My constantly changing thoughts on this Cincinnati game

[The Deplorable Sleeping Dog]

We shoot well we win. Simple.

When we shoot well we play better defense.

We should be trapping them the entire game. Its the only defense the boys play even kinda well. It mixes up the game and keeps their guards from jamming us up on defense.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

Iowa is not a great rebounding team. 110th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage, 221st in defensive rebounding percentage. The real issue for Iowa is defense on 2-point shots. Opponents are shooting over 53% on 2-point shots, 300th in the country. So many layups and dunks given up. It's just impossible for your defense to be good allowing teams to shoot that percentage on 2-point shots.

The number of relative freebies Iowa gives up can be impressive.

 

[DTP2]

Guard whoever averages less than 10 points a game............that person averages 25 against us.

 

[perryhawk]

I'd say our upset over UM was partly due to UM not playing their best, and Iowa playing theirs. If that was average play for Iowa, they would have looked a helluva lot better more often this year. They didn't.

If Iowa can beat anybody, then anybody can beat anybody.
And if anybody can beat anybody, it's pointless to even mention it then.

I'd say our upset over UM was partly due to UM not playing their best
Actually Michigan was playing really really good basketball at the time....they had rolled through the pre-conference pounding Villanova, North Carolina, and then crushing Indana, and crushing Ohio State....I think they were ranked 5th at the time. So that argument has no substance to it at all.....I remember the game well...it was intense and both teams played hard before Iowa ended up winning soundly....74-59. They hadn't been beaten that bad in a long long time.

and Iowa playing theirs.
So, you're admitting that when Iowa plays their best they can beat highly ranked teams.....thanks, I guess if we agree we didn't even have to have this discussion....I just thought you disagreed.

If Iowa can beat anybody, then anybody can beat anybody.
Then you try to dismiss the argument by basically saying that-well...if it's correct then it's not worth talking about? Wow. I expected some substance to your argument when you originally posted with such confidence that it looks like arrogance.

 

[ZumaHawk]

Deace and Miller said it best on their podcast. If officiating is more in line with the Big 10 crews, it will be tougher for us. If they call the game to allow for freedom of movement and cut down on physical play, that will benefit Iowa.

The way it should be!! ✌️

 

[ZumaHawk]

Classic stuff here.
Based on zero critical thinking whatsoever, just unabashed fanboy nonsense.

Well if a fan can’t cheer for his team for the first game at least...something is wrong!!! Go Hawks!!

 

[CanadaHawk]

According to Ken Pom, Cincinnati ranks #28 in defensive efficiency. This efficiency is like a lot of Ds iowa’s faced in the B1G: Penn St-26, Ohio St-27, Indiana-30, Purdue-32. Cincinnati’s D would rank 8th in the B1G.

Ken Pom ranks Cincinnati’s O at #46. For B1G comparison, NE’s O is #38 and WI’s is #52. Cincinnati’s O would rank 6th in the B1G.

The point? Cincinnati does not play in the B1G. Houston’s O, at #24, would rank 5th in the B1G. But that’s pretty much it for offenses that they’ve experienced compared to Iowa. And Houston doesn’t have a front court player in double figures. Cincinnati’s not played vs a player this year who could compare to Tyler Cook, and probably not to Luka Garza either. In the American Conference, playing vs the combination of Wieskamp’s shooting, driving, and athleticism at 6’6” might be a revelation as well.

Yes, we’ll have matchup issues, but so will they, and we’ll have experience, in the B1G, dealing with the matchup issues we’ll face. In some ways, with Cincinnati only favored by 2pts, this game is a judgement on what playing in the B1G over the American is worth. Go B1G!

 

[Hawksfor3]

I really hope Ryan can have a good game here.

 

[DodgerHawki]

According to Ken Pom, Cincinnati ranks #28 in defensive efficiency. This efficiency is like a lot of Ds iowa’s faced in the B1G: Penn St-26, Ohio St-27, Indiana-30, Purdue-32. Cincinnati’s D would rank 8th in the B1G.

Ken Pom ranks Cincinnati’s O at #46. For B1G comparison, NE’s O is #38 and WI’s is #52. Cincinnati’s O would rank 6th in the B1G.

The point? Cincinnati does not play in the B1G. Houston’s O, at #24, would rank 5th in the B1G. But that’s pretty much it for offenses that they’ve experienced compared to Iowa. And Houston doesn’t have a front court player in double figures. Cincinnati’s not played vs a player this year who could compare to Tyler Cook, and probably not to Luka Garza either. In the American Conference, playing vs the combination of Wieskamp’s shooting, driving, and athleticism at 6’6” might be a revelation as well.

Yes, we’ll have matchup issues, but so will they, and we’ll have experience, in the B1G, dealing with the matchup issues we’ll face. In some ways, with Cincinnati only favored by 2pts, this game is a judgement on what playing in the B1G over the American is worth. Go B1G!

Yes all you say is true. If Iowa plays well, it will be very close and/or Iowa will have every chance to win. But Iowa did lose to Rutgers by 14 points at home and gave up 16 points in about a minute to lose to Nebraska. Bearcats are a good team, right there in the same boat with Iowa. Neither team should be scared of the other.

 

[cleotishaywood]

We shoot well we win. Simple.

When we shoot well we play better defense.

We should be trapping them the entire game. Its the only defense the boys play even kinda well. It mixes up the game and keeps their guards from jamming us up on defense.

Time for Cook to wake up and is due for a double-double. If he starts off fast the rest of the team will feed off his energy. Need to hit the offensive glass with reckless abandon and not turn the ball over!

 

[HawkLogic]

OK lets start with this:

What could you possibly have seen this year to lead you to saying Iowa can beat anybody?

yeah, saying Iowa can beat anyone is over the top. Iowa was 1-7 vs teams ahead of them in B1G i.e. MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland. Iowa was blown out in 5 of those 8 games.

Cincinnati probably not as good as those better B1G teams. At best it looks to be a 50-50 game and would not be surprising to see Iowa get blown out by Tennessee should they win the 1st game, or even Cincinnati might blow them out if Iowa doesn't shoot the ball well.

 

[SpartanJD]

Cinci should be a 5 seed

 

[HawkLogic]

I'd say our upset over UM was partly due to UM not playing their best
Actually Michigan was playing really really good basketball at the time....they had rolled through the pre-conference pounding Villanova, North Carolina, and then crushing Indana, and crushing Ohio State....I think they were ranked 5th at the time. So that argument has no substance to it at all.....I remember the game well...it was intense and both teams played hard before Iowa ended up winning soundly....74-59. They hadn't been beaten that bad in a long long time.

and Iowa playing theirs.
So, you're admitting that when Iowa plays their best they can beat highly ranked teams.....thanks, I guess if we agree we didn't even have to have this discussion....I just thought you disagreed.

If Iowa can beat anybody, then anybody can beat anybody.
Then you try to dismiss the argument by basically saying that-well...if it's correct then it's not worth talking about? Wow. I expected some substance to your argument when you originally posted with such confidence that it looks like arrogance.

At Carver, Michigan shot the 3ball poorly on open shots and Iowa got some home cooking with Teske and Livers in foul trouble. Michigan was playing well in B1G Tournament and they blew Iowa out---that is more accurate view of how the two teams are playing now.

 

[perryhawk]

At Carver, Michigan shot the 3ball poorly on open shots and Iowa got some home cooking with Teske and Livers in foul trouble. Michigan was playing well in B1G Tournament and they blew Iowa out---that is more accurate view of how the two teams are playing now.

That's a more accurate view of how they played in that game....but with Iowa at least, who knows what team shows up for the NCAA....and that is my point.

I would also submit that Mich shot the 3 ball well in the B10 tournament and Iowa didn't...just flipping the script..which can flip in the next game.

 

[perryhawk]

yeah, saying Iowa can beat anyone is over the top. Iowa was 1-7 vs teams ahead of them in B1G i.e. MSU, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Maryland. Iowa was blown out in 5 of those 8 games.

Cincinnati probably not as good as those better B1G teams. At best it looks to be a 50-50 game and would not be surprising to see Iowa get blown out by Tennessee should they win the 1st game, or even Cincinnati might blow them out if Iowa doesn't shoot the ball well.

So, below is my actual quote....not cut up to try and help someone wallow in their negativity...and I stand by this 100%.
I think, this Iowa team, if they hit on all cylinders can beat anybody....they are capable.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Yes all you say is true. If Iowa plays well, it will be very close and/or Iowa will have every chance to win. But Iowa did lose to Rutgers by 14 points at home and gave up 16 points in about a minute to lose to Nebraska. Bearcats are a good team, right there in the same boat with Iowa. Neither team should be scared of the other.

Actually Cincinnati should be very afraid of Iowa.............because f*** Wisconsin. That's why.

 

[AJBHawkeye]

We are very inconsistent in what we are good at (shooting the 3, shooting in general), and very consistent in what we are bad at (rebounding and defense). So it will take a great shooting effort by everyone and a good amount of Baer hustle and heart plays to win this game.

 

[Rustys Dad]

Basically, we need to hope the refs do everything they can to limit the athletic advantage our opponents have, since our D cannot.

Okay that made me laugh ... and there is a lot of truth here ...

 

[jellyfish10]

We shoot well we win. Simple.

When we shoot well we play better defense.

We should be trapping them the entire game. Its the only defense the boys play even kinda well. It mixes up the game and keeps their guards from jamming us up on defense.

This. I have posted the same thing this year. Like most teams, we have some warts that can be masked when we shoot well. We aren’t all of the sudden going to be a lockdown defensive team or a dominant rebounding team. To win, Iowa has to play with a ton of energy and they have to knock down shots. If we are missing shots and allowing Cincy to control the tempo it doesn’t bode well for Iowa.

 

[HawkLand]

To say Iowa CAN’T be anybody is such a ridiculous stance. Anyone in the Top 200 can beat anyone on a given night. It’s probably more than the top 200, but I would hope we can all agree Iowa is one of the Top 200 teams for this argument. I would say that Iowa is closer in talent to any of the 1 seeds than UMBC was to Virginia last year.

 

[hawkedoff]

We don't shoot well when our guys get held off the ball. Which happens a lot in the Big Ten. When we get open looks we shoot well. Contested by grabbing us through the screen? Not so much.

Jbo didn't get a single really good look against Michigan. They we're grabbing him all game. The difference in Iowa City is those fouls were called. Same with Cook and Garza down low. The number if reach in fouls not called in the Big Ten tournament was ridiculous. We were crying because Garza was taking a dribble...why was he? Because his arm was being grabbed

This will be a fight and Cincy could win but remember we earned every single win this year. 8 teams from our conference made the tournament with a couple more on the bubble. Cincinnati didn't play our schedule. We did and finished with 22 wind and 10 in conference.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[Tim Dodge Rules]

Now that’s j


You accuse people of being fanboys then lose all your credibility with ridiculous statements. Going extreme to to the other side is no better then Husker-like delusion.

What's ridiculous?

 

[JAMAM]

Cincy can't match us inside. We play zone, toss the ball inside, turn and dunk, hit free throws, advance...

 

[Tim Dodge Rules]

I'd say our upset over UM was partly due to UM not playing their best
Actually Michigan was playing really really good basketball at the time....they had rolled through the pre-conference pounding Villanova, North Carolina, and then crushing Indana, and crushing Ohio State....I think they were ranked 5th at the time. So that argument has no substance to it at all.....I remember the game well...it was intense and both teams played hard before Iowa ended up winning soundly....74-59. They hadn't been beaten that bad in a long long time.

and Iowa playing theirs.
So, you're admitting that when Iowa plays their best they can beat highly ranked teams.....thanks, I guess if we agree we didn't even have to have this discussion....I just thought you disagreed.

If Iowa can beat anybody, then anybody can beat anybody.
Then you try to dismiss the argument by basically saying that-well...if it's correct then it's not worth talking about? Wow. I expected some substance to your argument when you originally posted with such confidence that it looks like arrogance.

Oh my.

At the time, Michigan wasn't playing great basketball. The time I'm talking about was their 40 minutes on the court in Carver. How they played before and after that game is irrelevant. So yes, it does have substance.

Iowa playing their best game must be paired with a stronger opponents below average game to result in something favorable for Iowa. That was my point. You can't separate the two.

Every year Iowa gets a big upset, and all you guys act like that's the norm and not the exception.
I'm not sure how that works.

 

[HawkBall23]

I totally agree with the "if Hawks shoot well, they have a great shot" crowd. But then again, that applies to every game they play. Need to try and work fouls on their interior with good feeds to TC & Garza down low, too. Have to, at least, give plenty of effort to rebound as well.

However, while watching these "First Four" games, it seems the refs are officiating with more of the 'B1G rules' and less of the general NCAA rulebook that was emphasized in the OOC games.

That doesn't bode well for an Iowa team that struggles with physical play, especially the guards/SFs while being chased around screens and perimeter man movement on offense, but same officiating will whistle tick-tack touch fouls [that the Hawks can be famous for].

 

[Hawksfor3]

However, while watching these "First Four" games, it seems the refs are officiating with more of the 'B1G rules' and less of the general NCAA rulebook that was emphasized in the OOC games.

If that's the case, then we should comfort the teams and fans who came up on the short end of it. Let's be kind and gentle when we tell them that "Everything will be ok. The refs will get over it!! You'll see!"

 

[perryhawk]

Oh my.

At the time, Michigan wasn't playing great basketball. The time I'm talking about was their 40 minutes on the court in Carver. How they played before and after that game is irrelevant. So yes, it does have substance.

Iowa playing their best game must be paired with a stronger opponents below average game to result in something favorable for Iowa. That was my point. You can't separate the two.

Every year Iowa gets a big upset, and all you guys act like that's the norm and not the exception.
I'm not sure how that works.

You should know that is foolish.....they didn't look as good because Iowa was playing well...but as evidenced by their before and after performance...they were playing well, we were just better.

 

[HawkRugged17]

You should know that is foolish.....they didn't look as good because Iowa was playing well...but as evidenced by their before and after performance...they were playing well, we were just better.

No, no ... Iowa only wins when their opponent is turrible. Narrative alert!

 

[83Hawk]

Hawks are gonna win this one!

 

[Tim Dodge Rules]

You should know that is foolish.....they didn't look as good because Iowa was playing well...but as evidenced by their before and after performance...they were playing well, we were just better.

Maybe their before and after opponents werent playing well? Aint fan logic fun?