Good win for Hawkeyes

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:08 pm

Iowa's win over Iowa State last Friday gave Hawkeye fans a glimpse of what's to come. Iowa started 3 freshmen against ISU's collection of veteran transfers that seemed to be more intent to play one-on-one than as a team at this point in the season, but will likely return again as a tournament qualifier by season's end. Iowa has some very good young players who will need to develop over the next 2-3 years but I think that can hit the upper half of a very tough conference this year if they can avoid injuries. There's only one senior on scholarship (Eric May) who comes off the bench. Iowa will knock off some of the top dogs in the conference in Carver-Hawkeye Arena and hopefully will pick up enough road wins to be an NCAA qualifier this year. The biggest improvement this year is defense. Roy Devyn Marble shut out ISU's leading scorer and they also outrebounded the Cyclones (first time that's happened to ISU this year).

The Hawks are going to be fun to watch this year...win or lose...with sellouts for most home games as the memory of Todd Lickliter continues to fade...or totally disappear, thank God.

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:01 pm

Mace wrote:but I think that can hit the upper half of a very tough conference this year if they can avoid injuries.

Iowa is certainly a team/program on the upswing, but have you seen the B1G teams this year? Obviously not with the above statement. No chance they finish ahead of IU, tO$U, Michigan, Illinois, Minny or MSU. NONE. So best case their 7th place already. Again, they're on their way up but the B1G is too tough this year to make a move.

Arch Angel · Post by **Arch Angel** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:42 pm

Iowa can be scary good later in the season as my Illini and Indiana will not take them lightly if the fans quit thinking "snake bites" and let McCaf coach and recruit.

His Indiana/now Illinois uptempo is his MO and it will change the perception of the Big Ten of a slow down, knock you down, type of conference. Indiana is feasting off of this and finally my Illini got rid of that rube of Weber to keep up with Indiana, not this year, but in the future.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sat Dec 15, 2012 5:56 pm

With Wisconsin and Northwestern losing very key players to season ending injuries, Iowa might move up a bit in the pack, but yeah, if they crack the top 5 or 6 of the Big Ten when it's all said and done, I will be surprised. If that happens, back up the Brinks truck and give McCaffery whatever he wants. As mentioned, they are improving and there is legit talent on that roster, but the Big Ten is as deep as it's ever been. I mean, MSU is probably the 5th or 6th best team in the league right now, and I think they have all the makings to make a deep run in March. IU, Michigan and OSU are obviously very good. Minny is probably a bit overrated, but they look good. Illinois is still a mystery to me, but they've looked good so far.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 8:17 pm

I don't think Iowa can beat IU, tOSU, or Michigan, but an opportunity to knock off MSU, Minnesota, and Illinois. Not saying that it WILL happen but, in Carver-Hawkeye, it's possible. Iowa will get better as the season progresses as the young talent developes and matures. And, if they can get a couple of those wins, the Brinks truck will definitely be pulling into Iowa City.
Of course they can also lose to a team or two that they shouldn't.

Arch Angel · Post by **Arch Angel** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:10 pm

THey can beat Indiana at home as we saw them lose to a Butler team that Illinois destroyed on a neutral court. If the Hawknest shows up, it can get to the IU players.

I picked Indiana to win this game easily. I was wrong.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sat Dec 15, 2012 10:21 pm

McCaffery will have them ready to play and they won't be intimidated. Whether that's enough, we shall see.

Shine · Post by **Shine** » Sun Dec 16, 2012 5:06 pm

I'm not saying Iowa can't beat any of those listed teams, especially in Iowa. What I'm saying is over the course of 18 games they won't finish ahead of them.

I've been worried about the Iowa game since the schedule was released. It's the first true road game for IU, we always struggle in Carver-Hawkeye and Iowa has in general been a pain in our ass the past several years. Unfortunately for you the Butler game served as the wake up call for IU. Plus we're finally getting back to full strength.

Again though, Iowa is certainly a program on the rise and there's plenty of reasons for Hawkeye fan to feel optimistic about the future of the program.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:32 pm

Iowa had their chances to beat Indiana but couldn't get the job done. They played good defense but couldn't get shots to fall. Devyn Marble was only 1-14 from the field and the Hawks aren't likely to beat a good opponent when that happens. Iowa travels to Michigan next and then host the Spartans on the 10th. Tough way to start the conference season but they're all going to be tough this year....especially on the road.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:14 pm

don't put OSU in any rare air just yet

they have ZERO inside prescence and continue to go LONG stretches without scoring...can they improve and possibly make a run? I am looking at them as a Sweet 16 team no more

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:14 pm

Arch Angel wrote:THey can beat Indiana at home as we saw them lose to a Butler team that Illinois destroyed on a neutral court. If the Hawknest shows up, it can get to the IU players.

I picked Indiana to win this game easily. I was wrong.

The Hawknest wasn't there in full force as the students are gone for Christmas break but Carver-Hawkeye was sold out. My son was there covering the game for the school newspaper and said it was the loudest he's heard the arena since he's been there. The students won't be there until the Wisconsin game and they will hopefully lend a hand in kicking Bo in the balls.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sat Jan 05, 2013 2:43 pm

Michigan looks like the best overall team right now, but they haven't really played any elite teams yet so we'll see. The only thing they really lack is a strong interior presence, so we'll see how they match up with teams like IU, Minny and MSU.

I think Illinois is easily the most overrated team in the league. I'm not sure their style is suited for Big Ten play, way too reliant on threes. We'll see if those are falling once the grind of the conference season wears their legs down. Hell, the 9th best team in the league already exposed them.

Iowa is going to be a tough out at Carver Hawkeye. Would not surprise me in the least if they beat MSU.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:45 pm

I'm expecting them to beat MSU at home, MGO, and would be more surprised if they don't than if they did. Going to Ann Arbor on Sunday is a different story and I'll be very surprised if they can pull out a win there. I've got tickets for the Wisconsin game on the 19th when they're honoring Chris Street and the 20th anniversary of his death. I'm hoping the Hawks can run Bo and the Badgers out of the arena that night.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sun Jan 06, 2013 6:23 pm

Michigan flexed a little muscle on the Hawks today. Iowa lost this one in the last 2-3 minutes of the first half and never recovered. It only got uglier in the second half. This team can't shoot the 3-ball but continues to put up around 20 attempts every game. Michigan looks good and is the best B1G team I've seen play so far this season.

Shoalzie · Post by **Shoalzie** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 9:07 am

I wasn't too worried about Michigan's abilty to score and obviously the point guard spot was going to be a strength. They've been able to replace Novak's shot from the outside with Stauskas and an improved Hardaway and they've been able to beat some teams on the glass. Nationally, they're 12th in scoring, 27th in assists and 2nd in shooting...but 87th in rebounding but that's somewhat of a by-product of their high shooting%. I'd like to see if a team can contest their shots and see if they can win some ugly games where they have to make shots at the line and make a lot of second and third chance buckets.

So far, this team has beaten teams playing their game. A big one coming up on Sunday in Columbus...but so far, two thrashings to start the conference slate.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 11:57 pm

The Hawks are hosting Michigan State tonight and will play without the services of Devyn Marble, who sprained an ankle in practice. Big loss for the Hawkeyes, so I guess tonight will be a test of their depth and to see whether the others can step up. I was feeling somewhat confident about a win tonight but this dampens my optimism a bit.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:23 am

Props to the Spartans for pulling out a win on the road. Iowa had their chances and didn't take them. An 0-3 start is no way to start the conference season and the schedule isn't going to get any easier.

War Wagon · Post by **War Wagon** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:40 am

I watched the last 1:18 of that game. It lasted 20 minutes.

Good win for MSU, I guess. At least they can make some FT's.

Iowa... lotta' white boys. You say they beat Iowa State? Pretty impressive win, considering ISU took KU to OT last night in a game they should've won if not for a banked 3 pointer.

Damn... if KU loses their home opener for like the first time in 20 years, that would've been pretty cool.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:32 am

Ugly, ugly. game. But you'll take a road win however you can get it. I think Iowa probably wins this if they have Marble. MSU struggled in so many areas. Missing bunnies, turnovers, horrible transition defense, missing free throws. Active hands on defense and clutch free throws late is why they pulled it out.

Iowa is solid. Not sure if they'll make the tourney, but they'll give a lot of teams problems this year.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:42 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Ugly, ugly. game. But you'll take a road win however you can get it. I think Iowa probably wins this if they have Marble. MSU struggled in so many areas. Missing bunnies, turnovers, horrible transition defense, missing free throws. Active hands on defense and clutch free throws late is why they pulled it out.

Iowa is solid. Not sure if they'll make the tourney, but they'll give a lot of teams problems this year.

Judging from tonight's game, they won't make the tourney, but a lot can happen between now and March. Too many turnovers, missed free throws, and missed opportunities to beat a good team....and maybe too many freshmen. I'm optimistic for the rest of the season but they have to improve every game to go .500 in the conference. They travel to Northwestern next and have always had trouble winning there.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Jan 13, 2013 7:08 pm

UM is getting exposed by a good, physical team on the road. They hadn't really encountered that until today.

UM is going to find themselves in a lot of these half court slug fests from here on out and that's just not their game.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:35 pm

I've been watching football and just turned over to watch the last 1:37 after reading your post. Michigan's made one hell of a comeback and we'll soon see if they can make it all the way back.

Edit: Looks like tOSU is going to pull it off after Michigan came back and made a game of it.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:58 pm

Nice comeback. Neither team really has a trusty big they can dump it down to when the going gets tough. For UM, everything revolves around Burke and his ability to penetrate and either kick it out or take a shot at the rim. If you get a good on-ball defender on him who can shut down his passing lanes, then UM is in trouble. Easier said than done most of the time. But, having a lack of a true back to the basket scorer I think will hurt them down the stretch in a lot of these games that will be played in the 100s, not the 140s.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Sun Jan 13, 2013 9:26 pm

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:UM is getting exposed by a good, physical team on the road. They hadn't really encountered that until today.

UM is going to find themselves in a lot of these half court slug fests from here on out and that's just not their game.

Shot selection was a bit curious. The solution to not hitting your 3s generally isn't to start launching them from 25 feet instead. Still, the go ahead basket was 3/4th of the way down before curiously coming back up for air. Glad Beilein called a time out right before when Burke was dribbling around to draw up a play where...Burke dribbled around before taking a step-back 3.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 12:53 am

I was honestly shocked at how quickly OSU got out on them...

great comeback...and in all honesty I was surprised that OSU won...when I saw the line I was like wrong team favored (regardless of home floor)...

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 6:03 am

Well, half the team are freshmen and it was their first real road game not at Bradley or Northwestern.

All coaches have their strategic flaws and Beilein's seems to be an inability to adjust to uptempo defense at the start of games. Ball pressure shouldn't faze a team who starts four guys who can handle the ball, but for some reason Beilein just seems content to ride out the storm until fatigue sets in.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:16 am

Huuuuge win by Wisky tonight over IU at Assembly Hall. I think that's 11 straight now for Bo Ryan over the Hoosiers. Ownage.

buckeye_in_sc · Post by **buckeye_in_sc** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 1:36 pm

man those flopping buzzcuts never seem to go away...wow...great win for them

no onto more pressing matters...OSU v MSU on Saturday...

OSU is not a very good road team (see Blue Devils, Duke, Illini, Illinois)...heart says Buckeyes in a close one 60-57 ish...but my head says MSU's bigs will wear down a smaller OSU and MSU pulls away late...

final call for me

MSU 64 OSU 58

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Wed Jan 16, 2013 3:20 pm

MSU and OSU are two of the better defensive teams in the conference so I expect another grind it out affair in that one. This could be a big game for Nix and Payne as OSU doesn't have much of an interior presence. MSU has struggled to get everyone on the same page and play a complete game. When the bigs dominate, the guards are non-existent. When the guards dominate, the bigs are non-existent. So I never quite know what to expect going in.

Love watching Appling and Craft go at it, that will be fun.

MSU 62
OSU 59

Oh and relay a message to Deshaun Thomas for me, would you? Take a razor to those tufts of pubes you've got sprouting out of your chin. You look ridiculous.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:54 am

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:MSU 62
OSU 59

actual: 59-56

Close enough.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:43 pm

Nice win yesterday for your Hawkeyes, Mace. Iowa always seems to play well against Flopsconsin.

I don't think things set up well for an MSU win in Madison on Tuesday. Short turn around time for MSU after a gritty win over OSU, to go play an angry Wisconsin team on the road. On paper though, this is definitely a game MSU should win. Wisky's bigs will struggle to stop Payne/Nix/Dawson and I don't know if their guards can check Appling and Harris. It will come down to whether or not their pasty gingers go all Pistol Pete from beyond the arc. Last year they were only 5-22 from 3, but Jordan Taylor went DeShaun Thomas on them and dropped 28. No Jordan Taylor this year. So naturally, they'll go 18/22.

Oh, and Illinois fading hard like I expected. Didn't think it would happen this fast though. I was a little skeptical of Michigan due to their lack of inside game, but they showed a lot in that win @ Minny. So I'll say UM and IU are still the two best teams with MSU, Minny and OSU in that next tier. Jury is still out on Wisconsin. Winning at IU was huge, but turning around and getting ass-blasted by Iowa was not good.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:41 am

Got home from Iowa City about an hour ago. Huge win last night for the Hawkeyes. They played a great 30 minutes of basketball but I thought they tried to sit on the lead a little too much the last 10 minutes of the game and let Wisconsin get back in the game. Wisconsin was ice cold in the first half but started knocking down 3s the last ten minutes of the game and gave me a little scare. A very emotional night for Hawkeye players and fans as they honored the 20th anniversary of the passing Chris Street and the university did a great job with the halftime ceremony. I attended a post game party at the Marriott hosted by the Street family and it was great to meet Fran McCaffery and talk to the former players who played with Street in the early 90's. I also drank more than my share of the free beer and had a great time.

Fuckin' Buckeyes are next up on the road. That will be a very tough test for the young Iowa team but hopefully they'll have a better performance than the one in Ann Arbor.

Goober McTuber · Post by **Goober McTuber** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:34 am

Props to the Cockeyes, but McCaffery said after the game that he had never seen anything like the atmosphere at Carver at any time in his career. And Wisky still almost came back for the win. During the non-conference season, I came to the conclusion that the Badgers were going to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since Bo got here. Perhaps not.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sat Jan 26, 2013 5:29 pm

6-7 games in, I think there's a new tier structure in the Big Ten.

Tier 1
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State

Tier 2
Wisconsin
Ohio State
Minnesota

Tier 3
Purdue
Illinois
Iowa
Northwestern

Tier 4
Nebraska
Penn State

You could argue Minny belongs in tier 3 since they're 3-3, but I think they have the talent to stay in the second tier for now. Illinois has been a big disappointment. MSU and Wisky have been small surprises. But I think everyone else is about where most would expect.

Looking forward to the MSU @ Indiana game tomorrow. If MSU can steal that win, they will be in a very good position to at least wind up with a tie for the B1G title. I don't expect it to happen though. I think MSU has some match-up advantages over IU, but Assembly Hall is a house of horrors. You know those fuckers are going to get out to a hot start and drain 3s, and MSU typically struggles with slow starts. Bad combo. It could be an uphill climb from the get go. Wisky found a way to get it done in Bloomington, but I don't see IU losing at home twice. If they do, it will be to a team like Michigan who can run with them.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sun Jan 27, 2013 6:46 pm

Goober McTuber wrote:Props to the Cockeyes, but McCaffery said after the game that he had never seen anything like the atmosphere at Carver at any time in his career.

Oh, I think he'll get used to the atmosphere at Carver-Hawkeye. The crowds will only get better as the Hawks continue to improve and everyone completely recovers from their Todd Lickliter hangovers. McCaffery has the players and fans believing the team can win against anyone and that there are no more moral victories, only wins and losses. Iowa goes on the road to Purdue today and they need a road win over someone other than Northwestern.

Edit: Indiana-MSU, damn, what a great game.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Sun Jan 27, 2013 9:38 pm

Holy shit! Watching the Iowa-Purdue game after watching Indiana-MSU is like night and day. Iowa trails 19-16 at the half and only shot 15% from the field. Ugly, ugly basketball. The good thing is that they're only down 3 after playing the worst half of basketball I've seen this year...including high school games. Here's hoping the Hawkeyes can put the ball in the hoop in the final 20 minutes.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Mon Jan 28, 2013 7:45 pm

MSU/IU was a great game. If you would've told me that Appling would have been on the bench most of the game with foul trouble, and that MSU wouldn't shoot a single free throw in the second half, I would've told you they'd get blown out. So it was good to see a close game to the end. Travis Trice did a good job running the point, even if he isn't the scorer Appling is. They really missed Appling's ability to slice his way to the rim late in the game and score or get fouled. He's done that so much this year in tight games when they needed a bucket. IU is nearly impossible to beat at home when you play at their tempo. With that crowd behind them, they play with full energy and intensity for 40 minutes. I expect MSU to beat them at Breslin.

M Club · Post by **M Club** » Mon Jan 28, 2013 9:22 pm

Michigan is the new #1. I'm going to post 17 times a day from now until their next loss.

Mace · Post by **Mace** » Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:49 pm

Tough loss for the Hawkeyes at Minnesota yesterday, and one they should have pulled out. Their inexperience has been showing itself in the close losses and they seem to be, I hate to say it, choking. They're playing themselves out of a possible NCAA berth and will have to knock off some of the top teams on the road to give themselves a shot. I'm guessing we'll be hosting a NIT game in March. On the road to Wisconsin on Wednesday and trying to make it 4 in a row over the Badgers. Tough assignment but every game is now a must win for Iowa.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial · Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:12 pm

Crazy game between Michigan and Wisconsin. Wisky won despite Bo Ryan's dumbfuckery. Big Ten standings got a little more interesting. Wisky has a favorable schedule down the stretch so you can't count the Cheese Weasels out of the race.