ISU vs Iowa MBB ending?

**NATEizKING** · 12-08-2011, 09:48 PM

Originally Posted by CYdTracked

How so? Drake is 45 minutes from Ames and Iowa City and Cedar Rapids about 2 hours. You aren't leaving the state and you get decent fan following for road games for staying in state where fans get a chance to see the Cyclones closer to where they live. Who are you going to replace them with that are any better options? I don't care if its in Hilton, Knapp Center, Carver Hawkeye, or McLeod Center we should be able to beat all 3 of those teams home or away if we build a program that we all want as fans.

We want to be the premier BB program in the state so we shouldn't have to resort the Hawkeye way of thinking that we have nothing to gain and everything to lose by playing these teams every year. Just win the damn game!

I never said replace them, I said replace the home and home. What is wrong with a two for one? Another game in Hilton where fans can watch their team in state and get the revenue from tickets.

**NATEizKING** · 12-08-2011, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by Mizzoulander

I'm sorry, but that's garbage. If you want to be a top program, you sweat the details. EVERY detail. That means everything from training and conditioning, to free throws, to scheduling. You build a schedule that fits your goals (preparing for conference play, road experience, team exposure, etc.)

The teams you schedule shouldn't matter to your players, but they matter a LOT to your program. You want a strong schedule that has a mix of tune-up games (like Prairie View), marquee matchups (like Michigan), and rivalry games that fans care about (like Iowa).

Every guaranteed series you play limits your flexibility in building that schedule. Do UNI/Drake provide good competition? Yes. Do they generate a lot of fan interest? Perhaps...more than a tune-up game, but less than a marquee matchup. I'll leave it to you all to determine whether they're a true "rivalry."

Do they provide exposure for your team to generate interest from recruits, media, etc.? Not really. Nobody outside of Iowa pays attention to those games.

If you want the program to be at a level where you don't have to worry about losing to Drake/UNI, then you need to use EVERY tool at your disposal to get better recruits and more widespread interest. That means building a schedule that goes beyond Iowa teams.

I like your reasoning.

**SvrWxCy** · 12-08-2011, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by DistrictCyclone

This is Barta's call, not Fran's. Scheduling is kind of a dumb thing to be interviewing a coach about.

Not true. There are multiple coaches who have a large say in who they schedule, some (most marquee teams coaches) even handle all of the scheduling for their team. Fran knows that if he wants to play this team he and Barta will get together and schedule it, if Fran does not want to play a team then they won't.

**Ry4Cy** · 12-08-2011, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by acgclone

It sounds like Fran is scared to play ISU, not to mention Drake/UNI. It would be a shame if this rivalry ended, IMO.

I would be ashamed if I were a Hawk fan if my coach talked about major conference opponents like this......

McCaffery: Iowa has uncertain rivalry futures

It will be funny to read the DMR say that Fran is absolutly right and Iowa should drop ISU.

**CYdTracked** · 12-08-2011, 10:00 PM

Originally Posted by Mizzoulander

I'm sorry, but that's garbage. If you want to be a top program, you sweat the details. EVERY detail. That means everything from training and conditioning, to free throws, to scheduling. You build a schedule that fits your goals (preparing for conference play, road experience, team exposure, etc.)

The teams you schedule shouldn't matter to your players, but they matter a LOT to your program. You want a strong schedule that has a mix of tune-up games (like Prairie View), marquee matchups (like Michigan), and rivalry games that fans care about (like Iowa).

Every guaranteed series you play limits your flexibility in building that schedule. Do UNI/Drake provide good competition? Yes. Do they generate a lot of fan interest? Perhaps...more than a tune-up game, but less than a marquee matchup. I'll leave it to you all to determine whether they're a true "rivalry."

Do they provide exposure for your team to generate interest from recruits, media, etc.? Not really. Nobody outside of Iowa pays attention to those games.

If you want the program to be at a level where you don't have to worry about losing to Drake/UNI, then you need to use EVERY tool at your disposal to get better recruits and more widespread interest. That means building a schedule that goes beyond Iowa teams.

Look I'm not saying I want to play a UNC caliber team every game but we should not be scared to schedule MVC teams even if they are on the road. Even in the non-conference you need some "midrange" road games that will challenge you and get you ready for the conference season and UNI and Drake do exactly that I think without having to even cross the state borders. Go our and look at our opponent RPI and tell me we are scheduling too tough right now? Our SOS right now is 61 and some places think we have one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the Big 12. If we think Big 12 > MVC then we shouldn't be afraid to play UNI and Drake on the road. Like I said, just win the damn game. Good teams win no matter the opponent.

The problem is that in order to play against decent programs across the country in the non-conference you are going to be hard pressed to find teams that want to come to Hilton because of our reputation of being a tough place to play. Are we really willing to play 2 road games to 1 home game against some teams just for the sake of trying to play in markets we want to recruit in? Some teams make not even give us the option of getting a home game against them, they may want us to be one of their cupcake warm ups on a 1 year deal. It's a tough situation to be in when you are a program with big aspirations that has been mediocre at best lately because you haven't gained the respect to pick and choose your opponents at will till you prove it on the court.

**SvrWxCy** · 12-08-2011, 10:01 PM

Anybody have the historical record for Iowa State vs Iowa in basketball?

**CYdTracked** · 12-08-2011, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by NATEizKING

I never said replace them, I said replace the home and home. What is wrong with a two for one? Another game in Hilton where fans can watch their team in state and get the revenue from tickets.

Because Drake and UNI would never agree to it. I'd rather play a home and home than lose them over trying to get 2 to 1 home ratio.

**scothowk1** · 12-08-2011, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by CYdTracked

Iowa needs to start thinking better than losing to a Big South team like Campbell and losing to 2 MVC teams before they start "thinking bigger" than the in-state teams. What would you rather be, another cupcake team to play against the powerhouse programs or play schools in your own state that you actually have some kind of chance competing against? Once you start thumping ISU, UNI, and Drake consistent then maybe you'll be able to say you can think bigger!

Losing to 2 mvc teams? be careful now, you are only one bad loss away from talking about iowa state too.

**NATEizKING** · 12-08-2011, 10:08 PM

Originally Posted by CYdTracked

Look I'm not saying I want to play a UNC caliber team every game but we should not be scared to schedule MVC teams even if they are on the road. Even in the non-conference you need some "midrange" road games that will challenge you and get you ready for the conference season and UNI and Drake do exactly that I think without having to even cross the state borders. Go our and look at our opponent RPI and tell me we are scheduling too tough right now? Our SOS right now is 61 and some places think we have one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the Big 12. If we think Big 12 > MVC then we shouldn't be afraid to play UNI and Drake on the road. Like I said, just win the damn game. Good teams win no matter the opponent.

The problem is that in order to play against decent programs across the country in the non-conference you are going to be hard pressed to find teams that want to come to Hilton because of our reputation of being a tough place to play. Are we really willing to play 2 road games to 1 home game against some teams just for the sake of trying to play in markets we want to recruit in? Some teams make not even give us the option of getting a home game against them, they may want us to be one of their cupcake warm ups on a 1 year deal. It's a tough situation to be in when you are a program with big aspirations that has been mediocre at best lately because you haven't gained the respect to pick and choose your opponents at will till you prove it on the court.

We can get road experience by playing other mid-majors on the road that don't have us circled on the schedule. They are the only two teams in the country that circle ISU and Iowa on the schedule, even when we were in our glory years. It would not be tough to get some home and home with Big 10 teams other than Iowa. They have their bottom dweller teams that are similar to us at the moment and would be equivalent to the talent of UNI and Drake yet would not look as terrible if we do lose. Would you rather lose to Michigan and Minnesota or UNI and Drake? I can't say I know first had as I've never been on the selection committee but one does not look like the other.

**NATEizKING** · 12-08-2011, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by scothowk1

Losing to 2 mvc teams? be careful now, you are only one bad loss away from talking about iowa state too.

Comparing Drake and UNI to Campbell, UNI and getting killed by Clemson who is absolutely terrible at home? We are far from being Iowa at this point.

**CYdTracked** · 12-08-2011, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by NATEizKING

We can get road experience by playing other mid-majors on the road that don't have us circled on the schedule. They are the only two teams in the country that circle ISU and Iowa on the schedule, even when we were in our glory years. It would not be tough to get some home and home with Big 10 teams other than Iowa. They have their bottom dweller teams that are similar to us at the moment and would be equivalent to the talent of UNI and Drake yet would not look as terrible if we do lose. Would you rather lose to Michigan and Minnesota or UNI and Drake? I can't say I know first had as I've never been on the selection committee but one does not look like the other.

I'm sorry but this sounds exactly like the Hawkeyes excuse that the Iowa/ISU FB game is our "Super Bowl" every year. This thread would not even exist right now had we beat both UNI and Drake this year.