CLEMSON 71, IOWA 55 POSTGAME THREAD OF UNIMAGINABLE MISERY

It wouldn’t stop a high school team from bringing the ball up and it damn sure can’t stop a D-1 team.

By accident I flipped to CNN. Piers Morgan was interviewing Dane Cook. I went blind and deaf.

We won, yes?

Holy crab to Basabe look like he’s regressed.

Holy crap does Iowa suck at everything they try.

That’s, um, that’s curious. Almost suspicious.

1) They miss Cole. Duh.
2) They miss Basabe. Duh x 2
3) They still have a predominantly “slow-down” team and they are trying to run faster. That spells… well, not success. I understand why McCafery (I will never get that right) has done it and will likely continue to run the uptempo press and faster offense, though. When they get the better players in that can do it, like Ingram, Clemmons, Gessell, etc. he wants Marble, May, White, Oglesby, Olaseni et al. to be comfortable with the system. While it maybe ugly now and people will say how horrible it is (truthfully), the thing he doesn’t want to have to do is teach nine guys how to play fast all over again.

Last year, they played slower than they have this year. That suited the personnel better. Selectively running was more just a wrinkle. This year they have run a lot more. Maybe they can just selectively slow it down, but as ugly as it will be, I think pressing and going fast has to be the predominant strategy. I feel bad for the seniors and others that may not be as suited to this style because they won’t have some breakout year, but I do think it will be better for the Hawkeyes in the long run. in two years, when Basabe, Marble and McCabe are seniors, White, Oglesby and Olaseni are juniors, and Woodbury et al. are sophomores, I think we’ll be glad that they didn’t “waste” a year playing slow-down ball just for the sake of looking better and a few more wins.

I think I will anyway. Granted, I’m on the other side of the world and won’t be watching much of this bad playingness this season, soo…

I don’t even care enough to be apathetic anymore.

:(

Sorry, I can’t articulate it any better than that.

but im having a hell of a time thinking of why. probably because Oglesby and White look good so far and i dont think Basabe can continue to suck this bad. plus the turnovers were great for us and if we could just get some of those damn shots to fall for us today the game would be alot closer.

i mean, 25%? that cant keep up right? RIGHT?!?

Resulting in either hesitant or rushed shots. We are getting our looks. We just need to make the shots.

Also, we may not have size inside but would someone please box out? To me rebounding is more about technique and EFFORT than size.

Wow. I’m not shocked we won, but I never imagined we’d blow Clemson out. That’s awesome! Basabe must’ve woken up and really turned in a great game, huh? I missed it – was out to dinner for my wife’s birthday. I had braised rabbit livers and steak pomme frites. It as pretty awesome. Anyway, bummer I didn’t get to see the game, but I’m thrilled we got a nice solid win. 71-55… wow!

but I also think we are not yet talented.

We have two head cases that really muck up the plans for Fran.

One, Eric May.
He reminds me of a guy who played at Iowa in late 1970s and early 1980s—Kevin Boyle. Now, Kevin Boyle was a MUCH better player than May but after winning all kinds of awards and distinctions in his freshman and sophomore years he collapsed emotionally and could not shoot the ball. It got to the point where he went from being Iowa’s clear cut #2 scoring option to being told to only shoot in an emergency. He salvaged his career by being the best defender in the Big Ten. May could be a great defender, but there is something wrong with his head. He’s done offensively. He is afraid of his own shadow. He is a superb athlete who just cannot get out of his own way.

Two, Basabe.
We lack height and athleticism as it is — only Northwestern might be less athletic — and this kid just is not able to figure out what to do on either end of the court and it might be a function of him never being the focal point of an offense in his basketball life. He was the #2 or #3 option on his H.S. team. He was a basket case last year for my taste but he was freewheeling last year. He just let his natural ability take over. Now? He’s got brain lock and might be afraid of shouldering the inside game (Ergo, losing Cole who was fearless and confident despite lacking Basabe’s tools? Problem!).

The conventional notion that Cartwright was the player that would make the team go seems to have been proven wrong. We cannot rebound and we cannot hit wide open shots. As we have opened up the offense Cartwright has been diminished. He — it appears — is a half court PG and Fran is moving the team away from that style of offense. (Look at Iowa’s winning score totals from last year and you will see 50s, and a lot of 60s. Fran wants to win in the 70s).

Because of Fran’s changes there appears to be a lack of confidence team-wide but I knew with more depth Fran was going to bend the team more toward his preferred philosophy (pressing, running, gunning, athletic basketball) and it appears some guys are just paralyzed by whatever changes Fran has put into place. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A TEAM WITH MORE PLAYERS RELUCTANT TO SHOOT. (Most teams have to put a governor on players while Fran is pleading guys to shoot)

As I see it, Fran is likely to move away from the following as players to build around if we continue to play like shit:
- Basabe
- Marble*
- May*

Players he IS going to build around:
- Oglesby
- White
- McCabe*

I would be surprised if our starting lineup by BIg Ten season isn’t:
Gatens, Cartwright, White, McCabe and Brommer w/ Oglesby being the first guy off the bench and (for lack of anyone else to relieve Brommer) Basabe close behind.

So, at this time, there is still not a lot to build around. Gatens and Cartwright are along for the transitional ride. I think we will struggle to get to .500 during the process but as these freshmen mature and as Fran’s approach becomes more concrete, he will eventually find one really skilled recruit to put us over the top to become respectable again. But the fingerprints of Lickliter still exist if you look at the asterisks above.

But golly gee performances like last night are making it difficult.

McCabe, White, and Oglesby are playing well. Fankly I’d like to see more of Oleseni as the current post rotation seems a little baffling – Oleseni couldn’t do much worse. Havent seen a practice but Id also like to see more of Stokes, again the fall off couldn’t be that dramatic.

Lotsa holes on this Iowa BB ship, for now Id just like to see the team come together and play as a unit.