Well anybody who caught another one of Iowa's semi-embarassing showings on national television yesterday definitely saw a work in progress. We haven't won a game at the fearsome Breslin Center since 1993, and almost all of the losses since then have been lopsided blowouts. Even our great 2005-06 team that finished second in the conference and won the Big Ten tournament got a 40 point beatdown here. So I guess give the guys credit for only losing 66-52 and showing some heart, but trust me, it could have been a lot worse. No motion on offense, no energy by anyone but Cyrus Tate in the 1st half, no field goals until about 11 minutes had passed in the 1st half(!), no outside shooting, no consistent free throw shooting by anyone but, you guessed it, Cyrus, and just too many mistakes by a young team that is the epitome of "up and down." The field goal drought to start the game was one of the most painful yet hilarious things I have ever watched as a Hawkeye fan; I honestly didn't think we'd get past 5 points, especially when it culminated in a 20-1 MSU lead. I guess it set the tone for the half when Freeman got fouled on a three pointer and only made one free throw. We got back in it and shockingly went on a nice little run there, not seeming flustered like Hawkeye teams in the past have been, spurred on by Gorney's long shot and Kelly's baseline drive for a layup, as Cyrus Tate started doing the big man's work once again in providing his usual cleanup of the boards and slippery finishes down low. We also started getting him the ball again and he definitely responded with production, getting us back in the game. MSU kind of stomped on our faces at the end of the 1st though, scoring two pretty buckets to end the half as if to say "you really thought you had a chance?" 31-18 at the half, tough to overcome on the road but not nearly as bad as it could have been as MSU went on a little drought of their own. Throughout the second half MSU maintained a steady lead over us and the outcome was never really in doubt, but our guys hung in there and kept fighting, making sure we weren't embarassed or blown out. Our guys just don't seem to grasp the offense, as they just stand around and wait for something to happen, but the heart they showed in not bowing down easy is something the guys probably wouldn't have done in the Alford era, at least in my opinion. Cyrus was amazing again, finishing with 26 points and 9 boards, along with a very nice 6-7 performance from the free throw line, showing how hard he worked to improve that area of his game. He had the most intensity and energy from the start, and played his role to perfection. Kelly also provided some nice scoring, while Gorney made a few shots but seemed to regress as far as his effort on the boards and his energy. Freeman definitely wasn't much of a leader today, as he played a quiet role, but I bet he'll come out hot the next game. That's the type of player he is. Justin Johnson continues his disappearing act...maybe I'm not so sad to see him go after this season. Peterson played pretty well and showed a little playmaking spark, but he is going to have to cut down those turnovers for next year. I think he will. No one else really did anything significant. Another tough loss for the boys, but not really unexpected. They didn't get blown out by 20, 30, or 40, simply 14, one of the lowest deficits we have had in the Breslin Center ever. I guess that is a step forward, but just between you and me, this is not a very good MSU team either. I still like what Lickliter's doing and yearn for the days when the players will grasp his offense and take it to the top of the Big Ten.

Iowa went 1-1 in their next two games, home dates against Michgian and lowly Northwestern. Against Michigan, Iowa was in a romantic mood for V-Day, behind a pretty solid Carver crowd, and got off to a roaring start, hitting jumper after jumper and taking a 29-7 lead at one point. Michigan battled back thanks to usually sloppy play from our guards, and we kind of missed our chances to blow them out and we ended up holding them to a still pretty comfortable 16 points at the half, even though we didnt play as well to end it. Well, to say this game was a tale of two halves would be an understatement. We showed up in the 2nd expecting Michgian to bow down to us, but they came out firing, led by fabulously scoring frosh Manny Harris, and making all their shots and playing with much more defensive intensity and fire than we did. Gorney played hard the entire time and made some shots, while Kelly paced us with his scoring, but we totally let this one fall out of our grasp with poor defense and careless play. Freeman sat for quite some time in the 2nd thanks to crazy shot selecton and we looked lost without him, and Peterson looked shaky running the point. Michigan ended up scoring 44 second half points and beat us 60-53, one of the most disappointing losses of the season considering we had them in our grasp. Hats off to Michgian coming out a totally different team in the 2nd half though, and they are playing much better than they were at the beginning of the year. They even beat Ohio State after taking us out. Still doesnt take away the sting of this one though, as giving up 44 points in a half won't win you many games when you score as many points as Iowa does. The next game was against horrible but unique Northwestern, a team that hasn't won a conference game in more than a year. They are several notches below the other Big Ten teams as far as talent level goes, but they rely on their tricky, patient Princeton offense and three point shooting to hang with teams that have way more athletic talent. The Wildcats have given us trouble in the past, forcing us to be patient on defense and block out every time, but we haven't see how we do against them in the Lickliter era. The 1st half of this one put basketball back 50 years, ending in a 17-15 lead for Northwestern after missed shot after missed shot, turnover after turnover. It was extremly ugly, and it looked like Iowa hadn't woken up for this one. The crowd was sparse and disinterested, while Kelly and Tate were the only Hawkeyes providing any scoring. Gorney kept us in it with some set shots in the 2nd half, but NU came roaring out with hot three point shooting and flat-out more intensity, embarassing us big time with a 14 point lead. Then we figured out we could get the ball to our man inside, Cyrus Tate. Tate was manhandling the much-undersized NU post players and getting great position every time, and once we figured that out and started getting him the ball we picked up our play and everyone got more confidence. Tate finished strong every time, cleaned up the glass, and played with a lot of energy to spur on the comeback. Freeman then hit three consecutive three pointers, while bench-warmer Dan Bohall finally saw the court again and made some huge contributions, playing awesome defense for the majority of the 2nd half while getting a key steal and layup along with a clutch three pointer. It was good to see those three players make big contributions and give us some scoring, while Kelly also finished with 12 points and did a nice job from the charity stripe. I was not impressed with the mindless play of Justin Johnson though, as he made some stupid passes and even dumber shots, hurting the team. Our effort was so much better in the 2nd half and it felt good to escape with a win and get back on track, even if it was against a team like NU. We needed it, and a "W" is a "W".

I've done a few previews for Iowa's basketball team this season, a team with pretty low expectations to say the least. Short on talent, new coach, guys getting hurt left and right dwindling our roster down even more than it already was; needless to say, things just weren't looking good. Well here we are in the middle of February, my Hawks at times looking like the young and shorthanded team that they are but at times showing flashes of the team they can be. Mark my words, Lickliter will implement his system here in Iowa City eventually and will turn us into a Big Ten contender, but he needs time to get his players...right now he is only using a 7 man rotation! They are 11-14, 4-8 in the Big Ten now, playing much better than expected and much better than they were at the start of the year with Tony Freeman injured but still up and down in consistency, struggling with turnovers and scoring, just lacking the bodies to bang night in and night out. All signs point to the future though; the once empty confines of Carver Hawkeye Arena are slowly filling back up with black and gold again, while we beat teams we aren't supposed to and hover around .500, hoping for a chance in the NIT or the brand-new, money-influenced CBI while always holding out the hope that we can go on a miracle Big Ten Tourney run. Life isn't so bad for us Hawkeye fans if we just take the positives this year's team and this year's coaches have to offer and look ahead to the great things that are sure to come. Just look at what Lickliter established at Butler, and then smile. Give the 07-08 Hawks credit for hustling, playing great defense, and being pretty damn good shooters...don't give them credit for the bevy of 20 turnover games, the lack of post players, the ball-handling woes, the mental breakdowns, and the etc. etc. of other issues that plague young, rebuilding teams. Right now our best player is Tony Freeman, a junior guard and the most explosive, talented guy on the team. Tony came to Iowa as a pure scorer, a guy that jacked up lots of threes and made questionable decisions for the sake of scoring. He still takes an iffy shot or two, but his maturation has been very impressive. He is a great ball handler, a dangerous scorer who can create his own shot, and a calming presence on the floor, a true leader that the other guys rely on for points, assists, and everything else. Justin Johnson, a senior from Tyler (TX) Junior College, is our best shooter, a three point menace with crazy range whose miracle performance against Indiana almost led Iowa to an upset and whose 8 three pointers knocked down favored foe Ohio State later in the year. He is inconsistent and streaky, and while he improved his overall game he is still mainly just a shooter, but when he is hot hardly anyone in the nation can rival the shooting ability of JJ. Seth Gorney is our 7 footer, a big, goofy looking white guy who has been criticized and poked fun at his entire Iowa career. He is finally sending a metaphorical middle finger to the haters this Big Ten season with his fantastic play. He is rebounding and playing defense like a true big man, while consistently draining the pick and pop Js that he is known for. Props to Seth for working hard and finally becoming the player we all knew he could be. His backup, Kurt Looby, is an alley-oop machine who gets all of his points off of flashy dunks and the like. He is also a dangerous shot blocker with his long arms and quick hops, but his slight frame and ultra-raw offensive game have really limited his skill set and what he can be counted on for. He is the ultimate crowd pleaser though, as his jams and swats always get the students pumped. Cyrus Tate, our power forward, has always been a great hustler, rebounder, and defender; foul trouble and the lack of any go-to post moves have always limited his production though. This year, he has improved exponentially, staying away from silly fouls for the most part and finishing strong in the post, stepping up in the absensce of any other post up threat and the injury to Jaryd Cole. Cole is a frosh with the body of a Goliath-sized linebacker. He was our best inside scorer at the beginning of the season, a tenacious and athletic rebounder who finished very strong down low and gave us a valuable inside presence. He tore his ACL right before Big Ten season though, and he has been missed in the depth department. He has lots of potential as an inside stud though and we all look forward to his return. It would be nice to get better free throw shooting from Cole and Cy, but you take the good with the bad from them. Dan Bohall was once a walk-on, a skinny sharpshooter from Sioux City who worked his ass off to earn a scholarship, but after a public intoxication charge and a shaky handle he has seen his playing time dwindle to garbage minutes. He can be a good shooter when his confidence is up, but it hasn't been this season and it will be interesting to see if he stays next year. JR Angle is a similar player, a good shooter out of Indiana with some pretty decent basketball skills, but he lacks in confidence and respect after riding the Iowa bench for many years and most fans doubt if he has the body and athleticism for a D1 athlete. David Palmer was a fairly high profile transfer from Seton Hall, but he has yet to earn any significant time in the Lickliter era and prove that he deserves any, with shaky play in his limited time and academic struggles off the court. He seems like he could help us with his size (he is a legit big man) and good touch from outside, but Lickliter just hasn't given him the chance for whatever reason. Our last two players are freshmen who have had off and on starts to their Iowa careers, but both have of potential to be Hawkeye stars. The most exciting out of the 2 is point guard Jeff Peterson, who has shown flashes of star-worthy point guard play. He is our best penetrator to the basket, with great vision and passing ability. He is a pretty good shooter who only takes shots when we really need him to, as he is very unselfish. A lot of Iowa fans are very excited with his potential to be great. Jake Kelly is a smooth wing from Indiana, but this has been the tale of two seasons for his game; the 1st half of the year he was a cool, nonchalant player, the definition of smooth. His slick handle, nifty passing, and wet jumper all contributed to him being one of our most reliable scorers, but for the better part of Big Ten play he has looked totally out of games. Disinterested, nonchalant (in a bad way), lazy, missing shots, turning the ball over, etc.; it hasn't been good. He is only a freshman and once his confidence in his playing ability returns I think he will be valuable for us down the road.

So there's your Hawkeyes for this season; a ragtag bunch fighting for the pride of an entire fanbase, battling the upstart Drake Bulldogs for attention in a state that has been irrelevant in basketball the past couple of years. I think Lickliter will bring us back up to an elite level, if you look at what he did against Butler and the resources he had there compared to what he has at Iowa, you have to believe his system will work once he gets the players who fit it. Right now our players are just fighting hard, not fitting really any system. Not always fun to watch, but like I said, this year you have to take the good with the bad. We started off with a very sloppy exhibition against tiny Simpson College of Iowa, winning by almost 30 basically by default at the incompetence of Simpson. The big news out of this one was the ankle injury to Freeman, however, as it would keep him out much longer than expected for most of the nonconference. Our 1st few games were duds against schools that barely qualified as divison 1, teams such as Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Florida Gulf-Coast, and Maryland Eastern-Shore. Not quite the names of powerhouses. We beat all these teams by fairly comfortable margins, but did not play impressively in any of these contests, turning the ball over frequently and basically winning because of the poor play of the opponents instead of the good play of the Hawkeyes. They did nothing to ease Iowa fans' fears of this season, but at least gave basketball-starved fans a taste of sports action, and a W is a W. We beat Idaho State riding the 7 three pointers from Justin Johnson, while Dan Bohall showed some surprising scoring punch and Peterson dropped an easy 20 in a too-close-for-comfort win over Northern Colorado that was decided by free throws. Point totals in the 50s against these less than impressive squads was somewhat disturbing. The FGCU win was our most comfortable yet, but it was against probably our least talented opponent. Hell, I was just happy to crack 60. We actually trailed against Maryland Eastern-Shore, but got our act together eventually and pulled out a pretty easy win once the shots started falling. Iowa fans didn't know what to expect against Bradley at the South Padre Invitational, a dangerous mid-major team with great guard play and Cinderella aspirations in March Madness. We played one of our best offensive games, shooting wise, but Bradley's defensive pressure was unlike anything our guys had seen before and it forced way too many turnovers, and they got plenty of scoring from their perimeter guys to cancel out our offensive production, giving us our 1st loss of the season. We didn't really show up in the consolation game against Utah State, lacking any defensive intensity or energy as they maintained a steady lead throughout. We hung around but never got close enough to challenge, and we lost once again to an average team that just plain looked more talented than our "big, bad Big Ten bred" boys did. We hosted Wake Forest in a less than full CHA for the Big Ten/ACC challenge, embarassing our conference with a lackluster offensive effort on national TV as we basically handed a more talented Wake team this game with a sloppy 1st half performance. Our lone bright spot was the play of Cole inside and getting boards. Keep in mind, Tony Freeman is still out and a freshman has had to handle the point guard duties; this is a HUGE factor so far! Next up was our most embarassing loss yet, in our own tourney, the pathetically easy Hawkeye Challenge, where we bowed down to Lousiana-Monroe!! Our guys built a good lead and maintained it for most of the game, but sloppy, complacent play down the stretch led to the comeback and it eventually went into overtime, where we had a tough time recovering from the shock of it all and just got outhustled. Incredibly tough loss for Lickliter and the boys; this is one where the outside forces really started seeing how much Iowa was struggling and dark prophecies where laid down for the conference season. All young, rebuilding teams face these kinds of shocking losses, but it doesn't make them any easier to take. At least we rode another hot shooting performance from Justin Johnson to take out Eastern Illiois with ease in the embarassing consolation game. No one expected much from us as we began our in-state rivalry series at Northern Iowa, a very tough place to play and a place where we haven't won in a couple years, but no one expected the miraculous return of Tony Freeman either! UNI has built quite the basketball reputation in Cedar Falls and they have given Iowa hell recently, plus the way the Hawks were playing lately not a whole lot was expected. But the Hawks weathered the storm, playing well in all facets of the game and pulling off a minor upset, beating the Panthers at their own gym. Freeman came off the bench and scored 15 points, shooting three pointers at a blinding pace and leading the charge, sparking our momentum and catching the UNI players off guard with his impressive play. Our big men handled the boards while Kelly and Johnson shot well to lead the Hawks to victory. Freeman aggravated his ankle some more in this game though, and sat out the Iowa State game in Ames. His absence showed. We looked much sloppier and less poised than the UNI game, lacking any offensive rhythm and real energy as ISU just played like they wanted it more and took us out by double digits. Jaryd Cole was one of the few guys who played hard, while everyone else just missed shots and looked flustered in a tough road environment. We returned to the lovely confines of Iowa City to play Drake; at the time no one knew that Drake would be going on a dominate and historic run through the Missouri Valley, ranking as the hottest team in the nation, but they had gotten off to the best start in school history and had beaten Iowa last year, so they were slightly favored. They didn't play their best game, but they made plenty of shots and made the big plays when they had to, beating Iowa at Carver for the 1st time ever!! Quite a down point for Iowa and quite a high point for Drake, a small school in Des Moines that hasn't won anything since the '70s! Less shame in this loss as the year progressed and we all saw how good Drake really is, but this one hurt because we had it in our grasp and we are supposed to be the big bullies of the state! Freeman did play but was far from spectacular. One more tune up before conference play, at home against Southeastern Louisiana. We didn't play very well at all and struggled to score points, but our boys made their free throws and made a run at the end to put the game away and at least give us a win heading into a brutal opening Big Ten slate, starting with Indiana at Carver.

Indiana was a conference title favorite and maybe the most talented team in the Big Ten, lead by super-frosh and prolific scorer Eric Gordon and his dominant inside counterpart DJ White!! Iowa shocked the nation by playing well enough to lead to a halftime tie, 34-34, playing well in all facets and inspired by the 1st good home crowd of the season. Our lack of depth showed down the stretch, as it looked like the Hoosiers were pulling away, before Justin Johnson put on a performance for the ages that would have been talked about for decades had we been able to win! Neverthless, it would be the turning point of our season. JJ made six threes in the last minute or so, including some insane 35+ footers, four point plays, and an unbelievable fadeaway from almost halfcourt that banked in. That was the culmination, and the crazed Iowa fans that stayed thought we had a chance. Down by three with about three seconds left, we weren't able to get the ball in his hands and we lost, but the valiant effort by Johnson injected some new life into Iowa fans. We played hard against a Wisconsin team with loads of big bodies in MAdison, one of the most impossible places to play in college basketball, but the boys wore out at the end and gave in to the Badger's big advantage in size and number of bodies. The effort was great once again though, giving one more sliver of hope to Iowa fans hoping for a decent season. Losing to Ohio State in Columbus was no shocker, but we were all a little taken aback at the 32 point blowout, where our guys looked flat out dazed and confused at OSU's defense and couldn't make a shot to save their lives. To say they were flustered would be an understatement. They just got completely embarassed and outplayed, facing a far superior team. This was a step back for sure, and not a good night for Iowa fans. None of this lead up to our amazing upset of 6th ranked Michigan State at Carver!! Unbelievable game, one of those where everything goes right for your team and nothing goes right for the other team. We held the Spartans to 36 points (!), making Drew Neitzel a nonfactor, while all our of players stepped up in their own special ways to contribute to a victory that just felt damn good in front of a good contingent of home fans!! Whether it was Freeman with his three pointers or Looby with his alley-oops, this win was a must-have for the fragile mind-state of our young players, as going 0-4 in our big 1st four games would not be good. A much needed upset win for Hawkeyes everywhere. They played hard once again against Purdue at Carver, but lost a painful one thanks to missed free throws and key shots by a young and talented Purdue team down the stretch. Iowa played very well the whole time and appeared to have some chances to take over, but Purdue would always go on a run to get back in it and they executed their stuff admirably, not turning the ball over and making free throws, two big keys to any game that you play. Purdue pulled it out but I continue to be impressed by the effort and the amazing defense of the Hawks. We got back on track with a big victory at lowly Michigan, riding the hot shooting from Freeman and Johnson, proving that we aren't the WORST rebuilding team around!! We played well for about a half but ran out of gas at Indiana, losing by 22 as they just kept throwing new, fresh, and talented players at us and we couldn't counter or keep up the intensity. Not making enough shots either. We rolled a Penn State team at Carver that has just been decimated by injuries, playing our slow and steady style to perfection as the Lions couldn't get anything to drop and we got great offensive/defensive balance. One of our more complete games, and a good one to get the confidence back up. Also our biggest crowd of the season. Next up was a contest against the number 1 team in the Big Ten, at Purdue. Tough game, as the Boilermakers were the hottest team in the conference and coming off a big victory over Wisconsin, but this was a game we really should have won. It was back and forth and we played excellent defense, scoring a big bucket just when you thought we were out of it. Just a thrilling game to watch. It was tied 50-50 with 5 secs left after a foul on Jake Kelly and a goaltend call, but our coaches came up with a questionable decision NOT to pressure Purdue up the court as they vied for a desperation shot. Well, this strategy hurt us as Freeman got caught in a bad position on defense, let his man drive him, and was forced to hack at the ball; it was a jump ball and this game should have been decided in overtime, but the ref called a foul and Purdue hit the game winning free throw. Frustrating loss, but if you look at the positives the effort and the heart was there once again and these losses will turn into wins with more experience. Plus, we had 21 turnovers, so you can't solely put blame on the refs. We rebounded that weekend to post an EXCELLENT victory over Ohio State at Carver. This one felt extremly good after the blowout loss at their place, and we had an amazing crowd to witness it. JJ lit it up wiht 8 threes from downtown, while our usually stifling defense shut down OSU's playmakers and we got vengeance over the hated Buckeyes. A big game against Wisconsin at Carver followed, and we ended up losing another heartbreaker. It was a back and forth game, marked by fantastic defense and great play from Freeman and Gorney, who has made amazing improvement in his energy and offensive confidence since the Ohio State loss to become one of our most valuable players. This was another back and forth contest dictated by runs, as both teams made plays when it looked like they were about to be out of it. Iowa inevitably just ran out of gas and momentum though, and hated Iowa native and Wisconsin guard Jason Bohannon sealed the game with excellent touch from the free throw line, much to the ire of the Iowa students who continually booed him throughout the game. It was another depressing loss, but once again I have to echo, the effort was great and the fact that we almost beat this battle-tested squad with our crew of mismatched overahceivers is impressive and a testament to Lickliter's ability as a coach and a teacher. Finally, to get you non-Iowa followers up to date, we lost to an average Minnesota team in a tough environment at The Barn. The Gophers came in with one of the more potent offenses in the conference but had been struggling against the upper tier of the conference lately. Iowa really played well and shot well on offense, but this game ended up being a step back for these inconsistent Hawks as a bevy of turnovers and nonchalant play, especially in taking care of the ball, lead to a huge disparity in shot attempts and the Gophers just wore us out and nullifyed our solid effort with a victory. Sad to see the Hawks playing this sloppy and inconsistent, but the flashes are there and you just have to take them and accept them and hope the next game just might be that great upset.