Expectations?
- Thread starter Amahawk
- Start date
The last 2 seasons were young and lacking in perimeter talent. That's been rectified and I see this as a Big10 contender and Elite 8 as the floor. Whether they can go there or beyond depends on health and how well they can gel as a unit, but I think fans should be really excited about the possibilities. If Jan can keep this group together I think they are competing for a championship over the next few years.
Can't really get worse than the last 2 years with quick exits in the NCAA tournament can it...
Reality is reality, Iowa did not advance to the sweet 16, In the tournament they shot the ball about as poorly as any Iowa WBB team I have watched. I think they already had a solid roster, I think between another year of experience and some key portal additions this coming years team will have a nice bump in the talent level and more importantly will be a more versatile team on the offensive end. I expect growing pains early on but believe they have a roster built more for post season success.
we can only hope but Iowa sports tend to disappoint more often than not
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Exactly on the early growing pains potentially. NASA is working hard to develop the technology to measure the moaning and groaning we'll hear from the casual fans as they stumble some the 1st 2 months of the season. After that this will be a better team than last year even though the record won't reflect it....lots of talent in the Big 10. I'd be shocked if they don't roll through the first weekend in March Madness.
Glass half empty
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Umm... how about not making the tournament at all?
[edit - I guess it's tribute to the staff/program that posters are setting the bar at sweet 16 appearances.]
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I do agree that we can only hope, but I am very seldom ever disappointed because [since I don’t have any control of the outcome] I don’t let expectations enter into my thinking.
E8 as the floor is CRAZY talk.
Elite 8 as the floor?????
A team that can't win more than one game in two consecutive years and Elite 8 is the floor???
I'll have what you're drinking.
I prefer irrational exuberance.
To be fair, 6/11 on this roster weren’t on the team last year and 9/11 weren’t on the team two years ago.
Anyone's guess if all the talent can come together and shine as a team. If they can, it's going to be a fun year, but if it's a struggle to find their flow every game becomes tough.
Big Ten is loaded with talent as all the teams get better with portal era rosters. Not even the same game to get there like Iowa did in '23, '24.
All these teams could make noise:
USC, Michigan, OSU, UCLA, Minnesota, Washington, Illinois. And you know the others will be right there.
I expect growing pains through the tough early schedule. If they can make it a game vs. UConn, I'll be excited.
Already excited to be back to the "winning" offense. Team needs to hit 3s this year.
Big Ten is loaded with talent as all the teams get better with portal era rosters. Not even the same game to get there like Iowa did in '23, '24.
All these teams could make noise:
USC, Michigan, OSU, UCLA, Minnesota, Washington, Illinois. And you know the others will be right there.
I expect growing pains through the tough early schedule. If they can make it a game vs. UConn, I'll be excited.
Already excited to be back to the "winning" offense. Team needs to hit 3s this year.
Very true, which means it may very well take some time to work all these new pieces into a cohesive unit. Hopefully by January we'll see this really come together.
Agree, but realistically, Iowa will be somewhere 5/6 ranked in the B1G preseason. USC/UCLA/Michigan/Minny/Maryland...
Saying Elite 8 is the floor is kinda laughable.
I get the optimism angle, but reality can be completely different.
I don't see any scenario where Iowa is voted lower than fourth in the preseason Big Ten rankings. Possibly even third behind USC and Michigan.
They'll definitely be behind Minny.
But I understand why you need to be a bit more optimistic than the casual fan given you need a good relationship with the staff.
Seems like an out of line to accuse me of having a particular opinion just to appease a coaching staff that isn't on this message board.
I like Minnesota and I was really excited for them when they broke through to the Sweet Sixteen. They will be very good again, but they don't have a player better than Heiden or Carnegie.
Exactly. I would argue that this is a better, more seasoned roster at every position than the team that entered the tournament last year or the year before. I won't argue that Hannah wasn't a very good player, but her offensive skillset was a terrible fit with Ava who will have a lot more room to operate with JH and MW at that position. Dani and Amari are light years better than Kylie and Addie were. Ava, Journey, Chat, and Stremlow will all have another year of experience under their belts after excellent seasons last year.
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Sounds like Jans pretty happy with Faison helping out at one of those 3/4 spots as well, especially on defense. Certainly this team looks to have more proven scorers, and more quality depth.
Minnesota has a 3pt game. Iowa didn't.
You might want to check Minnesota's projected 26/27 lineup and edit your post.
Iowa pissed away a huge lead vs Minnesota last year and lost. Braun and GG return and Merkle is an upgrade at the "5".
I hate the Gophers as much as anyone, but I'm going to be surprised if Iowa finishes ahead of them.
They have a proven HC, as well.
Iowa...
I don’t see how anything about last year matters with everything that is new about this years Iowa team.
I will state the same things others have said is that last year's team shooting just collapsed in the ncaas. Their free throw shooting wasnt that great all year but then it got worse and they were maybe 20% or so from the 3 pt line. It was a pretty big loss when McCabe went down because she could usually hit a few more treys and those 9 points or more would have been huge in their last game.
With Heiden and Houston and the new top forward recruit down low etc, if they have the perimeter shooting this year they will be very good.
We will revisit this in 8 months.
And I guess the off-season offers hope for a better post season than what Iowa has shown since Jensen took over.
The dude you're conversing with is not a Jan fan. His comments are 10-1 negative, so you're probably not going to put a dent in that.
Elite 8 as the floor?????
A team that can't win more than one game in two consecutive years and Elite 8 is the floor???
I'll have what you're drinking.
Just like clockwork, living in the past, but we all know, you enjoy that. It must really suck.
So, Iowa didn't have a 3pt game last year in your opinion, but you know that Minnesota has one now, which I assume you must mean in 26-27, which you haven't seen play yet. Got it.
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Right? And we're all supposed to ignore the fact that Iowa and Minnesota shot almost the exact same number and percentage of 3's last year.
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So Iowa averaged more 3PTers attempted and made per game than Minnesota did last yeat, but they didn't have a 3PT game.
That makes complete sense.
Damn right I'm not a JJ fan.
Sweet 32 as a ceiling with Iowa's resources is what is known as UNDERACHIEVING.
Not just one season, but two.
But you fanboyz continue to show your unconditional devotion with defending her.
Good assistant coaches don't automatically make good HCs.
Claiming someone has a ceiling after 2 years is flat out asinine.
How many years of losing on the first weekend will it take for you to judge?
Iowa should have done a national search instead of worrying if Addie Deal was going to stay committed.
How'd that work out?
Maybe Harmon should have gotten the job?
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Formula for Iowa sports expectations. Take the mean iowa fan expecations. move two standard deviations to the left. That's your objective expectation.
Not many posters here have the courage to criticize, to this point, an underachieving HC.
Or make a statement that might not be popular.
Personally, I say what I want because I'm able to be objective.
Jan Jensen seems overwhelmed so far. Maybe it's as simple as her asst coaches aren't very good?