Great win!

RuggieC

Senior
Mar 30, 2014
377
779
93
a win is a win. But
- Really weak screen setting on offense
- RU out worked us
- I am a little concerned on Coop. Not much going on there
- we did not look ready for tonite. Credit to RU
- Sage was by far player of the game. Great game
- need to pick it up boys but take the win and get the next one
 

Hawk_4shur

All-Conference
Jan 2, 2009
760
1,834
93
With the exception of Tate and Howard (maybe Banks), the guys looked tired.

- Manyawu played 25 minutes and got 2 boards.
- Stirtz 5 turnovers, 38% shooting (including 0-6 from 3).
- Koch with 29 minutes - 3 pts and 1 board.
- AF continues to do nothing with his minutes.
- Combs manages 5 points, no assists or boards in 17 minutes.

Not good. Tate saves the day.
 

83Hawk

All-Conference
Jan 1, 2023
1,459
3,216
113
Got a tad scary there but it was a fun game … they definitely need to guard their turf in all games
I think there was a bit of a letdown after the Indiana win (which Ben was afraid would happen). But…defense will win games like this. Under Fran, the Hawks probably lose.

Should be a good wake up call. Now they can get some rest before facing USC!
 

AndreTheHawk

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
991
2,025
93
I think there was a bit of a letdown after the Indiana win (which Ben was afraid would happen). But…defense will win games like this. Under Fran, the Hawks probably lose.

Should be a good wake up call. Now they can get some rest before facing USC!
Iowa is 18 for 18 holding opponents under their season scoring average. Think Ben McCollum doesn't preach Defense? Yowser.

Iowa is currently 16th in adjusted efficiency defensively per Kenpom. Fran's last three years Iowa was 168th, 157th & 167th. Yikes!

The Hawks are Top 5 in defensive scoring average, trailing only Houston for power conference schools.

Don't know how all this will turn out over time (pretty good is my guess), but it appears if you want to play at Iowa for the foreseeable future you better plan on playing some Defense when you arrive. It's a beautiful thing. 🙂

Find Stirtz 2.0, or any kind of a pivotal point guard and a rim protector moving forward and we're in business.
 

TrojanHawkeye

All-Conference
Feb 11, 2009
686
1,138
93
With the exception of Tate and Howard (maybe Banks), the guys looked tired.

- Manyawu played 25 minutes and got 2 boards.
- Stirtz 5 turnovers, 38% shooting (including 0-6 from 3).
- Koch with 29 minutes - 3 pts and 1 board.
- AF continues to do nothing with his minutes.
- Combs manages 5 points, no assists or boards in 17 minutes.

Not good. Tate saves the day.
With all of this and to win the game against a tough matchup, Ben's words, really important. Definitely need more from some of the guys to keep rolling.
 

DukeSlater

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2023
1,769
4,063
113
a win is a win. But
- Really weak screen setting on offense
- RU out worked us
- I am a little concerned on Coop. Not much going on there
- we did not look ready for tonite. Credit to RU
- Sage was by far player of the game. Great game
- need to pick it up boys but take the win and get the next one
Totally agree. But . . . after playing so hard @ Purdue and @ Indiana, and after having the flu take its toll on the Hawkeyes, I wasn't surprised by last night. I think this 8-day break comes at an excellent time. This team is worn out. They didn't have their usual energy and focus last night, not even close, yet they did what they had to do to win. It's a long, long season, and even the very best teams don't play like it every single time out. It's just not possible.

So given the facts, understanding the context, last night was just fine. It's not going to be a trend to come out and play flat like that. You can be sure that when Iowa takes the court again, they'll be back to themselves, playing with the fire and intensity and intelligence that Ben's teams are all about. The rest of the season is gonna be fun.
 

The Big Z

All-Conference
Jan 5, 2023
1,625
2,988
113
Hard not to like him. Hope he wins the rest of his games...
He’s not a very good coach. He had 2 top 10 players on his team last year and now this year is going to be 6-14, 7-13 in the league again. Could be in trouble.