*****Iowa vs Maryland Game Thread*****

trfhawk

Senior
Jul 10, 2020
233
408
63
I said it the other day, the gap between UConn/South Carolina and everyone else is pretty huge.

This team could hang with about everyone else outside those teams and if their shooting is on, they could beat most other teams besides those two.

There's the top two or three teams, then there's everyone else.
South Carolina has lost twice already, including a loss to 15-4 Oklahoma. Gap is pretty small with them.
 

the24fan

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2007
903
1,779
93
This team needs to figure out how to put teams away. Maryland had ZERO business having a chance to win that game in OT. But they did. Just dumb luck we escaped with the W after dominating almost the entire game. I see just a lot of laziness, lazy defense, lazy passing, lazy free throws. No killer instinct. We can pretend this team might make some noise come tourney time but there's no way. They're going to get cooked by top-10 teams.
you hope Jan remembers this situation and coaches accordingly.
It's a bit natural to let your foot off the gas in a blowout but it can come back to bite you and almost did tonight. Hopefully they learned a valuable lesson.
 

the24fan

All-Conference
Jul 30, 2007
903
1,779
93
Because it's avoidable. Maryland being able to tie the game late was due to our players making lazy, dumb passes and missing FTs. Sometimes the other team is just going to outplay you late, I get that. That's not what happened tonight. We made lazy plays and lazy passes that put the ball in their hands and allowed them to take it in to OT. It was completely avoidable. That's the kind of stuff that's inexcusable. And it's habits like that that will get you bounced in March when it doesn't have to.

agree to alot of this but what you hope is it's a coaching moment and they learn from it.
Im sure Jan will remind them their late game play nearly cost them.
Take the W and move forward.
 
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Dec 4, 2001
6,069
19,824
113
I am late to women’s basketball. Got on the train Caitlin’s junior year. Once I got on I was surprised how sensitive the fans were. Not just specific to Iowa and it certainly extends to the W. IMHO, every negative comment or venting of a fan in a game thread does not have to be made into a debate. Just a comment participating in these threads the past few years…
 

WDSMHawk

All-Conference
Jun 30, 2019
1,834
4,753
113
So if the coaches aren't happy with 17 turnovers should they not tell the players they're not happy with 17 turnovers? If they're not happy with how they played late with the lead should they not tell them they're not happy with how they played late with the lead?

If the coaches are going to tell the players then why are you worried about it come March? After the UConn disaster it's pretty clear that the coaches have stressed the importance of taking care of the ball and Iowa has improved in that area.

Is 17 turnovers great, no, but when the other team is forcing 20 turnovers a game it's also not a complete failure.
 

airhawk

Senior
Jan 3, 2023
304
484
63
Against full court pressure? No! You shouldn’t have more than 1 big. And her ft shooting concerns. Stop being sentimental.
After a Maryland basket in those final minutes of regulation, Hannah was so slow in getting the ball in. Like she was letting Maryland get their pressure/press set up!
JJ needs to chew more arse with these ladies rather than being an ugly pant suit cheerleader. Constant clapping. Freese was in her ladies face constantly and got the most out of them. Totally outcoached JJ
 

RuggieC

All-Conference
Mar 30, 2014
587
1,150
93
I'm negative because the mistakes are avoidable.

Come March if we continue to play with the same lazy tendencies we won't make it past the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney.

Maryland had 17 turnovers. Does that make our 17 turnovers ok?
I think it is a bit of scheme along with some sloppy play. Fixable though I think. From a scheme standpoint our opponents are making more of an effort to close down the pass to the interior so we are forcing it OR the backside help on defense is making the play. As I watch we run too many defenders towards the post that makes life more difficult. The backside offensive player's defender is closing in from behind so either the backside offensive player needs to stay higher or we need to rotate the ball quicker to get an open look at a 3. Also I see many times where our PG will pass to the 2 or 3 on the side as Ava is setting up, and then the PG cuts in between the 2/3 and Ava to go to the corner. It kind of brings more traffic to the area with not much intent.

All that being said more movement is better. Drawing fewer people towards the lane that clogs it up is better. But the gals have to take MUCH better control of the ball. They really had a helter skelter panic look in that last 3 minutes of regulation. Almost all of them. After that going to OT I thought they were cooked but I give them a TON of credit for settling down and taking control in the end on the road. One last thing.....If I were Ava I would be shooting FT line shots over and over and/or getting the ball there and driving.....that is there for her all day when Hannah is posting up.

Take care of Ohio State ladies and keep it rolling! 8-0 in BT play is pretty damn sweet!
 

FlyingHawk7783

Sophomore
Jan 3, 2026
77
138
33
And I think she either won't listen to her assistants or they're worthless so she just ignores them.

They won IN SPITE OF JJ tonite.
Under no reasonable circumstance can you blow a 17 point lead in less than three minutes.
Use of TOs, substitution patterns, and refusing to contest shots was beyond ridiculous tonite.
This is spot on. Most people would agree with this. Except the "fanboys" on here who will defend Iowa coaches no matter what.
 

FlyingHawk7783

Sophomore
Jan 3, 2026
77
138
33
agree to alot of this but what you hope is it's a coaching moment and they learn from it.
Im sure Jan will remind them their late game play nearly cost them.
Take the W and move forward.
Another good post. If the coaches are not reviewing the film of the last 5 minutes of the game to learn from, then, it might happen again.
Great to get the win, but, the game should have never been in doubt
 

FlyingHawk7783

Sophomore
Jan 3, 2026
77
138
33
If the coaches are going to tell the players then why are you worried about it come March? After the UConn disaster it's pretty clear that the coaches have stressed the importance of taking care of the ball and Iowa has improved in that area.

Is 17 turnovers great, no, but when the other team is forcing 20 turnovers a game it's also not a complete failure.
what does the other team forcing 20 turnovers a game have to do with anything? Does that include non-conference games?
Iowa almost lost a 17 point lead in the last 3 minutes, seems like they might need to take care of the ball better. Seems pretty obvious
 
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HIWILLE

Junior
Sep 12, 2005
155
287
63
Houston doesn’t play like a freshman. She looks to be very confident out there. She needs to play more. I think if they had her in there the last five minutes of the fourth quarter this wouldn’t have happened. She’s just a smart player you can see it. I’m glad we have her three more years.
 

oldhawk56

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2010
653
1,138
93
I am late to women’s basketball. Got on the train Caitlin’s junior year. Once I got on I was surprised how sensitive the fans were. Not just specific to Iowa and it certainly extends to the W. IMHO, every negative comment or venting of a fan in a game thread does not have to be made into a debate. Just a comment participating in these threads the past few years…
Much beating of dead horses.
Do we really need 57 posts telling us turnovers are bad?
 

Anon1750875978

Heisman
Dec 26, 2018
9,893
16,785
113
Water under the bridge, but would have been nice to know if the Iowa AD just worked it out with Bluder to hand things to JJ or if they could have/did reach out to JenniB?
 
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oldhawk56

All-Conference
Feb 24, 2010
653
1,138
93
After a Maryland basket in those final minutes of regulation, Hannah was so slow in getting the ball in. Like she was letting Maryland get their pressure/press set up!
JJ needs to chew more arse with these ladies rather than being an ugly pant suit cheerleader. Constant clapping. Freese was in her ladies face constantly and got the most out of them. Totally outcoached JJ
Freeze is an ***. JJ is in her second year.
Maybe trust the process.
 

Jonesy5960

Heisman
Feb 1, 2023
6,904
14,332
113
If she would have played Journey more in the 4th quarter it probably doesn't go to overtime.
Maybe? Hannah struggled with passing the ball and of the 3 freshmen, Journey is the one who rarely makes mistakes and has the lowest turnover rate on the entire team. She's easily the most productive rebounder on the team as well on a per 40 basis. Ten points on 5/8 shooting and 6 rebounds in 13 minutes is crazy productive.

If it's ever a question of subbing in Journey vs Layla right now, that's about as easy as it gets. There is nothing that Journey isn't doing much, much better right now, and subbing her in some more to give Hannah a blow earlier on wouldn't have been a bad idea. 43 minutes for Hannah was probably too much last night.
 
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52317Hawk

All-Conference
Jul 3, 2025
1,395
1,566
113
I'm sure but I was only one and a half when that happened. I've never brought myself to look it up.
And I would tell you not to. It would be like going back and watching the BTCG in football from 2015. BRUTAL.

Disclaimer: I have never gone back and re-watched either
 
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Jonesy5960

Heisman
Feb 1, 2023
6,904
14,332
113
So if the coaches aren't happy with 17 turnovers should they not tell the players they're not happy with 17 turnovers? If they're not happy with how they played late with the lead should they not tell them they're not happy with how they played late with the lead?
So how do you know that the staff isn't providing that kind of feedback exactly? Why do you think that the players committing the most turnovers are rewarded with the fewest minutes?
 

Jonesy5960

Heisman
Feb 1, 2023
6,904
14,332
113
Houston doesn’t play like a freshman. She looks to be very confident out there. She needs to play more. I think if they had her in there the last five minutes of the fourth quarter this wouldn’t have happened. She’s just a smart player you can see it. I’m glad we have her three more years.
She's been terrific, especially for a true freshman.
 

Hawkfan_08*

All-American
Jul 2, 2025
3,748
9,891
113
And I would tell you not to. It would be like going back and watching the BTCG in football from 2015. BRUTAL.

Disclaimer: I have never gone back and re-watched either
I was there for that. Still wouldn't have been as big of a collapse as last night but would have meant way more.
 

Jonesy5960

Heisman
Feb 1, 2023
6,904
14,332
113
Sarcasm?

If not, check the biography of the Oklahoma WBB coach.
Nope. I'm not steeped in Drake or Oklahoma women's basketball history. If I had to guess, Jan was probably offered the job without a lot of searching going on in order to maintain continuity within a successful program. Seems to be working out pretty well so far.
 
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Anon1750875978

Heisman
Dec 26, 2018
9,893
16,785
113
Nope. I'm not steeped in Drake or Oklahoma women's basketball history. If I had to guess, Jan was probably offered the job without a lot of searching going on in order to maintain continuity within a successful program. Seems to be working out pretty well so far.
Dig deeper into her bio!

She could have been the perfect hire!
And you might even opine that the beat down she put on Iowa last year was because she wanted the Iowa job.
 
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TheGreatDivider101

All-Conference
Jun 28, 2025
589
1,193
93
Dig deeper into her bio!

She could have been the perfect hire!
And you might even opine that the beat down she put on Iowa last year was because she wanted the Iowa job.

Dig deeper into her bio!

She could have been the perfect hire!
And you might even opine that the beat down she put on Iowa last year was because she wanted the Iowa job.
Its amazing that you have such insight into the inner psyche of someone that you don't even know. Incredible!
 

Anon1750875978

Heisman
Dec 26, 2018
9,893
16,785
113
Its amazing that you have such insight into the inner psyche of someone that you don't even know. Incredible!
It's both a gift and a curse.

As we saw last nite, JJ continues to have these WTF moments.

Winning doesn't always cover up those issues. Losing a 17 pt lead in less than 3 minutes???????
 

AndreTheHawk

All-Conference
Jul 2, 2025
1,179
2,435
113
Houston doesn’t play like a freshman. She looks to be very confident out there. She needs to play more. I think if they had her in there the last five minutes of the fourth quarter this wouldn’t have happened. She’s just a smart player you can see it. I’m glad we have her three more years.
That girl has a knack for being in the right place at the right time quite often. I don't know all of her overall stats, but she makes nice interior passes, rebounds like crazy, defends to the best of her abiliy and isn't afraid to shoot, and shoots pretty well from my perspective.

She is clearly a big piece of the puzzle for the next 3.5 years. IF she was 6"2'-6"3' should would be an absolute MONSTER.
 
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