Schedule Strength May Be Problem

[AmericaNeedsMe]

Torvik SOS B1G ratings:

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It ain't gonna help us.

 

[Roncuba55]

We play Washington State on 11/1? Is that a scrimmage?

 

[warriors dad]

We play Washington State on 11/1? Is that a scrimmage?

That is not correct. They have not set a date yet and season cannot begin until november 4th.

 

[HawkeyeGenius]

Just win them all by 25+ and the NET will take care of itself.

 

[icwesthawk]

Well, at least we're not MD

 

[Mitch122]

Just win

 

[combes]

Why would Iowa schedule this way with a talented veteran team?

Illinois has mostly a new team and Underwood scheduled Duke, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Oakland in the nonconference. Will lose some. Of them, but fans love seeing good teams over crappy teams.

 

[jonesy5960]

Why would Iowa schedule this way with a talented veteran team?

Illinois has mostly a new team and Underwood scheduled Duke, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Oakland in the nonconference. Will lose some. Of them, but fans love seeing good teams over crappy teams.

Because Iowa doesn't have a talented veteran team?

 

[AmericaNeedsMe]

Why would Iowa schedule this way with a talented veteran team?

Illinois has mostly a new team and Underwood scheduled Duke, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Oakland in the nonconference. Will lose some. Of them, but fans love seeing good teams over crappy teams.

Michigan State is the model, imo. Izzo always has an extremely tough non-con slate because he believes that it prepares his teams for the post season, and his teams are usually very competitive in those games. It's hard to argue against him considering his tourney results.

I think scheduling high profile opponents also raises the profile of your own program, and generates a lot more fan interest if... IF the games are competitive.

Fran seems to have a different perspective. He wants wins to tune up and build confidence going into the conference season, and he thinks ISU and the B1G slate is more than challenging enough to prepare his teams for the tourney. It's hard to argue for him considering his tourney results.

I honestly think Illinois could lose every single one of those games except for maybe Oakland. I don't know if any of them will even be competitive. I think Alabama in Birmingham, e.g., will beat you by 20+. I don't know how much getting your teeth kicked in really helps prepare a team for the post season. There's an optimal way to schedule to your talent/experience level and I think Underwood may have vastly overrated his team. Time will tell.

 

[peacehawk]

Fire Fran

 

[littlez]

And it ain’t gonna hurt us either. Very rarely do deserving Power 6 teams not make the tournament.

 

[CookyMonster]

'21 non con wasn't great.

 

[AmericaNeedsMe]

And it ain’t gonna hurt us either. Very rarely do deserving Power 6 teams not make the tournament.

It most definitely could be the difference between making and missing the tourney, and even if we make the tourney, it could negatively affect seeding. Plus, it's just more fun to watch better games.

 

[Mohawkeye]

Every year people fret about the schedule and I cannot remember it ever keeping us out of the tournament. Fran usually gets it about right. Interesting, projects us at 10-10 in the Big. Is that 17th place.?

 

[littlez]

It most definitely could be the difference between making and missing the tourney, and even if we make the tourney, it could negatively affect seeding. Plus, it's just more fun to watch better games.

I'll agree w/your last sentence. As would everyone else on here I'm sure.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

Fran needs to figure out why we seem to start so poorly in conference play. Every year, our nonconference schedule has mostly 200+ cupcakes, and every year, we bitch about it. Maybe a couple of cupcakes very early is good, but find some teams that are top 100 teams. Find a few teams from top conferences, who are looking for neutral court games or home/away match ups. More fans will want to come and watch, and it might better prepare the team for conference play...

 

[HawkAlum2002]

Every year people fret about the schedule and I cannot remember it ever keeping us out of the tournament. Fran usually gets it about right. Interesting, projects us at 10-10 in the Big. Is that 17th place.?

1997-98 was the only year it mattered, and even that team was borderline anyway so it may not have actually made the difference. But yes, every year we get this schedule overanalysis and half the time we aren't a tourney team regardless so be glad we got more wins, and the times we are good enough, we've never been anxiously waiting on the bubble because of it. When Iowa is in, Iowa is usually in comfortably. When we have squeezed either side of the bubble (2013 and 2014 for instance), SOS hasn't been a reason for being there.

 

[iahawks10]

Fran needs to figure out why we seem to start so poorly in conference play. Every year, our nonconference schedule has mostly 200+ cupcakes, and every year, we bitch about it. Maybe a couple of cupcakes very early is good, but find some teams that are top 100 teams. Find a few teams from top conferences, who are looking for neutral court games or home/away match ups. More fans will want to come and watch, and it might better prepare the team for conference play...

I don’t think the B1G schedule has usually been favorable either.

Last year, Iowa played @Creighton, N-Oklahoma, and N-Seton Hall (& @ISU). Then the B1G starts out @Purdue and Michigan/home. They should have never lost to Michigan at home, but Michigan started the season a hell of a lot better than they ended it too.

In 2022-23, Iowa played N-Duke, N-TCU, N-Clemson, @Seton Hall, and Ga Tech (& ISU). Then starts the B1G home vs Wisconsin and two away games. All three were winnable games, but they ended up losing all three before winning the next three in a row.

In 2021-22, was just @Virginia then @Purdue and ILL at home (then @ISU and N-Utah St). Guessing Covid was a large part of the non-conf scheduling this year. No neutral court games or non exempt tournaments.

In 2020-21, they played N-Gonzaga, UNC and ISU. Then B1G started with Purdue (W), @ Minn (OT-L), and Northwestern (W). Different scheduling this season with Covid.

Iowa has had a decent non conference schedule before this upcoming season with several neutral games, the Gavitt Games, the ACC/B1G, and Iowa State. I agree that Iowa does seem to start out slow in the B1G especially in those December conference games. But the schedule makers like to see Iowa and Purdue play early in the season too.

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

I don’t think the B1G schedule has usually been favorable either.

Last year, Iowa played @Creighton, N-Oklahoma, and N-Seton Hall (& @ISU). Then the B1G starts out @Purdue and Michigan/home. They should have never lost to Michigan at home, but Michigan started the season a hell of a lot better than they ended it too.

In 2022-23, Iowa played N-Duke, N-TCU, N-Clemson, @Seton Hall, and Ga Tech (& ISU). Then starts the B1G home vs Wisconsin and two away games. All three were winnable games, but they ended up losing all three before winning the next three in a row.

In 2021-22, was just @Virginia then @Purdue and ILL at home (then @ISU and N-Utah St). Guessing Covid was a large part of the non-conf scheduling this year. No neutral court games or non exempt tournaments.

In 2020-21, they played N-Gonzaga, UNC and ISU. Then B1G started with Purdue (W), @ Minn (OT-L), and Northwestern (W). Different scheduling this season with Covid.

Iowa has had a decent non conference schedule before this upcoming season with several neutral games, the Gavitt Games, the ACC/B1G, and Iowa State. I agree that Iowa does seem to start out slow in the B1G especially in those December conference games. But the schedule makers like to see Iowa and Purdue play early in the season too.

What you lay out isn't the problem. We play awful teams for half of the non-conference schedule (over 200 teams, some around 300).

 

[SDHawkDoc]

It's the number of dogsh!t teams that is the problem. A couple of 250+ teams are expected. Most of the big dogs play at least one or two of them. But when there are 4+, that's not acceptable.

 

[warriors dad]

Not having the Gavitt games or ACC challenge hurts also. Then you also throw in no Thanksgiving tournaments you need to go out and get 1-2 Premier games at home. Playing Utah in Sioux Falls is ok but you need a Creighton type team to really draw fan interest.

 

[Beattheohiostate]

Fran needs to figure out why we seem to start so poorly in conference play. Every year, our nonconference schedule has mostly 200+ cupcakes, and every year, we bitch about it. Maybe a couple of cupcakes very early is good, but find some teams that are top 100 teams. Find a few teams from top conferences, who are looking for neutral court games or home/away match ups. More fans will want to come and watch, and it might better prepare the team for conference play...

For one thing, Beth should tell Fran he HAS to play UNI and Drake EVERY damn year. If it has to be at a neutral site, like the Quad-Cities or whatever, so be it. But playing the dregs of the country and NOT playing two good D-1 programs in your own state is stupid. Yah, I know what happened at UNI a long, long time ago. So what? Iowa has been hosed just as bad at East Lansing and Bloomington and West Lafayette, and Minneapolis, et al., but Iowa keeps playing MSU, Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota, and the rest of the BIG.

I, too, despise Tom Izzo, but I respect the way he sets up his nonconference schedule. Iowa should be ashamed to play the 250+ teams that Fran has consistently scheduled. You wanna be a respected big-boy program, schedule like it, and get your team ready for it. IMHO, of course.

 

[AmericaNeedsMe]

Every year people fret about the schedule and I cannot remember it ever keeping us out of the tournament. Fran usually gets it about right. Interesting, projects us at 10-10 in the Big. Is that 17th place.?

I don't know what this is. Is it Stockholm Syndrome? Not exactly I guess but it's odd and sad.

As a ticket buying fan, I just can't imagine defending this practice with a "well....it's good enough" argument.

If CHA is ever less than 75% full, Fran is not getting it "about right."

 

[HoustonREDHawk]

It should not be that difficult to limit the number of 250+ teams to no more than 2 "warm up games" per year. The nonconference schedule doesn't have to be all top 100 teams otherwise, but there are plenty of under 200 teams from mid-level conferences, who wouldn't mind getting a chance to beat a B1G school, especially those teams in Iowa or nearby states.

 

[Ronman]

We can't help it if the big boys are ducking us!

 

[NotAFairCatch]

Just win them all by 25+ and the NET will take care of itself.

This matters more than the SOS, correct.

 

[littlez]

This matters more than the SOS, correct.

Which is so dumb. Get rewarded for blowing out below 200 RPI teams.

 

[NotAFairCatch]

Which is so dumb. Get rewarded for blowing out below 200 RPI teams.

Margin of victory capped at 10. Team metrics aren't I believe is the glitch.