My thoughts after a remarkable BTT

[NCHawkeye24]

- This team not only won the tournament, it beat both of the home teams while doing. It's hard enough to win a tournament, buy to also do it against a severely biased crowd is incredible.
- This team has shown the ability to win in multiple ways with multiple different players. By far the most well-rounded and versatile team Fran has ever had.
- The team chemistry is off the charts. Every player seems to be engaged and relishing their role.
- Perkins gives us the that big guard "break you down with the bounce" kind of player that has eluded Fran for so long. His size allows him to finish at the rim, his rebounding is spectacular and has the ability to hit the 3.
- Perkins and the Murray's give Iowa 3 players that can beat teams from the perimeter with both the shot and the bounce. Incredibly hard to guard.
- Jbo's presence as well as his running off screens opens up so much for Perk and the Murray's. This foursome will get a good look by somebody 95% of the time.
- The depth of this roster will be a huge advantage in tournament play.
- I for one am delighted that Painter decided to not play Edey and Williams today at the same time. Those 2 in that lineup with Gillis, Ivey and stefonovich would have stressed our defense incredibly.
- B1G awards should be given after the tournament if they really want to judge a body of work. In this scenario Fran wins CoY and Keegan PoY. Looks foolish now to have a PoY that went 3-19 in a first round loss instead of a better scorer and one that impacts his team in so many more ways. On the flip side, I like Painter but he should get the worst coach in the country award for doing less with more. They could have easily played through Edey every play because he is such a mismatch, but would just go away from it because it seemed like Ivey had to get his.
- There is really no difference in a 4 and a 5 seed in the NCAA, and in this case I would much rather play Richmond then SDSU.
- Glad to see both Rutgers and Indiana make the tournament. They both deserved it.

My last point. We as Iowa fans are living charmed lives. To have this team and what it is doing right now, the girls winning, and a football team that was in the limelight like they were this past year is truly a gift that I don't think any other school out there can match.

Go Hawks!

 

[ObeseMuffins]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

 

[Hawktagonapus]

I like Painter but he should get the worst coach in the country award for doing less with more.

Not when Juwan Howard exists

 

[Rambler Hawk]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

Yup, its not like we could have pulled a 'hack a shaq' on him either - he was stroking all his FTs....

 

[BBHawk]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

He struggled against Josh. Had a few TOs, too.

 

[KuwaitHawk]

And there are posters who didn’t want Josh, or JBo to come back, Joe T, the Murrays, CMac or Pmac to be on the team.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

And there are posters who didn’t want Josh, or JBo to come back, Joe T, the Murrays, CMac or Pmac to be on the team.

I didn't get why people didn't want JBo from the beginning and I argued with many people over it. If anyone thinks about it logically, if any graduate transfer showed up in the portal with his stats everyone would have been all for it. Everyone has to remember that the aside from the 5 spot the other big question mark about this team was going to be perimeter shooting. Well, I think that question mark got answered.

As far as CMac goes, he does so many things that helps a team win. Obviously it is great that he has been hitting the 3 ball here lately, but for him that is just icing in the cake. His leadership and basketball intelligence are immeasurably valuable.

The coolest thing about this tournament run, and this championship game in particular, is that Fran went 12 deep and everyone on the roster contributed in one way or another to this trophy. For a guy like Sandfort being an Iowa kid and last year being in high school to hit some huge shots in the second half has to be an awesome feeling. Even Mulvey, who should still be in high school, coming in to a very difficult situation and holding his own was great to see to. And what Josh did was incredible.

I love this team like no other.

 

[Hawksfinal4]

Point guard for the Hawkeyes turns out it shouldn’t be an either or proposition. Which one JBo or JoeT is the right one for this team is very situational. Both have exceptional parts and deficiencies. Fran has been pretty good at getting the best of each lately and it’s not just those 2 since Tony P has played there in small spurts lay too. It’s been a great ride this year. As fans it’s great to debate as long as it doesn’t get personal imo. These guys have really come together as a team and that’s a big part of what makes em great

 

[Loveblackandgold]

I didn't get why people didn't want JBo from the beginning and I argued with many people over it. If anyone thinks about it logically, if any graduate transfer showed up in the portal with his stats everyone would have been all for it. Everyone has to remember that the aside from the 5 spot the other big question mark about this team was going to be perimeter shooting. Well, I think that question mark got answered.

As far as CMac goes, he does so many things that helps a team win. Obviously it is great that he has been hitting the 3 ball here lately, but for him that is just icing in the cake. His leadership and basketball intelligence are immeasurably valuable.

The coolest thing about this tournament run, and this championship game in particular, is that Fran went 12 deep and everyone on the roster contributed in one way or another to this trophy. For a guy like Sandfort being an Iowa kid and last year being in high school to hit some huge shots in the second half has to be an awesome feeling. Even Mulvey, who should still be in high school, coming in to a very difficult situation and holding his own was great to see to. And what Josh did was incredible.

I love this team like no other.

Well said NC. Entire team effort. Nice to see Fran rewarded with his first banner. Regardless of how things roll in the NCAA, I hope this board keeps it positive. The last six weeks of Hawkeye basketball has been the most fun to watch in years. It has been an absolute privilege to witness a talent like Keegan Murray lead the team with such class and composure. JBO and CMAC this is your last go around, make it special! Go HAWKS!

 

[HawkLogic]

- This team not only won the tournament, it beat both of the home teams while doing. It's hard enough to win a tournament, buy to also do it against a severely biased crowd is incredible.
- This team has shown the ability to win in multiple ways with multiple different players. By far the most well-rounded and versatile team Fran has ever had.
- The team chemistry is off the charts. Every player seems to be engaged and relishing their role.
- Perkins gives us the that big guard "break you down with the bounce" kind of player that has eluded Fran for so long. His size allows him to finish at the rim, his rebounding is spectacular and has the ability to hit the 3.
- Perkins and the Murray's give Iowa 3 players that can beat teams from the perimeter with both the shot and the bounce. Incredibly hard to guard.
- Jbo's presence as well as his running off screens opens up so much for Perk and the Murray's. This foursome will get a good look by somebody 95% of the time.
- The depth of this roster will be a huge advantage in tournament play.
- I for one am delighted that Painter decided to not play Edey and Williams today at the same time. Those 2 in that lineup with Gillis, Ivey and stefonovich would have stressed our defense incredibly.
- B1G awards should be given after the tournament if they really want to judge a body of work. In this scenario Fran wins CoY and Keegan PoY. Looks foolish now to have a PoY that went 3-19 in a first round loss instead of a better scorer and one that impacts his team in so many more ways. On the flip side, I like Painter but he should get the worst coach in the country award for doing less with more. They could have easily played through Edey every play because he is such a mismatch, but would just go away from it because it seemed like Ivey had to get his.
- There is really no difference in a 4 and a 5 seed in the NCAA, and in this case I would much rather play Richmond then SDSU.
- Glad to see both Rutgers and Indiana make the tournament. They both deserved it.

My last point. We as Iowa fans are living charmed lives. To have this team and what it is doing right now, the girls winning, and a football team that was in the limelight like they were this past year is truly a gift that I don't think any other school out there can match.

Go Hawks!

Two bigs at same time is old school and doesn't work in modern b-ball with 3ball shooting so effective. I wouldn't worry about that.

Two bigs clogs the offense, ruins the defense. They already suck at defense as is.

Williams has played some PF a couple years ago when they had that 7ft Euro guy and it wasn't a good lineup. Playing both part time in the post is the only option.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Two bigs at same time is old school and doesn't work in modern b-ball with 3ball shooting so effective. I wouldn't worry about that.

Two bigs clogs the offense, ruins the defense. They already suck at defense as is.

Williams has played some PF a couple years ago when they had that 7ft Euro guy and it wasn't a good lineup. Playing both part time in the post is the only option.

I agree with you on the logic of why you wouldn't want to play 2 bigs, however, today when neither team was shooting the 3 very well and we were so depleted in that front line, I think they would have been really effective in controlling the offensive glass, playing bully ball and further getting Rebraca and Kris in foul trouble and stressing Keegan. They would have suffered defensively, but knocking Kris, especially, and Rebraca out of the game would have been worth it to them. Obviously I am wrong because Painter is a great coach and he surely knows more than me, so I will say that. But that is their mis-match and they just don't seem to exploit it enough. Like last year in the NCAA against Oregon, the one thing that I thought was a lost opportunity was not going to Luka more in the post and getting them in serious foul trouble. If I remember right, it seemed like everyone on Oregon was undersized and they all had a couple of fouls on them but then we stopped going to that and let them off the hook with perimeter shots. I just think we would have been in trouble had they pounded the post continually and relentlessly.

 

[uihawk82]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

Not sure that Painter went away from Edey as much as Edey plays in their motion offense with a big man down low. So they move the ball and try the big man down low and it seemed anytime later in the shot clock Edey could take it to the hoop. He was a handful, very fast

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Not sure that Painter went away from Edey as much as Edey plays in their motion offense with a big man down low. So they move the ball and try the big man down low and it seemed anytime later in the shot clock Edey could take it to the hoop. He was a handful, very fast

I think you are confusing Edey and Ivey.

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

It’s kind of funny that folks were arguing Joe T vs Jordan at the point. Because now Tony P is the guy that really facilitates the offense now, gets in the lane under control, and has proven he can hit the 3 as well.

The main point is that all 3 have contributed in different ways, at different times, in different clutch ways. Sometimes it seems Fran sticks with a guy too long but, damn, he’s pushed the right buttons down the stretch.

Iowa hasn’t had a team this well equipped for a deep tournament run in a long, long time. No disrespect to Luka and his crazy skills but your superstar had better be a guard/forward who can break down a defender when needed to score a crucial basket. We have that this year in Keegan, and to a lesser extent Tony and Kris.

 

[IllQChawk]

The game at Illinois prepared us to play in Indianapolis with the crowds heavily in favor of first Indiana and yesterday Purdue. I truly believe that...

 

[CookyMonster]

The game at Illinois prepared us to play in Indianapolis with the crowds heavily in favor of first Indiana and yesterday Purdue. I truly believe that...

Not worried about the pro Providence crowd for this reason. We just beat Indiana & Purdue in the semis and finals of the BTT in the heart of Indiana. Pretty wild.

Not taking Richmond for granted either. Far crazier things have happened.

 

[the24fan]

- This team not only won the tournament, it beat both of the home teams while doing. It's hard enough to win a tournament, buy to also do it against a severely biased crowd is incredible.
- This team has shown the ability to win in multiple ways with multiple different players. By far the most well-rounded and versatile team Fran has ever had.
- The team chemistry is off the charts. Every player seems to be engaged and relishing their role.
- Perkins gives us the that big guard "break you down with the bounce" kind of player that has eluded Fran for so long. His size allows him to finish at the rim, his rebounding is spectacular and has the ability to hit the 3.
- Perkins and the Murray's give Iowa 3 players that can beat teams from the perimeter with both the shot and the bounce. Incredibly hard to guard.
- Jbo's presence as well as his running off screens opens up so much for Perk and the Murray's. This foursome will get a good look by somebody 95% of the time.
- The depth of this roster will be a huge advantage in tournament play.
- I for one am delighted that Painter decided to not play Edey and Williams today at the same time. Those 2 in that lineup with Gillis, Ivey and stefonovich would have stressed our defense incredibly.
- B1G awards should be given after the tournament if they really want to judge a body of work. In this scenario Fran wins CoY and Keegan PoY. Looks foolish now to have a PoY that went 3-19 in a first round loss instead of a better scorer and one that impacts his team in so many more ways. On the flip side, I like Painter but he should get the worst coach in the country award for doing less with more. They could have easily played through Edey every play because he is such a mismatch, but would just go away from it because it seemed like Ivey had to get his.
- There is really no difference in a 4 and a 5 seed in the NCAA, and in this case I would much rather play Richmond then SDSU.
- Glad to see both Rutgers and Indiana make the tournament. They both deserved it.

My last point. We as Iowa fans are living charmed lives. To have this team and what it is doing right now, the girls winning, and a football team that was in the limelight like they were this past year is truly a gift that I don't think any other school out there can match.

Go Hawks!

Solid post sir. Agree on all points. Great observation about PU not playing both bigs at once.

 

[chodehawk]

Not when Juwan Howard exists

Amazing how this guy can bitch slap another coach and still have a job.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

He didn't really go away from him. Edey can't physically play more than he does right now for Purdue. He can only go in 4-5 minute increments. You can tell at the end of his segments in the game he is exhausted.

Playing he and Williams at the same time isn't really an option. Purdue struggles on defense this year more than in past years, and if you put those 2 guys on the floor at the same time you have 2 bigs who can't defend the perimeter or handle the ball very well.

Purdue gets tremendous production out of Edey and Williams, and Ivey is very good. Their issues are with the rest of their team. If they are making shots, they are very tough. But Stefanovich was 1-7 and Ivey was just 1-7 on 3's. If they can get a couple other guys to get hot they could easily make a run.

 

[Buffalo43]

Solid post sir. Agree on all points. Great observation about PU not playing both bigs at once.

I watched Purdue all season and Painter never played the 2 bigs at same time

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Purdue better do something at the Dance, because otherwise this will have been a year of wasted talent for them. They were as close to a complete team as there was in 21/22.

17 turnovers in the BTT final? Outrebound your opponent by 18, including +7 on the offensive boards, and lose by 9?

Hard work beats talent if talent doesn't work hard. Exh A - Iowa 75, PU 66.

 

[shanksit44]

Besides the team really taking ahold of their destiny and getting it done in spite of the usual inconsistency of the stripes the one thing about this tournament that put a smile on my face was Bill Raftery’s call on JBo ‘s shot. BIG! TIME! ONIONS!

 

[jthawk]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

I’ve watched several Purdue games this year and Painter used Eddy virtually the same way in each game. I just made the assumption that it is either a conditioning issue or a defensive matchup issue.

 

[jthawk]

He didn't really go away from him. Edey can't physically play more than he does right now for Purdue. He can only go in 4-5 minute increments. You can tell at the end of his segments in the game he is exhausted.

Playing he and Williams at the same time isn't really an option. Purdue struggles on defense this year more than in past years, and if you put those 2 guys on the floor at the same time you have 2 bigs who can't defend the perimeter or handle the ball very well.

Purdue gets tremendous production out of Edey and Williams, and Ivey is very good. Their issues are with the rest of their team. If they are making shots, they are very tough. But Stefanovich was 1-7 and Ivey was just 1-7 on 3's. If they can get a couple other guys to get hot they could easily make a run.

Sorry. Just saw this. Agree 100%.

 

[goodbyebobby]

If they don't play Brendan? more they're in trouble.
Athletic guards are their nemesis and Thompson is tiny. Joe dwarfed that kid, bad.
Joe was an absolute killer yesterday. Stud.

 

[SivHawk]

A full game replay of the Big Ten Championship game between Iowa and Purdue.

 

[ObeseMuffins]

Fran has been doing great managing rotations. No Sandfort in the second half vs Indiana. What happens? He got unleashed against Purdue and helped us pull away.

 

[DavidGraeberBullSheetJobs]

Solid post sir. Agree on all points. Great observation about PU not playing both bigs at once.

Yes!

“be bold and great forces will come to your aid”
- Goethe

 

[HawkLogic]

He didn't really go away from him. Edey can't physically play more than he does right now for Purdue. He can only go in 4-5 minute increments. You can tell at the end of his segments in the game he is exhausted.

Playing he and Williams at the same time isn't really an option. Purdue struggles on defense this year more than in past years, and if you put those 2 guys on the floor at the same time you have 2 bigs who can't defend the perimeter or handle the ball very well.

Purdue gets tremendous production out of Edey and Williams, and Ivey is very good. Their issues are with the rest of their team. If they are making shots, they are very tough. But Stefanovich was 1-7 and Ivey was just 1-7 on 3's. If they can get a couple other guys to get hot they could easily make a run.

Yeah, Purdue has the inside/outside game that works if the outside game is making shots...if not, you have a team that is prone to turnovers + feeding the post itself is a high turnover endeavor. Their defense is not that great and that says they won't be a final4 team.

I think Iowa has a team that is more diverse and we give opponents a lot of different looks depending on who Fran plays. I would have liked to see better rebounding vs Purdue. The indiana game, I the rebounding was little better, but the efficiency that TJD scored at was off the charts. Hopefully Fran finds a solution to post defense/rebounding---I assume Kansas will have a decent Big man given how they recruit and that is also assuming Iowa doesn't drop a turd in 1st 2 games.

 

[Hawksfinal4]

very complimentary players on this team. If someone is having an off day, or bad half even, somebody comes in and picks up the slack, often changes momentum and next thing you know we go on a run. Unless it was against Northwestern where everyone was playing great… 64 points in a half, that was really fun

 

[FWIW4922463]

“Be bold and great forces will come to your aid”
- Goethe

True that is. Too bad KF, the English major, has never read Goethe, or Iowa might have a football team that plays both sides of the ball equally well, kinda like this Big Ten championship basketball team.

 

[SivHawk]

A full game Big Ten Tournament semi-final between Iowa and Indiana.

 

[BioHawk]

Surprised Painter went away from Edey as well. He was killing us.

I was wondering why he did this. I'm thinking maybe he was worried about turnovers since Edey kept putting the ball down by his knees. I didn't think we really had an answer for, especially when Edey and Williams were on the floor at the same time, but I'll take it.

 

[Ronman]

Speaking of Connor, I thought his And One was actually the nail in the Boilermakers coffin, pushing the lead from 63-62 to 66-62. His stats don't look impressive for this game, but it shows once again how much he affects the outcome of our games. Purdue had just ran off 7 straight, very quick points and that play, including the foul on Williams, threw a bucket of cold water on their hopes.

 

[DavidGraeberBullSheetJobs]

True that is. Too bad KF, the English major, has never read Goethe, or Iowa might have a football team that plays both sides of the ball equally well, kinda like this Big Ten championship basketball team.

Agree, both that boldness matters, because I was being literal and figurative, and that innovation is critical. Fran kept changing things up. Experimenting. Improving defense. Improving himself as a person. Admitting mistakes. Listening to players. Building family not through nepotism but through respect and brotherhood. And real love. That team loves one another.

Let’s hope Kirk learns from his new offensive coordinator / qb coach / meditation guru / diversity and inclusion coordinator and overall super nice great guy.

or learns from Fran.

 

[DewHawk]

IMO Ivey tends to take over games at times and everybody else for Purdue tends to watch. I think that is one of the things that makes Keegan M so special. He hardly ever forces the game and is very team oriented.

 

[DewHawk]

Another Edey / Ivey confusion?

My apologies getting old sucks as I watched almost all of their games. I will correct and thanks for pointing out.

 

[NCHawkeye24]

Like I said in the post from the Purdue fan complimenting Iowa. I think Ivey is Purdue's best player, but, he is not their best win condition. By that I mean that Edey is their biggest mismatch by far, and Williams' size, quickness and court vision are really special. Those two are the ones that should win games for them. Ivey should really be pounding them with post feeds instead of jacking up 3's. Just because he can hit a few of them doesn't mean he should take them. As a point guard, it is his job to assess and constantly re-assess the matchups on the court that will put his team in the best position to win, and I don't see that out of him. Their conflict with who's team it is and who should be taking shots and who should have the ball in their hands is what kept them from winning the B1G, the tournament and send them home early from the NCAA if they don't get it figured out.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Agree, both that boldness matters, because I was being literal and figurative, and that innovation is critical. Fran kept changing things up. Experimenting. Improving defense. Improving himself as a person. Admitting mistakes. Listening to players. Building family not through nepotism but through respect and brotherhood. And real love. That team loves one another.

Let’s hope Kirk learns from his new offensive coordinator / qb coach / meditation guru / diversity and inclusion coordinator and overall super nice great guy.

or learns from Fran.

Funny how things change. Not so long ago, the worst coach in the country in any sport was Fran. After 12 years of talking fans off the ledge regarding Fran, now we want him to give pointers to KF.

I hope you weren't one of the poster that has called Fran (I paraphrase) "a drooling idiot that shouldn't be coaching an AAU team".

 

[DavidGraeberBullSheetJobs]

Funny how things change. Not so long ago, the worst coach in the country in any sport was Fran. After 12 years of talking fans off the ledge regarding Fran, now we want him to give pointers to KF.

I hope you weren't one of the poster that has called Fran (I paraphrase) "a drooling idiot that shouldn't be coaching an AAU team".

Nah, I don't have it out for anyone personally, but I do not respect corruption or nepotism or even favoritism. I respect family and transparency and accountability, and I respect the University and the community.

Fran was accused of favoritism regarding his sons, but they've proven that they've MORE than earned their minutes. It takes a lot to keep experimenting, giving players room to grow, having faith. Keep shooting!

"Dogs bark, but the caravan rolls on!"

Even the CBS announcers after the game said Connor's and-one when he took on (Williams?) by himself and created something out of absolutely nothing, ending a big Purdue run, was the play of the friggin game. Colossal.

What Fran and his family and his players have proven is that they are willing to weather the criticism and do the work and not be rigid in their vision, to experiment, play their (changing) roles, trust one another, empower, and aim higher than even the fans imagined. Nothing short of awesome.