I agree. Let's show them who's boss. Let's make them come to Iowa City annually where they are now allowed a pre-game shoot-around, they can only bring five players & they are not allowed any water on the bench. Finally, they have to agree (by contract) to lose the game & then in the press praise Iowa for allowing them the incredible honor to play them. Did I get everything? Once we do that, that will finally prove to everyone (everyone just might be defined as strictly the Iowa fanbase) that we are the king of the mountain (I mean the in-state mountain) for whatever that is worth.We just missed/crossed paths. So by now you are probably reading my reasoning. Which, truth be told I'm not even claiming is entirely reasonable. I just think that we're the big boss program and should make UNI and Drake do what is best for us first.
Time for the "Big 4" crap to end
- Thread starter Mr. Carfino
- Start date
UNC went to UNI intending/hoping to get a win while allowing one of the Tarheel starters to play a game in his home State. Really, nothing more or less to it than that.
Williams has used that promise (tactic) when recruiting several players over the years.
And he was injured. UNI is good but have had some luck with starters on the 2 big upsets go down before they played them.
Pretty close but why should we let them have a bench? If they only get five players they don't need a bench!
This thread has been a good example of the five stages of grief. Many folks who have sympathy (at least) for UNI are going through the anger stage. Some, denial. Others the gas and explosive diarrhea stage. Perhaps it is best that Iowa just not play Drake and UNI for a few years until the fourth stage, moving out of the parents basement, has taken place. Then we can have a discussion during the final, acceptance stage, and playing at Carver won't seem like such a bad thing.
Yes because playing at MSU, Ohio State, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, etc are a far cry than playing in the tiny shoe boxes in Cedar Falls and Des Moines.....it is a lose-lose situation for Iowa to play there. We win no big deal, if we lose it looks really bad. UNI has a good program and would benefit much more than Iowa would in a home-away series....we would rather play several good teams in a tournament setting on a neutral site (can you see how that would bode well for getting ready for NCAA tournament) than play UNI and Drake annually...fact of the matter is that Iowa has no need to play them because in most years it would not help our SOS (some years UNI would)
Poor UNC had to rely on their other 5 Mcdonalds all americans
. UNI's best bench player just transferred mid season, on already shallow roster. They really could have use him yesterday with foul trouble.I understand you weren't trying to be douchy though, and will be interesting to see if the trend continues and Buddy Hield goes down if/when they play Oklahoma.
UNI/Drake have been around since the 1800s. I imagine they will survive a few more years if we take our ball & go home (again). We are not God's gift to intercollegiate athletics.
I never said we were God's gift to intercollegiate athletics. What I'm saying is that if we have to play a home/away series with anyone why not add a game with a Pac12 team and an SEC team to go with the ones against a Big12, ACC and Big East team that we already play every year? And by the way, that's not exactly taking the ball and going home.
What this game in Des Moines caused (in part, also a three game tournament but I'm not wanting to give that up.) is Hawkeye fans that buy tickets to watch games in Carver had to settle for an Exhibition game instead. That seems the opposite of taking the ball and going home to me!
Here's North Carolina's schedule:
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/153/north-carolina-tar-heels
I know you're not an Iowa fan, so I will point out that McCaffery's preconference schedule has gotten tougher every year he has been here and we have risen in the Big Ten ranks to match.
So 2 road games against "inferior" teams who they happened to lose to. If Paige wasn't on the team it would have been 1 road game.
It wasn't directed necessarily at you Dan. Stop being an arrogant elitist as if Iowa has been in final 4 and one of the greatest programs of last decade. It benefits Iowa to play good teams. Uni fits the bill. And it wasn't an insult. It was pointing out what most understand who watch or have played competitive sports. You play teams early to make you better later.
Compared to what exactly? If your standard is a conference such as the Big Ten, then I do not believe the MVC to be any better. If you are referring to say, the big xii, then yes, quite possibly a strong case could be made.
I meant many years they travel to play inferior teams. @ UAB, @ Long Beach State, @Evansville, @Charleston, @ UC-Santa Barbara, @ Penn, @ Saint Louis, @ Santa Clara
Yes I know Roy does it for seniors, but they still schedule them.
They also played at UNC greensboro, and UNC Ashville....
I'm not saying we should do this, but I just think it's a joke we can't even go to a good UNI team.
no, it's not being a stupid scheduler like many teams. if we lock into home and homes again we have virtually no schedule flexibility.
You should send out a memo to all major conference athletic departments, because apparently everyone is doing it wrong.
Yes, UNI is usually pretty decent BUT after that absolute fix and cornholing job by the refs the last Iowa was there, why should Iowa play there ever again? Anyone who claims anything different is a liar or a delusional dolt. Also, its next to impossible to get the damn game on TV.
The hole in your argument is UNC went to their places once. For almost 3 decades Iowa/ISU had home and homes with Drake/UNI. In the early to mid 80s we didnt play UNI often but did play Drake for some reason. It's not like we even stopped playing them now. We still do just every other year and a neutral court.
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The last game in CF was more the nail in the coffin then the reason to replace the home and homes with the Des Moines event. Can we also stop acting like it was just Iowa that wanted to stop playing in CF and on Drakes home court. ISU was ok with the Des Moines event.
Fran getting escorted off the court by CFPD was it. He really struggles with composure on the bench. I could go without playing Drake but UNI, has been a better program than us. Shit lets schedule better. Btw, we played Dayton and WSU neither are power 5 teams.
I think it's important to point out UNI won that game by 20, not on some sort of last second bad call. The MVC assigned officials that day, pulling largely from the same pool as the B1G, and as has been pointed out, Higgins has worked several final fours --- regardless of how you feel about him as an official (and UNI isn't always happy with him either), he's considered one of the best.
Also, on the ESPN 3 thing, yes, the MVC does have a contract with ESPN and Drake was the "host" school this year. But, last year UNI was the host and the Iowa/UNI game was still on the BTN. These sorts of arrangements can be worked out by the networks if they want to.
From this UNI fan's perspective, I'd love to go back to the home & home series. Short of that, we grudgingly accept the Big4 thing, despite the fact UNI is the furthest from Des Moines and has the smallest fan base in the capitol city of the four schools. UNI would not entertain any option of only playing in Iowa City/Ames. That is not something we do. We don't take "buy" games like low-major programs do. If Iowa were to choose to end this event and basically stop playing UNI & Drake, I think the state's media and public would see that as being weak.
5fan5, on what basis on you making your big 12 case? Is this an analysis or statement based on bias?
No it was on ESPN News... At least in the market I watched it.
Probably the least watched and carried of all of their networks unless you have a dish.
The problem is that tickets grant you admission to both games, but people only show up when their team is playing.
If you noticed in the Iowa game, for 95% of it there were large swaths of open seats in the prime seating areas, and then they all filled in with red shirts toward the very end of the game.
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Cry, Cry, UNI.
Seems to me Iowa is the big baby in all of this.
Need a slide rule to figure out what wacko Fran will agree to when it comes to scheduling.
In March of 2015, one could look at the respective performances of teams from each particular league to reach some sort of conclusion on the matter.
Wichita State from the MVC comes to mind to support the original claim. I believe that the Big Ten (and the MVC given the restriction on teams in the tourney) both performed better than the big xii.
We have tons of schedule flexibility, we just choose not to use it.
There's no reason that Gardner-Webb, Tennessee Tech, Missouri-Kansas City and Western Illinois all have to be played in the same year.
Dude, just don't. I've watched a ton of college basketball over the last 35 years, but that UNI/Iowa game stands out as the most poorly officiated game I've ever witnessed and it's not even close. Considering it was very early in Fran's tenure at Iowa and the amount of disrespect that was heaped upon him by the officials, the crowd, the security staff, UNI administration etc. I completely understand why Fran said never again. UNI should have been embarrassed the way that played out, it was atrocious. It was reminiscent of the 1972 Olympic basketball final quite frankly. And spare me the 20 point win argument, once Fran was escorted out like some type of terrorist threat, Iowa packed it in.
And Higgins is on the same level as far as respect goes as Ted Valentine, Jim Burr and Ed Hightower. All terrible. If they're considered the best in the profession, it's clear why the officiating in the sport is borderline crisis status.
Let me again try to help those who think games with Gardner-Webb or Coppin State are germane to this issue. Those are home games. I haven't seen anyone say we shouldn't play UNI or Drake at home, even every year!
The problem is, Iowa only has so many games it can schedule in the nonconference. And this year, so many were away from Iowa City that a second exhibition game had to be scheduled to give Hawkeye fans with tickets a certain amount of game to attend. Now, point of order, I LIVE TOO FAR AWAY TO ATTEND GAMES. But I realize that folks who buy tickets deserve to have games to attend and I don't think an exhibition game counts.
So what are some other things to consider?
The Big East/Big Ten thing that just got going. We played Marquette. Away. This is a deal between the two conferences and now we've got a yearly home and away with Iowa State (Big 12), the Big East and the ACC. Pardon me but we should NOT give those up.
Tournaments. Schools love tournaments and Iowa shouldn't have to drop chasing after one a year to play in. In fact, it gets Iowa an extra nonconference game! Now, swags pointed out we'd played Dayton and Wichita State away from Carver. Yeah, but it could have been Xavier, USC even just Monmouth. Nobody deliberately scheduled Dayton and Wichita!!! Perhaps UNI could try to follow us around and get in the same tournament if they want to play us so badly.
So, the problem is too many games away from Carver already. And, seriously UNI fans, after what happened up there last time you think Iowa should come back? Get bent.
The only way to play Iowa is rapidly becoming play Iowa in Carver. And all the logic of, "Chicken, chicken!!!!!", isn't going to change a thing.
The problem is, Iowa only has so many games it can schedule in the nonconference. And this year, so many were away from Iowa City that a second exhibition game had to be scheduled to give Hawkeye fans with tickets a certain amount of game to attend. Now, point of order, I LIVE TOO FAR AWAY TO ATTEND GAMES. But I realize that folks who buy tickets deserve to have games to attend and I don't think an exhibition game counts.
So what are some other things to consider?
The Big East/Big Ten thing that just got going. We played Marquette. Away. This is a deal between the two conferences and now we've got a yearly home and away with Iowa State (Big 12), the Big East and the ACC. Pardon me but we should NOT give those up.
Tournaments. Schools love tournaments and Iowa shouldn't have to drop chasing after one a year to play in. In fact, it gets Iowa an extra nonconference game! Now, swags pointed out we'd played Dayton and Wichita State away from Carver. Yeah, but it could have been Xavier, USC even just Monmouth. Nobody deliberately scheduled Dayton and Wichita!!! Perhaps UNI could try to follow us around and get in the same tournament if they want to play us so badly.
So, the problem is too many games away from Carver already. And, seriously UNI fans, after what happened up there last time you think Iowa should come back? Get bent.
The only way to play Iowa is rapidly becoming play Iowa in Carver. And all the logic of, "Chicken, chicken!!!!!", isn't going to change a thing.
I wasn't trying to imply that UNI won a close one thanks to the refs. I'm saying the amazingly horrible officiating gave a good amped up UNI team a huge lead while ejecting our rightfully angry coach, thereby guaranteeing a victory for the Panthers. The comparison to the '72 Olympic final isn't far off IMO.
If Iowa chooses to end this series, it will be sad for me as a fan of basketball. I think in a state like this where you have four D1 teams, they should play each other.
If Iowa decides differently, UNI will go on just fine. We've found ways to get other good programs on our schedule when we lost one of the two in-state games. We can do more of that if we need to. But I think the outcry from the media would be pretty biting toward Iowa for making that kind of decision.
There was a time UNI "needed" the Iowa / ISU games. Our program has moved past that point, but we continue welcome the games in either the current or previous format.
If Iowa decides differently, UNI will go on just fine. We've found ways to get other good programs on our schedule when we lost one of the two in-state games. We can do more of that if we need to. But I think the outcry from the media would be pretty biting toward Iowa for making that kind of decision.
There was a time UNI "needed" the Iowa / ISU games. Our program has moved past that point, but we continue welcome the games in either the current or previous format.
Now that's not a bad post. And yes, I think it is time to move away from this every other year Drake or UNI in Des Moines thing. The home and away thing was already gone and that was the result of both Iowa State and Iowa finding no way to sustain such a commitment.
That will be one less game away from Carver per year. Iowa could then even improve it's scheduling by adding a home and away with a Pac12 or SEC school! Another home game every other year and who knows but maybe the likes of a Oregon? UCLA?
Then, and I'm sorry to be mean about it, Iowa could look at the likes of Drake and UNI and offer to play you guys in Carver. Even toss some cash out, which both do need cash, we know that.
Such an offer would not be entertained. If we wanted to take guarantee games (and with few exceptions, the MVC does not do that), we would look to actual blue-blood programs. This isn't football. We have the same number of scholarships, and compete for the same championship --- something UNI has done a little better at than Iowa as of late. I'm sorry to be mean about it, but we don't take buy games at middling power conference schools.
You can look down on UNI if it makes you feel better, but we don't care. We just win.
I get that.
Maybe the answer is obvious, you guys need to find the Kentucky types to play for pay, because I can certainly see how it would be embarrassing to take money from Iowa. And Iowa needs to find teams that will play them in Carver.Similar threads
