Oregon.........

[Daisy Mae]

26 points at half time vs USC. Shooting 30%. Zone defense by the Trojans neutralizes their shorter, quicker, opponents. Too bad Fran blew it. Maybe in another 40 years we'll have another shot at getting to game 3 in the tourney.

 

[Hans81]

26 points at half time vs USC. Shooting 30%. Man to Man defense by the Trojans neutralizes their shorter, quicker, opponents. Too bad Fran blew it. Maybe in another 40 years we'll have another shot at getting to game 3 in the tourney.

Let it go man, let it go. Think of happy thoughts...like Iswho really sucks in basketball. 😂

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe Oregon is much better then iowa and USC is just that much better then Oregon? I mean USC did destroy Kansas their prior game as well.

 

[kcgolfer]

26 points at half time vs USC. Shooting 30%. Zone defense by the Trojans neutralizes their shorter, quicker, opponents. Too bad Fran blew it. Maybe in another 40 years we'll have another shot at getting to game 3 in the tourney.

Fran didn’t blow anything. If you think we have the same athletes as USC you are delusional.

 

[Mohawkeye]

People bitched about Fran playing a the zone.

 

[elipse]

KU had a VERY AVERAGE team this year - anyone that watched any of there games this year could see it. So nothing to really glean from there game with USC either.

 

[AwkHawk]

I only saw the second half but Oregon couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach even when they had open looks. I saw multiple air balls/near air balls. They weren’t playing with confidence all game like they did with us after getting a big lead which makes a difference.

They also didn’t play that suffocating defense until later in the half when they made a run and even the announcers called it out that it was odd that they hadn’t seen that aggressive defense almost at all until that point.

Oregon is better than they played last night I think but I also think they shot out of their minds against Iowa even when we did contest. That’s just how it goes sometimes. Teams can get hot or cold at any point.

 

[tippet1]

USC's zone is extremely long and very athletic. They only had one starter shorter than 6'7". It will be interesting to see what Gonzaga can do against it.

 

[texas twister]

Remove Luka's stats from consideration - the rest of the team shot 32%. That might be one of the problems. The thing about basketball is that all it takes to lose is an off shooting night.

 

[goodbyebobby]

I only saw the second half but Oregon couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach even when they had open looks. I saw multiple air balls/near air balls. They weren’t playing with confidence all game like they did with us after getting a big lead which makes a difference.

They also didn’t play that suffocating defense until later in the half when they made a run and even the announcers called it out that it was odd that they hadn’t seen that aggressive defense almost at all until that point.

Oregon is better than they played last night I think but I also think they shot out of their minds against Iowa even when we did contest. That’s just how it goes sometimes. Teams can get hot or cold at any point.

Real athletes playing real defense provides a dilemma Iowa doesn't give opponents.

 

[littlez]

Remove Luka's stats from consideration - the rest of the team shot 32%. That might be one of the problems. The thing about basketball is that all it takes to lose is an off shooting night.

Which is why there are two sides to basketball, offense and defense. When one isn't working, you have something to fall back on. Nothing to see here for the Hawks. We gave up 95 pts! Let's please stop w/the "if we had just shot it better " excuse.

 

[AwkHawk]

KU had a VERY AVERAGE team this year - anyone that watched any of there games this year could see it. So nothing to really glean from there game with USC either.

I saw multiple UCLA games and at least parts of some USC games throughout the season and don’t remember being overly impressed or thinking “wow these guys are good.”

Never saw Oregon play until the Iowa game and 2H of last night. Still not sure what to think about any of those teams.

It’s often hard to know in a single elimination tournament who is better and how it would go if the teams played 10 times, which is what makes March Madness so entertaining. Not sure how Iowa would do if we got another crack at Oregon or if we were to matchup with USC instead. Oh well.

 

[JStandefer]

USC's zone is extremely long and very athletic. They only had one starter shorter than 6'7". It will be interesting to see what Gonzaga can do against it.

i Think zone is the only way to defend a drive and kick style of offense that smaller guard heavy teams employ

 

[Fran-Con-2]

Remove Luka's stats from consideration - the rest of the team shot 32%. That might be one of the problems. The thing about basketball is that all it takes to lose is an off shooting night.

We scored 80 points. You should beat teams if you score 80 points in regulation.

Don't get it twisted. We lost because of the elephant that had been sitting in the room all season long. We lost because of unathletic, undisciplined, poorly coached defense.

 

[cidhawkeye]

i Think zone is the only way to defend a drive and kick style of offense that smaller guard heavy teams employ

It would need to be a zone where the defense doesn't have two guys closing out on one shooter. The Iowa zone has that challenge at times, one guy closes out hard the other player looks like they don't know if the other guy is closing out so they halfway after the shooter who can either pass to the wide, wide open player or the defense is slow enough that they shoot their own only pretty wide open shot. Also leaving the defense weak under the boards.

 

[tippet1]

i Think zone is the only way to defend a drive and kick style of offense that smaller guard heavy teams employ

It really depends on your personnel. With how long USC is, I would probably play a lot of zone no matter what type of offense the other team runs. They can cover a lot of ground and make teams take tough shots over the top.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I only saw the second half but Oregon couldn’t hit the ocean from the beach even when they had open looks. I saw multiple air balls/near air balls. They weren’t playing with confidence all game like they did with us after getting a big lead which makes a difference.

They also didn’t play that suffocating defense until later in the half when they made a run and even the announcers called it out that it was odd that they hadn’t seen that aggressive defense almost at all until that point.

Oregon is better than they played last night I think but I also think they shot out of their minds against Iowa even when we did contest. That’s just how it goes sometimes. Teams can get hot or cold at any point.

Yup. That's the difference between playing Iowa and playing anyone else. Teams just seem to come in extramotivated to beat up our team of white starters (oh yes it has something to do with it) and they play/shoot out of their minds against us regardless of how soft our defense appears to be.....and then come crashing back to reality when they play someone/anyone else. They could play a D2 school ranked dead last in scoring D in their next game and not shoot nearly as good as they will (or at least certain players) against Iowa.

It's all very BAU at this point.

 

[texas twister]

Which is why there are two sides to basketball, offense and defense. When one isn't working, you have something to fall back on. Nothing to see here for the Hawks. We gave up 95 pts! Let's please stop w/the "if we had just shot it better " excuse.

Apparently you need someone to explain to you what this statement I said means - "That might be one of the problems." Just ask someone to help you. Words can be so complicated.

 

[mrcyfan]

It really depends on your personnel. With how long USC is, I would probably play a lot of zone no matter what type of offense the other team runs. They can cover a lot of ground and make teams take tough shots over the top.

The same thing could be said about Syracuse for about as long as Boeheim has been there (forever). They always have long, athletic guys making it tough to pass or shoot over.

Unless you play in the ACC or face a team like USC during the year, most teams will fail miserably in the NCAAs coming up against that kind of challenge. It’s really hard for a coach to prepare for a team like that because they simply don’t have the athletes to duplicate it in practice.

 

[MitchLL]

Slow guards in tourney play isn't a recipe for success.

 

[silasstarr]

We scored 80 points. You should beat teams if you score 80 points in regulation.

Don't get it twisted. We lost because of the elephant that had been in the room all season long. We lost because of unathletic, undisciplined, poorly coached defense.

I think it's more about personnel than coaching of defense. Jbo and Connor are below average defenders. Fredrick was hurt. When two of your starters are below average playing D and another is hurt, it is impossible to be a good or even average defensive team.

 

[jonesy5960]

Did you ever stop to think that maybe Oregon is much better then iowa and USC is just that much better then Oregon? I mean USC did destroy Kansas their prior game as well.

No way. Iowa got screwed royally. First they got screwed on the draw. Then they got screwed by VCU. Then they got screwed by their 11am start. Then Oregon played their best game of the season. Then Iowa played their worst game of the season. Then..... Need I go on? Did I miss anything that's been posted in this forum?

Iowa>Oregon. 🙄

 

[BBHawk]

26 points at half time vs USC. Shooting 30%. Zone defense by the Trojans neutralizes their shorter, quicker, opponents. Too bad Fran blew it. Maybe in another 40 years we'll have another shot at getting to game 3 in the tourney.

It's relatively easy when your team gets a week off to prepare for a team that played 38 hours before, Daisy.

 

[Ronman]

I saw USC a couple of times earlier this year, and while talented, they were fairly unimpressive. Obviously they match up well with Oregon. They thumped them by 14 in their one game in conference play.

Has anyone ever said that "(Insert Team Name Here) doesn't match up well with Iowa."?

 

[Mohawkeye]

I saw USC a couple of times earlier this year, and while talented, they were fairly unimpressive. Obviously they match up well with Oregon. They thumped them by 14 in their one game in conference play.

Has anyone ever said that "(Insert Team Name Here) doesn't match up well with Iowa."?

Wisconsin

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

No way. Iowa got screwed royally. First they got screwed on the draw. Then they got screwed by VCU. Then they got screwed by their 11am start. Then Oregon played their best game of the season. Then Iowa played their worst game of the season. Then..... Need I go on? Did I miss anything that's been posted in this forum?

Iowa>Oregon. 🙄

injuries! You forgot about all the injuries iowa was dealing with! How could you forget?

 

[JStandefer]

It really depends on your personnel. With how long USC is, I would probably play a lot of zone no matter what type of offense the other team runs. They can cover a lot of ground and make teams take tough shots over the top.

Yes, of course. having long arms up disrupting the passing lanes and quick rotation is key.

 

[tippet1]

Yes, of course. having long arms up disrupting the passing lanes and quick rotation is key.

You said a zone is the only way to guard a drive and kick team. I don't think it is. If the team understands a team is driving to kick and not score, I don't think it is as difficult as what people think to play man. When they understand what they are trying to do, rotations are quicker and it can cause a lot of problems for the offense.

 

[goodbyebobby]

We played like we had Covid

 

[MAXIMUSHAWKEYE]

USC's zone is extremely long and very athletic. They only had one starter shorter than 6'7". It will be interesting to see what Gonzaga can do against it.

I hope USC destroys Gonzaga..So sick of a school like that. They get to cruze against no competition for the year except of the few carefully timed opponents. All rested for the NCAA.Get #1 seed due to competition that sets them up for success untill the elite eight. I see USC giving them all kinds of trouble.

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I saw USC a couple of times earlier this year, and while talented, they were fairly unimpressive. Obviously they match up well with Oregon. They thumped them by 14 in their one game in conference play.

Has anyone ever said that "(Insert Team Name Here) doesn't match up well with Iowa."?

Good post. The only match up advantage Iowa had all season was Garza. Great to have that, but when the other 4 positions are a push to a deficit, particularly at the guard spots, you are going to get exposed when teams get up on guys or the 3's don't fall. Mike Smith would be Ronnie Lester reincarnated on Iowa's roster. Imagine that dude carving up defenses and kicking to Jbo, JW, CJ or dropping it off for Garza, Murray, Pmac, etc. There are a ton of these under-recruited guys out there + grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage.

 

[mrcyfan]

I hope USC destroys Gonzaga..So sick of a school like that. They get to cruze against no competition for the year except of the few carefully timed opponents. All rested for the NCAA.Get #1 seed due to competition that sets them up for success untill the elite eight. I see USC giving them all kinds of trouble.

Don’t be so sure. Gonzaga is for real.

 

[Rambler Hawk]

Which is why there are two sides to basketball, offense and defense. When one isn't working, you have something to fall back on. Nothing to see here for the Hawks. We gave up 95 pts! Let's please stop w/the "if we had just shot it better " excuse.

or the 'but if ONLY we would have been healthy...'

Guess what? Other teams in the tourney had to deal with health issues, this type of problem is not unique to the Iowa basketball program.

We got blown away by a far superior, athletic team period. Yes, I get it - they shot lights out, but who's to say that our defense (or lack thereof) did not have something to do what that?

I had to laugh when some poster said after Michigan scored 49 points vs. UCLA, 'no way does Iowa not score more that 49 points' LOL - sure, but would Iowa have only given up 51 points to UCLA!?!?🤡

 

[littlez]

I hope USC destroys Gonzaga..So sick of a school like that. They get to cruze against no competition for the year except of the few carefully timed opponents. All rested for the NCAA.Get #1 seed due to competition that sets them up for success untill the elite eight. I see USC giving them all kinds of trouble.

Good call Maximus.

 

[IllQChawk]

Good post. The only match up advantage Iowa had all season was Garza. Great to have that, but when the other 4 positions are a push to a deficit, particularly at the guard spots, you are going to get exposed when teams get up on guys or the 3's don't fall. Mike Smith would be Ronnie Lester reincarnated on Iowa's roster. Imagine that dude carving up defenses and kicking to Jbo, JW, CJ or dropping it off for Garza, Murray, Pmac, etc. There are a ton of these under-recruited guys out there + grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage.

And there lies the crucks of the matter....grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage. Fran does not look to recruit a transfer that is good enough to push one of his starters to the bench, hasn't happen in 11 years.
Jarred Uthoff was an exception and I'm guessing Uthoff was the initiator in transferring from Wisconsin.
It's all about the high school recruits with Fran, not that it's all bad, but there is a reason Iowa hasn't reached the sweet sixteen in 22 years...not all on Fran but he's keeping the failure active none the less.

 

[BBHawk]

And there lies the crucks of the matter....grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage. Fran does not look to recruit a transfer that is good enough to push one of his starters to the bench, hasn't happen in 11 years.
Jarred Uthoff was an exception and I'm guessing Uthoff was the initiator in transferring from Wisconsin.
It's all about the high school recruits with Fran, not that it's all bad, but there is a reason Iowa hasn't reached the sweet sixteen in 22 years...not all on Fran but he's keeping the failure active none the less.

What is a "cruck"? Is it a wannabee? 😉

 

[SDHawkDoc]

And there lies the crucks of the matter....grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage. Fran does not look to recruit a transfer that is good enough to push one of his starters to the bench, hasn't happen in 11 years.
Jarred Uthoff was an exception and I'm guessing Uthoff was the initiator in transferring from Wisconsin.
It's all about the high school recruits with Fran, not that it's all bad, but there is a reason Iowa hasn't reached the sweet sixteen in 22 years...not all on Fran but he's keeping the failure active none the less.

Fran's been highly rewarded for what he's done to date, with repeated extensions. Add in that the AD is incompetent, what's Fran's incentive for doing things differently?

If I kept getting raises and years added to my contract AND my boss gave every indication that the work I've done to date is just fine and to stay the course then why would I change things?

And this is in no way implying that Fran wants to keep falling short in the NCAA tourney. Of course he doesn't; just like almost every other coach out there he wants to win. I just think that he is in a position where he has no incentive to go outside of his comfort zone to try to do that.

 

[cidhawkeye]

And there lies the crucks of the matter....grad transfers looking to play on a bigger stage. Fran does not look to recruit a transfer that is good enough to push one of his starters to the bench, hasn't happen in 11 years.
Jarred Uthoff was an exception and I'm guessing Uthoff was the initiator in transferring from Wisconsin.
It's all about the high school recruits with Fran, not that it's all bad, but there is a reason Iowa hasn't reached the sweet sixteen in 22 years...not all on Fran but he's keeping the failure active none the less.

Interesting that you lay the foundation of the 22 year gap on a process that has only very recently become common place. If you review the controversy that occurred when Uthoff transferred you can see why some coaches have been slow to change their ways.

 

[pocha444444]

I think it's more about personnel than coaching of defense. Jbo and Connor are below average defenders. Fredrick was hurt. When two of your starters are below average playing D and another is hurt, it is impossible to be a good or even average defensive team.

Don't forget Garza. While he may be the best offensive player in the nation, he can be our worst defensive player depending on the matchup. He was definitely the worst defensive player against Oregon's lineup.

 

[silasstarr]

Don't forget Garza. While he may be the best offensive player in the nation, he can be our worst defensive player depending on the matchup. He was definitely the worst defensive player against Oregon's lineup.

Garza really improved his D since he was a freshmen. Was he a great defender? No, but he was serviceable, especially in comparison to Connor and Jbo. There aren't too many big men that can play on the perimeter against 6'6" players.