Toussaint

[AwkHawk]

Connor has less rebounds than JBO and only 77 assists compared to JoeT’s 45 assists in half of the minutes played.

This isn’t meant to be a knock on Connor or JBO but neither of them have really justified the minutes they’ve gotten this season from Fran and I think JBO plays bette catching and shooting off of a kick, which JoeT provides and Connor does not.

JoeT is also the closest thing we have to a lockdown defender and actually allows us a fighting chance at playing man-to-man.
I’ve been a big fan of Fran over the years but his handling of minutes this season has lost me a bit as I don’t see any other reason for it other than nepotism. He certainly isn’t handling subs based on performance and gives a huge leash to some: JBO, Connor, and Nunge, while no leash to JoeT.

 

[iahawks10]

On defense he's as good or better than than JW. At times he does quite well defending players bigger than him.

JB get's eaten alive, I never see CM in that situation. CM's is truly a good decision maker and passer. It is better to have the ball in his hands than JB. JB should be shooting only. When it comes to JT, I think we need him at PG for the quickness. But JT (at this point) doesn't always make good decisions and isn't always a good passer. With Garza on the team, we need people who can feed him down low. CM is good at that so I have no problem playing him. He deserves it.

Agree. Where I see Connor (and others) getting in the most trouble on defense is when they over help in the zone defense. Usually it’s helping the high post and they don’t rotate back in time. Some times they’ll shoot over them, others will pump fake and make an extra pass as Iowa is scrambling for an open shooter. Then of course, no one is in position to rebound on a miss after the scrambling.

 

[SB_SB]

Agree. Where I see Connor (and others) getting in the most trouble on defense is when they over help in the zone defense. Usually it’s helping the high post and they don’t rotate back in time. Some times they’ll shoot over them, others will pump fake and make an extra pass as Iowa is scrambling for an open shooter. Then of course, no one is in position to rebound on a miss after the scrambling.

That whole zone defense is laughable. You're right, they help way to much. I just don't get the rotation at all. It's better when the quicker guards are in but that rarely. The worst is they double team at the top and so the ball rotates around which results in the bigs having to go out, and as you said, there's no one to rebound. It makes zero sense as to how they're determining who to guard. JB should not be at the point in the zone, he's just not quick enough.

We were winning at the beginning of the year because we were outscoring the other team. Now the teams have figured out our offense and have shutdown a portion of it, resulting in losses.

 

[HawkRose]

Connor at PG is laughable. Jbo bringing it up and getting forced with his back to the basket at the logo is bad enough. Connor would be even worse.

 

[SB_SB]

Connor at PG is laughable. Jbo bringing it up and getting forced with his back to the basket at the logo is bad enough. Connor would be even worse.

I don't know what you've been watching but when Connor brings the ball up, the defender usually backs up. To think JB is better than Connor just tells me you haven't been watching the games closely.

 

[HawkRose]

I don't know what you've been watching but when Connor brings the ball up, the defender usually backs up. To think JB is better than Connor just tells me you haven't been watching the games closely.

Right... that's why Jbo has been the PG all season then. Remember Mcaffery crossover turnover versus Illinois? Remember Connor bringing the ball up late versus OSU? At least Jbo tries to push it.

Neither should be our PG

 

[SB_SB]

Right... that's why Jbo has been the PG all season then. Remember Mcaffery crossover turnover versus Illinois? Remember Connor bringing the ball up late versus OSU? At least Jbo tries to push it.

Neither should be our PG

It makes no sense to have JB bringing the ball up. He’s not good at it and takes him away from getting open to shoot. Come on, you found two plays by connor. I get it, you hate the coaches son. He’s a better decision maker and passer than JB.

 

[HawkRose]

Show me anyone else that thinks playing Connor at PG is a good idea. I don't hate Connor, he's a role player thrust into a position starting role, it's not his fault. There are situations to play him, playing him at PG would be foolish. Show many any P5 team with a PG like Connor, just 1...

 

[fivecardstud14]

Show me anyone else that thinks playing Connor at PG is a good idea. I don't hate Connor, he's a role player thrust into a position starting role, it's not his fault. There are situations to play him, playing him at PG would be foolish. Show many any P5 team with a PG like Connor, just 1...

After Murray fouled out he brought the ball up with 3:00 left. Bohannon was running around & allowed them to get it to Garza for two points. He then brought the ball up with 2:24 left. Bohannon running around again like Richard Hamilton made it so Garza got an easy two points.

Quit acting like it can't be done. Not saying to play C. McCaffery at PG all the time but if Fran is going to refuse to play Toussaint or Ulis, he needs to run some sets with C. McCaffery at PG & Bohannon on the wing. It worked twice late in the 2nd half. Your all or nothing comments are lame.

 

[littlez]

The positive in that is that in most cases Connor is not getting hounded by a really quick guy. That guy is busy chasing Bohannon around.

 

[e720718998]

One he had to throw up on the inbounds since nobody was open. I don't remember the other. Either way, every other player gets to play through their struggles, why shouldn't he? He adds an element that no one else on the bench does. We could have used him in the second half. Fran's short leash has to be causing him to press.

He should of called a time out

 

[Bank of Hawk]

Why the short leash for him, but others can turn it over and they stay in the game?

Because Fran is more worthless than tits in a boar

 

[e720718998]

He is exciting but is careless with the basketball. I like the D but until he gets control of the offensive end he will get the Clemons treatment.

 

[Hawksfor3]

Hope he stays in the game so he can stay on Jacob Young.

 

[Slim45]

Just watched the replay of the game. Towards the middle of the 2nd half i was looking at iowas bench and it didn’t appear joe was on it. I kept watching for him the rest of the replay and never did. Anyone else notice this or have any insight?

 

[CleteyColgate]

Just watched the replay of the game. Towards the middle of the 2nd half i was looking at iowas bench and it didn’t appear joe was on it. I kept watching for him the rest of the replay and never did. Anyone else notice this or have any insight?

He was on it. He was on the end with a towel over his head

 

[mjnem418]

JT was sitting opposite end of the coaches. Equivalent to the last person on the bench. Looked like he had a towel over his head. When the starters were pulled Garza walked over to him for a high five. JT never got of his chair. He didn't look happy.
I don’t blame him if he transfers. Started 20 games as a true freshman in the Big 10 and did rather well. Had some freshman moments but overall he was above average. Now he can’t get playing time over JBO or CM. When he does get a chance he gets gets the hook pretty fast by FM.

 

[CleteyColgate]

JT was sitting opposite end of the coaches. Equivalent to the last person on the bench. Looked like he had a towel over his head. When the starters were pulled Garza walked over to him for a high five. JT never got of his chair. He didn't look happy.
I don’t blame him if he transfers. Started 20 games as a true freshman in the Big 10 and did rather well. Had some freshman moments but overall he was above average. Now he can’t get playing time over JBO or CM. When he does get a chance he gets gets the hook pretty fast by FM.

Would like to see him have a longer leash but we're also trying to win games. Those 2 things need to overlap

 

[Ihawkhoops]

I am a proponent of Joe T., but am beginning to question whether he sees a future at Iowa. He shows flashes that make you say wow! and flashes that make you say $%$*?! Fran's trust in him is low to nonexistent. Jbo gets to play through the same mistakes Joe T. makes but I guess that is what being a 5th year veteran player earns you.

I don't know if he is pressing to make plays, but it's like his shoes and the ball are greased when he is handling it. In his defense, it's very tough to step on the floor and get into the flow of the game worrying about making a mistake. It looks like he is debating in his head what to do--let his instincts take over and be aggressive vs. running the offense. His PT is with a random mix of players, so that isn't the same as having Garza and Joe W, but it's what every reserve deals with to some degree.

I hope he stays and can be a veteran guy to lead the younger guys. If not, Fran needs to hit the portal and bring a graduate transfer given CJ's recurring foot issues and high potential, but unknowns, in Ulis and Perkins. Seems like whenever he has a game last night he rebounds with solid minutes. Hope that is the case against MSU.

 

[Jizzer]

I’d love it if he transferred and flat out said “well I wasn’t getting minutes and I thought the decisions weren’t fair”

Why would you love this? Are you an Iowa fan? His turnover before the end of the half was elementary. Thank God Rutgers dribbled the ensuing in bounds off their leg, he almost gave them free points. This team has legit 11 guys that can play well, 11! His leash should be short.

 

[Jizzer]

Am I the only one actually paying attention during games? Joe has a 10.8 PER since conference games began. 10.8! That is terrible. Bohannon's is 20. Ulis 14.8. He's the 3rd best PG on this team right now, and I'm pretty sure I'd play Perkins ahead of him as well. He can't shoot 3's, he can't shoot FTs, he constantly is late on zone transition defense, he constantly drives and stops at full speed sliding his feet, doesn't rebound, and his A:TO ratio is 1:1. Fran is playing his best players right now, including playing Keegan over Connor for most of the game.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I am a proponent of Joe T., but am beginning to question whether he sees a future at Iowa. He shows flashes that make you say wow! and flashes that make you say $%$*?! Fran's trust in him is low to nonexistent. Jbo gets to play through the same mistakes Joe T. makes but I guess that is what being a 5th year veteran player earns you.

I don't know if he is pressing to make plays, but it's like his shoes and the ball are greased when he is handling it. In his defense, it's very tough to step on the floor and get into the flow of the game worrying about making a mistake. It looks like he is debating in his head what to do--let his instincts take over and be aggressive vs. running the offense. His PT is with a random mix of players, so that isn't the same as having Garza and Joe W, but it's what every reserve deals with to some degree.

I hope he stays and can be a veteran guy to lead the younger guys. If not, Fran needs to hit the portal and bring a graduate transfer given CJ's recurring foot issues and high potential, but unknowns, in Ulis and Perkins. Seems like whenever he has a game last night he rebounds with solid minutes. Hope that is the case against MSU.

Love the quickness that he brings, but I thought he'd be doing better by now in keeping himself under control. Still too many foolish turnovers.
Hope Joe T stays and gets it sorted out. Last night is the first time that I thought he and Fran might be parting ways at the end of the season.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Fran’s love fest for Bohannon is just mind boggling. Refusing to sit him even when he plays bad on offense along with his usual lackluster effort on D. Or he won’t even sit Connor and play JoeT at the 1 and Bohannon at the 2. I don’t blame Toussaint at all if he leaves. Frans stubbornness on refusing to sit Bohannon is costing us on the court and bet it will off the court once season is over.

This....
Over and over again.
Bohannon had 2 of the worst turnovers of the season last night. And by worst, I mean in all of college basketball this year.

 

[fivecardstud14]

Am I the only one actually paying attention during games? Joe has a 10.8 PER since conference games began. 10.8! That is terrible. Bohannon's is 20. Ulis 14.8. He's the 3rd best PG on this team right now, and I'm pretty sure I'd play Perkins ahead of him as well. He can't shoot 3's, he can't shoot FTs, he constantly is late on zone transition defense, he constantly drives and stops at full speed sliding his feet, doesn't rebound, and his A:TO ratio is 1:1. Fran is playing his best players right now, including playing Keegan over Connor for most of the game.

Lol you're also the guy who said Garza was a better defender than Cockburn because Garza had a defensive rating of 100 (now 102) & Cockburn's is 92.3...which obviously would mean Cockburn is a better defender.

 

[just_somebody]

His turnover before the end of the half was elementary.

I was watching on mute at this point last night while playing with my kids, and thought they called it out of bounds off Joe T. I couldn't figure out why JT wasn't complaining. Went back and watched it just now and finally realized they called a travel

 

[kcgolfer]

Fran doesn’t value defense, so Joe T sits. Yes, he has turnovers, but, he changes the game in a positive way every time he comes in.

 

[hawkifann]

Connor at PG is laughable. Jbo bringing it up and getting forced with his back to the basket at the logo is bad enough. Connor would be even worse.

This holds no water. Last year with JBo out, Connor was on the floor a ton and played more minutes at point than he has this year and had 4 assists per game with 0.9 turnovers per game while playing an average of 30 mpg.

Looking over the last 2 seasons, Iowa has played 51 games and Connor has had more than 2 turnovers exactly 1 time (4 this year in win over Purdue). He’s had 2 TOs 10 times. That means that in 40 of his 51 games, averaging over 25 mpg with a lot of those minutes at point, he’s had fewer than 2 TOs.

You can say a lot of things about Connor’s game as he has plenty of holes, but pointing to him as being overwhelmed by defenses or being a turnover machine isn’t one of them.

 

[Titanhawk2]

This....
Over and over again.
Bohannon had 2 of the worst turnovers of the season last night. And by worst, I mean in all of college basketball this year.

JBo still makes passes like he believes he's playing against high schoolers

 

[hawkifann]

Right... that's why Jbo has been the PG all season then. Remember Mcaffery crossover turnover versus Illinois? Remember Connor bringing the ball up late versus OSU? At least Jbo tries to push it.

Neither should be our PG

The issue this year is that Fran is having Connor play the 4 most often when the starters are in (especially when CJ plays). This leaves JBo at the point with Weiskamp and Fredrick/Murray on the wings.

 

[Incredible Hawk]

This....
Over and over again.
Bohannon had 2 of the worst turnovers of the season last night. And by worst, I mean in all of college basketball this year.

The non-pressured dribble off the foot before half is something I don't ever recall seeing that happen in a Big10 game (30+ years watching).....What was the other TO? I wasn't watching really close.....guessing a lazy pass, but I can't recall for sure...

 

[Rifler]

JBo still makes passes like he believes he's playing against high schoolers

Jordan needs to value the ball,.. nuff said.

 

[relishingwinning18]

Zero 2nd half minutes while for second game in a row Bohannon plays all 20. Might as well enter his name in the transfer portal now. You can tell his confidence is shot. Fran pulls him with the short leash after one turnover after only 3 minutes in 1st half. Plays Perkins over him 2nd half.

Joe was awful tonight, he deserved to sit.

 

[hawkifann]

Joe was awful tonight, he deserved to sit.

Agreed.....though I’ll go to my grave believing that was not a travel right before half. It was still a bad play (weak cut by Joe and a pass that led him right into the defender), but you have to possess the ball to travel.

 

[Bulldogs1974]

Connor didn’t play well? Another guy who watched a different game. He was +23 in BPM. The highest of any player in the game by 10. Yes, 10 more in the BPM than every other player. Toussaint was -10 in 3:52 of play.

Unreal

He didn't.
Don't care what the BPM says, a lot of those stats are based on who you play with and when. Assist to turnover ratio is very deceiving. Heck CJ is around 10-1 but would anyone consider him a point guard. It has a lot to do with passing to some of the best shooters in Iowa history and never driving. A point guards job is not to simply pass the ball around the perimeter and feed the post. A point guard must be able to penetrate and kick, something Connor rarely does compared to most point guards.
Yes Connor can feed the post but that is a skill that can be taught. Anyone that watched Dr. Tom's teams knows this. If you emphasize it, you will do it well.

 

[Rifler]

Joe was awful tonight, he deserved to sit.

Joe has been in a bit of a funk last couple games,.. we need him to snap out of it for Saturday.

 

[hexumhawk]

My JoeT thoughts:

He fits what we lack and would probably play a lot more if he would stop turning the ball over. The other main issue with his game is that he is not respected with his three and teams have figured out better how to guard him. If he can develop a consistent jumper and stop the inexplicable turnovers, he has a good future.

 

[hexumhawk]

Joe has been in a bit of a funk last couple games,.. we need him to snap out of it for Saturday.

MSU is a perfect team for him to get a lot of minutes and have success. We shall see.

 

[Rifler]

MSU is a perfect team for him to get a lot of minutes and have success. We shall see.

He matched up well against them last game and we're going to need that again...

 

[HawkRose]

This holds no water. Last year with JBo out, Connor was on the floor a ton and played more minutes at point than he has this year and had 4 assists per game with 0.9 turnovers per game while playing an average of 30 mpg.

Looking over the last 2 seasons, Iowa has played 51 games and Connor has had more than 2 turnovers exactly 1 time (4 this year in win over Purdue). He’s had 2 TOs 10 times. That means that in 40 of his 51 games, averaging over 25 mpg with a lot of those minutes at point, he’s had fewer than 2 TOs.

You can say a lot of things about Connor’s game as he has plenty of holes, but pointing to him as being overwhelmed by defenses or being a turnover machine isn’t one of them.

did you watch thegame last night?? Two of the few times Connor brought up the ball he turned it over in very limited minutes.

it’s not all about turnovers either we need a PG that can get the ball up the court in a reasonable time on the shot clock. Or push the ball on a missed bucket by opponent.

We were obviously a better team with limited Connor minutes. We need Joe T or Ulis to emerge to make a deep run. Imagine if we played a team like West Virginia in the NCAAs.

 

[AwkHawk]

I'm not sure what you are watching other than a stat. Pretty difficult to have good stats when you get pulled after the first turnover you make or first shot you miss.

I saw more boneheaded turnovers from JBO, Connor and Nunge last night and they didn't get pulled. And one of JoeT's turnovers at the end of the half wasn't even his fault. The inbounder (I can't remember who now) threw it leading him right into a trap--in large part due to almost being a 5 second call. He had no space to move there. The broadcast team even mentioned that.