#10 Hawkeyes showed some fight in falling by 12 to #2 UConn

[DukeSlater]

Man, the Hawkeyes never gave up, and with any luck at all, those last couple of minutes could have been REALLY exciting. As it was, the players never quit and made UConn earn it at the end. Poor offensive rebounding and Heiden never getting established until late due to foul trouble were the major culprits in the loss, although some tougher defense would be good too.

Still, playing in that environment and playing hard to the end to make it respectable has to be worth a lot more than bouncing some nobody by 40 points. And maybe Houston and Stremlow need to play a lot more. Chit-Chat was amazing, and she even came back in after getting thumped by a player about twice her size.

 

[oldxbbc]

Man, the Hawkeyes never gave up, and with any luck at all, those last couple of minutes could have been REALLY exciting. As it was, the players never quit and made UConn earn it at the end. Poor offensive rebounding and Heiden never getting established until late due to foul trouble were the major culprits in the loss, although some tougher defense would be good too.

Still, playing in that environment and playing hard to the end to make it respectable has to be worth a lot more than bouncing some nobody by 40 points. And maybe Houston and Stremlow need to play a lot more. Chit-Chat was amazing, and she even came back in after getting thumped by a player about four times

Totally agree and playing someone like UCONN on the road should help them develop.

 

[Powell living Hawkeye]

Geno is a great coach but he is equally off-putting for me-- seems arrogant and entitled , but I guess he has earned both. He knows how to recruit and put a team together!

 

[DukeSlater]

Geno is a great coach but he is equally off-putting for me-- seems arrogant and entitled , but I guess he has earned both. He knows how to recruit and put a team together!

Geno is arrogant and entitled. You are correct. And that's as far as I'm willing to go in describing him. Just because you've dominated something doesn't mean you have to be arrogant or entitled. Geno just is.

 

[KurtWarner]

Their players seem arrogant and entitled too, to me. Yup ava foul trouble hurt big time. Iowa seemed timid to take it to them, once they started they looked a lot better. This game will do them alot more good than a blowout of a cupcake

Oh and the refs sucked, no surprise

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

That and Dani can't throw it in the ocean outside the lane. She needs to settle in. I think she will.

 

[MacMiney]

To be honest, this is the first I've watched any Iowa Women's basketball this season.

And when I first saw this team take the floor, my jaw dropped. Before they even took the first shot. A nice mix of athletic ability, height, quickness.

Honestly, this is gonna be a fun ride. Looks like we just need to shore up that 3-point shooting a bit, but yea. Lots of upside there.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Their players seem arrogant and entitled too, to me. Yup ava foul trouble hurt big time. Iowa seemed timid to take it to them, once they started they looked a lot better. This game will do them alot more good than a blowout of a cupcake

Oh and the refs sucked, no surprise

Yea, the UConn freshman center threw Ava to the floor a couple of times. No call though....

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

To be honest, this is the first I've watched any Iowa Women's basketball this season.

And when I first saw this team take the floor, my jaw dropped. Before they even took the first shot. A nice mix of athletes, height, quickness.

Honestly, this is gonna be a fun ride. Looks like we just need to shore up that 3-point shooting a bit, but yea. Lots of upside there.

Having Ava in foul trouble left ALOT of MW playing the post. That will work against some teams but no way in hell against a team like UConn. That and she ended up 1 on 1 ALOT on Strong, one of the top 3 or4 players in the country. A real baptism for Mckenna.

 

[Gonzo_Bloor]

Geno is a great coach but he is equally off-putting for me-- seems arrogant and entitled , but I guess he has earned both. He knows how to recruit and put a team together!

Geno's an arrogant doosh. His reaction last year when they lost in the title game, instead of congratulating Staley, was to scream at her for not meeting him at half court before the game for a handshake, which was total BS. He couldn't stand that they lost that game and acted like a whiney entitled b*tch. I'm rooting against him every time I see him.

 

[Manfredi]

We have to be more interested in rebounding than we've shown. Ava and Layla in 32 minutes combined for 2 rebounds. CCW is 5'4" and had 2 herself...Whiting had 7.

 

[52317Hawk]

I was out and about today. Saw the score on my phone at 52-37. Took a call and came back and the score was 62-39. Took another call and it was 80-51.

It was nice that Iowa kept trying, but the game wasn't close.

 

[Jonesy5960]

Having Ava in foul trouble left ALOT of MW playing the post. That will work against some teams but no way in hell against a team like UConn. That and she ended up 1 on 1 ALOT on Strong, one of the top 3 or4 players in the country. A real baptism for Mckenna.

Ava figuring out this foul situation might be the single most important adjustment Iowa needs to make this year. Ava needs to develop the discipline necessary to stay on the court. Jan needs to do what she can to maximize that possibility. 22 minutes for a player hitting 74% of her shots ain't gonna cut it for this team.

 

[Wobmam Rulez!]

Geno's an arrogant doosh. His reaction last year when they lost in the title game, instead of congratulating Staley, was to scream at her for not meeting him at half court before the game for a handshake, which was total BS. He couldn't stand that they lost that game and acted like a whiney entitled b*tch. I'm rooting against him every time I see him.

Last year? Title game?

 

[Hendy Hawk]

Still excited for the season and think they will do better than others think.
Outside shooting needs to be a bit better from others than Chit Chat and Carnegie. Still think they are growing into each other.
Passing is not crisp enough resulting in turnovers.

 

[Hawkfan_08*]

Having Ava in foul trouble left ALOT of MW playing the post. That will work against some teams but no way in hell against a team like UConn. That and she ended up 1 on 1 ALOT on Strong, one of the top 3 or4 players in the country. A real baptism for Mckenna.

We still aren't getting what we need from Hays. It's been a killer. Seems like a great kid and appreciate she came all the way from Alaska but she seems to get worked on defense and offense is still well behind Ava offensively.

We had stretches where we looked fine from 3 and others that were ugly. 10 for 27 overall.

Carnegie has to start getting some efficiency on the offensive end. It's got to click. MW was asked to do a ton today, way too much on D. She will need to score more but it was her first game in a big environment. Whiting needs to find the 3 with some consistency but I appreciate her boards.

 

[Randon]

UConn had two players score a combined 60 points out of their total of 91. This should never happen against Iowa. We played extremely weak defense against both of them.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Still excited for the season and think they will do better than others think.
Outside shooting needs to be a bit better from others than Chit Chat and Carnegie. Still think they are growing into each other.
Passing is not crisp enough resulting in turnovers.

Carnegie? She's been THE biggest issue to this point. You can't have your biggest volume shooter by far going 3 for 17 from three the last two games. Yes, I'm hopeful she'll get it heated up, but to this point she's the worst shooter on the team by volume, and its not close.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

We still aren't getting what we need from Hays. It's been a killer. Seems like a great kid and appreciate she came all the way from Alaska but she seems to get worked on defense and offense is still well behind Ava offensively.

We had stretches where we looked fine from 3 and others that were ugly. 10 for 27 overall.

Carnegie has to start getting some efficiency on the offensive end. It's got to click. MW was asked to do a ton today, way too much on D. She will need to score more but it was her first game in a big environment. Whiting needs to find the 3 with some consistency but I appreciate her boards.

We still aren't getting what we need from Hays. It's been a killer. Seems like a great kid and appreciate she came all the way from Alaska but she seems to get worked on defense and offense is still well behind Ava offensively.

We had stretches where we looked fine from 3 and others that were ugly. 10 for 27 overall.

Carnegie has to start getting some efficiency on the offensive end. It's got to click. MW was asked to do a ton today, way too much on D. She will need to score more but it was her first game in a big environment. Whiting needs to find the 3 with some consistency but I appreciate her boards.

Whiting actually had a pretty darn good game. 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assists, and two steals. I actually think she might be the leading rebounder on the team in the first three games total. Yes Dani has to start shooting better if she's going to be our biggest volume shooter at the guard spot.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

UConn had two players score a combined 60 points out of their total of 91. This should never happen against Iowa. We played extremely weak defense against both of them.

UConn had two players score a combined 60 points out of their total of 91. This should never happen against Iowa. We played extremely weak defense against both of them.

Who was going to stop strong when she was shooting like that? Not just from Iowa. Pretty good shot she wins national player of the year.

 

[FlaIaWis]

I thought it was interesting that S. Strong checked out at the 5+ minute mark with a 20 point lead. The crowd and announcers made it feel like her night was done. Iowa goes on an immediate run, cuts it to 10 in short order and Strong checks back in.

Iowa wins that game by 10+ if UConn didn't have Strong. She tipped the scales for UConn.

 

[Demger]

I was out and about today. Saw the score on my phone at 52-37. Took a call and came back and the score was 62-39. Took another call and it was 80-51.

It was nice that Iowa kept trying, but the game wasn't close.

10 point difference under 3:00 minutes in the game. Seemed close to me not taking any calls.

 

[Demger]

Whiting actually had a pretty darn good game. 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assists, and two steals. I actually think she might be the leading rebounder on the team in the first three games total. Yes Dani has to start shooting better if she's going to be our biggest volume shooter at the guard spot.

She needed a confidence boost after the last game. Hope this sticks with her!

 

[1IHawk]

Geno is arrogant and entitled. You are correct. And that's as far as I'm willing to go in describing him. Just because you've dominated something doesn't mean you have to be arrogant or entitled. Geno just is.

Questions on Geno. Where does he get those eyeglasses that look so powerful? It looks like the lenses are soda bottle bottoms. With those glasses, can he see through peoples clothes? Lets guess, on Halloween he goes as Mr. Magoo. To be serious, he seems to enjoy showing up other coaches and players.

 

[RollingballofButcherKnives]

Yea, the UConn freshman center threw Ava to the floor a couple of times. No call though....

Was it just me or did half of UConn’s screens look like forearm shivers to the neck? I swore they brought their elbows up half the time.

 

[Anon1750875978]

I was out and about today. Saw the score on my phone at 52-37. Took a call and came back and the score was 62-39. Took another call and it was 80-51.

It was nice that Iowa kept trying, but the game wasn't close.

Yep, UConn probably slacked off a bit once the lead got to 30.
Closing the gap helps this week's ranking a little?

 

[pablow]

Yep, UConn probably slacked off a bit once the lead got to 30.
Closing the gap helps this week's ranking a little?

You're such a douche.

 

[Jonesy5960]

Having Ava in foul trouble left ALOT of MW playing the post. That will work against some teams but no way in hell against a team like UConn. That and she ended up 1 on 1 ALOT on Strong, one of the top 3 or4 players in the country. A real baptism for Mckenna.

Strong's performance was one of the best I've seen from any player ever. There is nothing she can't do at an extremely high level at the offensive end. With that said, Mckenna was the best matchup given her combination of length and quickness. Faison wasn't a bad option either, but the combination of Strong and Quiñonez is ridiculously hard to stop when they're hitting 3's like that.

 

[Anon1750875978]

You're such a douche.

Go on....

Fortunately, I DGAF.

 

[Scott559]

Yep, UConn probably slacked off a bit once the lead got to 30.
Closing the gap helps this week's ranking a little?

In the big picture of an entire season the game was beneficial in regard to NET and SOS rankings which are factors in NCAA seedings.

 

[Natchrlman2]

I was out and about today. Saw the score on my phone at 52-37. Took a call and came back and the score was 62-39. Took another call and it was 80-51.

It was nice that Iowa kept trying, but the game wasn't close.

you should stop taking calls during the game….

 

[ObeseMuffins]

Carnegie? She's been THE biggest issue to this point. You can't have your biggest volume shooter by far going 3 for 17 from three the last two games. Yes, I'm hopeful she'll get it heated up, but to this point she's the worst shooter on the team by volume, and its not close.

I watched some of the game and all her three point attempts were out of rhythm. Pass it out and get it back. Shoot.

 

[Hawkeye_Miguel]

I'm surprisingly optimistic after that game. The things that need to improve are mostly things that I think will improve over the course of the season:

1. Dani shooting and finding her teammates. I'll give her some grace on the 2nd part since she missed most of the offseason with Team USA. She's played enough basketball that the shooting will come back.
2. McKenna looked more like a freshman today, because she is. I expect her to have some flashes and regressions through the season, hopefully looking great by the end of the season.
3. Ava foul trouble. I'm sure the coaches are going to really emphasize that to her. She was able to make it through the entire 4th quarter with 4 fouls, so it's clear she can play without fouling if she really puts her mind to it. She's super smart, I hope she can take that to heart. This one feels like more than a hope rather than an expectation of improvement.


Our backup post though... I'm not so optimistic that we'll see a big improvement through the season there, so the Ava foul trouble will be a huge deal if she doesn't figure that out. Every single opposing scouting report is going to have that as their #1 key to the game.

 

[AndreTheHawk]

I thought it was interesting that S. Strong checked out at the 5+ minute mark with a 20 point lead. The crowd and announcers made it feel like her night was done. Iowa goes on an immediate run, cuts it to 10 in short order and Strong checks back in.

Iowa wins that game by 10+ if UConn didn't have Strong. She tipped the scales for UConn.

Iowa isn't competing with the likes of UCONN, South Carolina, etc. without a Caitlin Clark. There's only one, so we're screwed essentially. UCONN has great players every year, and usually more than one.

Iowa has a lot of talented girls and a good overall roster, they'll be good and entertaining, but not great. Like a lot of teams would like to be.

If we're gonna have a volume 3 point shooter, it should be Chit-Chat. But she's tiny unfortunately, if she were 5'11" look out! Get her on roids or something and see what happens. Carnegie has been very underwhelming, have to assume that's gonna change. I like that she isn't afraid to shoot, just make more of them please.

 

[Jonesy5960]

I'm surprisingly optimistic after that game. The things that need to improve are mostly things that I think will improve over the course of the season:

1. Dani shooting and finding her teammates. I'll give her some grace on the 2nd part since she missed most of the offseason with Team USA. She's played enough basketball that the shooting will come back.
2. McKenna looked more like a freshman today, because she is. I expect her to have some flashes and regressions through the season, hopefully looking great by the end of the season.
3. Ava foul trouble. I'm sure the coaches are going to really emphasize that to her. She was able to make it through the entire 4th quarter with 4 fouls, so it's clear she can play without fouling if she really puts her mind to it. She's super smart, I hope she can take that to heart. This one feels like more than a hope rather than an expectation of improvement.


Our backup post though... I'm not so optimistic that we'll see a big improvement through the season there, so the Ava foul trouble will be a huge deal if she doesn't figure that out. Every single opposing scouting report is going to have that as their #1 key to the game.

I think the smart play today with respect to backing up Ava is to have McKenna slide to the 5 and fill her forward spot with Journey. I understand Jan wanting to give Layla minutes, but it's not what's best for the team today, and that's what matters most.

 

[Kceasthawk@77]

Strong's performance was one of the best I've seen from any player ever. There is nothing she can't do at an extremely high level at the offensive end. With that said, Mckenna was the best matchup given her combination of length and quickness. Faison wasn't a bad option either, but the combination of Strong and Quiñonez is ridiculously hard to stop when they're hitting 3's like that.

Strong's performance was one of the best I've seen from any player ever. There is nothing she can't do at an extremely high level at the offensive end. With that said, Mckenna was the best matchup given her combination of length and quickness. Faison wasn't a bad option either, but the combination of Strong and Quiñonez is ridiculously hard to stop when they're hitting 3's like that.

I think I'd take Clarks performance in the 2023 elite 8. A 41 point 12 assist, game and then 41 points to take down S Carolina to end their undefeated season, in what many considered an impossible upset. Not to mention Strong has so much talent around her, while Clark literally carried Iowa through to the championship. But yes, Strong was amazing.....

 

[Hawk14]

I like it, someone who agrees with me. I made the comment before the regular season started that i was afraid that McKenna would see minutes at the 5 but was shot down as she was not strong enough or big enough. While i agree with that to an extent it appears it may be necessary. She does bring an interesting look to the offense as i believe she is capable of scoring and distributing from the inside while being able to step outside and be a threat. I think she will be as solid of a rebounder as we will have but the physicality down low would be a negative.

 

[Titanhawk]

UConn had two players score a combined 60 points out of their total of 91. This should never happen against Iowa. We played extremely weak defense against both of them.

UConn had two players with as many rebounds as the Iowa team, as well

 

[Gonzo_Bloor]

Last year? Title game?

Oops, Final Four game. Forgot, assumed it was the title game because UCONN was undefeated and the top overall seed. Either way, he acted like a whiney little doosh after losing.