The culture of Iowa Basketball...Making a huge deal out of a conference tournament championship.
- Thread starter NorthernHawkeye
- Start date
Obviously getting to the tournament and then making a run is always the hope or goal…no one’s arguing otherwise. The S16 however hasn’t really been the bench mark until the frustration over the last few years. Hell, I want Iowa to go further than the S16….and once we get there people will say Well we gotta get to the E8 or the F4 or this coach needs to be replaced!
So, I disagree that the “show us you can get to the S16” has been a long held standard….it’s just been 12 years ago that we were at rock bottom and hoping to rebuild and be competitive in the B10.
You don't get a banner for you g to Sweet 16. There is one for BTT champion.
preseason i expected to be in bubble contention and hopefully reach the tourney. If you’d have told me after losing 3 straight to Purdue, i
Illinois and Iowa state, we’d go on to win 26 games, win the b10 tourney and have a consensus all American again, I’d have said you were nuts. Disappointed in how it ended, but still a great season.
That’s the entire point . It was an upset, Iowa played a poor game and lost. Not the first, not the last time that will ever happen in the ncaa tourney for anyone. I won’t let it change how I feel about the season as a whole.
More conference games makes it harder because it also results in fewer non conference games overall as well.
It’s funny how a lot of fans have forgotten where the program was when Fran arrived…we were the joke of the conference at that point. At worst, he has gotten the program back to where it was when Davis was let go, where ncaa tourney bids were the baseline most years. Now the next step is to get to the second weekend, which is exponentially harder.
They got a trophy, something Iowa basketball has not done for a long time. I can live with that.
The BTT created so much positive buzz for Iowa that I think many here have forgotten about because of the Richmond loss. A lot of big time analysts were picking us as a Final Four team because we pretty much were the hottest team in college basketball. That was great for the perception of the program and doesn’t happen without the BTT. The problem is that the team followed that up with the Richmond game which killed the public perception and thus the positive value earned from the BTT quickly.
I will say that the BTT is much more important now than it was 15 years ago. As the conference expanded to 14 teams, the unbalanced schedules have gotten worse. Every year when the schedule comes out we’re always scouring to see who has the easiest and hardest schedules of the home and homes and single-plays on the road. The BTT is the great equalizer in that.
Football does a similar thing. In 2015 we were undefeated and MSU had a loss. But because of the extra post-season championship game, MSU is conference champions. And it made sense because of unbalanced schedules that football has to play with 14 teams in conference. Wrestling does this too, there’s a regular season dual meet championship, but nobody really cares about it as it is only the Big Ten tournament that matters in conference. As time goes on, especially if they reduce the number of conference games down to 18 at some point, the BTT will be held in higher esteem.
I will say that the BTT is much more important now than it was 15 years ago. As the conference expanded to 14 teams, the unbalanced schedules have gotten worse. Every year when the schedule comes out we’re always scouring to see who has the easiest and hardest schedules of the home and homes and single-plays on the road. The BTT is the great equalizer in that.
Football does a similar thing. In 2015 we were undefeated and MSU had a loss. But because of the extra post-season championship game, MSU is conference champions. And it made sense because of unbalanced schedules that football has to play with 14 teams in conference. Wrestling does this too, there’s a regular season dual meet championship, but nobody really cares about it as it is only the Big Ten tournament that matters in conference. As time goes on, especially if they reduce the number of conference games down to 18 at some point, the BTT will be held in higher esteem.
Yes, sometimes that is really it. People want reasons. There really aren't many beyond what you said. I saw a team that played hard. I did think they played very tight once the game stayed close through most of the first half. Which again, happens to many favorites in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The reality of no more games if you lose this one matters, whether people want to admit it or not.
If Iowa had somehow managed to just win the first game, it's highly likely they play much better for however long they would have lasted in the tournament. It's too bad as right or wrong it will always be associated with this team. For about 6 weeks, they played as consistently well as any Iowa team in a long time, and certainly better than any team in the Fran era (yes, from Feb. 1 through the BTT they were a far more complete team than the Garza/Wieskamp team of the previous year).
Fran has his flaws as do all coaches. But whatever he did with this team through the latter half of the season was tremendous. Great basketball to watch and be a fan of. Just played awful in one game against a team that wasn't very good, and it cost them.
The BTT win is a big deal and I would imagine was one of the goals that Fran has listed every year and should be celebrated. Any good team (or business for that matter) will have multiple goals that stair step to the top goal. I would imagine Fran's goals look something like this every year, with some deviation year over year based on talent as a goal should be achievable:
Qualify for NCAA tournament
Achieve double bye in BTT
Win regular season crown
Win BTT
Reach S16
Reach FF
Win NCAA tournament
There are multiple levels of success and in no year will a team hit all of their goals. The fact that some were missed does not mean you do not celebrate the goals that were hit, it simply means the celebration gets better as you hit more goals.I really enjoyed this team and the season overall now that the raw emotions of the disappointing finish have settled down somewhat.
The 6 weeks of truly dominant play after Feb 1 is unmatched since at least 1987.
When you add the huge margins of wins in early season you would have to guess that Iowa had more double digit wins in this season than any in at least 35 years.
This was a memorable season in my book...thanks Hawks!
The 6 weeks of truly dominant play after Feb 1 is unmatched since at least 1987.
When you add the huge margins of wins in early season you would have to guess that Iowa had more double digit wins in this season than any in at least 35 years.
This was a memorable season in my book...thanks Hawks!
And focusing on one or two games in late March puts the existence of an athletic program in a better perspective?
Lick did a number on everyone but we can't hang onto "remember where this program was" it never should have been there and the recovery was basically 10 years ago. NCAA tournament success is a fair barometer at this point.
I will always enjoy seeing Iowa win a conference championship (tournament or regular season), watching my favorite team win a trophy and cutting down the nets is enjoyable to me. I also wish Iowa had more success in the NCAA tournament as well but it is called March Madness for a reason, anything can happen. If that makes me part of the "culture" problem then so be it. I believe we should look for ways to celebrate the team not minimize their accomplishments. If you feel the only time we should celebrate an accomplishment is when they win the NCAA tournament then you must be miserable.
I think there is some component of this among at least part of the fan base. While I can certainly understand that in the early years, the previous coaches failings really aren't relevant to the state of a b-ball program more than 10 years later.
I agree with that....and yet we better remember the history of what hiring the "National Coach of the Year" did to our program and at least contemplate history when we think about making a change....which is what some fans clearly believe is what this program should do....otherwise we will NEVER get to the Sweet 16!
You’re exactly right.
Prohm did a helluva # on isu too. 1 yr later their new coach has them in the s16. The portal obviously plays a big part in making that easier now days, but it’s not like he got a couple world beaters from the portal. He’s obviously just a good coach that gets the most from his players and understands defense and effort always travel.
Hanging onto Lick dragging us down to the pits of hell 13 years ago is absolutely pathetic and im tired of listening to that excuse! Credit Fran for getting us back to some sort of relevance, but NCAA success is absolutely the only barometer that should matter now. It took him 12 years to break through and have any kind of success in the BTT, so maybe yr 13 is when he breaks through and has some success in NCAA’s….lord willing, cause he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon
Funny when Iowa doesn't perform well in the BTT its a huge deal and some people use it against Fran. Now Iowa wins it and the same people try and minimize the achievement.
Sure thing, I just don’t think it should be the sole barometer either. It absolutely sucks to lose in the first round this year, especially after winning the b10 tourney. Also, it’s not like Fran has made a habit of losing games in the tourney he shouldn’t have, that Richmond game was very much an outlier for what we usually see from the team.
My dad met my mom in Perry when he worked at IH back in the 60s. Great town. Loved going to the Maid Rite when visiting G&G and going to the drive in theater.
So did winning all those B1G games down the stretch and in the BTT not count? They were the reason that so many had high expectations for Iowa going into the NCAA's, and thus why the first round defeat was so deflating.
Last edited:
Bs. Fran never allows them to get any level of comfort. How they played in the ncaa is a function of how they were used during the season. Fran f’d up. Plain and simple. He leveraged jbo and cmac for future success. Some may think the key to a good season was a hot jbo to who which I would question
Joe t Aaron and Perkins rotating at the 1/2 would have led us to a decent season likely in the ncaa and who knows maybe even win a game imo.
it was an upset in seed, yes. Most fans here would reluctantly admit there was a realistic fear that it would happen. If you weren't then maybe you don't have a realistic view of our defensive limitations.
Not concerned what the talking heads on ESPN say. The name on the front of our jersey isn't striking fear into anyone at this moment in time.
I would argue that the best most objective assessment of a regular season is the #5 seed(which translates into a top 20 season)
or the Net rating of #15.
By those metrics this team way overachiever the pre-season projections of 9th in the league.
Single elimination tourney is a total crapshoot and ended in disappointment.
If Fran can land a contributor in the portal I am optimistic for next year.
or the Net rating of #15.
By those metrics this team way overachiever the pre-season projections of 9th in the league.
Single elimination tourney is a total crapshoot and ended in disappointment.
If Fran can land a contributor in the portal I am optimistic for next year.
This.
Winning the BTT was a big deal and a really nice bullet point for the season.
That said, making a good run in the NCAA Tournament would be an even bigger deal. Losing in the first round to a double digit seed puts a bit of tarnish on this team's legacy. Same for the 2006 season. Does it undo what was accomplished in the regular season or BTT? No. But it definitely adds a "Yeah, but..." to it. People will always remember Richmond and NWST all too well.
26-10. The sky is not falling. With Keegan gone, we still have a lot coming back. Our defense will be even better.
it took great effort to win 3 of the four games.. to play a quick turn around against a tournament team and match that same intensity is difficult..I think there was an illustration by CBS during Big Ten that showed recent tournament winner struggles in the NCAA.. I was not surprised the Hawks came in flat after such an emotional high..
I think that graphic also showed MSU reaching the Final 4 (2019) and Michigan (2017?) reaching the National Championship game
Come on, anyone who didn’t have a realistic fear of a first round loss, for ANY team save for the one seeds in the NCAA tournament doesn’t have their eyes open, especially in that dreaded 5/12 matchup where an upset happens every year just about. The loss itself wasn’t the shocking part to me, it was that we played so poorly in the game.
Personally, I don’t think there are many teams that genuinely strike fear into anyone anymore. Especially in a year like this when there isn’t that elite team out there.
I don't think anybody means to diminish getting on that streak at the end of the season. We just didn't rise to the occasion when we got into the tournament and the stakes got bigger.
I mean let’s call it like it is. We didn’t exactly run the gauntlet when it came to the BTT. We beat a bad Northwestern team, then two bubble teams (Rutgers away from New Jersey is a different team and an Indiana team that lost by 29 points the first round of the tourney) , and a good win against Purdue. Schedule was fortunate, just like it was in the ncaa tourney. We took advantage of it one week, and unfortunately didn’t the next week. That happens.
Ah. Thanks for adding some perspective. like anyone here thought the BTT was even a possibility 6 weeks ago. When the tourney started people were bitchin that Fran never wins more then one game. So we become the first team in the tourney history to win four games in four days, and NOW it doesn't matter, and means nothing. Funny how expectations change with success. Same thing on KF's team since he's been at Iowa....
True, but by the end of the weekend many teams with higher seeds were also out looking in. And with better players...
Kentucky - 9 top 100 players
Michigan St. - 9 top 100 players
Illinois - 6 top 100 players
Baylor - 6 top 100 players
Texas - 6 top 100 players
Tennessee - 5 top 100 players
Indiana - 5 top 100 players
And losers of the first sweet 16 games...
Gonzaga - 10 top 100 players
Michigan - 8 top 100 players
Arizona - 5 top 100 players
Similar threads
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
I de-committed, and nobody wanted to be my friend. (Kadyn Proctor)- Latest: LeftyNovotny
-