This is what I think as well, I was just responding to an ISU claiming otherwise was all.
Tough day for EIU hoops hopes
- Thread starter MuskieCy
- Start date
This is what I think as well, I was just responding to an ISU claiming otherwise was all.
It seems as though Iowa has a better shot to make the Sweet 16 next year than they have in a long long time. We'll have a much better idea of how good they are when the Big 10 season rolls around.
Serious question do you think Frangaret is a a good enough coach to get to an Elite 8? The furthest he has ever gotten is the NIT. In tournaments that matter he has flamed out as early as play-in round or maxed out at round of 32. Frangarets biggest issue is himher getting in their own way. Has he learned enough to be better than himher has done historically in tournaments?
So...they were picked as a preseason final four teams zero times? Like I said?
I think they would have been a 6 seed. Given the right matchups, they would have made the sweet 16 but odds are in the tournament you're going to find a team that can stop a Garza and the shots aren't falling. Good tournament teams seem to have multiple guys that can get to the hoop repeatedly.
Their seeding depended on the Big 10 tournament. They had to win their first round matchup in order to get the 6 seed. Lose that game against Minnesota and they likely get a 7 seed and the 10 seeds were extremely salty. A matchup against ETSU would've been a nightmare draw scenario for Iowa.
A lot of Iowa posters here had Iowa as a Sweet 16 last year until the Covid shutdown, and that's with all those injuries. If Iowa remains healthy next year, they should at a minimum be able to accomplish that for the first time in Fran's 25 years as a D1 coach.
They were 34th in NET going into a tourney they always lose in. I don't think they were a 6
@CyTwins might be right. I just looked at their season. I forgot they lost 6 of their last 11 and their final 2. They definitely weren't "hot" going into the post season. I also agree to get to the 6 they had some work to do.
They had to win two in the tourney to get a 6 seed which wouldn't have happened. They would have been on the 8/9 line if they lost their first game
Winning the Superbowl by double digits for the 3rd time in 5 years, certainly qualifies Iowa for consideration to Sweet16.
Did some lazyman research on Mad Fran at the end of the regular season.
Record in March/final 5 regular season games:
13/14: 1-2/1-4 (most epic collapse. Lost 7 of final 8 games)
14/15: 2-0/5-0 (best finish of a season but had tanked too much earlier to avoid NIT)
15/16: 1-1/1-4
16/17: 2-0/4-1
17/18: N/A/1-4 (Big10 tourney moved up a week tho should be noted they went 1-6 in Feb.
18/19: 0-3/1-4
19/20: 0-2/2-3
I'm not sure what to summarize from this other than it sure doesn't look like Fran's learned how to coach at the end of the season. He's actually gotten worse since his biggest collapse years.
Record in March/final 5 regular season games:
13/14: 1-2/1-4 (most epic collapse. Lost 7 of final 8 games)
14/15: 2-0/5-0 (best finish of a season but had tanked too much earlier to avoid NIT)
15/16: 1-1/1-4
16/17: 2-0/4-1
17/18: N/A/1-4 (Big10 tourney moved up a week tho should be noted they went 1-6 in Feb.
18/19: 0-3/1-4
19/20: 0-2/2-3
I'm not sure what to summarize from this other than it sure doesn't look like Fran's learned how to coach at the end of the season. He's actually gotten worse since his biggest collapse years.
Bigger prob,em for Fran all year will be pressure to play the Murray twins as well as having a roster with 9-10 kids who can play instead of last year where Fran had no choice but to go small and only play 7-8 kids..
Nunge returns
jobo returns
Patrick returns
I’m sensing a year of traditional Fran shuffling 5 players in at a time..
Nunge returns
jobo returns
Patrick returns
I’m sensing a year of traditional Fran shuffling 5 players in at a time..
Excuses are a slippery slope. Cancer sucks and I'm not making light of it (have had loved ones either killed or affected by it as everyone has), but every coach has life hardships at times.
Yes, cancer sucks. My wife's mom didn't last 5 months past here diagnosis, but seems you are going for the "Look, I'm Gary Barta and I'm crying.." angle here. My dad committed suicide when I was 18, I'm 54 now and I fought through it. I didn't collapse and let the man win. Same here goes for Fran. It's not like he found his son dead. Get over yourself dude!!
f*** cancer and everything that comes along with it.
Now that I got that out of the way. Fran's son getting cancer did not cause the Iowa team to lose 7 out of the last 8 games. Every loss but one was by 10 points or less, and the one that wasn't was by 13 to Tennessee in OT. Iowa just couldn't finish in the end.
How many coaches have had a kid in middle school get diagnosed with cancer during the season?
Thats a pretty extreme situation.