Why is that? It is going exactly as I've been saying. Expect Iowa to start 3-7 and then finish 7-1. They'll get in due to a "strong finish in a great league" even though they won't have beaten anyone other than us and Minny at home.
Iowa vs Purdue
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Why is that? It is going exactly as I've been saying. Expect Iowa to start 3-7 and then finish 7-1. They'll get in due to a "strong finish in a great league" even though they won't have beaten anyone other than us and Minny at home.
I hope they head to the NIT, but it seems universal that the talking heads say the Big 10 is the best conference this year, regardless what we think. If they finish .500 or above, they will have a VERY good chance of getting in the tournament. Will see what happens. They may stumble and their cushion is very small for sure. Right now I still think they make it.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Barring a total collapse, they'll be featured on the Selection Show. It could be a very dramatic show in that sense, if Iowa's bid (or lack thereof) isn't announced until late in the show.
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DistrictCyclone
Guest
I agree that even a mediocre record will look good to the talking heads because "it's the Big Ten", and if Iowa finishes with 10 wins they'll be a strong bubble team at worst...I'm just not sure they'll get to 10 wins. Even if they win one or two upsets against Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Indiana, I think there's a good chance they lose at least one of the 7 games they "should" win (PSUx2, NUx2, NW, Purdue, Illinois).
Banking on going 8-3 to climb out of 9th place in the Big Ten is not a position I'd want to be in, no matter how easy the teams are I'm playing.
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DistrictCyclone
Guest
Define "total collapse". Even if they go 6-5 the rest of the way, which could hardly be considered a collapse, they'll finish below .500 in the conference.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Touche. I hadn't kept good track of their record.
With the schedule people are citing, would anything less than 7-4 be a collapse?
Certainly, a loss to Penn State would be a collapse.
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DistrictCyclone
Guest
I don't want to write them off completely, because teams have bounced back from bigger deficits before...we did it in 2005 after an 0-5 start to the conference, but it took a lot (9-2 run, win in conference tournament, beating #2 KU on the road).
Iowa's problem is that they're already in a hole with an uphill climb. If they lose to PSU, that hill becomes even steeper than it is already. I don't have any analysis, but I'd bet that a huge majority of teams who are <.300 after playing over a third of their conference slate don't end up making the tournament. Iowa really did get screwed with their front-loaded schedule this year...I almost--almost--feel bad for them.
The problem for Iowa is that they played a very weak non-conference and haven't got any marquee wins in conference play. Yes they have played the toughest part of their schedule, but they haven't won any of those games. As of now, the most impressive wins they have or to Wisconsin and Iowa State. Having a .500 record while beating the bottom of the conference won't get them in the tournament. They need to beat Minnesota or Indiana to get themselves on the right side of the bubble. Especially with that loss to VT looking worse and worse.
Looking at their schedule they could end up 9-9 and out of the tournament because none of those 9 wins came against the top of the conference.
Thats not what the committee looks at though. If Iowa doesn't beat Minny or Indiana at least once...they arn't going to the Tourney. Iowa won't get in just beating the bottom feeders of the Big 10. Not gonna happen.
I'm glad you posted this. What you say, the opposite happens. So, thanks for relieving a lot of my stress.
Yes, because a team that lost to Texas Tech can assume they're better at this point.
Not sure why everyone is so worked up. We played like crap and lost to Iowa. We played like crap and lost to TT. You don't always beat teams you are better than. Iowa lost BIG to VT, a team that lost by 35 to Colorado State and 27 to BYU.
It's college basketball, sometimes the better team doesn't win and it happens a lot more than it does in college football
It's college basketball, sometimes the better team doesn't win and it happens a lot more than it does in college football
I know you are just trolling, but 2 losses against sub 100 RPI teams is worse then 1 loss against a below rpi 200 team
So Iowa isn't allowed to play the "played like crap" excuse when it comes to VT, but ISU can use it when it comes to Iowa and Tech? Isn't Tech a team that lost by 30 3+ times this year, and fell at home to McNeese State and Arizona State?
You're better than this. Iowa dominated ISU in almost every statistical category. It's not like Iowa had their best game of the season either.
Thought I would ask where all the hok fans went.
Bracketology - NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions - ESPN
Bracketology - NCAA College Basketball Brackets and Predictions - ESPN
You misread what I said. Iowa is better than VT as I was getting at and still lost a bad game to them. It happens
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