center for a change helps a lot.
A
anon_i8nzeu2gbf0ba
Guest
Obviously a good win, but as others have noted, not exactly a perfect game.
* Horrible...and I mean pathetic effort and technique on the defensive board. How many times did Iowa have 3 guys under the bucket and the ONE Michigan player in the same zip code came up with the rebound? I think it happened three times on one trip. Outside of Woodbury, nobody does much rebounding. I don't see anybody blocking out. Rebounding 101, and Iowa hasn't been very good at it under Fran. Do they not teach it? Is this really how they want Iowa to rebound? It's hard to watch and is more than enough to get ya beat. Just awful.
* Miserable offense in the last few minutes. Another turnover machine. And Michigan really wasn't getting all that physical, and yet all those Hawkeye veterans looked dazed. What's up with that? Thank goodness they did pull it together enough to get the W.
* Uhl is a mystery inside an enigma. I agree he is floundering. I'm thinking he--like most people--isn't responding well to Fran's in-your-face "coaching." Fran can go after the stripes all he wants, and he's really toned that down, but I cringe every time I see him go after his own players. I know Izzo and many other top coaches do it, too, but it doesn't seem to work for Fran and the Hawkeyes, and I wish someone would advise him to take another approach. That's one thing I really like about KF--he doesn't publicly malign and show-up his players on the sideline as so many of his colleagues do.
* The baseline defense was often nonexistent. More effort, better understanding of the plan has to avoid giving up so many easy buckets.
So the Hawks aren't back, but at least they're finally headed in the right direction, so there is hope they can improve in practice and at least make it to the conference tourney title game. And if ya get there, ya might as well win it. But there's plenty of room for improvement between here and there.
* Horrible...and I mean pathetic effort and technique on the defensive board. How many times did Iowa have 3 guys under the bucket and the ONE Michigan player in the same zip code came up with the rebound? I think it happened three times on one trip. Outside of Woodbury, nobody does much rebounding. I don't see anybody blocking out. Rebounding 101, and Iowa hasn't been very good at it under Fran. Do they not teach it? Is this really how they want Iowa to rebound? It's hard to watch and is more than enough to get ya beat. Just awful.
* Miserable offense in the last few minutes. Another turnover machine. And Michigan really wasn't getting all that physical, and yet all those Hawkeye veterans looked dazed. What's up with that? Thank goodness they did pull it together enough to get the W.
* Uhl is a mystery inside an enigma. I agree he is floundering. I'm thinking he--like most people--isn't responding well to Fran's in-your-face "coaching." Fran can go after the stripes all he wants, and he's really toned that down, but I cringe every time I see him go after his own players. I know Izzo and many other top coaches do it, too, but it doesn't seem to work for Fran and the Hawkeyes, and I wish someone would advise him to take another approach. That's one thing I really like about KF--he doesn't publicly malign and show-up his players on the sideline as so many of his colleagues do.
* The baseline defense was often nonexistent. More effort, better understanding of the plan has to avoid giving up so many easy buckets.
So the Hawks aren't back, but at least they're finally headed in the right direction, so there is hope they can improve in practice and at least make it to the conference tourney title game. And if ya get there, ya might as well win it. But there's plenty of room for improvement between here and there.
A win is a win and to end the skid is a good thing; however, beating that Michigan team was not a great accomplishment. Michigan is a team rhat is tailor made for Iowa. Michigan shoots lots of 3s which lead to long rebounds and plenty of run out baskets. One thing that was missing from the game last night versus the last 4 loses was the opponent's commitment to lock down defense. When Michigan threw a little 1-3-1 @ Iowa the Hawks looked confused and started turning the ball over.
Kenyon Murray is spot on in his analysis of the Hawks. Especially his critic of Utohff's shooting. Jarrod was squaring up and staying vertical for most of his shots last night. He looked like the same guy that torched ISU for 30 in the first half. Without all of the ball pressure defense on him he was not falling backwards off balance all night and the results were there for him.
71 points against a pretty porous Michigan defense is ok, but it does not suggest that the Hawks are ready to sack up against the more aggressive defensive teams that recently put Iowa on the skids.
Kenyon Murray is spot on in his analysis of the Hawks. Especially his critic of Utohff's shooting. Jarrod was squaring up and staying vertical for most of his shots last night. He looked like the same guy that torched ISU for 30 in the first half. Without all of the ball pressure defense on him he was not falling backwards off balance all night and the results were there for him.
71 points against a pretty porous Michigan defense is ok, but it does not suggest that the Hawks are ready to sack up against the more aggressive defensive teams that recently put Iowa on the skids.
I agree with this comment below. I think when we are 'working the clock' at the end of games, the guards pass it to each other and the others stand in the corners with Woody near the paint. No movement or cuts or screens. No wonder we don't score at the end in a close game.
" Miserable offense in the last few minutes. Another turnover machine. And Michigan really wasn't getting all that physical, and yet all those Hawkeye veterans looked dazed. What's up with that? Thank goodness they did pull it together enough to get the W."
" Miserable offense in the last few minutes. Another turnover machine. And Michigan really wasn't getting all that physical, and yet all those Hawkeye veterans looked dazed. What's up with that? Thank goodness they did pull it together enough to get the W."
We almost lost it when they went into a different defense. We turned it over 3 out of 4 times down and the game almost turned on it. Good win, some positive stuff too, maybe some momentum going into the tourney.
