I'm trying to understand ISU shutting down Austin (twice) but one of the top 5 bigs of all time at Iowa got bent over by him.
Baylor vs Iowa for all the marbles in NIT Gamethread On ESPN @ 8 PM
- Thread starter cyclonefan1983
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ISU has the ability to make Austin uncomfortable by making him guard Niang on the outside. Iowa doesn't have that ability.
ISU, when having a good shooting night, can wear down bigs by stretching the floor with Niang.
I'd say it was definitely both. Baylor was able to alter a lot of shots inside, and that's obviously defense. Where Iowa struggled was the open looks and put-backs. Again, you're not going to make all of those, but Iowa had been hitting those at a pretty good clip over the past month. Last night, they missed two or three lay-ups on more than several trips down the floor. Baylor was better last night. Iowa didn't help themselves, but even if they had made 40% of their shots, that would have made a huge difference. 26% is a good reason why they weren't in the real tourney.
I should have said blow-out. I should have figured you'd go out of your way to prove an entirely irrelevant point.
You can have that one.
Yeah you should have said blow out, cuz only getting blown out 3 times in one season, two to teams that didn't make the actual tourney, is something to hang your hat on.
Meh, it's a drastic improvement over last year. And the Va Tech game was a close game until the final 9 minutes. Play that one over again, and it's a different outcome (based off of Iowa's games against UVA and Maryland, so you can try to disagree with that one but you'd be wrong and can EABOD).
Anyhooter, I went into last night's game prepared for either outcome. A win would have been awesome, and of course I was disappointed in the way the game turned out, but in three years, Iowa has gone from 11 wins to 25 wins. There's been major improvement under Fran regardless of the outcome of the game last night. I'm proud of the way the Hawks battled all year, and I'm hopeful that next season will finally be a turning point.
That's fine but if you're trying to spin Iowa being a good team because of close losses you're talking to the wrong fan base. The writing is on the wall, while Iowa played in a tough conference they had the easiest SOS in that conference, played a terrible non conf, never beat a team that was ranked when they played them and had some bad losses. Iowa was an average basketball team this year and there is really no other way to spin that. They were better than they were last year but that doesn't make them a good basketball team.
Yup, and you're not changing my mind on this one either. Iowa was good, but not good enough. I don't care if it comes off as excuses, but when you lose 7 games by 5 points or less (MSU x2, @UW, @Minny, IU), you're better than average.
That's the corner I expect Iowa to turn next year. Of course that's spinning it. That's what fans do. Just like during football season and posters on here talked about all the close losses, how the Clones were a few bounces away from something great, etc... Or even during bball season, how ISU was a few banked shots and few bad calls from being Big 12 champs.
There's a little truth to all of that stuff. Yes, it comes off as excuse making, but it's fans rationalize tough outcomes and hope for the best next go around.
If only getting blown out 3 times and losing 7 games by 5 points or less, two at home, makes you a good team that's news to me. Thought winning games made you good, hence why they say "good teams find a way to win".
25 wins is a pretty good number. Iowa and Iowa state both found a lot of ways to lose games this year.
Right on, brother. Can't argue these facts.
Fact - Iowa won 25 games this year
Fact - Iowa's best win was over Wisconsin at home
Fact - Wisconsin was not ranked at the time
Fact - Iowa did not beat a single ranked team this year
Fact - Of the 25 wins, 11 came against one of the worst non-con schedules in the country, 4 came from NIT-caliber teams, and another 7 came against Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Penn State (combined Big 10 record: 19-53).
Ill give them that they are much improved than recent years. I'm just tired of every Iowa fan I work with/interact with telling me they're the Big 10 favorites next year. Beat someone, then we'll talk.
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Yeah but we beat Oklahoma State and Kansas State who were both ranked top 15. That's the difference.
