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*****Official IOWA at the B1G Tournament Games Thread*****

Franisdaman

HR King
Nov 3, 2012
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Heaven, Iowa
Wednesday: The Hawkeyes face No. 6 seed Penn State at 9 a.m.

Thursday: Iowa will play either No. 2 seeded Rutgers or No. 7 Purdue.

Friday or Saturday: If Iowa wins Wed & Thursday, which they are very capable of doing, they don't play again until Saturday (they would face the 1 loss team coming out of the MD/IU/IL/MI bracket).

I still think the B1G has a great chance of getting 3 teams into the NCAA Tournament: Maryland, Rutgers, and either Iowa or Illinois. Iowa, compared to the Illini, has (1) a better conference seed; (2) the same overall conference record; and (3) a better RPI. Illinois has just (1) the 2-1 advantage head to head. If Iowa has a good showing this week (and a better showing than Illinois), I think Iowa is in the NCAA Tournament.

Just win, baby.


FINAL Regular Season Standings
1. Maryland.....(44-10, 18-5).......#3 RPI
2. Rutgers.........(41-14, 17-7).....#42 RPI

3. Iowa..............(33-17, 17-7)......#58 RPI
4. Illinois..........(31-20, 17-7)......#69 RPI
..............................................................
5. Michigan....(28-25, 12-12)
6. Penn State.(25-27, 11-13)
7. Purdue........(29-19, 9-12)
8. Indiana.....(25-30, 10-14)


The Bracket:

FTXQ_-rVsAAb7Yj



 
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The Hawks are pumped for the B1G Tournament.

And if the Hawks make it to Saturday, the fans will most definitely show up.

Check these out & Watch:












 
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@KyleHuesmann what's the amended schedule look like if Wednesday is rain?
Friday is the day where they can play catchup. Only 2 games scheduled for Friday (3:30 and 7:30). 4 games scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. Not sure you can add any more games in to Thursday's schedule, or what the rules in Omaha are about starting games after a certain time. But just appears as if Friday would be the day that games could be made up.
 
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Forecast is supposed to be steady rain in the morning with showers in the afternoon. It’s going to be tough for them to get in any games on Wednesday. If you are going take rain gear and jackets, high of only 55.
 
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I have no idea. There is a certain time that they cannot start a game past. Everything would get pushed back and then Friday would get more games.
Well if Wednesday is a complete washout they'll have to allow later start times because all the wiggle room be used up. They've had to postpone games from day one, but never the whole day.
 
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Weather not looking great for Wednesday. Much better the rest of the week.

Weather not looking great for Wednesday. Much better the rest of the week.
I will see you there Ray!
 
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If they do attempt to play Wednesday would you start Nedved and save Mazur for the 2nd game? My thoughts are that Nedved has been pitching out of the bullpen and could bounce back quickly if the game winds up being a bullpen game because of delays. It would save Mazur for the next round which, if they win would be against either Rutgers or Purdue but if PSU pulled off the upset it puts him in the elimination game.

My thinking is if Nedved starts and only winds up pitching 2 or 3 innings you might be able to go back to him in the 3rd game.
 
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If they do attempt to play Wednesday would you start Nedved and save Mazur for the 2nd game? My thoughts are that Nedved has been pitching out of the bullpen and could bounce back quickly if the game winds up being a bullpen game because of delays. It would save Mazur for the next round which, if they win would be against either Rutgers or Purdue but if PSU pulled off the upset it puts him in the elimination game.

My thinking is if Nedved starts and only winds up pitching 2 or 3 innings you might be able to go back to him in the 3rd game.

My answer is "no."

Pitch Mazur in the first game. Given Iowa's precarious RPI/bubble status, losing to PSU would be a knife in the ribs. Go with the best. Under ideal circumstances, the bats are alive and Mazur can be pulled after 6 or 7 and under 90 pitches. That might give him the chance to throw an inning (20-25 pitches) if Iowa advances into the weekend.

Pitch Nedved in the second game. Yeah, I know that Schultz baffled Rutgers the first time but he's struggled since. Nedved is experienced and his array of pitches should keep Rutgers' hitters off balance. If the opponent is Purdue, the analysis isn't any different.

If they can advance to the semi-finals, go with Langenberg. Strange as it may seem, we really have to hope that Maryland wins its first two games. That would leave Michigan, Illinois and Indiana as potential semi-finals opponents and they'd have to beat Iowa in back-to-back games. You have to hope that Langenberg brings his "A" game again and that Iowa has Davitt and Schultz able to pitch a couple of innings apiece. Would be great if Beutel can get an inning under his belt in Game #2 and still be ready for Game #3.

Get those first three games and then you are playing with house money on Sunday.

While I think that Nedved would throw well against PSU, I just wouldn't want to risk keeping Mazur on the bench when PSU is going to throw their best in Game #1.

Win.
Advance.
Adjust.
 
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If they do attempt to play Wednesday would you start Nedved and save Mazur for the 2nd game? My thoughts are that Nedved has been pitching out of the bullpen and could bounce back quickly if the game winds up being a bullpen game because of delays. It would save Mazur for the next round which, if they win would be against either Rutgers or Purdue but if PSU pulled off the upset it puts him in the elimination game.

My thinking is if Nedved starts and only winds up pitching 2 or 3 innings you might be able to go back to him in the 3rd game.
Heller already mentioned Nedved as the Thursday starter. I think they are pretty set with Mazur/Nedved/Langenberg in that order.
 
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Heller already mentioned Nedved as the Thursday starter. I think they are pretty set with Mazur/Nedved/Langenberg in that order.

You don't think Heller would adjust anything seeing the weather forecasts for Wednesday? If a game does get started on Wednesday it would suck to lose Mazur if there were delays.
 
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If they do attempt to play Wednesday would you start Nedved and save Mazur for the 2nd game? My thoughts are that Nedved has been pitching out of the bullpen and could bounce back quickly if the game winds up being a bullpen game because of delays. It would save Mazur for the next round which, if they win would be against either Rutgers or Purdue but if PSU pulled off the upset it puts him in the elimination game.

My thinking is if Nedved starts and only winds up pitching 2 or 3 innings you might be able to go back to him in the 3rd game.
No, conference tournaments like regionals you have to win that first game to have a realistic chance of winning. It’s not impossible obviously, but you make it very difficult on yourself if you lose game one.
 
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No, conference tournaments like regionals you have to win that first game to have a realistic chance of winning. It’s not impossible obviously, but you make it very difficult on yourself if you lose game one.

I get it, I'm just saying the weather adds an extra wrinkle. Beating PSU in that first game is of utmost importance.
 
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I’m glad I started writing my preview with Jaden Henline as the projected starter 🫤

He didn't make it through 2 innings against Illinois in his last start. I noticed he gave up 7 runs but maybe he's hurt. You would think they'd go with Travis Luensmann before Mellott.
 
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I’m glad I started writing my preview with Jaden Henline as the projected starter 🫤
@KyleHuesmann . . . I believe it was during the B1G Baseball Podcast from two weeks ago that PSU's head coach was being interviewed (May 11th - I confirmed it). They have employed an interesting strategy this year with their pitching staff.

Go to the 30 minute portion of the podcast.

PSU announces a "Friday starter" but every single pitcher on the staff is available to pitch in the game. If PSU's coach feels that pitcher X is the next best pitcher based on match-ups, pitcher X will pitch. They don't have a traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday lineup. Their coach referred to it as a "bullpenny approach." They've had 10 guys start games for them this year. At least 5 guys have both started games and come into games as closers.

It would be as if Heller felt that Langenberg was the next best pitcher after Mazur. If Mazur had to leave in the 6th, Langenberg would be next. PSU then adjusts based upon who pitched on Friday. Heller would then figure out later who would start on Sunday since Langenberg had already been used.

It's almost as if they go "all in" to get that first game.

FWIW . . . even though Mellott may be starting, he may not be in the game for particularly long and I wouldn't be surprised if PSU's coach goes to another pitcher quickly based upon matchups.
 
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@KyleHuesmann . . . I believe it was during the B1G Baseball Podcast from two weeks ago that PSU's head coach was being interviewed (May 11th - I confirmed it). They have employed an interesting strategy this year with their pitching staff.

Go to the 30 minute portion of the podcast.

PSU announces a "Friday starter" but every single pitcher on the staff is available to pitch in the game. If PSU's coach feels that pitcher X is the next best pitcher based on match-ups, pitcher X will pitch. They don't have a traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday lineup. Their coach referred to it as a "bullpenny approach." They've had 10 guys start games for them this year. At least 5 guys have both started games and come into games as closers.

It would be as if Heller felt that Langenberg was the next best pitcher after Mazur. If Mazur had to leave in the 6th, Langenberg would be next. PSU then adjusts based upon who pitched on Friday. Heller would then figure out later who would start on Sunday since Langenberg had already been used.

It's almost as if they go "all in" to get that first game.

FWIW . . . even though Mellott may be starting, he may not be in the game for particularly long and I wouldn't be surprised if PSU's coach goes to another pitcher quickly based upon matchups.
Is this like the Purdue QB approach vs Iowa last year with 3 different QB's playing depending on situation? :)
 
@KyleHuesmann . . . I believe it was during the B1G Baseball Podcast from two weeks ago that PSU's head coach was being interviewed (May 11th - I confirmed it). They have employed an interesting strategy this year with their pitching staff.

Go to the 30 minute portion of the podcast.

PSU announces a "Friday starter" but every single pitcher on the staff is available to pitch in the game. If PSU's coach feels that pitcher X is the next best pitcher based on match-ups, pitcher X will pitch. They don't have a traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday lineup. Their coach referred to it as a "bullpenny approach." They've had 10 guys start games for them this year. At least 5 guys have both started games and come into games as closers.

It would be as if Heller felt that Langenberg was the next best pitcher after Mazur. If Mazur had to leave in the 6th, Langenberg would be next. PSU then adjusts based upon who pitched on Friday. Heller would then figure out later who would start on Sunday since Langenberg had already been used.

It's almost as if they go "all in" to get that first game.

FWIW . . . even though Mellott may be starting, he may not be in the game for particularly long and I wouldn't be surprised if PSU's coach goes to another pitcher quickly based upon matchups.
Thanks for sharing. Be interesting to see if they carry that out over coming years.
 
I get it, I'm just saying the weather adds an extra wrinkle. Beating PSU in that first game is of utmost importance.
It all depends on what the weather looks like. I would hope they would not start the Wednesday 9:00 game unless they were very confident they can get the whole game in. It would be really bad for the staff if the game were to go 2-3 innings, rain comes and game is suspended until Thursday. At that point, Iowa and PSU are at a severe disadvantage.

They shouldn't start that 9:00 game unless the weather at the time makes them highly confident in getting the full game in.
 
@KyleHuesmann . . . I believe it was during the B1G Baseball Podcast from two weeks ago that PSU's head coach was being interviewed (May 11th - I confirmed it). They have employed an interesting strategy this year with their pitching staff.

Go to the 30 minute portion of the podcast.

PSU announces a "Friday starter" but every single pitcher on the staff is available to pitch in the game. If PSU's coach feels that pitcher X is the next best pitcher based on match-ups, pitcher X will pitch. They don't have a traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday lineup. Their coach referred to it as a "bullpenny approach." They've had 10 guys start games for them this year. At least 5 guys have both started games and come into games as closers.

It would be as if Heller felt that Langenberg was the next best pitcher after Mazur. If Mazur had to leave in the 6th, Langenberg would be next. PSU then adjusts based upon who pitched on Friday. Heller would then figure out later who would start on Sunday since Langenberg had already been used.

It's almost as if they go "all in" to get that first game.

FWIW . . . even though Mellott may be starting, he may not be in the game for particularly long and I wouldn't be surprised if PSU's coach goes to another pitcher quickly based upon matchups.

Interesting approach, similar to the "opener starter" strategy used in MLB. Except that strategy puts their best pitcher in for the first couple of innings and then goes with the typical "starter". It's like using your closer as your starter.
 
Hopefully Iowa wins its first 2 games and advances to Saturday. What will be interesting to see is which 1 loss team (MD/IU/IL/MI) comes from the other bracket. Hopefully it's not Illinois. Go Blue!


 
Forecast does not look good...from lunch today through tomorrow afternoon there's at least a 60% chance of rain. As stated, don't start the game, get it suspended and drag throughout the day and into Thursday. That would push Mazur and staff into Thursday and less rest should we keep advancing..
 
Forecast does not look good...from lunch today through tomorrow afternoon there's at least a 60% chance of rain. As stated, don't start the game, get it suspended and drag throughout the day and into Thursday. That would push Mazur and staff into Thursday and less rest should we keep advancing..
I would prefer that they just cancel Wednesday and start things on Thursday and try to make up the ground for games on Friday and Saturday. Definitely don't want worst case where they start the game on Wednesday and can't get it in. End up burning the starting pitcher, which would harm Iowa a great deal.
 
Forecast does not look good...from lunch today through tomorrow afternoon there's at least a 60% chance of rain. As stated, don't start the game, get it suspended and drag throughout the day and into Thursday. That would push Mazur and staff into Thursday and less rest should we keep advancing..
AccuWeather (usually a solid prediction - as far as weather apps are concerned) suggests a four hour window between noon and 4:00 pm tomorrow.

Then another window beginning at 10:00 pm.

I bet that they try to get the game completed in that window tomorrow early afternoon and then a later game.

Schedule Games 3, 4, 5 and 6 for Thursday.
Schedule Games 7, 8, 9 and 10 for Friday.

That gets things back on track.

If that happens and Iowa wins Game 1, its next game would be Friday at 9 am.
 
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I would prefer that they just cancel Wednesday and start things on Thursday and try to make up the ground for games on Friday and Saturday. Definitely don't want worst case where they start the game on Wednesday and can't get it in. End up burning the starting pitcher, which would harm Iowa a great deal.
Trying to fit 4 canceled games into the schedule is tough.

There’s room for 2 on Thursday.
There may be room on Friday but it would depend upon semi-final results.
Sunday could require a team or two to play 2 games.

Doable but a huge headache.
 
Given what I’ve heard from their coach and approach to pitching, can’t say that I’m surprised. Probably a combination of gamesmanship and re-evaluating match-ups. I expect that Iowa will see no fewer than 4 pitchers tomorrow.

Jump on top quickly …
 
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