We will know how good this team is on Dec 6
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
Friend of mine is a Xavier fan and a Hawkeye fan, usually realistic in spite of those impediments. He's very high on Nunge, thinks Xavier could be a Top Ten team this year.
I suspect they might ruin Iowa State's undefeated season when they play Wednesday in Brooklyn.
Right about now we could use one of those tournaments at a neutral site with some decent teams to gauge where we really are and what needs to be addressed. Something similar to our tournament with Oregon and UConn or Texas Tech and SDSt. We would learn a lot more than just beating up another punching bag.
I "generally" agree with this.....but other than JBO, Connor, Keegan, and maybe Patrick & Joe, the rest of this team could use some more patsies to get their comfort and confidence level up...to find a continuity in both the offensive and defensive schemes while in game situations....
All that said, the schedule is what it is.....and soon enough (a week from today) we will see the competition ramp up in a hurry. I'm not sure that anything can prepare us for Purdue at this point.....they look tough as hell.
We are 5-0
But let's see how we play against Virginia, Purdue, and Illinois before we get too giddy.
But let's see how we play against Virginia, Purdue, and Illinois before we get too giddy.
I wouldn't count the @UVA game as a true barometer.
Maybe its just early, but they are nowhere near where they were in the recent past when they were winning the ACC regular season and ACCT crowns, and going to the F4 & NC game and winning it all.
Getting them early will be a huge blessing for the Hawks. Really looking forward to that game.
Maybe its just early, but they are nowhere near where they were in the recent past when they were winning the ACC regular season and ACCT crowns, and going to the F4 & NC game and winning it all.
Getting them early will be a huge blessing for the Hawks. Really looking forward to that game.
Folks......don't downplay what this team has done. We are not going to win every game... This is excellent ball these kids are playing and that is A fact. What this team is doing on both ends of the floor is impressive and amazing. Plus....Fran is playing the whole roster, whoever is suited up and sitting on that bench...... and they are still averaging close to 100 points per game.....let that sink in.
I get that it’s the trend to do these money games so we can do less home and home series or whatever but this feels like at minimum one give me game too many. Six in a row to start the season is pretty hard way to get people to carver. Oh well, hopefully they’ll be ready for December. Players and the fans I guess.
I agree. There’s something to be said for taking care of business the way you should against these bottom-tier teams. It’s not something that some of Fran’s less experienced teams have always done. Think of 2011 losing to Campbell, or 2016 losing to Nebraska-Omaha. This team looks solid given what we lost
Correct....I mean, I get it....the B1G is a really tough league though they are getting their lunch handed to them by other very good teams and a few not as good teams teams too.
I am not expecting this team to win every game but as this early season goes along.....I get more optimistic every game they play. And go listen to Keegan's post game interview last night and here what he says about the confidence level in him that's is growing and that confidence in his teammates that is growing as well with each game. Perfect schedule in my view and they know the comp is going to get tougher but I am confident they will be ready for it.
I am watching a replay of MSU and the other Michigan directional school, Eastern Michigan 83-59 FINAL and you can argue who is better Western or Eastern??? MSU played Western too 90-46.....Eastern lost to IU 68-62. MSU comes to town on 2/22 with no trip back to East Lansing. Who do I think today is going to win that game in Carver barring no for seen bad injuries to this team? IOWA of course...
I think some of us are simply trying to be realistic and not afraid to tap on the brakes just A LITTLE BIT.
We will be 6-0 on Friday; everyone knows that.
There are 358 D-1 teams and we have played some of the worst teams in the country, especially our last 3 opponents.
Current KemPom Rankings of our 5 Opponents:
210...Longwood
197...Kansas City
343...NC Central
330...Alabama State
318...Western Michigan
223...Portland State, who we play on Friday
Fran, I am driving a stick shift and using two feet for sure. I get what you are saying. I didn't know what to expect with this team, no expectations at all, but the optimism continues to grow.
I know basketball, I've played the game so much in my lifetime, still do and I am no spring chicken either, coaches son, point guard and all. Point is, this team is doing some really nice things here early on, regardless of the competition that you can't ignore. I can see it and the stats prove this better every time I look at this link....and the O and D stats would be even better if we didn't play all 14/13 roster players and heck they get 5 minutes or less PT. Kinda like schools out type of play....
bigten.org
I will say it again, we will NOT win every game. We are going to get beat, especially on the road which a lot teams do in this league. We have posters worrying about the heavyweights in this conference and I keep saying don't worry about em at this point. No kidding it's going to be tough to match-up to some of those teams but not all of them.
In my view, a great goal for this team is to get into the tourny, hopefully healthy and not like last year and with some good match-ups, who knows? No reason not to be optimistic at 5-0.
I know basketball, I've played the game so much in my lifetime, still do and I am no spring chicken either, coaches son, point guard and all. Point is, this team is doing some really nice things here early on, regardless of the competition that you can't ignore. I can see it and the stats prove this better every time I look at this link....and the O and D stats would be even better if we didn't play all 14/13 roster players and heck they get 5 minutes or less PT. Kinda like schools out type of play....
Big Ten Conference
The official 2021-2022 Men's Basketball cumulative statistics for Big Ten Conference
bigten.org
I will say it again, we will NOT win every game. We are going to get beat, especially on the road which a lot teams do in this league. We have posters worrying about the heavyweights in this conference and I keep saying don't worry about em at this point. No kidding it's going to be tough to match-up to some of those teams but not all of them.
In my view, a great goal for this team is to get into the tourny, hopefully healthy and not like last year and with some good match-ups, who knows? No reason not to be optimistic at 5-0.
Portland St., our next opponent, is averaging almost 90 points a game, so that number can be a little deceiving.
How will Keegan, Fran and the team respond when the better teams' scouting report is focused on limiting Keegan's production?
Last night was not real life when Keegan scored Iowa's first 15 points and Keegan led Western Michigan, 15-8.
Last night was not real life when Keegan scored Iowa's first 15 points and Keegan led Western Michigan, 15-8.
I’d be disappointed if we don’t go 2-1 in those 3 games. We’re more talented than UVA, they are way down. Clearly they will get better but they are bad offensively. We will get clubbed by Purdue but I think we can and should beat Illinois. Their pt guard has been horrible, and the game is at home. We have talent, clearly Murray at this pt is in the convo as a lottery pick. He’s better than anyone Illinois has. We match up well with them in my opinion. Kofi also still getting his feet under him.
Virginia will slow the game way down & will have the home crowd. It is nevertheless a very winnable game.
At Purdue? Yikes. Mackey Arena is a house of horrors.
The Ilini at home with a big crowd? I like our chances, but it will be a tough game, imo.
It's odd that ISU has developed a pipeline to Penn State transfers. Unfortunately, it appears that Brockington may be a real winner.
Suddenly the Dec 9 game at Clown U has gotten more interesting.
Clown U is 5-0 with Power 6 wins over Oregon State and Xavier.
Granted, BUT again those ranking are before anyone played a game, and one team we played had 9 or 10 NEW players that weren't even on their roster the previous season. Some of those guys were top 65 level guys who transferred down. How can you possibly rank teams that have basically 10 new players?
Actually, those were the rankings of the day I made that post (Tues, Nov 23), not before any games had been played. And as the season progresses, the rankings will adjust, of course.
We are considered by some as an NCAA Tournament Bubble Team. I just hope our very weak nonconference Strength of Schedule does not come back and bite us when the Field of 68 is revealed in March.
KemPom has our Strength of Schedule rating currently at #355 out of 358 teams.
KemPom Rankings of our 5 Opponents on Nov 23 & Nov 25:
Nov 23.....Nov25......Opponent
210..............208..........Longwood
197...............193...........Kansas City
343..............342..........NC Central
330..............332..........Alabama State
318...............320..........Western Michigan
223...............254.........Portland State, who we play on Friday, Nov 26
Oregon State is P6 in name only. They absolutely suck and they could be heading to a season like ISU had last year.
I love using Kenpom.
But, taking those rankings seriously 5 or 6 games into the season is a bad idea. At this point they are still significantly impacted but last seasons #s (which the starting point is based on).
Once we get into January, they should start being accurate.
But, taking those rankings seriously 5 or 6 games into the season is a bad idea. At this point they are still significantly impacted but last seasons #s (which the starting point is based on).
Once we get into January, they should start being accurate.
I was surprised that Moo U beat Xavier, but then I remembered that they tussled with Alabama St., a team we beat by 26 (not that close), to an eight point game. Obviously they are playing better, and nothing is carved in stone, but somehow I don't believe they will overpower us.
We all know that our weak nonconference schedule could become an issue on Selection Sunday.
I will make a note to compare Nov 26 KenPom rankings of our 11 nonconference opponents to Jan 5 rankings, which is when you suggest KenPom is more accurate. It will be interesting to see what movement there is.
Our current (Nov 26) Nonconference Strength of Schedule is # 354 of 358 teams. Let's see what it is on Jan 5. Hopefully it has dramatically improved.
And do you honestly think the 4 noncon opponents listed below who currently are in the 300's will significantly improve between now and Jan 5? I am going to predict they will still be in the 300's on Jan 5 and that could be a problem in March when it's decided by the Selection Committee if our body of work is NCAA Tournament worthy.
KenPom
Rank on:
Nov26.......Nonconference Opponent
208.............Longwood
193..............Kansas City
342...........NC Central
332...........Alabama State
320...........Western Michigan
254.............Portland State
47................Virginia
95...............Iowa State
68...............Utah State
305...........Southeastern Louisiana
202.............Western Illinois
Nov 26 Nonconference Strength of Schedule: #354
This schedule reminds me of NC State back in 18-19. NCOS was 353. They finished the regular season 21-10(9-9) but had two bad losses, one to GA Tech and one to Wake. They went 1-1 in the ACCT. They ended up in the NIT
IMO Iowa must, at worst, go 2-1 against Virginia/ISU/Utah St and avoid losses, home or away, against the bottom of the barrel B1G teams. Assuming that happens, 10-10, 1-1 should get them in as a 10ish seed.
IMO Iowa must, at worst, go 2-1 against Virginia/ISU/Utah St and avoid losses, home or away, against the bottom of the barrel B1G teams. Assuming that happens, 10-10, 1-1 should get them in as a 10ish seed.
Per KenPom.com, it's ...
Wake Forest --> William & Mary, Western Carolina, Charleston Southern, North Carolina A&T, Kennesaw State
Texas Tech --> North Florida, Grambling, Prairie View A&M, Incarnate Word, Omaha
UC Santa Barbara --> SF State, Washington State, Chicago State, Ark-Pine Bluff, UT-Arlington
Our next 5 games are all at home & should be cupcakes. Kansas City, NC Central, Alabama State, Western Michigan and Portland State. Not exactly Murderer's Row.
On Nov 26, after beating Portland State, we should be 6-0.
We will find out a lot about this team during the 3 games that follow:
* Nov 29 (at #25 Virginia)
* Dec 3 (at #7 Purdue)
* Dec 6 (vs #11 Illinois)
How will our 5 (center) hold up against their 5? Can we be consistent from outside, especially from 3? Those, of course, are 2 big question marks for this year's team.
So, I am going to keep tapping the brakes until Dec 6, around 8 pm, which is when the home game vs Illinois will be over. I hope at that time this board is not in a melt down mode.
time for some serious competition
Wow.
Clown U destroys #9 ranked Memphis.
They are now 6-0.
The game in Lames on Dec 9 is looking more and more tough.
Clown U destroys #9 ranked Memphis.
They are now 6-0.
The game in Lames on Dec 9 is looking more and more tough.
And will be another contest that could help our resume. I don't know that teams like NCC and Alabama St. will improve that much, but each team had some decent players and once they return to the level of competition that their conferences will provide, they could make some noise and may even wind up in the tourny as conference champs.
Clown U being a road game helps, too.
Like I said, I am going to keep track of our nonconference strength of schedule (SOS) and see how it moves between now and Jan 5.
On Nov 26, our nonconference SOS was #354.
KenPom
Rank on:
Nov26.......Nonconference Opponent
208.............Longwood
193..............Kansas City
342...........NC Central
332...........Alabama State
320...........Western Michigan
254.............Portland State
47................Virginia
95...............Iowa State
68...............Utah State
305...........Southeastern Louisiana
202.............Western Illinois
Isu rankings will improve immensely over the coming months. They will be an AP top twenty five this week.
i guess what worries me is that our nonconference body of work will be heavily criticized in March.
I understand why Fran scheduled 8 nonconference cupcakes but I wish we would schedule teams ranked in the low 200's vs teams in the 300's.
Portland State was ranked at 254, at least 50 places above ASU and Western Michigan, but there is very little difference if any between those 3 teams.
I wish Iowa had played at least 1 Power 6 team, but it's happening this week. Most members of this Iowa team have played in games like these on the road so I am not worried about inexperience as much as the lack of play on the road together for this group. That could be a shock for this team, at least initially. That and playing from behind, especially on the road against a team with a decent fan base. And it will happen.
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