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Men's Final Four, March Madness predictions -- ESPN college basketball experts' tournament picks

hawkaeg80

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Out of the 54 experts, 16 have Iowa going to the Final Four. Knowing that how many would be pleased with a Sweet Sixteen run? Or are you someone that has the belief that if they don't make it to the Great 8 or more the season overall would be kind of a failure?
Personally, if they do make it to the Sweet Sixteen the season was way more successful than anyone could have ever dreamed of. I didn't believe they would have made it to the NIT, or nothing at all. As such, I would be most pleased if they made it to the Sweet Sixteen.
 
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I would be disappointed with any run not making the sweet 16, simply from the fact that they’ll be heavily favored in the first 2 games, and this is the most talented Iowa team in my lifetime. But after winning the B1G, its all gravy from here
 
How many times has a 5 seed had a 1/3 of the “experts” predicted a final 4 finish ?

Kiss of death ?
 
Richmond does not match up well with us and Providence though pretty good, just not great, we’ve beaten better and Kansas, could win it all if things break right for them, in order to win we would have to put it all together but it can be done.
 
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I thought they would be in the NIT. I guess fans can't change expectations throughout the year. So I'm still hoping they play in the NIT...
 
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If you're looking at things from just since the start of February, then yes it would be kind of a disappointment if the Hawks don't reach - at least - the Sweet 16.

But if you take the season as a whole, and go back to the preseason when the Hawks were picked to finish 9th in the conference by the media, and be maybe an NIT team barely, then where they are now is already a huge success - IE, finishing tied for fourth (just missing out on the double bye in the BTT due to tiebreakers), winning the BTT and earning the 5-seed in the Midwest Region of the Big Dance.

Any win(s) in this NCAA Tournament are like playing with house money, from a whole season standpoint.
 
If you're looking at things from just since the start of February, then yes it would be kind of a disappointment if the Hawks don't reach - at least - the Sweet 16.

But if you take the season as a whole, and go back to the preseason when the Hawks were picked to finish 9th in the conference by the media, and be maybe an NIT team barely, then where they are now is already a huge success - IE, finishing tied for fourth (just missing out on the double bye in the BTT due to tiebreakers), winning the BTT and earning the 5-seed in the Midwest Region of the Big Dance.

Any win(s) in this NCAA Tournament are like playing with house money, from a whole season standpoint.

Great post.
 
The hype has gotten so high that we’re now talking about being unsatisfied with a Sweet 16 birth.

I feel sorry for the folks who spent half this season ridiculing the coaches and players and griping about the future with Fran.

For anyone who kept a level head, this has been one of the most enjoyable seasons under Fran - and there have been some good ones. NPOY candidate, battled hard every game, young players emerging, everyone accepting their role and thriving in it, dishing out blowouts and record breaking performances, 26 wins, top 20 finish… hell, outside a regular season B1G title I’m not sure what else this team could’ve really accomplished.

March is funny and anything can happen. But they’ve positioned themselves in a great way and received a really favorable draw. I’m sure the coaches and players are well aware of that, and all year they’ve shown us they can rise to the occasion.

I think iowa wins their first 2 games by 10+ and then plays a tight game with Kansas. Whatever happens, been a hell of a season and I’m thankful to have leaders like Fran running the show.
 
What does Seth Davis predict? A "No " from him is a validator.

IF Fran can't make the Final-4 this year, then it is never going to happen for him and by extension, it won't happen for Iowa fans under Fran. I don't think Kris alone can lead next year's team to Final4 even if he approaches
Keegan level. A final=4 gets Fran to lute level. An Elite8 gets fran to Davis level.


I would be satisfied in Fran's performance if he got a sweet16. That is one BTT title and one sweet16 in 12 years at Iowa which seems reasonable. For Fran, that is one sweet16 in 26 year head coaching career.


If they don't it make Sweet16, it means Iowa had a bad shooting day or ran into one of those teams that plays out of their minds. That chit happens, just happens to Iowa fans more often.
 
It would be pretty disappointing if Iowa had two straight seasons with an All-American on the team, but failed to make it out of the first weekend. If Iowa competes well with Kansas and loses, that's ok.
 
I feel sorry for the folks who spent half this season ridiculing the coaches and players and griping about the future with Fran.
The fans who did that, including me on occasion, were right. But then Fran made the lineup changes that have led to vastly improved rebounding, much more consistent defense, and better 3-point shooting. This has been a different team since about Feb. 1, and it's because the shortcomings many of us saw were fixed, which is why this is by far Fran's best coaching job at least since arriving in Iowa City. IMHO.
 
What does Seth Davis predict? A "No " from him is a validator.

IF Fran can't make the Final-4 this year, then it is never going to happen for him and by extension, it won't happen for Iowa fans under Fran. I don't think Kris alone can lead next year's team to Final4 even if he approaches
Keegan level. A final=4 gets Fran to lute level. An Elite8 gets fran to Davis level.


I would be satisfied in Fran's performance if he got a sweet16. That is one BTT title and one sweet16 in 12 years at Iowa which seems reasonable. For Fran, that is one sweet16 in 26 year head coaching career.


If they don't it make Sweet16, it means Iowa had a bad shooting day or ran into one of those teams that plays out of their minds. That chit happens, just happens to Iowa fans more often.
A lot of people shared that sentiment last year though. That if we didn’t make a final four it wasn’t ever going to happen. But here we are with lofty expectations in the tournament a year removed from losing two played to the NBA. At some point we have to recognize Fran is a great coach that will have us competitive year in and year out with some special seasons sprinkled in between.
 
The fans who did that, including me on occasion, were right. But then Fran made the lineup changes that have led to vastly improved rebounding, much more consistent defense, and better 3-point shooting. This has been a different team since about Feb. 1, and it's because the shortcomings many of us saw were fixed, which is why this is by far Fran's best coaching job at least since arriving in Iowa City. IMHO.

No, the fans were not right. No one likes to lose, especially the players and coaches, but calling for the coach to be fired and players to be benched midway through the season does not make the fans right. The changes that Fran made were not the changes that the experts on this board were requesting. There will be ups and downs to every season. It takes time for the players to figure out their roles and become comfortable in their roles. The goal is to be playing your best ball in March, not January. Fans should realize this and need to be patient. The time to evaluate the team and program is after the season is over, not January. I do agree that Fran has done a great coaching job this year, which other coaches have acknowledged as well.
 
The fans who did that, including me on occasion, were right. But then Fran made the lineup changes that have led to vastly improved rebounding, much more consistent defense, and better 3-point shooting. This has been a different team since about Feb. 1, and it's because the shortcomings many of us saw were fixed, which is why this is by far Fran's best coaching job at least since arriving in Iowa City. IMHO.
Well, right other than the fact that most of those posters most certainly weren't saying Joe T. should be taken out of the starting lineup. They were primarily saying that JBo, Connor, etc. should never see the floor other than in blowouts and Kris should be starting (which he still isn't and has said he likes his role at this time).

But other than those things, yeah, absolutely right.
 
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