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This Season Turned when Fran moved JBo back to Point Guard after Jan 31 loss at PSU. So much for the "February Fran Fade"

What’s your view on the offensive flow since Bohannon took the starting PG slot back? It seems to me that everything is flowing much more smoothly with the current rotations. I don’t know that it means JBo is a better PG, but something about mixing up the rotations certainly seems to be working.
The rotations do seem to work better now.

JBO and Joe both seem to be better playing without the other.

Although things like Keegan staying out of foul trouble, Rebraca rebounding better and Connor finding his shot are all helping too and aren't related to rotations.
 
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Yep. I understand it's not easy getting to the Sweet 16. Unfortunately when you see a program like Oregon State make the elite 8 last year it just kills you. Obviously it's about matchups but when you are Iowa you have to take advantage of the once every 25 years or so when you are the 2 seed. You just have to. And Oregon was not a great team as they got waxed the next game. I still think when all is said and done we probably end up a 5-7 seed. We are certainly trending up. 6 and 7 seeds are tough as you should certainly win the 1st but then playing a 2 or 3 it's a blue blood in the round of 32. We need to hope we can keep rolling and get to a 5, which gives us a legit chance and playing a 4 seed of who we should be able to compete with.
It does get frustrating as a fan when you see all these other teams get hot and make a run above seed. That is one thing that Iowa has not done since Lute was coaching. Part of that is luck of the draw, getting a lot of matchups against the better 1s and 2s (Duke, Kentucky, UConn, Gonzaga, Villanova) and not getting any games against lower seeds that pulled upsets in the first round…..but as long as you’re consistently seeded 7-10, you’re not going to get much help. But if you look back, Iowa as a 4-6 has always played the 3/4/5 seeds in the 2nd round. Sometimes, a Sweet 16 run can be as much about getting a lucky draw as it is playing well.
 
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No, you might be thinking of 2019 when they beat Cincinnati pretty solidly and then lost in OT to #2 Tennessee in the 2nd round. In 2005, Iowa was the 10 seed and lost to Cincy as the 7.
Okay, had to look it up. We beat Creighton in 2001 and lost to Kentucky in round 2. Back when we thought Alford was the next big thing 🥺
 
Okay, had to look it up. We beat Creighton in 2001 and lost to Kentucky in round 2. Back when we thought Alford was the next big thing 🥺
Ah, that makes sense. The year when Recker came back from injury in the tournament and world was there for the taking the next year with Recker & Evans as seniors. Oof, I didn’t see 2002 coming.
 
I think Fran has finally settled into a starting lineup and rotations that fit this team very well. Everything seems to be in synch. And, wow, when that O gets rolling…..there isn’t a better offensive team in the country.
I think the rotations are just as important as the starting line up. Brining in Kris to play more with Keegan has been huge, but I also like the combination of those two with Connor, Ullis and Sandfort. You get great defense, passing and rebounding with that set.

I've had one rule all year. You cannot play Connor and JBo together and I think we are seeing less of that.
 
Bulldogs1974 isn't wrong. That being said, I'd be curious to why Fran made the change in the first place. What was his thinking? Is it for defensive reasons to get Perkins in to guard the off guard? Some games, Fran barely plays Perkins (last night he did), so I've found it odd that Perkins is starting.

The reasoning I heard was that Fran was not happy with the ball movement on offense in the games prior to Jordan being moved to point guard. Iowa does better on offense when they are in transition or moving the ball quickly to open up driving lanes and keep the other team from getting set defensively.
 
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I think the rotations are just as important as the starting line up. Brining in Kris to play more with Keegan has been huge, but I also like the combination of those two with Connor, Ullis and Sandfort. You get great defense, passing and rebounding with that set.

I've had one rule all year. You cannot play Connor and JBo together and I think we are seeing less of that.
I’ve posted about it a decent amount, but substitution flow has been so much smoother than it was at the beginning of the year. The platoon thing threw everybody off their game and made Iowa’s lineups disjointed. Putting subs in incrementally has drastically improved cohesiveness
 
What’s your view on the offensive flow since Bohannon took the starting PG slot back? It seems to me that everything is flowing much more smoothly with the current rotations. I don’t know that it means JBo is a better PG, but something about mixing up the rotations certainly seems to be working.
There's something to be said for that. I think mixing the lineups has helped as well. Connor was injured which gave Sandfort, Kris, and others more playing time. I think that helped (Though Connor was excellent last night.)

You CAN have a PG that's score first that doesn't distribute as much but he has to SCORE! That's been my knock on JBo this season at the point. Aside from one game he hasn't really been a big scorer and he also isn't dishing assists. He's limited on defense against taller quicker guards. PMac, until last night, had really elevated his game during this stretch run of success. I don't think that's a product of JBo at the point. Just seemed like he had slowed his game down and wasn't trying the runners on offense but he regressed last night.

I think JBo should be starting. I just think he should be starting at the 2. I think Joe T should be starting at the point. I really don't understand starting Perkins at the 2. If we're playing JBo at the point, I'd think you'd start Ulis at the 2 as he shoots the ball much better than Perkins does right now.

In the end, I'm good with playing whomever at whichever position leads to winning the game. I just think that as matchups get tougher at guard, we'll need someone that can create at that position and we'll need someone that can defend.
 
With respect to JBo at the 1, the "Fran fade", why B1G teams don't do well or win the tournament and why Iowa can't seem to make it to the second weekend all boil down to style and match-ups. Year after year it seems that to have a team that wins the B1G is different than having a team that can win the NCAA. Generally speaking, the NCAA is much more guard dominate whereas the B1G is much more post dominant. Athleticism always helps, but it really shows out in the tournament, much more so than physicality. Because of that, versatility is paramount for a team to be ultimately successful, and that is something that Fran's teams have really lacked. While there are certainly holes on this team that can be exploited, this team is much more athletic than past teams while also still being highly efficient offensively. Fran just has a few more pieces to play with now than he has in the past and that is showing up now down the stretch, as he is able to make some adjustments that he really hasn't had before. He still has very little to choose from in the post to defend the better big guys, but for the most part Kofi, Edey/Williams, and Dickinson are the biggest nightmare for this team. Get into the NCAA's and I don't know if there are many of those types out there in the draw. One last thing that people are not considering when they talk about the failure of Iowa's teams to make it to the Sweet 16 and beyond, is that as far back as I can remember we haven't gotten one of those lucky draws like being a 6 and beating an 11, then a 14 then a 10 or something like a lot of teams have. It seems like the teams that beat us either win it all or get really close (except NW State, but I won't mention that).

For most teams we will play in the tourney, if Keegan/Kris can neutralize the opponents big without getting into foul trouble, we will be a match-up nightmare for most anyone when both of them are on the floor. JBo then spaces the floor so well for them, and then plugging in the rest of the role players depending on the matchup and there is a ton of versatility there. We could seriously be a problem, especially if the combination of JoeT/Perkins/Ulis can beat guys off the bounce when needed and not turn the ball over.
 
There's something to be said for that. I think mixing the lineups has helped as well. Connor was injured which gave Sandfort, Kris, and others more playing time. I think that helped (Though Connor was excellent last night.)

You CAN have a PG that's score first that doesn't distribute as much but he has to SCORE! That's been my knock on JBo this season at the point. Aside from one game he hasn't really been a big scorer and he also isn't dishing assists. He's limited on defense against taller quicker guards. PMac, until last night, had really elevated his game during this stretch run of success. I don't think that's a product of JBo at the point. Just seemed like he had slowed his game down and wasn't trying the runners on offense but he regressed last night.

I think JBo should be starting. I just think he should be starting at the 2. I think Joe T should be starting at the point. I really don't understand starting Perkins at the 2. If we're playing JBo at the point, I'd think you'd start Ulis at the 2 as he shoots the ball much better than Perkins does right now.

In the end, I'm good with playing whomever at whichever position leads to winning the game. I just think that as matchups get tougher at guard, we'll need someone that can create at that position and we'll need someone that can defend.
I don't disagree with much of what you are saying, but, I think JBo provides a lot of value other than scoring and assists. Because he is the best shooter on the team and has the most range, he provides spacing for mostly Keegan to get to his spots without being doubled. Because of his shooting alone, I think he needs to be out there. Now with respect to the other 3 of Joe T/Perkins/Ulis, I think they all should play of course and depending on the match-up and how they are playing that night is who gets in the rotation in winning time. PMac needs to play and I think he could really be a glue guy because he can do it all, but, for right now I think he is much better in a supporting role than a main role. I would love to see him embrace a role of defending and rebounding, because we are so much better with him on the floor doing that.
 
Ah, that makes sense. The year when Recker came back from injury in the tournament and world was there for the taking the next year with Recker & Evans as seniors. Oof, I didn’t see 2002 coming.
its as much as, if not a bigger “what if?” for the Alford era than the Pierce saga…what if Recker doesn’t tear up that knee? That team was 17-4 at the time if I recall correctly and was ROLLING thru the b10 prior to the injury. That, plus the debacle that was 2002 overall, just killed the early momentum/excitement from the first few years of the Alford era. Then you had the second blow of all the Pierce stuff - which I put as much on the Athletic Dept at large for botching the PR response as on Alford for sticking his foot in his mouth, which cost him so much goodwill with the fan base. To some extent idk that the program has ever recovered from that.
 
I don't disagree with much of what you are saying, but, I think JBo provides a lot of value other than scoring and assists. Because he is the best shooter on the team and has the most range, he provides spacing for mostly Keegan to get to his spots without being doubled. Because of his shooting alone, I think he needs to be out there. Now with respect to the other 3 of Joe T/Perkins/Ulis, I think they all should play of course and depending on the match-up and how they are playing that night is who gets in the rotation in winning time. PMac needs to play and I think he could really be a glue guy because he can do it all, but, for right now I think he is much better in a supporting role than a main role. I would love to see him embrace a role of defending and rebounding, because we are so much better with him on the floor doing that.
Bohannon definitely isn't the best shooter on the team this year. Or last year. Maybe he was two years ago. I don't think he has the range anymore either. Look at how many games he's had multiple air balls. Last night for example.
 
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its as much as, if not a bigger “what if?” for the Alford era than the Pierce saga…what if Recker doesn’t tear up that knee? That team was 17-4 at the time if I recall correctly and was ROLLING thru the b10 prior to the injury. That, plus the debacle that was 2002 overall, just killed the early momentum/excitement from the first few years of the Alford era. Then you had the second blow of all the Pierce stuff - which I put as much on the Athletic Dept at large for botching the PR response as on Alford for sticking his foot in his mouth, which cost him so much goodwill with the fan base. To some extent idk that the program has ever recovered from that.
That's certainly when Carver's energy changed.
 
I have not been a fan of Fran's deep rotations in the past. However, I've watched more BIG games than usual over the last week or two and I am seeing some players on other teams that look worn down. That was certainly the case with MSU last night. Other than Connors multiple injuries, we are not seeing that with the Hawks. So maybe in this case the longer bench is OK?
 
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Since his return to starting at PG, 15 of his 21 threes made have been assisted. He still does most of his damage off the ball.

The move to PG is a little overreaction just like it was an overreaction to call Jordan’s shot broken.

He’s just doing what he’s always been capable of. Basketball’s a long season.
 
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its as much as, if not a bigger “what if?” for the Alford era than the Pierce saga…what if Recker doesn’t tear up that knee? That team was 17-4 at the time if I recall correctly and was ROLLING thru the b10 prior to the injury. That, plus the debacle that was 2002 overall, just killed the early momentum/excitement from the first few years of the Alford era. Then you had the second blow of all the Pierce stuff - which I put as much on the Athletic Dept at large for botching the PR response as on Alford for sticking his foot in his mouth, which cost him so much goodwill with the fan base. To some extent idk that the program has ever recovered from that.
Agree with all of that. Iowa was absolutely rolling before Recker blew the knee. That team was gelling and had a lot of great component parts that didn’t work nearly as well without Recker tying it all together. It’s interesting how things turned out, but Alford was a big-story hire when he came on board, fresh off the Sweet 16 with SMS. He was the next hot young coach and he opened his tenure by knocking off #1 UConn in Madison Square Garden.

But then 2002 happened, which rolled into the Pierre Pierce sh1tshow of a dumpster fire, we had “March Situations” and it started going downhill. There was a chance to revive in 2006 with a talented and really likeable roster and then NW St. happened and the train was off the tracks.
 
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I have not been a fan of Fran's deep rotations in the past. However, I've watched more BIG games than usual over the last week or two and I am seeing some players on other teams that look worn down. That was certainly the case with MSU last night. Other than Connors multiple injuries, we are not seeing that with the Hawks. So maybe in this case the longer bench is OK?
I think he’s using the bench differently this year, too….but maybe that’s just perception. In the past when he had too many guys it was like he tried to force more of an even rotation and this year, he’s adapted to basically two lines in the first half with adjustments for hot hand and foul trouble and then in the 2nd he’s starting back at the beginning, but really seems to be basing his lineups on game flow and effectiveness. I think that’s made a difference - I think it also means that guys are playing, generally speaking, more effective minutes.
 
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Since his return to starting at PG, 15 of his 21 threes made have been assisted. He still does most of his damage off the ball.

The move to PG is a little overreaction just like it was an overreaction to call Jordan’s shot broken.

He’s just doing what he’s always been capable of. Basketball’s a long season.
Not to mention that even if the injuries over the years have regressed his game, he was SOOOOO cold for a prolonged stretch that he was bound to “regress to the mean” at some point.
 
Bohannon definitely isn't the best shooter on the team this year. Or last year. Maybe he was two years ago. I don't think he has the range anymore either. Look at how many games he's had multiple air balls. Last night for example.
I disagree about this year. But even so, it is not as much about how well he is shooting as much as it is his threat of shooting. The dude is the B1G all team leader and he just hit 10 in a game. There aren't many players that have the capability of hitting 10 in a game, especially when some of them are not catch-and-shoot. His reputation is what opens things up and that is what matters. What do you think defenses do, that they go out and guard JBo until he shoots a 3 and if he misses it they say, "ah, we don't have to guard him anymore, he isn't the best shooter on that team anymore?". JBo has the mentality and reputation that he can miss his first 10, then in clutch time you still think it is going in if he takes it. Joe T/Ulis/Perkins have not shown the consistency to hit that shot on a regular basis.

Of course, I think Keegan and Kris are pure shooters too and are very well respected out there as well, but the point is that JBo is spreading the defense FOR those guys, not that the Murrays are collapsing defenses for JBo. Much like Garza to me, as well as Keegan can shoot he is much more lethal in the interior because he is such a mis-match, gets people in foul trouble, and plays at such a high percentage there.
 
I think he’s using the bench differently this year, too….but maybe that’s just perception. In the past when he had too many guys it was like he tried to force more of an even rotation and this year, he’s adapted to basically two lines in the first half with adjustments for hot hand and foul trouble and then in the 2nd he’s starting back at the beginning, but really seems to be basing his lineups on game flow and effectiveness. I think that’s made a difference - I think it also means that guys are playing, generally speaking, more effective minutes.
Sometimes understated, but I think it helps that players are doing well enough to force Fran to play them more at times. There have been a couple years where I thought he played too many, but you would have a hard time saying bench players had earned those additional minutes.
 
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Only caveat I’ll add is that the NCAA tourney is so much about matchups, and oregon with their quick, athletic guards was a TERRIBLE matchup for us. Fran screwed up by not trying to slow the game down, because we were never going to win a track meet with them. They also had the added adrenaline from that being their first game as well.

Forget which year it was, but one of those fades also coincided with Patrick starting his cancer treatments, and there’s just no way Fran and the team was 100% focused on basketball down the stretch that year.

Forget whether it was Morehouse, Lesitkow or someone, who did some digging last year and pointed out how long it’s been since Iowa played a team that advanced via upset. They’ve played chalk brackets for decades.

btw, that 2005 team - didn’t they beat Cincinnati up lose to Kentucky in round 2?

kent mccausand recently commented about all the bitching about Iowa not making a recent sweet 16. he said that Dr Tom once said that once you get past the 1st round, all the teams in the round of 32 are good.
 
I don't disagree with much of what you are saying, but, I think JBo provides a lot of value other than scoring and assists. Because he is the best shooter on the team and has the most range, he provides spacing for mostly Keegan to get to his spots without being doubled. Because of his shooting alone, I think he needs to be out there. Now with respect to the other 3 of Joe T/Perkins/Ulis, I think they all should play of course and depending on the match-up and how they are playing that night is who gets in the rotation in winning time. PMac needs to play and I think he could really be a glue guy because he can do it all, but, for right now I think he is much better in a supporting role than a main role. I would love to see him embrace a role of defending and rebounding, because we are so much better with him on the floor doing that.
And I don't necessarily disagree when JBo is hitting shots. He should be playing...just not at the point, in my opinion. He provides that range and spacing at the 2 guard position just as well.
 
The ”Fran Fade” was never a thing. This is his 12th season at Iowa and he’s had 4 seasons with a losing record in February, and two of those were 2010-2011 and 2017-2018, when Iowa went 11-20 and 14-19, respectively. I have a hard time calling those “fades”, those were just bad teams.

He did have a couple years when they finished February really poorly, and the worst of those did happen in close proximity (Feb 2014, lost last 3 games to finish a 3-4 Feb and Feb 2016, lost 4 of last 5 after a hot Feb start).

Since that bad February in the 2017-2018 season, Iowa is 21-9 in February……so hopefully the fade talk can just go away now.

Here are Fran’s season records in February, along with the final record:

2010-11: 2-5, 11-20
2011-12: 4-4, 17-16
2012-13: 4-3, 21-12
2013-14: 3-4, 21-12
2014-15: 6-2, 21-11
2015-16: 3-4, 21-10
2016-17: 3-3, 18-14
2017-18: 2-6, 14-19
2018-19: 5-2, 22-11
2019-20: 5-3, 20-11
2020-21: 6-3, 21-8
2021-22: 5-2, 19-8 (as of 2/23/22)

you need to include the BTT which has been a chit show and part of the feeling of B1G seasons not ending well.

The fran Fade really is about two seasons---- Marble senior year, midway through B1G they were competing for B1G title and they quickly faded and they ended up in a Play In game in NCAA and they lost that. Uthoff/Jok senior year---that team peaked in 1st half of B1G play and faded in 2nd half. Those were two of Fran's best teams so they were dissappointing in how they finished.

Many of us felt last year was going to be Fran's best year with Garza returning, and then they ended the NCAA tourney getting pounded by Oregon--and then within weeks CJ and Nunge were Adios.

If this year ends with a sweet16 appearance, Kris returns for next year, and no bad luck with losing guys to transfers in April, then yes it is not a Fade because everyone will be excited about next year.
 
kent mccausand recently commented about all the bitching about Iowa not making a recent sweet 16. he said that Dr Tom once said that once you get past the 1st round, all the teams in the round of 32 are good.
He’s right….and you have to factor in seed. If you’re the 7, you’re just not going to beat the #2 very often, even worse if you’re the winner of the 8/9 game. If you make the tournament 5 straight years as a 3-5 seed and you don’t make a Sweet 16, that’s more of a failure. Iowa’s lack of Sweet 16s is due largely to seeding (not saying seeds were wrong, it’s what they earned) plus two golden opportunities that they couldn’t cash in.
 
And I don't necessarily disagree when JBo is hitting shots. He should be playing...just not at the point, in my opinion. He provides that range and spacing at the 2 guard position just as well.
He does do those things at the 2, yes, but I think that he is better at the 1 right now because he understands the offense better, doesn't turn the ball over, doesn't get baited into the teeth of the defense, and gets the offense into the right flow. I think he is better at the 2, but, Joe T has just not been consistent enough to be efficient. When Joe T is good, it is a beautiful thing, but his mistakes are too costly. He has a really bad tendency to over-drive the ball and get deeper than he should and hasn't learned yet when he should go and when he should not. If we had a better option at the 1 than JBo I think everyone would be good with that, including JBo. But right now with JBo running things, the offensive efficiency is off-the-charts and I would guess is probably best in the country.
 
you need to include the BTT which has been a chit show and part of the feeling of B1G seasons not ending well.

The fran Fade really is about two seasons---- Marble senior year, midway through B1G they were competing for B1G title and they quickly faded and they ended up in a Play In game in NCAA and they lost that. Uthoff/Jok senior year---that team peaked in 1st half of B1G play and faded in 2nd half. Those were two of Fran's best teams so they were dissappointing in how they finished.

Many of us felt last year was going to be Fran's best year with Garza returning, and then they ended the NCAA tourney getting pounded by Oregon--and then within weeks CJ and Nunge were Adios.

If this year ends with a sweet16 appearance, Kris returns for next year, and no bad luck with losing guys to transfers in April, then yes it is not a Fade because everyone will be excited about next year.
Last year we all knew before the season started that the team was going to struggle with athletic teams. Oregon was super-athletic, but, on top of that we were beat up a little bit. Oregon was much better than a 7, like USC was much better than a 6 and UCLA much better than an 11. It was a nightmare matchup for us, at the wrong time, and we paid for it. But it was still a great year by any measure.

The teams before that, to me, all suffered from the same fate in that they had very limited win-conditions. When a team only has one good player, or one way to win, etc., they become much much easier to prepare for as the season goes along. No B1G coach is a dummy and they all figure it out before long. A team that has several good players that can both out-score you and shut you down defensively, that can matchup up with both size and quickness, has guards that can shoot, handle and break down a defense and bigs that can beat you in the post is very difficult to beat because you have to pick your poison. There has not been a Fran team yet that can do all of those things. Last year was closest of course but the lack of footspeed, like years past, was the achilles heel that was exploited.
 
Joe does many things really well. Disrupting and doubling on defense, getting out on the break, and has a knack for making the difficult pass. However, he like our other guards has areas where he needs to improve. Starting the game at point his dribbling causes other players to stand. Reducing ball movement and resulting in forced shots and one on one basketball. Jordan at the point enables the offense to flow at the start which is extremely important. Joe will learn and adapt his strengths.
 
Joey T and Jordan are not good together. Both are true point guards that need the ball in their hands. Jordan showed last season and this season he is a much better shooter when he is handling the ball. A smart coach maximizes the talent and this is what happened at guard.

I think we might finish strong. Connor is knocking down threes like Jeff Mullen, Jordan has had some renewed spirit, the young guys have seemed to settle in the roles and the team is playing well. Most of the team is young so the future isn't bleak.

Some teams gell later. It looks like it's all coming together for Iowa at exactly the right time of year.

MICHIGAN EDIT: Another great game for Iowa. Everything above remains true. Could this be the season where Iowa surges into the NCAA?
 
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Joe does many things really well. Disrupting and doubling on defense, getting out on the break, and has a knack for making the difficult pass. However, he like our other guards has areas where he needs to improve. Starting the game at point his dribbling causes other players to stand. Reducing ball movement and resulting in forced shots and one on one basketball. Jordan at the point enables the offense to flow at the start which is extremely important. Joe will learn and adapt his strengths.
lol. Joe dribbling is generally because iowa uses the double low cross screen set that takes time to develop. It has nothing to do with Joe. It's the same play we've been running forever to get shooters coming off screens. The problem is we don't shoot well off screens.
Does joe over penetrate at times, yes but it doesn't overshadow his defense and assist numbers.
Our recent success to do with rebounding and better shooting %'s. Will they hold up is the real question.
 
we are 8-1 (I think) since Fran made the starting line up change.

EDIT: Since making the change:

Feb 6, W over Minny
Feb 10, W at Maryland
Feb 13, W vs Nebby
Feb 17, L vs Michigan
Feb 19, W at Ohio State
Feb 22, W vs Michigan State
Feb 25, W at Nebby
Feb 28, W vs N'western
Mar 3, W at Michigan
 
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I think tonight was a prime example of the effect of JBo on the court. How many times did Dickinson get switched on to Jbo and get dragged out not only to the 3 point line but beyond it. And when a team's big is out there, he ain't protecting the rim. This gives so much space for the offense to work, to get the mismatch they want and to get our best players the ball where they want. I love Joe T, but he can't do that. And for those that say Jbo can do the same thing as the 2 are misguided, he needs to have the ball in his hands running the show, using those high screens to pick the match up for that to happen. Of Joe and Tony, I like Tony at the 2 paired with Jbo because of his rebounding as well as ability to match up with smaller guards.
 
Joey T and Jordan are not good together. Both are true point guards that need the ball in their hands. Jordan showed last season and this season he is a much better shooter when he is handling the ball. A smart coach maximizes the talent and this is what happened at guard.

I think we might finish strong. Connor is knocking down threes like Jeff Mullen, Jordan has had some renewed spirit, the young guys have seemed to settle in the roles and the team is playing well. Most of the team is young so the future isn't bleak.

Some teams gell later. It looks like it's all coming together for Iowa at exactly the right time of year.
I agree.

Took this team a while to figure out their roles.

The rebounding alone from the start of the season is unbelievably better.
 
I think tonight was a prime example of the effect of JBo on the court. How many times did Dickinson get switched on to Jbo and get dragged out not only to the 3 point line but beyond it. And when a team's big is out there, he ain't protecting the rim. This gives so much space for the offense to work, to get the mismatch they want and to get our best players the ball where they want. I love Joe T, but he can't do that. And for those that say Jbo can do the same thing as the 2 are misguided, he needs to have the ball in his hands running the show, using those high screens to pick the match up for that to happen. Of Joe and Tony, I like Tony at the 2 paired with Jbo because of his rebounding as well as ability to match up with smaller guards.
You also saw tonight that Michigan basically never sagged off Connor and in typical Connor fashion, he didn’t force shots. He’s fine to not shoot and facilitate the offense.
 
You also saw tonight that Michigan basically never sagged off Connor and in typical Connor fashion, he didn’t force shots. He’s fine to not shoot and facilitate the offense.

I agree. It is really hard right now to pin a weakness on anyone or this team right now. This is the best I have seen an Iowa basketball team operate at this time of the year in a very very long time.
 
I think tonight was a prime example of the effect of JBo on the court. How many times did Dickinson get switched on to Jbo and get dragged out not only to the 3 point line but beyond it. And when a team's big is out there, he ain't protecting the rim. This gives so much space for the offense to work, to get the mismatch they want and to get our best players the ball where they want. I love Joe T, but he can't do that. And for those that say Jbo can do the same thing as the 2 are misguided, he needs to have the ball in his hands running the show, using those high screens to pick the match up for that to happen. Of Joe and Tony, I like Tony at the 2 paired with Jbo because of his rebounding as well as ability to match up with smaller guards.

and JBo had that one sweet drive by Dickinson for 2.....and then got called for the charge to wipe it away
 
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and JBo had that one sweet drive by Dickinson for 2.....and then got called for the charge to wipe it away

Hey, I will take that though all day long. It makes him a triple threat out there. With the Murray's and PMac with him in that regard, it makes them very efficient. And if Tony can hit the open 3, this offense very very good.
 
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