That was one of the best basketball games I've seen in a very long time, and this game was EXACTLY the kind of showcase that both teams needed. I've said for a long time that I want both programs to be at their peak so that this rivalry really means something, and good God, did it ever live up to the hype!
Niang was absolutely balling out tonight; really wish we would have put Basabe or White on him to put a little more athleticism against him. Woodbury just couldn't match up with him, no matter what he did. Long also played well, and showed a little more offensive game than I gave him credit for coming into tonight.
White and Marble were pretty spectacular for Iowa, especially in the second half. Iowa did a surprisingly good job of weathering damn near every blow ISU threw at them in the second half, usually because of big buckets by those two guys. But they just couldn't get the back-breaking bucket. When they were up by 4 for most of those last few minutes, I kept saying "let's just get a stop and then get a bucket and push this to 6". They got that stop two or three times down the stretch, but couldn't get the bucket and the one free throw to push it to 5 obviously wasn't enough.
And my God, they couldn't have asked for a more perfect look to tie the game. That's a shot McCabe hits far more often than he misses. I'm not making excuses (even if he makes it, it's just a tie game); it's just damn, these teams are insanely even. These are both top 15-caliber teams, IMO. Obviously, Iowa won't be ranked that high, but I think they very well could be by the end of the year. To go to Hilton and come one look from one of the B1G's best 3-point shooters from forcing OT is very impressive.
I won't say anything about the officiating, partly because I generally don't like doing that unless it really is just unbelievably bad (the ISU-KU game in Hilton and the Iowa-MSU BTT game spring to mind), but I also could barely see what the **** was going on half the time because my stream quality was so poor. Both teams dealt with foul trouble and while Iowa missed the clutch free throws, ISU missed a ton of them earlier.
It would be extremely unlikely to happen, but I would love to see this game played again in the Dance. To play the game this close in Hilton (and I don't think it would have been any more lopsided in Carver, just a reversed score)....I'd love to see it play out on a neutral court and just see what would happen, win or lose. There was absolutely no clear better team tonight; it's just that SOMEBODY had to win it eventually. If they played 10 times going home and home, I wouldn't be shocked if they both stole one on the road and split the others. These teams are that even.
Niang was absolutely balling out tonight; really wish we would have put Basabe or White on him to put a little more athleticism against him. Woodbury just couldn't match up with him, no matter what he did. Long also played well, and showed a little more offensive game than I gave him credit for coming into tonight.
White and Marble were pretty spectacular for Iowa, especially in the second half. Iowa did a surprisingly good job of weathering damn near every blow ISU threw at them in the second half, usually because of big buckets by those two guys. But they just couldn't get the back-breaking bucket. When they were up by 4 for most of those last few minutes, I kept saying "let's just get a stop and then get a bucket and push this to 6". They got that stop two or three times down the stretch, but couldn't get the bucket and the one free throw to push it to 5 obviously wasn't enough.
And my God, they couldn't have asked for a more perfect look to tie the game. That's a shot McCabe hits far more often than he misses. I'm not making excuses (even if he makes it, it's just a tie game); it's just damn, these teams are insanely even. These are both top 15-caliber teams, IMO. Obviously, Iowa won't be ranked that high, but I think they very well could be by the end of the year. To go to Hilton and come one look from one of the B1G's best 3-point shooters from forcing OT is very impressive.
I won't say anything about the officiating, partly because I generally don't like doing that unless it really is just unbelievably bad (the ISU-KU game in Hilton and the Iowa-MSU BTT game spring to mind), but I also could barely see what the **** was going on half the time because my stream quality was so poor. Both teams dealt with foul trouble and while Iowa missed the clutch free throws, ISU missed a ton of them earlier.
It would be extremely unlikely to happen, but I would love to see this game played again in the Dance. To play the game this close in Hilton (and I don't think it would have been any more lopsided in Carver, just a reversed score)....I'd love to see it play out on a neutral court and just see what would happen, win or lose. There was absolutely no clear better team tonight; it's just that SOMEBODY had to win it eventually. If they played 10 times going home and home, I wouldn't be shocked if they both stole one on the road and split the others. These teams are that even.