I got thinking tonight where all three state of Iowa programs are at now and going forward.
UNI- Although they played in a horrible conference this year, for the most part they took care of business and won their conference tourney. They played a very average Wyoming team first round and again took care of business, setting up their game tonight where their lack of athleticism finally caught up to them. Losing Tuttle is a monumental loss IMHO, as he was their best player hands down. I admit I don't know the Panther roster very well, but I saw a four other seniors besides Tuttle who are now done. I think in the watered down MV Conference, they can be good again record-wise, but nowhere close to as good as this year.
eiu- I think they shot their wad tonight against the Zags. White was by far the hoks best player. Utoff is a nice player, but who can Mad Fran put around him next year? Gessell plays hard, but is an average point guard. T-Rex is laughable, and they will have to count on him to be a big contributer next year. They have around four 3 star recruits coming in next year, but who knows if they are ready to start making meaningful contributions?
ISU- Georges, Monte, Naz, Jameel, Abdul, Matt, all back who started or played meaningful minutes/contributed. Custer and the Greek waiting in the wings, maybe ready to contribute, nobody can answer that right now. Williams, Cooke, and Burton coming in with good/great accolades, but obviously unproven until the 2015-16 season kicks off. ISU in the mix for Diallo, and who knows, maybe a grad transfer???
We all know we screwed the pooch on Thursday for multiple reasons. UNI and eiu took advantage of their weak 1st round opponents, then got handled next round. This year was the year for both of those programs to make some noise, and both are done after the 1st weekend. I see both of them having trouble stringing together 4 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, 4 wins, and a Sweet 16 spot like we just accomplished. If things go right next year, it could be a monster year for ISU. 2016-17 will be interesting, but don't count out Fred and the boys as he just keeps mix and matching players to fit the roster. Even though Thursday was a disappointment, the future looks bright for ISU basketball. Can Panther and hok fans realistically say the same. This guy says no way!
UNI- Although they played in a horrible conference this year, for the most part they took care of business and won their conference tourney. They played a very average Wyoming team first round and again took care of business, setting up their game tonight where their lack of athleticism finally caught up to them. Losing Tuttle is a monumental loss IMHO, as he was their best player hands down. I admit I don't know the Panther roster very well, but I saw a four other seniors besides Tuttle who are now done. I think in the watered down MV Conference, they can be good again record-wise, but nowhere close to as good as this year.
eiu- I think they shot their wad tonight against the Zags. White was by far the hoks best player. Utoff is a nice player, but who can Mad Fran put around him next year? Gessell plays hard, but is an average point guard. T-Rex is laughable, and they will have to count on him to be a big contributer next year. They have around four 3 star recruits coming in next year, but who knows if they are ready to start making meaningful contributions?
ISU- Georges, Monte, Naz, Jameel, Abdul, Matt, all back who started or played meaningful minutes/contributed. Custer and the Greek waiting in the wings, maybe ready to contribute, nobody can answer that right now. Williams, Cooke, and Burton coming in with good/great accolades, but obviously unproven until the 2015-16 season kicks off. ISU in the mix for Diallo, and who knows, maybe a grad transfer???
We all know we screwed the pooch on Thursday for multiple reasons. UNI and eiu took advantage of their weak 1st round opponents, then got handled next round. This year was the year for both of those programs to make some noise, and both are done after the 1st weekend. I see both of them having trouble stringing together 4 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, 4 wins, and a Sweet 16 spot like we just accomplished. If things go right next year, it could be a monster year for ISU. 2016-17 will be interesting, but don't count out Fred and the boys as he just keeps mix and matching players to fit the roster. Even though Thursday was a disappointment, the future looks bright for ISU basketball. Can Panther and hok fans realistically say the same. This guy says no way!
