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

A singular game negates the years of improvement, the relentless recruiting, and Iowa's first NCAA win in over 14 years. It's blatantly obvious that years of work and numerous wins don't mean much if you can't beat a top 4 ranked Iowa State.

Nice to see someone not jumping off the roof...

Geezer Alert:

I rarely predict great things for the Hawkeyes in either football or hoops. I have watched both fanatically since age 7. 43 years later, watching the first small sample size, I see something more legit with this team than ones I can recall since mid to late 80's.

Tonight was painful, but do not forgot that they played pretty damn well. IMO the first half was as impressive as I have seen by a Hawk team within the last 25 -30 yrs., pissing and moaning over coaching, etc.. aside.

Definitely not a moral victory, but this team can challenge for the top 4 in the BIG I believe.
 
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Nice to see someone not jumping off the roof...

Geezer Alert:

I rarely predict great things for the Hawkeyes in either football or hoops. I have watched both fanatically since age 7. 43 years later, watching the first small sample size, I see something more legit with this team than ones I can recall since mid to late 80's.

Tonight was painful, but do not forgot that they played pretty damn well. IMO the first half was as impressive as I have seen by a Hawk team within the last 25 -30 yrs., pissing and moaning over coaching, etc.. aside.

Definitely not a moral victory, but this team can challenge for the top 4 in the BIG I believe.
But a game is 40 minutes...with the seniors they have, there should've been no doubt. That is what is maddening. I hope you are right
 
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Its year 5. Fran is not the man. Recruiting has caught up with him.. I want him to win but I don't think I can invest my heart and soul in Fran anymore.
 
I still remember well the dreck that were the licklighter years. When I eventually didn't even watch games. Not just because were awful, although they were truly awful. But they were less entertaining than watching paint dry.

As difficult a loss as this is, it's so much better than where they were.

Competitive for the NCAA tourney most years is what I ask. They are still there.
 
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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.

I still think Iowa makes the tourney. Some of the B1G's former top teams are down. So, there's me.
 
I'll take "Overreactions" for $500, Alex.
Seriously. I can't believe soy of all people is going off the deep end here. Guys, Iowa State is actually a very good basketball team, no matter how bad they played the first half. My brother and I always talk during Iowa games and I called him at the half and said can you believe this? He said something like no I can't believe Iowa State stunk things up that bad. He said he figured they would bury Uthoff the second half and cut out the stupid mistakes which they did. The result was not, or should not have been, a big surprise, other than the fact Iowa only lost by a point.

If you guys want to pack it in and quit watching Iowa basketball, go for it. You won't be missed. You don't really know anything about it anyway.
 
I thought we were going to lose by 15 pts tonight going in so to be up big was a huge surprise. We just could not sustain it and we looked gassed about half way through the second half.

We are not the only program to blow a big lead to these guys on their home floor. Stinks to lose but no shame in losing to them at Hilton. Take solace in that there was a lot of quiet time tonight In Hilton. They get to enjoy the win but only at the end. We have less talent and took them to the brink. ISU lead for a total of 39 seconds in this game. The biggest issue was the last 2 minutes of each half where we were out scored 14-0. That's something I am hoping the coaches address. We have to improve our approach with end half/game scenarios. How do we get a basket when we really need it?

I always want more but I have grown tired of the let's run the coach every time something goes wrong. I was in favor of dumping the football coach after last season and look how stupid I look now. There's something to be said about stability and just keep working the process.
 
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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.
Ding, ding, ding. Great post. How do you get this far along in your program and not have a quality backup PG (or one who is even better than MG)? Lick's tenure has been great for Fran as it's set the bar very low for a lot of the Iowa fanbase.
 
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A singular game negates the years of improvement, the relentless recruiting, and Iowa's first NCAA win in over 14 years. It's blatantly obvious that years of work and numerous wins don't mean much if you can't beat a top 4 ranked Iowa State.

This point has a lot of merit, although hard to defend tonight's collapse might be indicative of this team's ability to get to the next level. Just feels like Fran and the boys didn't feel like they really belong after all.
 
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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.
No you don't or you would have led with that.
We lost a game in Hilton to the undefeated number 4 ranked team by 1 point. It was a game in which we certainly were not favored and I am sure that we covered the spread.
It was a shame that we lost after playing so well for 30 minutes but it appears to me that you really want to try to run Fran out of town like you wanted to happened to Alford.
Was I disappointed? Yes, I am always disappointed whenever any team from Iowa loses, but I'll not act like the idiots on this forum, who you try to spoon feed and decide that I'll not be happy until we get another new coach. You, especially, soybean, deserved every game that Licklighter coached.
 
My whole issue with Fran is he always states, "I let the players play and let them make decisions"

That logic might of worked at Laffeyte and Siena, but it won't work in the Big Boys league.

The guy is the king of saving TO's for no purpose. I don't acre if you call TO and we turn it over, at least call the damn thing.

Our players lack of toughness is a kill shot, they have no balls when it comes down to the wire. We have guys who fold or hide. Utoff or Jok should of taken that last shot, not Gessel. Sorry but that was a loss on the coaches.
 
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Seriously. I can't believe soy of all people is going off the deep end here. Guys, Iowa State is actually a very good basketball team, no matter how bad they played the first half. My brother and I always talk during Iowa games and I called him at the half and said can you believe this? He said something like no I can't believe Iowa State stunk things up that bad. He said he figured they would bury Uthoff the second half and cut out the stupid mistakes which they did. The result was not, or should not have been, a big surprise, other than the fact Iowa only lost by a point.

If you guys want to pack it in and quit watching Iowa basketball, go for it. You won't be missed. You don't really know anything about it anyway.
Apparently they will be missed at Carver though. Will be interesting to see the attendance at the next game. I know the football team certainly missed some fans this year. Glad you feel good about things though.
 
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Nice to see someone not jumping off the roof...

Geezer Alert:

I rarely predict great things for the Hawkeyes in either football or hoops. I have watched both fanatically since age 7. 43 years later, watching the first small sample size, I see something more legit with this team than ones I can recall since mid to late 80's.

Tonight was painful, but do not forgot that they played pretty damn well. IMO the first half was as impressive as I have seen by a Hawk team within the last 25 -30 yrs., pissing and moaning over coaching, etc.. aside.

Definitely not a moral victory, but this team can challenge for the top 4 in the BIG I believe.[/QUOTE]
I hope I'm wrong, but I highly doubt Iowa challenges for the top 4 in the B1G. They don't play good enough defense and Iowa's guards aren't good enough. They don't have the elite guard(s) needed. MG and AG don't have elite handles or quickness, which makes it difficult to close out tight games. It's why we've seen Iowa struggle so mightily to win these types of games during the Fran era.
 
Seens like they can't get stops when they need them. Wish Marcus Paige was on this team. Disappointing that we have five freshman and none of them can get much meaningful playing time. Out side of Tyler cook Fran seems to have missed out on a lot of key targets. Guys that could be impact guys amthat aren't on Iowas roster which is unfortunate.
 
You gloom and doomers either need to watch more college basketball or stop watching it all together because it's obvious most don't know jack sh*t about what happens night in and night out in this sport.
 
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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.

we start three top 100 players.
 
Honestly, who was really surprised that we blew a 19-point lead late in the 1st half? Shoot -- I expected it. I'm sure I wasn't the only one. Not much killer instinct on this team.

obviously, as shown by blowing out two good teams and beating another decent team in overtime already this year.
 
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.

A lot of truth here. This crap should not STILL be happening. If Gesell can't get it done, he should've been over recruited by now. Same with Clemmons and the others. I just hope the softness of the veterans doesn't rub off on the new kids.
 
A lot of truth here. This crap should not STILL be happening. If Gesell can't get it done, he should've been over recruited by now. Same with Clemmons and the others. I just hope the softness of the veterans doesn't rub off on the new kids.

Who do we have in the works to improve??? Who is our PG next year? Williams? Sorry but this kid played 2A in Illinois? YIKES!

Sorry but Fran needs to find someone else. Explore the "transfer" option. For the love of god, find someone else.
 
Good God. Did the loss suck? Oh yeah. Should we expect a senior laden team to have some stones down the stretch? Oh yeah. But here's the reality, Fran has Iowa Basketball back to where we normally are. 20-22 wins 9-12 losses 7-10 seed in the dance. And you want to run him out of town? You're out of your effing mind.
 
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Good God. Did the loss suck? Oh yeah. Should we expect a senior laden team to have some stones down the stretch? Oh yeah. But here's the reality, Fran has Iowa Basketball back to where we normally are. 20-22 wins 9-12 losses 7-10 seed in the dance. And you want to run him out of town? You're out of your effing mind.

Outside of one obvious troll, who wants to run him out of town? People are unhappy with his coaching decisions but I don't see people calling for Fran to be fired.
 
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we start three top 100 players.

Do not confuse high school ratings with college results. Gesell needs much better talent around him to not have his deficiencies exploited and Woodbury has not develop a post game in 4 years. They give maximum effort, so I am not being critical, just saying that this not the level of talent that will ever get Iowa past the first round, if that far, in the tourney.
 
No you don't or you would have led with that.
We lost a game in Hilton to the undefeated number 4 ranked team by 1 point. It was a game in which we certainly were not favored and I am sure that we covered the spread.
It was a shame that we lost after playing so well for 30 minutes but it appears to me that you really want to try to run Fran out of town like you wanted to happened to Alford.
Was I disappointed? Yes, I am always disappointed whenever any team from Iowa loses, but I'll not act like the idiots on this forum, who you try to spoon feed and decide that I'll not be happy until we get another new coach. You, especially, soybean, deserved every game that Licklighter coached.


mtown66 - Please don't try assigning motives to my post. It was an observation more than anything. As I stated last night, and still believe this morning, the loss to Iowa State and the way we lost it, makes it bigger than many suspect.

BTW - Please re-read this thread.
 
Do not confuse high school ratings with college results. Gesell needs much better talent around him to not have his deficiencies exploited and Woodbury has not develop a post game in 4 years. They give maximum effort, so I am not being critical, just saying that this not the level of talent that will ever get Iowa past the first round, if that far, in the tourney.

We made it to the round of 32 last year (ISU didn't and they beat us). So I guess looking back maybe its a blessing in disguise we lost that game last night. Maybe the players will bounce back and go a nice little run heading into Big 10 play.
 
Don't jump off the ledge yet. We lost in an agonizing way, that is true. But just one game.
 
Do not confuse high school ratings with college results. Gesell needs much better talent around him to not have his deficiencies exploited and Woodbury has not develop a post game in 4 years. They give maximum effort, so I am not being critical, just saying that this not the level of talent that will ever get Iowa past the first round, if that far, in the tourney.
Sorry but this is off. Gessell exploited his own weaknesses w/ unforced turnovers and brick shooting. Both the Ute and Jok were hitting shots and Woody DOES have a low post game, although he didn't show much last night. I think Gessell overthinks things and then gives the ball away or tries to force things too much. A reliable PG won't panic but Fran ca't get one to come to Iowa. That Macintosh kid at Northwestern would've been just what the doctor ordered. He's got stones, confidence and wants to take the big shot. Gessell is a nice kid but he's not the kind of PG that can finish games or is clutch.
 
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.

When was Ulis ever committed to Iowa? He wasn't. Ulis has also stated he would have likely chosen Michigan State over Iowa, so I don't think he was ever ours to lose.
 
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Do not confuse high school ratings with college results. Gesell needs much better talent around him to not have his deficiencies exploited and Woodbury has not develop a post game in 4 years. They give maximum effort, so I am not being critical, just saying that this not the level of talent that will ever get Iowa past the first round, if that far, in the tourney.

Ok, do you want to count the lightly recruited players that Fran turned into NBA draft picks and players worthy of all conference mention? Because you cannot have it both ways.
 
Considering this was a game most had chalked up as a loss on our schedule by most rational people, I am surprised by how many think this is the end of Fran... Stop letting a heartbreaking loss permeate rational thinking.
 
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What seperates Iowa and ISU is elite PG play. Morris is one of the best if not THE best PG in the country and he proved that last night, Gessell not so much. MG bricks a shot so badly ISU gets the ball on a shot clock violation and Morris takes the ball down the court and makes the shot. Whats scary is Iowa has Williams on the team as the PGOTF and Bohannon coming in? That should be a concern.
 
This Senior class is the epitomy of choke. My god, how many times have we seen this the past 3-4 years while they were all here and playing roles on those collapses. You have all seniors out there and you are up 8 with 1 to go and you lose, that takes skill to pull that off, we got the best lineup to do that often! Just pathetic, pathetic finish, AGAIN.
 
Better players played up to their ability ultimately and won. What's surprising about that?

Jarrod Uthoff is an outstanding player. I think he would start for isu. Outside of him, though, the 'clones are better at every position. Some of us already knew this before the game.
The surprising thing was that isu came out so flat and Uthoff looked like one of the old ABA stars in how he was scoring at will from all over the court. The odds of him falling off and the isu players picking up their game were both pretty high.
 
Fran's coaching at the end of the game has been brutal since being at Iowa. There have been a bunch of games with a chance to win with a timeout in the bag and we get a fade away three. Call the time out and set a play. I believe he gets out coached at the end of the games. Everyone watching knew they were going to press, but our press breaker looks like schools girls playing tag on the play ground. Fran needs to be more prepared. I thought these 5 freshman were going to contribute. They must not be ready. How do we not recruit a transfer kid or something instead we play a walk on from Iowa. SMH. All of his recruits except for Cook next year are from IOWA. IS he really recruiting or counting on local talent, which probably doesn't match up to the talent the big boys in the big ten are getting. Last year I posted something along the same lines. So hopefully my negativity will help them get to the NCAA. But the likelihood of that with their B1G schedule is not likely.
 
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