My take on last night and reason for optimism....

[perryhawk]

While watching the BTN+ broadcast (challenging) I was somewhat dismayed at what I saw from our Hawks. First and foremost the defense was terrible for a good chunk of the game. The offense had signs of great play but was very inconsistent.

THAT SAID it was an exhibition game with an essentially new team. First off I will state that a person can't make any really good assessments of individual players or the team from one exhibition game. There are however a number of reasons for optimism from my perspective.

1) I would think, and hope, that with this young team we will see significant improvement through the pre conference games....hopefully sooner rather than later. Each game is a learning experience and the individual pieces are pretty good....they just need to get on the same page.

2) Playing as many people as much as Fran did last night certainly contributes to inconsistent play, and I would guess that will change fairly soon in terms of minutes played and possibly the number of players that get minutes. I think players need to make their mark in the next couple of games if they want to continue to be a part of the rotation.

3) This to me is the biggest reason for optimism.....we have a number of key players who were on the team and got limited playing time last year but are obviously talented. I believe these guys will make significant improvement in their play when they are getting extended minutes and know that they are a part of the rotation.....Williams, Wagner, and Baer in particular will all see more time and consequently gain significant confidence...which leads to much better play. This may be a help to Dom Uhl, it may also eventually be a help to Dale Jones (once he gets back in the groove).

4) Which leads me to this......Jones, Kriener, and Ellingson are either injured or coming off of injuries. It may be a while before they contribute like they are capable of, but once they are healthy and find their groove they are all capable of making this team better.

God almighty I love Hawkeye basketball....even with a less than stellar performance last night I just can't get enough!

 

[hooper56]

The team doesn't understand yet how HARD they have to play throughout the game. Jok knows. (although he slept through the first 5 minutes. Once Peter decided to turn it on the game was over. Tyler Cook will likely have his way with most defenders he comes up against. My guess is they will have to double him (good more shots for Jok) or they will put a bigger body on him. Fran needs to teach the guys how to rebound but my goodness if you were baking a cake you would see that you have all the ingredients right there in front of you. Fun to watch more old school ball instead of being a team of jump shooters. No one attempted a fall away jumper that we have been used to seeing from Whitey and Uthoff. Even the skinny Baer took it hard to the glass when he got the ball inside. I don't know how many games we can win but this team will be fun to watch and we are as talented as anyone. Jok is an nba shooter no doubt.

 

[DanL53]

+1

My favorite part for what is was which is only a hint of what's to come, is that the rumors our guards were struggling may have been put to bed. I came away thinking that IF this is the worst of it, Jok, Williams and Bohannon could be a pretty good guard court. No injuries and we'll sneak through like last year with Gesell, Clemmons and dropping Jok down when we had to. And Ellingson could be a ten minute a game guy when healthy.

That, after last night, just doesn't scare me.

As to the rest we've got so many pieces that some are bound to fit.

I've never needed a reason to be optimistic, but I don't feel like I'm stretching my hopes thin for an NCAA invite worthy team.

 

[hooper56]

+1

My favorite part for what is was which is only a hint of what's to come, is that the rumors our guards were struggling may have been put to bed. I came away thinking that IF this is the worst of it, Jok, Williams and Bohannon could be a pretty good guard court. No injuries and we'll sneak through like last year with Gesell, Clemmons and dropping Jok down when we had to. And Ellingson could be a ten minute a game guy when healthy.

That, after last night, just doesn't scare me.

As to the rest we've got so many pieces that some are bound to fit.

I've never needed a reason to be optimistic, but I don't feel like I'm stretching my hopes thin for an NCAA invite worthy team.

I certainly don't disagree but the one thing that could really help this team is if Maishe, Moss or Brady develop into a solid option at guard, or a ten minutes per game guy. We will play some teams with 3 or even 4 guard lineups so we might need to match that at times.

 

[hawk-i bob]

good post Perry...ya hard to grade an exhibition...all I look at are rotations...clearly Jok, Cook, Baer & Williams have 4 of the 5 starting spots...#5 sort of up in the air but 3 guys will have meaningful minutes (Uhl,Wagner & Bohannon)...that makes 7.

as you mentioned really tough after that because Ellingson & Kriener did not play. To me Pemsl looked like he belonged last night..6 rebounds in 14 minutes is A OK...but without Kriener being in there..who knows?

Jones ? I don't know..he can shoot & grab some rebounds off the board..but before he got hurt last year his defense was iffy...last night it was real iffy. And I don't believe it was because of his health...we should know more after the next 2 games & a lot more come Seton Hall game.

I think Ellingson plays a backup role & will gain more minutes than Moss or Dailey...although I liked the play of Dailey last night...and I hope Moss keeps at it

 

[djwoody]

I'm thrilled with Jok and Cook, and pleased with Baer and Williams. The guys who need to step up big are Uhl and Wagner. Pemsl will steal playing time because he's just a solid player.

 

[perryhawk]

I'm thrilled with Jok and Cook, and pleased with Baer and Williams. The guys who need to step up big are Uhl and Wagner. Pemsl will steal playing time because he's just a solid player.

I really think Wagner will make great strides this year.....he will get more playing time which will allow him to get comfortable on the floor. Once that happens his confidence will grow and then look out.

 

[hawk-i bob]

I really think Wagner will make great strides this year.....he will get more playing time which will allow him to get comfortable on the floor. Once that happens his confidence will grow and then look out.

he made a great move on his basket last night needs to do more of that,,,both wagner and cook also need to hit a decent percentage of free throws...they both should be there often

 

[Suterman]

My 2 chief concerns last night were defense and rebounding. We are going to have a decent team, but if we have ANY chance for the NCAA's our defense will have to improve A LOT.

 

[hawk-i bob]

My 2 chief concerns last night were defense and rebounding. We are going to have a decent team, but if we have ANY chance for the NCAA's our defense will have to improve A LOT.

it will .... or else....u get to face Fran the Man.

 

[hansenhawk]

We need a couple guys to step up and be a nice suprise on how well they play, someone other than Jok, Cook, and Wagner. Would like to see Uhl step up but I just don't know if he has it in him. Between Kreiner, Ellingson, and Jones, I would like and expect to see some flashes of excellence from Kreiner, as I think he is a quality bigman. Jones is just hurt to much. Ellingson? lol

 

[PhantomFlyer]

The team doesn't understand yet how HARD they have to play throughout the game. Jok knows. (although he slept through the first 5 minutes. Once Peter decided to turn it on the game was over. Tyler Cook will likely have his way with most defenders he comes up against. My guess is they will have to double him (good more shots for Jok) or they will put a bigger body on him. Fran needs to teach the guys how to rebound but my goodness if you were baking a cake you would see that you have all the ingredients right there in front of you. Fun to watch more old school ball instead of being a team of jump shooters. No one attempted a fall away jumper that we have been used to seeing from Whitey and Uthoff. Even the skinny Baer took it hard to the glass when he got the ball inside. I don't know how many games we can win but this team will be fun to watch and we are as talented as anyone. Jok is an nba shooter no doubt.

Seriously, based on what? If they are as talented as anyone then they shouldn't miss the NCAA tournament unless you are saying coaching isn't very good. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you haven't seen any other B1G team play or at least their FR play. I may think my wife if the most beautiful women in the world, but if she was in a beauty pageant with other beautiful women she might not make the first cut in the eyes of the judges. We always think our talent is great until we start seeing the talent other teams have.

I haven't seen any games yet, and didn't catch the exhibition, but I can confidently say we aren't as talented as anyone. We aren't as talented as Ky, Duke, NC, and probably numerous teams in the B1G. This isn't a knock against Iowa or Fran, it's just life when you are starting so many young players and who aren't of the 5 star caliber that Ky and Duke bring in every season. Some people were singing the praises of Fleming before last season and look how that turned out.

We could potentially be as talented as a lot of teams, especially after the young players get some experience. We'll have to wait and see.

 

[Alex Thompson]

I think we'll have more offensive threats than we have had in a while. Last year our starting lineup had only two. This year, every one of our starters could be a threat, especially if Uhl plays to his potential. We also have a low scoring threat in Cook, and we haven't had a consistent low post scoring threat since maybe freshman year Basabe or senior year Olaseni. I'm excited for this team. I'm also nervous about our defense, but that will come. Cook is at least a rim protector, which we missed after Olaseni graduated.

 

[moondog24]

Went to the game -- saw some bright spots. Obviously Jok shot the ball very well and Cook has some legitimate offensive moves inside to go along with explosive hops. We may actually see dunks again inside. I think Baer will have the ability to knock down some corner 3's if left open. Bohannan has a shooter's mentality and if he gets hot will be able to help spread the court. I don't see him as a primary point guard, Williams will need to fill that role. Pemsl looked physical and showed some offensive promise as well. Rebounding may be an issue -- Iowa outrebounded Regis, but they should -- Regis did get several offensive boards that went deep. It was a good scrimmage with a live crowd and officials -- keep in mind Regis is D-III and middle of the road pick for their conference, none of the teams I had ever heard of before until I looked it up. 8-5 non conference and hopefully 8-10 Big 10 would be a realistic prediction. Anything over would be gravy and would be a feather in Fran's cap for an outstanding coaching job.

 

[jthawk]

My 2 chief concerns last night were defense and rebounding. We are going to have a decent team, but if we have ANY chance for the NCAA's our defense will have to improve A LOT.

You are correct, but it is not surprising with a team that had exactly two players on the floor with any significant college experience against Regis. It always takes time for young players to understand the intensity level and focus it takes to be successful at this level. There will be growing pains and it will not happen overnight. Hopefully by the end of the season this team will be decent at the defensive end of the floor and on the boards.

 

[perryhawk]

Went to the game -- saw some bright spots. Obviously Jok shot the ball very well and Cook has some legitimate offensive moves inside to go along with explosive hops. We may actually see dunks again inside. I think Baer will have the ability to knock down some corner 3's if left open. Bohannan has a shooter's mentality and if he gets hot will be able to help spread the court. I don't see him as a primary point guard, Williams will need to fill that role. Pemsl looked physical and showed some offensive promise as well. Rebounding may be an issue -- Iowa outrebounded Regis, but they should -- Regis did get several offensive boards that went deep. It was a good scrimmage with a live crowd and officials -- keep in mind Regis is D-III and middle of the road pick for their conference, none of the teams I had ever heard of before until I looked it up. 8-5 non conference and hopefully 8-10 Big 10 would be a realistic prediction. Anything over would be gravy and would be a feather in Fran's cap for an outstanding coaching job.

I think they are D2 and I thought pretty athletic....that said I agree with a lot of what you said. 16 wins might be realistic. I am in the 16-18 guessing range. The most interesting part of this team and this season is how much this team can improve from game to game.

Defense needs major improvements very quickly too get us to 8 wins or more in the pre Big 10 schedule.

 

[SSG T]

My 2 chief concerns last night were defense and rebounding. We are going to have a decent team, but if we have ANY chance for the NCAA's our defense will have to improve A LOT.

Yep. By far my biggest concern with this year's team is defense. I think they'll be able to score with most teams, stopping them will be the challenge.

 

[DanL53]

Yep. By far my biggest concern with this year's team is defense. I think they'll be able to score with most teams, stopping them will be the challenge.

Without foul problems. The Big Ten is in my pea brain notorious for disrespecting youth.

Another edit to ad. I expect to see Fran in all his glory defending the guys from the bench. Kind of scares me a bit...do they keep a defribulator, or perculator, whatever that machine is called, near the sidelines?

 

[LTHawk]

I was impressed by Maishe on defense. He did get back slowly one time, and Fran royally chewed his ass. That did'nt happen again. In the first half he was content to pass the ball on offense, but he did cause at least one turnover on Regis. In the second half, he hit a pretty three pointer, and also has a steal and dunk. He, like most of the other freshmen, is a work in progress(airballed a three), but his defense will be important for this young team.

 

[moondog24]

I think they are D2 and I thought pretty athletic....that said I agree with a lot of what you said. 16 wins might be realistic. I am in the 16-18 guessing range. The most interesting part of this team and this season is how much this team can improve from game to game.

Defense needs major improvements very quickly too get us to 8 wins or more in the pre Big 10 schedule.

You are correct -- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is D-II, same division as Upper Iowa. Chemistry will be important for this team as it is for most teams. Jok should be the obvious leader and I liked the fact last evening that he vocally got after some of his teammates after Fran had chewed on them during a time out. Looked like he was re-emphasizing what Fran had just told them. Players need to hear that sort of review from a teammate rather than always from the coach.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I'm approaching this as the opposite of the football season. There were a lot of returning players, expectations for a high finish in their division, and return to the B1G championship game for the football team. Big fail on all fronts there.

As for basketball, despite the shortcomings of the guys that graduated they were a solid group that logged the majority of minutes. That's a lot of production to replace.
Expectations are, and I think reasonably should be, relatively modest as far as wins. If things go well, this is a borderline NCAA tourney qualifier team.
But, I do have expectations for some fun games. Guys getting out on the break. An upgrade in overall team athletic ability. Things that I think will make for a more entertaining experience as a fan.

 

[DanL53]

I'm approaching this as the opposite of the football season. There were a lot of returning players, expectations for a high finish in their division, and return to the B1G championship game for the football team. Big fail on all fronts there.

As for basketball, despite the shortcomings of the guys that graduated they were a solid group that logged the majority of minutes. That's a lot of production to replace.
Expectations are, and I think reasonably should be, relatively modest as far as wins. If things go well, this is a borderline NCAA tourney qualifier team.
But, I do have expectations for some fun games. Guys getting out on the break. An upgrade in overall team athletic ability. Things that I think will make for a more entertaining experience as a fan.

It is going to be a fun year, no doubt. And I agree about expectations. I always hope for much more but would be thrilled this season just to make the NCAA's.

One thing I'd point out, there are about three teams in the B1G with a vast amount of experience compared to us. As to practice time, excluding actual game time, we are right in the mix of about ten other teams. It's amazing what transfers and early entries have done to the average year's in of the college basketball player. We also have redshirts like Ellingson, Baer...that have that extra year in.

So, yes, experience on the court, which is important, not so much. Experience in practice? About the same as most of the league. I hope that translates to a quicker rise in maturity. If so, with our athleticism we could be a surprise. Maybe hit 5th in the B1G? Just exactly that, a surprise, shouldn't likely count on it. But I'm hoping for it, predicting 11-7 in the B1G.

 

[EduNeerHawk]

You are correct, but it is not surprising with a team that had exactly two players on the floor with any significant college experience against Regis. It always takes time for young players to understand the intensity level and focus it takes to be successful at this level. There will be growing pains and it will not happen overnight. Hopefully by the end of the season this team will be decent at the defensive end of the floor and on the boards.

I said this in another thread, I've watched this game 4 times now...get's my mind off of football for one and two, it's fun to watch for me.

Yea, you see the lapses and breakdowns on the D end but you also see plays at each of the positions on the floor that I've not seen players do in quite sometime. I agree with jt above about that defense. Peter said after the game they would watch film on Saturday and work on the things they need to fix or get better at. Intensity on the D end is certainly one of those things. I hope this team improves the intensity which remains to be seen (?) and it would be a shame if they didn't get after it harder cause they certainly have the talent, size, quickness and bounce as Mac was saying to be a real pain in the arse on D.

If it's not Cook at the 4/5 position however you want to label him bringing the ball up the court and taking 3 point shots or Wagner, Baer or Uhl doing this too it is a 6'7 PG with a wingspan of 6'11 with Zero TOs, 11 pts, 5 assists and 1 block making plays.....hard to match up to that kind of size with those kind of skill sets.

The stuff Tyler was doing in the post we've not seen in Carver and you make the call since when? Let's hope he can continue this when the comp gets tougher. Could get a lot of players in foul trouble. Pretty smooth FT shooter too.

Peter's shooting brings back some memories of a few other Hawks but his shot was pretty special on Friday night. From the depth he was shooting it.....this will continue and just hard to match up and cover when you need a big bucket, give the ball to Peter.

Somebody already said this but Wagner's dive to the hoop for a bucket was a B1G time move and I hope he does this over and over because I think he can. CW's length of court drives and playing above the rim were also special for an Iowa PG and like Devyn.....Mike and Sapp could dunk the ball but CW attacks the rim at a whole nother level and can finish way above it and with contact. Rimmed out a 3 shot and had a very sweet baseline jumper.

Reasons for optimism.....

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Just be prepared for a Roller Coaster ride. Teams with a lot of youth tend to have those type of seasons. You will see this team challenge some of the Better teams in the league at times and be in some good games. Other times they will have "bad nights" and struggle with less competition and look awful. It happens in all sports and at all levels.

I am hoping for an NCAA birth, but I will take any post season we can get. This team is going to be fun to watch at times and make you scratch your head at times. But it will be an exciting brand of basketball.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

I think we'll have more offensive threats than we have had in a while. Last year our starting lineup had only two. This year, every one of our starters could be a threat, especially if Uhl plays to his potential. We also have a low scoring threat in Cook, and we haven't had a consistent low post scoring threat since maybe freshman year Basabe or senior year Olaseni. I'm excited for this team. I'm also nervous about our defense, but that will come. Cook is at least a rim protector, which we missed after Olaseni graduated.

Fans say that at the start of last season. People were saying we had 7-8 guys who could score last season. In the preseason we did look like we had more than 2 scoring options, but then the B1G came and the defensive play is much tougher, so you see what you really have in talent.

Call it the spring training phenomenon. Every team is loaded during spring training and could make the playoffs, well at least according to their fans. In reality most teams have almost no chance of making the playoffs before the first game.

We'll see how all those scoring options pan out as we move into conference play. I'd wager we'll be lucky if we have more than 2 offensive threats. Hope I'm wrong and this year is different, but given that we are talking about so many young players who've never went through the grind of the B1G conference season, I'm not optimistic.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Just be prepared for a Roller Coaster ride. Teams with a lot of youth tend to have those type of seasons. You will see this team challenge some of the Better teams in the league at times and be in some good games. Other times they will have "bad nights" and struggle with less competition and look awful. It happens in all sports and at all levels.

I am hoping for an NCAA birth, but I will take any post season we can get. This team is going to be fun to watch at times and make you scratch your head at times. But it will be an exciting brand of basketball.

Agree, I think roller coaster is likely a good description for the season. I'm seeing it with the Bulls who've replaced so many pieces during the summer. They look like world beaters some nights, blowing out teams in big fashion, then turn around and look terrible the next night.

The one area I'd love to see improvement this season is closing out games. Can they win close games down the stretch. They haven't been able to do it during Fran's entire time at Iowa, so the question has been has it been due to poor coaching or weak guard (point guard) play, or a combination of both?

 

[hawksense]

By the time the B1G starts, teams and coaches will have plenty of scouting on Iowa's new kids and will work diligently to get the train off the tracks or at least slow it down.

This is when it's really important to have scoring from all 5 positions and a team that shares the ball intelligently. We all know what happened to last year's team and these pre conference games would be well served to get time for those who will earn it and build confidence.

 

[hawk-i bob]

By the time the B1G starts, teams and coaches will have plenty of scouting on Iowa's new kids and will work diligently to get the train off the tracks or at least slow it down.

This is when it's really important to have scoring from all 5 positions and a team that shares the ball intelligently. We all know what happened to last year's team and these pre conference games would be well served to get time for those who will earn it and build confidence.

actually it surprised me it took the B1G coaches 12 games into the B1G season last year to figure out how to defend Iowa....stop Uthoff & Jok put it in the hands of the others...course they were aided by what seem to be the return of maul ball.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Seriously, based on what? If they are as talented as anyone then they shouldn't miss the NCAA tournament unless you are saying coaching isn't very good. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you haven't seen any other B1G team play or at least their FR play. I may think my wife if the most beautiful women in the world, but if she was in a beauty pageant with other beautiful women she might not make the first cut in the eyes of the judges. We always think our talent is great until we start seeing the talent other teams have.

I haven't seen any games yet, and didn't catch the exhibition, but I can confidently say we aren't as talented as anyone. We aren't as talented as Ky, Duke, NC, and probably numerous teams in the B1G. This isn't a knock against Iowa or Fran, it's just life when you are starting so many young players and who aren't of the 5 star caliber that Ky and Duke bring in every season. Some people were singing the praises of Fleming before last season and look how that turned out.

We could potentially be as talented as a lot of teams, especially after the young players get some experience. We'll have to wait and see.

Good assessment. There are some nice pieces on this team, but when you don't have 5-star talent it takes time and development to have those players ready to play at a competitive level in the B1G. Cook is a talented player. Other top-level teams have several guys of Cook's size/athleticism/skill combo, Iowa has one.

My own assessment is that Williams has potential, Jok is a known commodity, Cook is talented and plays hard and Baer knows how to play. Beyond that is still a work in progress. This year will be invaluable in getting guys time on the court against good competition. Iowa would need a lot of things to go right to make the NCAA tournament. Not impossible, but a lot of question marks have to be answered positively.

 

[DanL53]

actually it surprised me it took the B1G coaches 12 games into the B1G season last year to figure out how to defend Iowa....stop Uthoff & Jok put it in the hands of the others...course they were aided by what seem to be the return of maul ball.

That's been my feeling since last season. Jan 20th. Wisconsin 2-4, Michigan State, 3-4, Iowa 5-0. Remainder of season? Wisconsin 10-2, Michigan State 11-0, Iowa 7-6.

I'd be interested in the fouls per game in the Big Ten before Jan 20th and after.

 

[BBHawk]

I think they are D2 and I thought pretty athletic....that said I agree with a lot of what you said. 16 wins might be realistic. I am in the 16-18 guessing range. The most interesting part of this team and this season is how much this team can improve from game to game.

Defense needs major improvements very quickly too get us to 8 wins or more in the pre Big 10 schedule.

McC's teams always look like crap in the first game, especially on defense. Not sure why. Last year they were pitiful in that first-game loss considering there were 4 seniors in the starting lineup. This year's team looked almost as bad but seemed to play a lot harder, especially the kids. Usually the biggest jump in improvement will come in the second game. I am hoping that that happens this year, too.

 

[IowaNiceHawk]

I'm thrilled with Jok and Cook, and pleased with Baer and Williams. The guys who need to step up big are Uhl and Wagner. Pemsl will steal playing time because he's just a solid player.

Uhl stepped up for about half the season, last year. I think he will step-up this year, even more. Wagner is the potential guy....will he bring that potential to fruition on the BB floor, is the question

Go Hawks

 

[PhantomFlyer]

By the time the B1G starts, teams and coaches will have plenty of scouting on Iowa's new kids and will work diligently to get the train off the tracks or at least slow it down.

This is when it's really important to have scoring from all 5 positions and a team that shares the ball intelligently. We all know what happened to last year's team and these pre conference games would be well served to get time for those who will earn it and build confidence.

I can't remember the former Hawk who talked about this very issue. He said when you get into the B1G the coaches know your tendencies, plays, etc and they game plan to take away your top 2 scoring options. He said when you get to the 2nd time through the conference schedule you need other players to step up. The number 3-5 players must produce offensively because teams will take away your top 2 options. This was Iowa's problem last year. Teams took away Iowa's running game, and then they shut down Jok and Uthoff. Others players, like MG, AC, one of the bigs, needed to step up offensively and they just couldn't do it.

 

[HawkLogic]

I can't remember the former Hawk who talked about this very issue. He said when you get into the B1G the coaches know your tendencies, plays, etc and they game plan to take away your top 2 scoring options. He said when you get to the 2nd time through the conference schedule you need other players to step up. The number 3-5 players must produce offensively because teams will take away your top 2 options. This was Iowa's problem last year. Teams took away Iowa's running game, and then they shut down Jok and Uthoff. Others players, like MG, AC, one of the bigs, needed to step up offensively and they just couldn't do it.

Not having the elite PG that can take control of end of game will hurt this year's squad (trend for Fran). I doubt Williams becomes that type of PG. Should be more competitive at end of tight games. Last year we knew Fran would put the ball in Gesell's hands and he would dribble out the clock and then get his shot stuffed or the occasional turnover...upside was a fortuitous airball. This year it is Jok's team, but I think we will see more guys taking last shots.

 

[BBHawk]

Not having the elite PG that can take control of end of game will hurt this year's squad (trend for Fran). I doubt Williams becomes that type of PG. Should be more competitive at end of tight games. Last year we knew Fran would put the ball in Gesell's hands and he would dribble out the clock and then get his shot stuffed or the occasional turnover...upside was a fortuitous airball. This year it is Jok's team, but I think we will see more guys taking last shots.

Who are the elite point guards in the B1G?

 

[Vbeachawk]

The development of Williams and Bohannon will be the keys to success, imo. There is enough talent, size and athleticism in the front court offensively, that one way or another, they will find a way to put points on the board. Defensively, they must learn to play as a team/unit to stop their opponents.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Who are the elite point guards in the B1G?

At least early in the season, they may all look elite compared to Iowa's Williams and Bohannon (and that's really all that matters when we are talking about Iowa winning games). This doesn't mean they won't eventually be good PG's, maybe even elite, but Williams has next to no B1G minutes under his belt and Bohannon has literally none. Pretty tough for 2 PG's, with no experience, to step in and play ALL the PG minutes in the B1G.

 

[KennyPloen]

Not having the elite PG that can take control of end of game will hurt this year's squad (trend for Fran). I doubt Williams becomes that type of PG. Should be more competitive at end of tight games. Last year we knew Fran would put the ball in Gesell's hands and he would dribble out the clock and then get his shot stuffed or the occasional turnover...upside was a fortuitous airball. This year it is Jok's team, but I think we will see more guys taking last shots.

Very few teams have an elite player capable of controlling late game results. It's much more about coaching-installing the discipline on shot selection, lack of TOs, defense, rebounding, getting good free throw shooters to the line, running the offense to get good shots, etc.

What we did last year was mindless. We were poor at all the above aspects. Not only was Mike asked to do what he was not capable of doing, but had he been fouled, the results would have been iffy.

 

[PhantomFlyer]

Very few teams have an elite player capable of controlling late game results. It's much more about coaching-installing the discipline on shot selection, lack of TOs, defense, rebounding, getting good free throw shooters to the line, running the offense to get good shots, etc.

What we did last year was mindless. We were poor at all the above aspects. Not only was Mike asked to do what he was not capable of doing, but had he been fouled, the results would have been iffy.

Very few really good teams don't have an elite player capable ..... It's what separates the contenders from the pretenders.