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Tonight was a turning point in the Fran era of Iowa Basketball

soybean

soybean

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Its always risky to attach too much importance to any single game. But I think tonight was just that. An important game. A game that we can use as a mearuring stick. And the Hawkeyes came up wanting. Its not just that we lost to a very good team on its court. Its how we lost...and who we lost to.

We might not know for a while how Fran, staff and players react to tonights embarrassing collapse. It may turn out that the Hawks make their stand and rebound from this failure and rally into the BIG10 schedule and finish strong.

Or, tonight might well be a watershed. If Iowa stumbles through the remainder of the season and misses the NCAA tournament we might be looking at the Fran tenure at Iowa in real danger. These sorts of defeats cause a fanbase to ask where the program really is. Fran has earned, and will be given, another season after the 2015/16 run is over regardless of how the Hawks finish...but the ice is getting thin in Iowa City.
 
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soybean said:
Its always risky to attach too much importance to any single game. But I think tonight was just that. An important game. A game that we can use as a mearuring stick. And the Hawkeyes came up wanting. Its not just that we lost to a very good team on its court. Its how we lost...and who we lost to.

We might not know for a while how Fran, staff and players react to tonights embarrassing collapse. It may turn out that the Hawks make their stand and rebound from this failure and rally into the BIG10 schedule and finish strong.

Or, tonight might well be a watershed. If Iowa stumbles through the remainder of the season and misses the NCAA tournament we might be looking at the Fran tenure at Iowa in real danger. These sorts of defeats cause a fanbase to ask where the program really is. Fran has earned, and will be given, another season after the 2015/16 run is over regardless of how the Hawks finish...but the ice is getting thin in Iowa City.
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I'll take "Overreactions" for $500, Alex.
 
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I don't agree with your opening statement. But, if there was a turning point in the stagnation of the program it was when Ulis decommitted. It wasn't tonight.

Actually, tonights loss may wake up Fran, it might wake up Uthoff, and it might wake up the rest of the team. As tough as tonight's loss was, it might make the team better going forward.
 
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AuroraHawk said:
I'll take "Overreactions" for $500, Alex.
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Perhaps, but we won't know for sure for a while yet. But my guess is that we look back at tonighst game and say that for better or worse it meant something more than just another game.
 
Hawk12345 said:
I don't agree with your opening statement. But, if there was a turning point in the stagnation of the program it was when Ulis decommitted. It wasn't tonight.

Actually, tonights loss may wake up Fran, it might wake up Uthoff, and it might wake up the rest of the team. As tough as tonight's loss was, it might make the team better going forward.
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And thus it will be a turning point.
 
I think you're going way too far. I'm finally awaking to the thought that Frank can't x and o. The previous 10 meltdowns I put more on the players. Today was blatant in that there were no adjustments to his game plan that has been widely unsuccessful in the past. However, he's earned a longer leash.

Some may not like it, but this society has become too fickle in showing a coach the hook in a short period of time. Fran's had widely successful seasons in my eyes. Would I like to continue to get better and do I still believe we can? Yeah. But I think the end of the Tom Davis era and our slow climb back out from the gutter it left us in set a precedent that we don't want to repeat. Like it or not, we're not a blue blood.
 
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I think that is the real question. How does Iowa move forward from this disappointment? I will say it is really alarming that a senior-laden team had such little poise down the stretch. It was understandable two years ago when they choked against Iowa State. To have the same result this year is a head scratcher. There really isn't any excuses.

Unfortunately, it seems like Mike Gesell is getting a lot of blame for this loss. And as much as I hate to dump on one kid, tonight clearly demonstrates the importance of having a PG who is mentally tough down the stretch and keeps the wheels from completely coming off the wagon. And for whatever reason or reasons, Mike Gesell has struggled his entire career at Iowa to fill that role.
 
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soybean said:
Its always risky to attach too much importance to any single game. But I think tonight was just that. An important game. A game that we can use as a mearuring stick. And the Hawkeyes came up wanting. Its not just that we lost to a very good team on its court. Its how we lost...and who we lost to.

We might not know for a while how Fran, staff and players react to tonights embarrassing collapse. It may turn out that the Hawks make their stand and rebound from this failure and rally into the BIG10 schedule and finish strong.

Or, tonight might well be a watershed. If Iowa stumbles through the remainder of the season and misses the NCAA tournament we might be looking at the Fran tenure at Iowa in real danger. These sorts of defeats cause a fanbase to ask where the program really is. Fran has earned, and will be given, another season after the 2015/16 run is over regardless of how the Hawks finish...but the ice is getting thin in Iowa City.
Click to expand...
Possible Ferentz/Wisconsin fake punt debacle?
 
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Unranked Iowa losing to #4 ISU is to be expected. I am extremely disappointed in how we lost, but it's men against boys with respect to ISU's talent. I don't think the Fran era is in jeopardy, but I am growing weary of recruiting project players. A novice basketball fan could deduce how this year would play out after subtracting White and Olaseni from the equation.
 
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I'll reiterate that the OP really has hit on something here. This team can go in two different directions at this point, and in fact could define the McCaffrey era. They rebound and do some damage in the B10 and tournament or they fade away. Anybody who doesn't think next year's team is NIT bound at best isn't paying attention.
 
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MIHawk said:
I would love to believe this latest collapse would wake Fran and the team up. But what have they shown to make us believe it will? We've had seen this exact show many times during the Fran tenure. Likely it will continue.
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It is going to stop. I can see it now. Fran 2.0 is coming.
 
MIHawk said:
I would love to believe this latest collapse would wake Fran and the team up. But what have they shown to make us believe it will? We've had seen this exact show many times during the Fran tenure. Likely it will continue.
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They will react one way or another. Tonight wasn't just another game...it was much bigger than that. I hope that the Hawks swallow this game and digest it in such a way that it turns out to be positive.
 
U
MIHawk said:
I would love to believe this latest collapse would wake Fran and the team up. But what have they shown to make us believe it will? We've had seen this exact show many times during the Fran tenure. Likely it will continue.
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this...its a very disturbing trend and to not adjust is cause for concern. I want Fran to trust his players, but it is not working. So, something has to change. At the same time, players passing up open looks and draining more clock, is on the players. Those guys need to shoot and get to the basket if the chance is there.
 
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A legitimate top 10 team got a serious scare at home from an unranked opponent.
Which one of these was Iowa and which was isu again?

I'm not overly concerned about Fran or that he's peaked at Iowa.
 
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Hawk12345 said:
I don't agree with your opening statement. But, if there was a turning point in the stagnation of the program it was when Ulis decommitted. It wasn't tonight.

Actually, tonights loss may wake up Fran, it might wake up Uthoff, and it might wake up the rest of the team. As tough as tonight's loss was, it might make the team better going forward.
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This might wake up a senior laden team and veteran coach? Two years ago against ISU didn't do it? Countless finishes like this in several games over the last couple years didn't do it?

You know what would have made the team better going forward? Closing out a game in which you dominated a top five team even after weathering their final punch. However, once again, this was not the case. If four seniors and a junior haven't learned to close out a win by now, then I am not sure I hold out much hope in that regard.
 
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Ihawkhoops said:
Unranked Iowa losing to #4 ISU is to be expected. I am extremely disappointed in how we lost, but it's men against boys with respect to ISU's talent. I don't think the Fran era is in jeopardy, but I am growing weary of recruiting project players. A novice basketball fan could deduce how this year would play out after subtracting White and Olaseni from the equation.
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It's not the project players that killed Iowa tonight- think 4 stars Gessell and Woody.
 
The Iowa fanbase has been way too soft on Fran. The recruiting and in-game coaching have been poor for far too long. I'm sorry, but not being Lick is not good enough in Year 6. And let's not kid ourselves....even if this year's version bounces back, we all know this program isn't going any farther than it went last year.
 
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SDHawkDoc said:
A legitimate top 10 team got a serious scare at home from an unranked opponent.
Which one of these was Iowa and which was isu again?

I'm not overly concerned about Fran or that he's peaked at Iowa.
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Absolutely....

The hyperbole in this thread is comical. You 'fans' are melting down worse than the team did tonight.

How quickly you forget......last year this team finished many games like this and comfortably made it into the tourney for the 1st time in how many fnnnnn years??

Was it bad? Yes, is it going to make or break a season or a coaches legacy? Hell no....step back from the ledge people.
 
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Fran can't coach guts and as disappointed as I am in the team and staff, I didn't see one player getting po'd in the huddles. Flip to ISU and guys are yelling at each other and grabbing jerseys. Late game scenarios require confidence that can be fueled by emotion and somebody saying "let's do this". Same crap as last year, blank stares on the faces of players and no fire.
 
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stillh8unlv said:
Absolutely....

The hyperbole in this thread is comical. You 'fans' are melting down worse than the team did tonight.

How quickly you forget......last year this team finished many games like this and comfortably made it into the tourney for the 1st time in how many fnnnnn years??

Was it bad? Yes, is it going to make or break a season or a coaches legacy? Hell no....step back from the ledge people.
Click to expand...

We'll see.
 
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soybean said:
Its always risky to attach too much importance to any single game. But I think tonight was just that. An important game. A game that we can use as a mearuring stick. And the Hawkeyes came up wanting. Its not just that we lost to a very good team on its court. Its how we lost...and who we lost to.

We might not know for a while how Fran, staff and players react to tonights embarrassing collapse. It may turn out that the Hawks make their stand and rebound from this failure and rally into the BIG10 schedule and finish strong.

Or, tonight might well be a watershed. If Iowa stumbles through the remainder of the season and misses the NCAA tournament we might be looking at the Fran tenure at Iowa in real danger. These sorts of defeats cause a fanbase to ask where the program really is. Fran has earned, and will be given, another season after the 2015/16 run is over regardless of how the Hawks finish...but the ice is getting thin in Iowa City.
Click to expand...

This one hurt, but Iowa State is a very good basketball team. Iowa looked superb for one half of the game, but McKay, Morris and Niang were simply too much. I expected Uthoff would disappear in the 2nd half. I can't understand why he can't sustain his edge.
 
Someone said it earlier, but losing out on Tyler Ulis at the last second hurt this program.
 
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hansenhawk said:
Mike Gesell is a terrible PG late in games, and the problem is, next year, we don't have anyone even close to as good as him coming in.

That is problem #1 when assessing Iowa's future.
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Matt continues to make bad plays at important times, he is a good player but sometimes lacks focus like all of us. ISU put Woody in a single D position to defend the post, he is a zone D player, we gave up too many points before we adjusted. We really don't a true big D shot blocker which is an issue. Also no PG that can penetrate
 
This was a tough one to swallow. It's still stuck in my throat, but Fran has done a hell of a lot to make Iowa BB better. I wish he had figured out how to get the guys to play in the second half, and especially against the press in the last couple of minutes. Take away Jok's brief stretch of shots, and Iowa did almost nothing in the second half. I am not sure that ISU really did that much to make the comeback. It's not like they suddenly started draining every shot. Iowa just lost its flow and aggression.
 
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stillh8unlv said:
Absolutely....

The hyperbole in this thread is comical. You 'fans' are melting down worse than the team did tonight.

How quickly you forget......last year this team finished many games like this and comfortably made it into the tourney for the 1st time in how many fnnnnn years??

Was it bad? Yes, is it going to make or break a season or a coaches legacy? Hell no....step back from the ledge people.
Click to expand...

soybean said:
We'll see.
Click to expand...

Tell you what, if this team fails to make the NCAA tournament, I owe you a Coke
 
stillh8unlv said:
Tell you what, if this team fails to make the NCAA tournament, I owe you a Coke
Click to expand...

OK, but remember that turning points can go either direction. I'm not predicting which way this team will go...but tonight wasn't just another game no matter how highly ISU was rated.
 
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Fran, imo, still hasn't shown that he can find a way to get his Iowa teams to close out close games. He continues to go to/with MG, who has clearly shown that when the game is on the line, he doesn't get the job done and hasn't for several years now. The team, imo, has played better when AC is the only pg on the floor. Neither scores a lot, but AC is a better athlete, defender and the offense runs more smoothly with him leading the team. Plus, AC doesn't look try to put the team on his back, but runs the offense with the his team mates doing most of the scoring, except when something opens up for him. Plus Fran doesn't look for him to be the man like it seems he does with MG (and in reality he isn't good enough).
 
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HoustonREDHawk said:
This was a tough one to swallow. It's still stuck in my throat, but Fran has done a hell of a lot to make Iowa BB better. I wish he had figured out how to get the guys to play in the second half, and especially against the press in the last couple of minutes. Take away Jok's brief stretch of shots, and Iowa did almost nothing in the second half. I am not sure that ISU really did that much to make the comeback. It's not like they suddenly started draining every shot. Iowa just lost its flow and aggression.
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Yes, and I think most fans will agree that Fran has brought Iowa Basketball back to respectability. And most fans are grateful for that. But is that enough going forward?

Let me ask you a question if I may. Tomorrow will people be talking about how Iowa lost a close one to 4th ranked ISU in Ames by one point in the last minute...or will they be talking about how Iowa blew a 20 point second half lead to Iowa State?
 
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