Someone Explain Why Ulis Gets More Minutes Than Bowen?

[BirdistheWord]

I agree. I do think Fran will look back at this game and realize he should have given Dasante more of Ulis' minutes, not just because Bowen has earned them, but he burned Ulis out a bit imo.

Fanatics on this board seem to expect perfection all the way around from coaches and the players; they make mistakes. Some here REALLY need to take a deep breath before hitting "post reply".

I dont think Bowen getting more minutes has to be all at expense of Ulis. I think Ulis has a lot more strength and he was 2nd in rebounding versus a strong, athletic and aggressive defense for ISU. Ulis had a number of careless turnovers, unlike him normally. But I was surprised we did not see a few more ball handlers especially in last ten minutes given how aggressive ISU was. Bowen would have been a great addition, and also for some additional experience.

Why not a lineup of (for at least 3-4 minute stretches):

Ulis
Bowen
Saucy
CMac
Rebraca

 

[nu2u]

C'mon Fran. Even after IowaLaw's OP and Bowen's career best 5-7 shooting performance against Duke, you keep your head in the sand.........

You quoted yourself as some kind of expert.....

Y

 

[Slim45]

I dont think Bowen getting more minutes has to be all at expense of Ulis. I think Ulis has a lot more strength and he was 2nd in rebounding versus a strong, athletic and aggressive defense for ISU. Ulis had a number of careless turnovers, unlike him normally. But I was surprised we did not see a few more ball handlers especially in last ten minutes given how aggressive ISU was. Bowen would have been a great addition, and also for some additional experience.

Why not a lineup of (for at least 3-4 minute stretches):

Ulis
Bowen
Saucy
CMac
Rebraca

Well put. I think most posters frustration is not with Ulis, he played pretty well outside of a couple bad turnovers. The frustration is with Fran for not getting other guards, mainly Bowen but Dix as well, more minutes in a blowout. To gain them some much needed experience, but also to save some legs from having to play 3 games in 6 day.

 

[Gary-Waterloo]

If you want to make an argument that is decent adjust your style. Simply ask why isn't Bowen playing more. This crap of comparing and then bringing in Connor is just stupid and worthless.

If you want the answer, here it is:. Coaches tend to worry about rookie point guards. Fran doesn't trust him yet. I would like him to get more run but that is the simple truth. Also, I see Dix is getting more time and I think that adds to the the objective truth that Fran will reward players he thinks are earning it.

Trying to turn this into a favorite thing shows your bias. Connor played because he brings thing to the table. The only thing limiting CJ was CJ's injuries. Connor has flaws but so did the players mentioned.

I like Bowen and hope Fran loosens the leash and allows him to make mistakes but trying to turn this into what you did is just gaslighting.

 

[BBptg5]

C'mon Fran. Even after IowaLaw's OP and Bowen's career best 5-7 shooting performance against Duke, you keep your head in the sand against ISU and bury Bowen on the bench without remembering he's even on the team:

Ulis - 36 mins
Bowen - 3 mins

That makes absolutely no sense. Way to reward your promising true freshmen. Brings back memories of how you rewarded Frederick, Moss, and Toussaint in the past. Remember what happened with each? They left the program and questioned your favoritism.

How did Ulis reward you for his undeserved 36 minutes in a blowout win? With 6 bad turnovers (is that a record for an Iowa point guard).

You even played Josh Dix 4x more mins than Bowen. Your playing time decisions often defy logic but this one was worse than usual. Surely you can strike a balance given the need for solid point guard play going into the Big 10.

I think we just beat a rival rated in the top 20, without our best player and did it convincingly. Yet you still find something to be negative about. Yes, we know you hate Fran and everything about Fran, including his kids but you at least should pick your spots. Must be hard to be so negative all the time.

 

[Ebby Mcflowerton]

Can someone explain why Connor is getting the 3rd most minutes on the team and guarding a guy like Filipowski? Never mind. We all know why. And there still will be idiots wondering why Carver isn't full

Connor is arguably the mvp so far this season.

 

[DewHawk]

Connor is arguably the mvp so far this season.

CM is playing very very well and may be the MVP, but FR has to be in that conversation as well. JMO

 

[HerkytheHawk]

C'mon Fran. Even after IowaLaw's OP and Bowen's career best 5-7 shooting performance against Duke, you keep your head in the sand against ISU and bury Bowen on the bench without remembering he's even on the team:

Ulis - 36 mins
Bowen - 3 mins

That makes absolutely no sense. Way to reward your promising true freshmen. Brings back memories of how you rewarded Frederick, Moss, and Toussaint in the past. Remember what happened with each? They left the program and questioned your favoritism.

How did Ulis reward you for his undeserved 36 minutes in a blowout win? With 6 bad turnovers (is that a record for an Iowa point guard).

You even played Josh Dix 4x more mins than Bowen. Your playing time decisions often defy logic but this one was worse than usual. Surely you can strike a balance given the need for solid point guard play going into the Big 10.

You do realize Dix and Bowen play different positions? As for Bowen getting more minutes, yes he could have been in the last 3-4 after Iowa has secured its' victory. However, neither you nor I know what goes on in practice and that is usually where playing time is determined.

 

[BirdistheWord]

Well put. I think most posters frustration is not with Ulis, he played pretty well outside of a couple bad turnovers. The frustration is with Fran for not getting other guards, mainly Bowen but Dix as well, more minutes in a blowout. To gain them some much needed experience, but also to save some legs from having to play 3 games in 6 day.

Yes, indeed. I wondered the same thing. Bowen needs to ramp up asap as we get ready for B1G play.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Unlike Ferentz, Fran is not one to play guys based on the union card (other than his sons). So what exactly has Ulis done in 3 years at Iowa to deserve to be a starting point guard and play ahead of a talent like Bowen?

Aside from Bowen clearly winning the eye test, their stats make it clear that Ulis has no business getting the majority of the playing time:

Bowen: Mins 12 pg; PPG 6; FG% 56%; 3pt 33%; Assists 1.6; Steals .4
A Ulis: Mins 24 pg; PPG 6; FG% 41%; 3pt 29%; Assists 2.8; Steals .5

It's like when Fran was playing a young Connor over CJ Frederick or Isaiah Moss back in the day. Clearly Bowen earned more minutes. It's time to make the switch and let Ulis work on his layups.

Last night? Maybe because Bowen looked like a deer in headlights when he was in the game? And in case you think I'm against Bowen, I am one who has said he reminds me a little of Ronnie Lester.

 

[toddhawkwi]

I think we can all agree that we like Bowen's potential. I think we can also agree that we'd like to see that "potential" turn into productivity sooner than later. Last night was not a good night for Bowen to put it mildly so Fran sat him. He'll get his chances. We all hope to see improvement quickly.

 

[Bishop1971]

Last night? Maybe because Bowen looked like a deer in headlights when he was in the game? And in case you think I'm against Bowen, I am one who has said he reminds me a little of Ronnie Lester.

Im a Bowen fan but he really looked unsteady last night. He'll definitely get his minutes but dang was last night great.

 

[Slim45]

Last night? Maybe because Bowen looked like a deer in headlights when he was in the game? And in case you think I'm against Bowen, I am one who has said he reminds me a little of Ronnie Lester.

I mean ya, he didn’t look great when he was in there. In his defense they put the press on immediately after he came in, which was a different look than they had showed up to that point. And it’s a little hard to judge a kid on 3 minutes of pt imo.
Just seems nonsensical to bench a kid with that much potential, for the rest of a blowout game, when he needs the pt to grow and get acclimated to the college game. He’s going to learn by getting on the floor, not by sitting on the bench

 

[ChiPackHawk]

I mean ya, he didn’t look great when he was in there. In his defense they put the press on immediately after he came in, which was a different look than they had showed up to that point. And it’s a little hard to judge a kid on 3 minutes of pt imo.
Just seems nonsensical to bench a kid with that much potential, for the rest of a blowout game, when he needs the pt to grow and get acclimated to the college game. He’s going to learn by getting on the floor, not by sitting on the bench

The immediacy of the press being put on because he came into the game was not a coincidence. He's a freshman point guard and being able to handle the press of a very good defensive team is not going to happen overnight.

 

[Slim45]

The immediacy of the press being put on because he came into the game was not a coincidence. He's a freshman point guard and being able to handle the press of a very good defensive team is not going to happen overnight.

Definitely, no doubt about that. Im just saying it had to be a little surprising to him after watching on the bench and there being no press, then being inserted and bam they’re pressing. That being said he didn’t turn the ball over because of the press, he simply didn’t catch the ball on his first turnover. Can’t think of his other turnover but I don’t recall it being forced off the press…?

 

[jonesy5960]

C'mon Fran. Even after IowaLaw's OP and Bowen's career best 5-7 shooting performance against Duke, you keep your head in the sand against ISU and bury Bowen on the bench without remembering he's even on the team:

Ulis - 36 mins
Bowen - 3 mins

That makes absolutely no sense. Way to reward your promising true freshmen. Brings back memories of how you rewarded Frederick, Moss, and Toussaint in the past. Remember what happened with each? They left the program and questioned your favoritism.

How did Ulis reward you for his undeserved 36 minutes in a blowout win? With 6 bad turnovers (is that a record for an Iowa point guard).

You even played Josh Dix 4x more mins than Bowen. Your playing time decisions often defy logic but this one was worse than usual. Surely you can strike a balance given the need for solid point guard play going into the Big 10.

I've never seen Fran reward a player with more minutes after a strong performance. For whatever reason that's not what he does. Recall last year when Kris scored 29 vs Indiana and then I think averaged 11 minutes the next 2 games. I suppose there's a method to his madness. He did pull Sandfort out of the starting lineup and inserted Ulis which surprised me since I know tinkering with starting lineups isn't something that he takes lightly.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Definitely, no doubt about that. Im just saying it had to be a little surprising to him after watching on the bench and there being no press, then being inserted and bam they’re pressing. That being said he didn’t turn the ball over because of the press, he simply didn’t catch the ball on his first turnover. Can’t think of his other turnover but I don’t recall it being forced off the press…?

He did look really uneasy last night. I'm sure Fran noticed that and so did the ISU coach. The press would have come right back on.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Unlike Ferentz, Fran is not one to play guys based on the union card (other than his sons). So what exactly has Ulis done in 3 years at Iowa to deserve to be a starting point guard and play ahead of a talent like Bowen?

Aside from Bowen clearly winning the eye test, their stats make it clear that Ulis has no business getting the majority of the playing time:

Bowen: Mins 12 pg; PPG 6; FG% 56%; 3pt 33%; Assists 1.6; Steals .4
A Ulis: Mins 24 pg; PPG 6; FG% 41%; 3pt 29%; Assists 2.8; Steals .5

It's like when Fran was playing a young Connor over CJ Frederick or Isaiah Moss back in the day. Clearly Bowen earned more minutes. It's time to make the switch and let Ulis work on his layups.

Lulz

 

[Aleksei]

Unlike Ferentz, Fran is not one to play guys based on the union card (other than his sons). So what exactly has Ulis done in 3 years at Iowa to deserve to be a starting point guard and play ahead of a talent like Bowen?

Aside from Bowen clearly winning the eye test, their stats make it clear that Ulis has no business getting the majority of the playing time:

Bowen: Mins 12 pg; PPG 6; FG% 56%; 3pt 33%; Assists 1.6; Steals .4
A Ulis: Mins 24 pg; PPG 6; FG% 41%; 3pt 29%; Assists 2.8; Steals .5

It's like when Fran was playing a young Connor over CJ Frederick or Isaiah Moss back in the day. Clearly Bowen earned more minutes. It's time to make the switch and let Ulis work on his layups.

🙄

 

[TheTruthTheWholeTruth]

Still need it explained to you, knucklehead?

 

[mazda1]

At this time Ulis is the better player. Bowen probably has more upside, but today you want a healthy Ulis on the floor.

 

[perryhawk]

At this time Ulis is the better player. Bowen probably has more upside, but today you want a healthy Ulis on the floor.

Yeah the coach knows what he’s doing….he sees them all the time and knows better than anyone one here what he wants/expects from them and who’s best at doing that.

At the moment Ulis is that guy….but Bowen has a bright future!

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Yeah the coach knows what he’s doing….he sees them all the time and knows better than anyone one here what he wants/expects from them and who’s best at doing that.

At the moment Ulis is that guy….but Bowen has a bright future!

yep a coach has never made mistakes with playing time. LOL. Fran has admitted it many times and it is his single biggest coaching problem outside of defense.

 

[DanHawkPella]

Most fans just see the offensive side while defensive mistakes or mistakes running play sets are less obvious (but very obvious to coaches and in film review). My guess is that Bowen is very inconsistent yet in many areas even though his raw talent allows him to have very bright flashes of awesomeness on offense. Ulis to my eyes is a better, more physical defender who can keep guys from turning the corner on him, play his gaps and assignments and defensive rebound better than Bowen - at this point. He's also show a solid 3 point shot when left wide open which is an improvement.

I predicted Bowen would beat out Ulis at some point this year, but Ulis is playing a bit better than expected so he could hold him off for awhile. When Bowen can be trusted with his defensive assignments and so forth then it will get very interesting in terms of time share. I could care less who starts, and would bias it towards the older player with more time in the program and seniority, but that doesn't mean they'll get the most minutes.

 

[Slim45]

Most fans just see the offensive side while defensive mistakes or mistakes running play sets are less obvious (but very obvious to coaches and in film review). My guess is that Bowen is very inconsistent yet in many areas even though his raw talent allows him to have very bright flashes of awesomeness on offense. Ulis to my eyes is a better, more physical defender who can keep guys from turning the corner on him, play his gaps and assignments and defensive rebound better than Bowen - at this point. He's also show a solid 3 point shot when left wide open which is an improvement.

I predicted Bowen would beat out Ulis at some point this year, but Ulis is playing a bit better than expected so he could hold him off for awhile. When Bowen can be trusted with his defensive assignments and so forth then it will get very interesting in terms of time share. I could care less who starts, and would bias it towards the older player with more time in the program and seniority, but that doesn't mean they'll get the most minutes.

I mean you’re probably right, im just laughing thinking about Fran actually caring about defense. I mean im sure they work on it in practice, but when it comes to games it seems like that’s the furthest thing from his mind. Plenty of defensive lapses to go around on the team, if defense is what he’s worried about there should be a few other guys, his middle son being the biggest culprit, taking a seat next to him on the bench.

 

[perryhawk]

yep a coach has never made mistakes with playing time. LOL. Fran has admitted it many times and it is his single biggest coaching problem outside of defense.

I'm not sure where you get the "has never made mistakes".......I haven't heard/read that from anyone on here.

In addition, you are correct.....Fran has admitted it, on occasion. He's a straight shooter. We might not hear everything we like or want to hear from him, but he's a damn good coach and he knows what he's doing. This fun commentary, discussion, banter from us fans is no where near as informed as he is about the decisions he makes. We aren't the ones that take crap from the media or disgruntled fans when things don't go right....he does. So I guarantee he's trying to do what's best and has succeeded for many years, to the tune of 500 wins.

 

[DanHawkPella]

I mean you’re probably right, im just laughing thinking about Fran actually caring about defense. I mean im sure they work on it in practice, but when it comes to games it seems like that’s the furthest thing from his mind. Plenty of defensive lapses to go around on the team, if defense is what he’s worried about there should be a few other guys, his middle son being the biggest culprit, taking a seat next to him on the bench.

Well, we are 75th on defensive efficiency on Kenpom out of 365 teams so it's not horrible, but yes if you watch film with a somewhat discerning eye Patrick and to a lesser extent Sandfort and maybe the freshmen do have some "gaps" we shall say.

 

[jthawk]

Fran trusts Ulis more at this point. That's how Fran always has been. Sometimes it's frustrating when guys in the past like Moss, Toussaint, now Bowen were on the bench for extended periods. Patrick McCaffrey sometimes ends up on the bench for lengthy stretches because he does bonehead things on offense.

It seems like with its mostly trust on the offensive end. Last night Bowen struggled mightily when the clones put on a full court press. He got yanked. I think at some point he'll get more minutes/start but as a pg he will have to convince Fran he can run the show without messing up the offense.

As for Connor, now that he can knock down a 3 on a consistent basis he is super valuable to this team with his on court leadership, toughness, and ability to get the team organized.

This. Players earn playing time by earning coach's trust. It's really pretty simple.

 

[Bishop1971]

I think our defense is improving and with a little bit of luck on the health side we can be a 40 to 50 defensive team in January.

 

[IowasLaw]

Ulis continues to prove to be 2022's most overrated Hawk in any sport. Why he continues to see so much playing time is like asking why Petras started every game for 3 years at QB. "What's the upside" of giving other guys minutes?

Ulis' stats vs 3-9 Eastern Illinois:

Ulis: 31 mins. 2-10 from the field. 4 points. 0-7 from 3.
Bowen: 13 mins. 2-4 from the field. 8 points. 2-3 from 3.

Again, would Ulis start at any other Power 5 program? What exactly has he done to merit playing 31 mins per game like he did against Eastern Illinois?

This is on the coaches. Something needs to change. He's been outplayed by every point guard he's gone up against this season and he's making things very difficult for the Hawks to succeed.

 

[TRHawkeye145]

I think our defense is improving and with a little bit of luck on the health side we can be a 40 to 50 defensive team in January.

This post didn't age well

 

[BBptg5]

Ulis continues to prove to be 2022's most overrated Hawk in any sport. Why he continues to see so much playing time is like asking why Petras started every game for 3 years at QB. "What's the upside" of giving other guys minutes?

Ulis' stats vs 3-9 Eastern Illinois:

Ulis: 31 mins. 2-10 from the field. 4 points. 0-7 from 3.
Bowen: 13 mins. 2-4 from the field. 8 points. 2-3 from 3.

Again, would Ulis start at any other Power 5 program? What exactly has he done to merit playing 31 mins per game like he did against Eastern Illinois?

This is on the coaches. Something needs to change. He's been outplayed by every point guard he's gone up against this season and he's making things very difficult for the Hawks to succeed.

You know so little about basketball you should be embarrassed to even try to be critical. How many turn overs did Bowen have? How much standing around did the offense do as he dribbled out front with no penetration?How much does he have to learn yet on defending the high pick and roll? There is no comparison at this point and Ulis is far superior. I usually just ignore you but at times you are more than just comical.

 

[Bishop1971]

This post didn't age well

Not even the slightest. Ugh.

 

[HawkLogic]

You know so little about basketball you should be embarrassed to even try to be critical. How many turn overs did Bowen have? How much standing around did the offense do as he dribbled out front with no penetration?How much does he have to learn yet on defending the high pick and roll? There is no comparison at this point and Ulis is far superior. I usually just ignore you but at times you are more than just comical.

Iowa loses to a nobody that shoots 60% from the field. About half the board has pointed out that Fran doesn't coach good defense/sub for defense and that has limited the upside for Fran teams. That is why Fran has 30+ year career and done nothing in NCAA tourney,. Give Fran credit for getting Garza and Keegan...yet he couldn't even make sweet16s with those stars on his teams.

His own kid PMAC is one of the worst defenders in B1G at 6'9 and too slow to guard the 3 postion but lacking the toughness to play the PF spot. The previous 6 years, JBO was probably the worst defender in B1G at PG.

We'll get Kris Murray back and cmac....this team will probably be 0.500 in B1G and probably not make NCAA tourney. Not awful, but nothing to get too excited about. It is not Fran's fault, but Sandfort is having a terrible 3pt shooting year. The lack of depth in Frontcourt is Fran's fault on recruiting/portal. NIL is a fiasco....obviously Barta has a lot of the blame...but coaches like Ferentz and McCaffery are quite content to collect very high salaries and not rock the boat, because they know they get long contracts at Iowa and modest expectations.

 

[ChiPackHawk]

Can someone explain why Connor is getting the 3rd most minutes on the team and guarding a guy like Filipowski? Never mind. We all know why. And there still will be idiots wondering why Carver isn't full

Maybe yesterday was an indicator of why Connor gets the minutes he does. Hmm? He just may be the most important player on this team. And for all of the overreactors, I didn't say best. You can be the MVP of a team, especially in college, and not be the best NBA prospect.

 

[IowasLaw]

As an update, vs Rutgers last night:

Ulis: 35 mins played; 2-8 shooting; 3 assists
Bowen: 4 mins played; 1-1 shooting; 0 assists

In other words, Ulis played 9x more minutes, yet made just 1 more basket and 3 more assists. In that time, his defense was poor. Talk about unproductive playing time.

On the season, Ulis' shooting percentage is at a historic low, just 22% from 3. That's lower than Conner shot at his lowest level a few years back when he was tabbed the worst 3 point shooter in college basketball.

I'm sorry, but Ulis has done nothing to deserve the playing time he's getting. Not in D1 basketball and certainly not at a NCAA tourney caliber basketball program. I would venture to guess every starting point guard in the Missouri Valley conference would be an upgrade. Fran had to see this coming and should have pulled a serviceable point guard out of the portal or given a longer leash to Bowen.

 

[skydog0784]

I suspect Fran played Bowen very little yesterday due to his turnovers. 2 TOs (both unforced) in 4 minutes of play. He almost got trapped at half court at least once and barely got out of it. That being said, I'm much higher on Bowen than Ulis as well. I'd like to see him get a lot more run than he does.

However, both look pretty suspect out there when handling the ball. Neither look that steady at the 1 spot to me.

 

[Bishop1971]

As an update, vs Rutgers last night:

Ulis: 35 mins played; 2-8 shooting; 3 assists
Bowen: 4 mins played; 1-1 shooting; 0 assists

In other words, Ulis played 9x more minutes, yet made just 1 more basket and 3 more assists. In that time, his defense was poor. Talk about unproductive playing time.

On the season, Ulis' shooting percentage is at a historic low, just 22% from 3. That's lower than Conner shot at his lowest level a few years back when he was tabbed the worst 3 point shooter in college basketball.

I'm sorry, but Ulis has done nothing to deserve the playing time he's getting. Not in D1 basketball and certainly not at a NCAA tourney caliber basketball program. I would venture to guess every starting point guard in the Missouri Valley conference would be an upgrade. Fran had to see this coming and should have pulled a serviceable point guard out of the portal or given a longer leash to Bowen.

And yet ulis had 8 points. Ulis played good defense and it was obvious that uhlis was the better player vs Rutgers. Bowen will get his time but in no way was he ready to play against Rutgers.

 

[paladinhawk]

As an update, vs Rutgers last night:

Ulis: 35 mins played; 2-8 shooting; 3 assists
Bowen: 4 mins played; 1-1 shooting; 0 assists

In other words, Ulis played 9x more minutes, yet made just 1 more basket and 3 more assists. In that time, his defense was poor.

Lies, damned lies, and statistics... How about we extrapolate Bowen's 2 turnovers in 4 minutes to 18 turnovers in 36 minutes?

 

[Bishop1971]

Lies, damned lies, and statistics... How about we extrapolate Bowen's 2 turnovers in 4 minutes to 18 turnovers in 36 minutes?

Thank you for that. Slaw is good at skewing stats to fit his posts.