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Brutal to Watch Ben's One Dimensional Offense

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MacMiney

Senior
Jul 3, 2025
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Coach addressed this in the press conference.

He was very specific.

Look for the part where he talks about Nebraska's challenging D that any team has to deal with.

So this team dealt with it in the best way we could at that moment.

*It was clear from his comments, this is not the target norm for offense.
 
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Athena45

Redshirt
Aug 19, 2025
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MacMiney said:
Coach addressed this in the press conference.

He was very specific.

Look for the part where he talks about Nebraska's challenging D that any team has to deal with.

So this team dealt with it in the best way they we at that moment.

If you think this what he wants as the norm for offense, then you need to start paying attention and stop wasting our time having to read your vomit.
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You do not have to read any post! Stop berating other people,s opinion
 
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doughuddl2_rivals

All-Conference
Sep 5, 2009
824
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Bro D said:
You would think people who think they're sooooo smart would realize that Ben will continue to tailor and adjust his offense around the talent he currently has and will have in the future.

This is what coaching is. Adjusting to what you have. And we have one of the best in the country at it. People like the OP are going to look really stupid down the line (thats not really saying much though for OP who just likes to listen to himself talk)
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It's all in the water he drinks.




 
2D

2D

All-American
Oct 8, 2013
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IowaLaw said:
Nice win and all, but the Hawks had just 5 total assists last night for the entire game. How often has that happened in the history of Iowa basketball? Most years, we have one guy who averages 5 assists on his own.

The offense has become almost unbearable to watch. Stirtz takes the ball at the point, passes it...and whoever catches it looks like a deer in the headlights and immediately passes back to Stirtz. Rinse and repeat. It doesn't matter how open the other player is, 9 times out of 10 they are not even thinking about shooting the ball (esp guys like Combs) and have complete tunnel vision to get the ball back to Stirtz.

It's crazy that Iowa has a point guard who plays a full 40 minutes each game. Even the best players on the planet benefit from getting rest in a game. But at Iowa, we are forced to look the other way on this because Stirtz is the entire offense. Manyawu starts yet shot a grand total of 0 times. Combs and Banks start and played a combined 55 minutes yet made 2 baskets. Folgueiras averaged 14 points per game last year...why is he timidly passing up wide open 3s to get the ball back to a double covered Stirtz?

Again, it was a nice win...but this isn't a brand of basketball that will win games in the NCAA tournament. It's a brand that gets blown out at home by Purdue by 20 points. All teams need to do is double team Stirtz and watch the rest of the guys out there panic, run down the shot clock to zero, then heave up a desperation 3.
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Nah, we're not doing this garbage in Ben's first year with a cobbled together roster. Especially one filled with really young guys who are afraid to shoot. The beginning of the year proved Ben runs one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, but the competition has increased exponentially and most of the guys aren't good enough to match that. Once Ben has a chance at an actual full off season for recruiting and portal shopping and time to develop his players, I'm fully confident things will improve. He's a multi national champion, so I'll stick with him than listening to your usual dogshit takes.
 
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eyesofhawk

All-Conference
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1,835
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2D said:
Nah, we're not doing this garbage in Ben's first year with a cobbled together roster. Especially one filled with really young guys who are afraid to shoot. The beginning of the year proved Ben runs one of the most efficient offenses in the nation, but the competition has increased exponentially and most of the guys aren't good enough to match that. Once Ben has a chance at an actual full off season for recruiting and portal shopping and time to develop his players, I'm fully confident things will improve. He's a multi national champion, so I'll stick with him than listening to your usual dogshit takes.
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I agree, Ben doesn't deserve the hard time.

But you're going to give him a pass because he's in his first season, while at the same time you've trashed Kirk, a coach that's consistently been proven over two and half decades?

And do you expect people to believe all this crap you've literally made up?

"A roster full of really young guys who are afraid to shoot"? Ben coaches extreme shot selectivity into a top 9 that includes 3 seniors and 3 juniors.

"A cobbled together roster in a partial off-season"? If I recall correctly, Ben was hired at Iowa the day the portal opened. So he had the entire portal period to work with.

Sure, a couple guys were undoubtedly on the way out regardless. But every player from last year, and from what would have been this season's incoming class, left or was "released" on Ben's watch. So it's not like the cupboard was ever bare.

And although he didn't have years to put into recruiting a freshman class that fit this level, Ben was able to bring in three quality freshman. And again, there was talent on the would have been incoming class, that didn't end up on this roster.

Although the cupboard wasn't bare, I get that those weren't "Ben's guys". But do I not correctly recall you being a proponent, at the time, of a complete "slash and burn" approach to building the roster? You can't really be a proponent of letting everyone go and then come back and complain that the roster had to be cobbled together.

And do I not correctly recall you having lauded this roster over the summer? Either way, the roster that you are now claiming, "isn't good enough to match their level of competition", was put together by Ben.

Are you just 2Delusional, or do you really believe that people are 2Dumb to not believe this crap?
 
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TampaHawkFan

TampaHawkFan

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herkhatescy2 said:
Wisconsin has gone pretty far in the NCAA Tournament playing the same type of basketball.
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Bo Ryan had them in back to back Final Fours with a "make your eyes bleed" style of basketball. Houston also is one of the slowest tempos in the country, and they were an eyelash away from winning it all last year. Houston's tempo is 354 on kenpom (Iowa is 350).

Pace/Style of play is the least of my worries as long as the wins are there. Substance over style as far as I'm concerned.
 
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herkhatescy2

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TampaHawkFan said:
Bo Ryan had them in back to back Final Fours with a "make your eyes bleed" style of basketball. Houston also is one of the slowest tempos in the country, and they were an eyelash away from winning it all last year. Houston's tempo is 354 on kenpom (Iowa is 350).

Pace/Style of play is the least of my worries as long as the wins are there. Substance over style as far as I'm concerned.
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Exactly.
 
FanInBlack

FanInBlack

All-Conference
Nov 9, 2001
1,802
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TampaHawkFan said:
All that said, Iowa's offense is still 29th nationally in kenpom, which is hardly an embarrassment. That's higher then Kansas, Michigan St, etc.

Iowa really just needs more talent and firepower. Stirtz can't do it all, but it seems like that's what it needs to be with this team. Hopefully Ben can up the talent level in coming years.
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this. jfc
 
O

Ozzie89

All-Conference
Dec 14, 2006
102,759
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We’d all like to see more of these dudes get involved offensively, but Ben’s playing this year offensively how he has to, to win games, did the same at Drake last year. This year was all about laying a foundation/culture and he’s done that and beyond. By the way, they’re 19-7 with a 99.9% chance to make the dance in the process.
 
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MacMiney

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Jul 3, 2025
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TampaHawkFan said:
Bo Ryan had them in back to back Final Fours with a "make your eyes bleed" style of basketball. Houston also is one of the slowest tempos in the country, and they were an eyelash away from winning it all last year. Houston's tempo is 354 on kenpom (Iowa is 350).

Pace/Style of play is the least of my worries as long as the wins are there. Substance over style as far as I'm concerned.
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I think part of the problem is people assume it's slow like Lickliter.

Reality is, BM offense philosophy, and goals related to offense if we had the appropriate players - are not in the same universe as that. Not even remotely close. So it's mostly Iowa State fans, sports media / personalities who cater to Iowa State fans, and people who don't pay attention to detail much, who have that argument - it seems.

I see the target as more the undersized Villanova team that won it all with mostly guards one year. The one we ran into, in the Tournament. And this makes sense as BM has mentioned Jay Wright favorably before.
 
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I

IllQChawk

Senior
May 29, 2001
357
860
93
IowaLaw said:
Nice win and all, but the Hawks had just 5 total assists last night for the entire game. How often has that happened in the history of Iowa basketball? Most years, we have one guy who averages 5 assists on his own.
,.
The offense has become almost unbearable to watch. Stirtz takes the ball at the point, passes it...and whoever catches it looks like a deer in the headlights and immediately passes back to Stirtz. Rinse and repeat. It doesn't matter how open the other player is, 9 times out of 10 they are not even thinking about shooting the ball (esp guys like Combs) and have complete tunnel vision to get the ball back to Stirtz.

It's crazy that Iowa has a point guard who plays a full 40 minutes each game. Even the best players on the planet benefit from getting rest in a game. But at Iowa, we are forced to look the other way on this because Stirtz is the entire offense. Manyawu starts yet shot a grand total of 0 times. Combs and Banks start and played a combined 55 minutes yet made 2 baskets. Folgueiras averaged 14 points per game last year...why is he timidly passing up wide open 3s to get the ball back to a double covered Stirtz?

Again, it was a nice win...but this isn't a brand of basketball that will win games in the NCAA tournament. It's a brand that gets blown out at home by Purdue by 20 points. All teams need to do is double team Stirtz and watch the rest of the guys out there panic, run down the shot clock to zero, then heave up a desperation 3.
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It was you wasn't it, In 15 years not once did you complain about a loss under Fran McCaffery, well done.
 
A

Anon1755405505

Redshirt
Aug 16, 2025
24
40
13
I think some of these guys were shooting the ball better earlier in the season and finishing at the basket. Since they aren't scoring, it puts a lot more emphasis on Stirtz to score. They still move the ball around well and do a pretty good job rebounding and the defense is solid. Much more fun to watch than Fran's teams. Could very easily drop 4 of the next 5 games though. Playing 3 ranked teams and Ohio State will be a tough game at home. Thornton is 96 points from becoming the top scorer in Ohio State history. He is capable of carrying them like Stirtz does Iowa, but he has a little better supporting cast at OSU.
 
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Rambler Hawk

Rambler Hawk

All-Conference
Oct 10, 2001
1,942
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Ozzie89 said:
We’d all like to see more of these dudes get involved offensively, but Ben’s playing this year offensively how he has to, to win games, did the same at Drake last year. This year was all about laying a foundation/culture and he’s done that and beyond. By the way, they’re 19-7 with a 99.9% chance to make the dance in the process.
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Well said…👍
 
IowaLaw

IowaLaw

Senior
Nov 28, 2023
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DukeSlater said:
#1 Michigan and #3 Duke were in the 50s yesterday with 2:30 to play, and the final score was only in the 60s. Too bad those teams have such awful, ugly offenses. :rolleyes:
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Wait...did Michigan and Duke run hard to watch "one dimensional offenses" involving passing to 1 guy all night while everyone else danced around catching passes only for the sake of immediately throwing it back to that 1 guy? A kind of stale and predictable offense that forces that 1 guy to create his own shot while being double teamed every time down the court? I think not. Did those programs manage just 5 total assists per game like Iowa did simply because they can't figure out how to pass and shoot?

No? Duke had 4 guys finish in double figures against Michigan in the "awful, ugly" game you speak of. They also had 17 assists while Michigan had 15 because you are comparing apples to rotten tomatoes.

Sounds identical to the "one dimensional offense" the OP described in the subject line. Or maybe you simply didn't read the subject line or understand the post.

Homers will be homers @DukeSlater , I commend you for playing your role, but reading comprehension is important in this world. You can still be Ben's biggest cheerleader while also reading.
 
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