hawkeyecub

Why? I'd like more wins as much as anyone right now, but I'm willing to give the guy some time. Like I said earlier, this team needs to start showing more progress next year. Hopefully another year of experience, health (hopefully), and adding a good post player will do that. You can't ask for much more in what is lined up for 2012 and beyond. If IU is still playing this in two years I'll be concerned. I think the worst is behind them at this point. So if he misses the tournament next year he's not in any danger?

=D> We won so there's not a bit of crying. I'm happy. I like Hulls, liked Watford, Oladipo is decent and I like that Rivers is willing to not shoot and only do what helps his team win. The rest of it is a squad of goons led by a cheerleader who really doesn't coach. I really don't have anything against Clappy, I wanted him when he spoke to Iowa after Alford left. He gets his guys to play hard and now he's recruiting well (smart enough to hire Drew Adams and get his dad in play). I had a couple beers with Buckley when he was at Iowa and he's an absolutely great guy. I just think he's kind of a clown and isn't really much of a threat at IU.

Thanks I completely forgot about that. Never heard his explanation but a quick search tells me that he said it would be completely out of character for Elston to do anything dishonestly. What a clown.

I also liked Clappy saying that the guy not getting enough credit is Todd Lickliter. Ah-huh, sure. He also said that he wasn't going to make any excuses but spent the remaining time making excuses.

Anyways that was a really fun game. Aside from everything I said, IU is playing pretty well and their fans were nuts. That was a tough environment on the road and we came back from down 10 when the past few years we would have just folded up the tent and lost by 20. Mel was a force again and Cartwright has some stones. He still plays dumb sometimes and isn't very good defensively but he's come a long ways. 5th time in 11 Big Ten games that Mel has gone from 20 and 10 and he's been over 50% each time. Like Bardo was saying the level of play was higher than what you typically see from 10 vs. 11 teams and we're experts on games like that after the last 3 years. That was a fairly well played game. Hell that's probably like a middle of the pack game in the Pac 10. Ultimately it's meaningless but it felt a lot more important. Beating MSU by 20 and then winning on the road is a big step. First back to back wins in the Big Ten since '07, how sad is that?

I developed a disdain for IU during that game. Apparently Crean decided the best way to defend is just to have them grab and hold and go over the back all game. Tough to get away with when you're already fouling more than any team in the league. WTF was with Oladipo getting the calls when he was just putting his head down and running into McCabe? I've never seen a bad team with more staredowns. Sheehey's dunk was crazy good but what a clown. Slapping the ball away from Mel after the whistle then acting innocent, screaming after Cole blocked him on the other attempted dunk and of course the constant stares. Their big guys are all just goons with no skill who try to bruise you but have no real idea of what they're doing other than to be rough. I don't think Capobianco actually understands what basketball is, he's just some former mafia goon that Crean found. He airballed a 10 footer and it was like 2 full feet long. Clappy McClapperson spends more time pumping the crowd up, pacing and clapping than he does really doing anything.

Iowa at Indiana today, what do you expect Hoosiers? I know you guys played really well against Minnesota but without Watford I like our chances.

What a shitty class that was. Angle was like a top 30 player in the country as a freshman and was supposed to be good. He basically never contributed in 5 years at Iowa. Ratliff was all hyped up and Iowa was supposed to be his favorite for a long time. I think he was around a top 50 kid when IU came in late and grabbed him. Then he kind of sucked too. Of course the best player ends up being the dude who goes to WKU and ends up in the NBA.

What do you guys think of Turco starting in front of Crawford?

Guess which newly dismissed player from the Big Ten is visiting ISU this weekend? Korie Luscious! Apparently Fred feels that the best way to rebuild a program is by bringing in headcases who (outside of White) really aren't very good. If he wants to keep tying up scholarships in transfers who will be short-term role players, great. I really hope Luscious and his awful shooting end up in Ames.

I saw on twitter that Roy may now be interested in Shaq Stokes a PG from NYC Lincoln. He needs to stay away, he's going to be visiting Iowa and we look like the favorite. Hopefully if Roy does go after him he realizes that he's not going to get substantial playing time down there.

If it's a regional CBS game and out of your market, DirecTV will have it on 729 or 730. Thanks. I'll look for it. Just checked and it's on 729. You need to either have the SportsPack or Premier package to receive it though.

Yeah that was awesome. Just wish it hadn't been on the night after the storm so we could have had a bigger crowd, it was pretty energetic with the people who were there. They played poorly but we played really good defense, best of the year easily. Offense was crisp. Cartwright still makes some awful decisions but he's averaging 9 assists to 2 turnovers in the last 3 games.

If it's a regional CBS game and out of your market, DirecTV will have it on 729 or 730.

How has IU been controlling this game? They looked atrocious against Iowa, then they beat Illinois and should have won at MSU. Then they lose Watford and they've been up double digits most of the game against Minnesota.

I feel like this guy could be helpful for a lot of programs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU4TDGlbTz8

What the [expletive]?

First time I've heard that one.

where are you seeing that he's decided yet? I didn't, hence the "would be" But now it's a done deal, he's headed to Iowa.

Unfortunately the video guys who will be up in the tower filming the LOI's arriving did not receive an escort.

where are you seeing that he's decided yet? I didn't, hence the "would be"

For me, there's a pretty sizeable gap after the Gabbert/Newton duo and very little separation between Mallett/Locker and Stanzi/Devlin/Kaepernick. The only disagreeing I'd do with you in terms of order is I'd move Stanzi below Devlin and Kaepernick. Otherwise, I pretty much agree. Why do you see a gap between Cam and Mallett? Honestly it's not that I disagree, I'm curious what an SEC fan thinks. I saw Mallett for 2.5 games this year and Newton for 3 games. Unless someone can explain to me the off the field issues with Mallett (WTF is that about???) I think Mallett is the better NFL QB. He does seem like an immature hayseed at times so that's not in stone but on the field I'm taking him. I'm typically Mr. Production guy when it comes to the draft. Irrationally I'm a fan of Locker but I'm really torn. I think at QB the leadership/work ethic stuff is so important and obviously he has the natural talent. At the same time I think accuracy is the most underrated/overlooked trait in QB's coming into the league. At this point I don't think I'd have a problem drafting him at 12 even though I would make fun of any other team for doing the same. It's just so mental at this level and I think when you have those traits along with everything physical, I'll take a shot and try to coach your ass up. Really if Gabbert is gone, on February 2 I want Locker at 12.

Okay but efficient and taking care of the ball has nothing to do with pace. You can be efficient and take care of the ball while not taking 30 seconds every possession. Just like you can be a good defensive team and play up-tempo. It's not a knock on anything other than preference. No one likes watching slow-paced anything. You're just kind of an upper class man's, slowdown version of Tom Davis Iowa teams in the '90's. Everyone knows what you're doing, it works well in the regular season but then you're not really a threat to do much in the tournament. Don't get me wrong, I'd kill to have even that level back for this past decade. I just think Ryan is in the position where he could expand on what he's done but he chooses not to. *The boring in the eye of the beholder is just because you're a fan of a slow team. I talked myself into that argument while Lickliter was here even though I knew inside that I hated it and I hate it even more now that I don't have to defend it. No one likes watching 30 seconds of dribbling and passing unless they absolutely have to.

I don't follow football recruiting very closely but this seems to be Iowa's 2nd best class under Ferentz. Obviously would be made better with the announcement of Cyrus Koudwhateverjo tomorrow but it sounds like he's going with RedFlash or fiver. They have a Cooper kid at DT that would be a nice finishing bow. One LB made a weird de-commit today and switched to UCLA. Really I'm just excited about the 4-star guys and the QB that Miami was slobbering over in the last month.

Kaepernick's upside is just so hard to pass up. I'll admit I'm wooed by physical tools a bit too often and Kaepernick has some fantastic tools. He will need 2-3 years to develop, but what he could be is extremely intriguing. How often do those raw, developmental guys pan out in the NFL though? Don't get me wrong I'm with you, those are the kind of guys I love in the draft also. But either out of a lack of patience or ability to fit into a specific system, the athletic (not just black) guys don't seem to work.