McD at UNI

[aeroclone]

So there seems to be a lot of discussion on these boards that people still think McD is good coach, but that he has just run into some real bad luck here. Since I think a lot of that is based on him going to the tourney 3 year in a row with UNI, I thought I would take a look back at those games using the ESPN game tracker, and it seems like they followed a very familiar pattern.

In 2006 they played Georgetown. The game was basically even for 10 minutes, then UNI opened up a lead. They ran it up to 6 or 7, before Georgetown closed to within 2 at the half. After the half, it was an vengame for about 12 minutes until Georgetown made a run to get up by 6 and remained there for most of the game. UNI got it down to 3 with 13 seconds left, but couldn't finish it off.

In 2005 they played Wisconsin. This one opened up in about 7 minutes, with Wiscy eventually getting up by 16 with about 5 to play in the first. UNI then fights back to get it within 6 at the half. The play pretty even through most of the 2nd half, then inside of 4 minutes left they get it down to 3 or 4 several times, but once again they can't finish.

In 2004 UNI plays Georgia Tech. Once again, the game is close for about 7 minutes, then GT blows out to like a 16 point lead. UNI closes it to 10 at the half. 4 minutes into the 2nd, UNI actually takes a 1 point lead. but then falls to about 6 or 7 back for most of the 2nd half. With a little more than 2 minutes left, they close to within 2, but once again can't take the lead.

This pattern seems shockingly familiar to what we have been seeing with our team this year once we got into conference play. And I seem to remember some questionable game management down the stretch in a couple of those games. I will admit that outside of their tourney games and the ISU game, I didn't watch those UNI teams. But I know there are a lot of people on this board that do follow UNI. My question to them is simple, was this a common thing from his UNI teams against better competition? Were there warning signs that would have pointed towards what we are seeing now?

vs Georgetown 2006:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Georgetown Hoyas - Recap - March 17, 2006 - ESPN

vs Wisconsin 2005:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Wisconsin Badgers - Recap - March 18, 2005 - ESPN

vs GT 2004:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - Recap - March 19, 2004 - ESPN

[CycloneYoda]

All those losses were by 5 points.

Last year, UNI lost by 5 points again.

It is the 5-point curse, i tells ya!!!!

[Wesley]

Perhaps it is the system at fault where you never really take over a game but try to keep it close with few mistakes, vast subsittutions, long possessions, three point shots, and a prayer to God in the end.

[ca4cy]

Unrelated to the OP, but at this point my dream scenario is that Jacobson gets his big offer this year and heads out and that Mac, realizing he's in over his head, goes back to Cedar Falls on his own, thereby saving us a ton on the contract buyout. A guy can dream can't he?

[Wesley]

Unrelated to the OP, but at this point my dream scenario is that Jacobson gets his big offer this year and heads out and that Mac, realizing he's in over his head, goes back to Cedar Falls on his own, thereby saving us a ton on the contract buyout. A guy can dream can't he?

They call that a Chizick Move Moment.

[CRAZYGREG]

How DARE you!! I KNOW he can coach. It is the players fault that we are not winning. GMAC puts us in the perfect position to win!

[Palmer]

How DARE you!! I KNOW he can coach. It is the players fault that we are not winning. GMAC puts us in the perfect position to win!

you forgot this

[TheHelgo]

Wow - that is very similar to how many of our games go. nice find.

[dabears32]

So there seems to be a lot of discussion on these boards that people still think McD is good coach, but that he has just run into some real bad luck here. Since I think a lot of that is based on him going to the tourney 3 year in a row with UNI, I thought I would take a look back at those games using the ESPN game tracker, and it seems like they followed a very familiar pattern.

In 2006 they played Georgetown. The game was basically even for 10 minutes, then UNI opened up a lead. They ran it up to 6 or 7, before Georgetown closed to within 2 at the half. After the half, it was an vengame for about 12 minutes until Georgetown made a run to get up by 6 and remained there for most of the game. UNI got it down to 3 with 13 seconds left, but couldn't finish it off.

In 2005 they played Wisconsin. This one opened up in about 7 minutes, with Wiscy eventually getting up by 16 with about 5 to play in the first. UNI then fights back to get it within 6 at the half. The play pretty even through most of the 2nd half, then inside of 4 minutes left they get it down to 3 or 4 several times, but once again they can't finish.

In 2004 UNI plays Georgia Tech. Once again, the game is close for about 7 minutes, then GT blows out to like a 16 point lead. UNI closes it to 10 at the half. 4 minutes into the 2nd, UNI actually takes a 1 point lead. but then falls to about 6 or 7 back for most of the 2nd half. With a little more than 2 minutes left, they close to within 2, but once again can't take the lead.

This pattern seems shockingly familiar to what we have been seeing with our team this year once we got into conference play. And I seem to remember some questionable game management down the stretch in a couple of those games. I will admit that outside of their tourney games and the ISU game, I didn't watch those UNI teams. But I know there are a lot of people on this board that do follow UNI. My question to them is simple, was this a common thing from his UNI teams against better competition? Were there warning signs that would have pointed towards what we are seeing now?

vs Georgetown 2006:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Georgetown Hoyas - Recap - March 17, 2006 - ESPN

vs Wisconsin 2005:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Wisconsin Badgers - Recap - March 18, 2005 - ESPN

vs GT 2004:
Northern Iowa Panthers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - Recap - March 19, 2004 - ESPN

It has nothing to do with the fact that UNI was the underdog and lower seed in every game. 2006 Georgetown made the sweet 16, 2005 Wisconsin made the elite 8, and in 2004 Ga. Tech made the title game. What kind of coach loses to the runner up by 5 points??

You are right he is an absolutely terrible coach.

[aeroclone]

It has nothing to do with the fact that UNI was the underdog and lower seed in every game. 2006 Georgetown made the sweet 16, 2005 Wisconsin made the elite 8, and in 2004 Ga. Tech made the title game. What kind of coach loses to the runner up by 5 points??

You are right he is an absolutely terrible coach.

I never said that he was a terrible coach necessarily. I was just pointing out that I, like I think many others on here do, attribute him being a good coach mainly to those three tourney appearances. Yet when I look at how those games went, they seemed to follow the same pattern as most of the games we play now against good competition. They had a shot in all three of those games, but couldn't get over the hump at the end. It sounds very familiar.

I am just hoping that some of the posters on here that follow UNI more closely could shed some light on the rest of his career there. Was this common for his UNI teams when facing tougher competition, as it seems to be the case here at ISU? I recall some UNI posters on here previously mentioning they had some concerns in his UNI days, I would just like to hear some additional insight on that.

[jbhtexas]

Perhaps it is the system at fault where you never really take over a game but try to keep it close with few mistakes, vast subsittutions, long possessions, three point shots, and a prayer to God in the end.

It's called playing not to lose, and it's the same thing that caused grief for a recent former ISU FB coach...

[Cyclonestate78]

Perhaps it is the system at fault where you never really take over a game but try to keep it close with few mistakes, vast subsittutions, long possessions, three point shots, and a prayer to God in the end.

How many games has he had at ISU that ended this way? I guess it must be the MOValley caliber players he keeps recruiting to play at ISU.

[Tornado man]

It's called playing not to lose, and it's the same thing that caused grief for a recent former ISU FB coach...

Exhibit A is this, when I about drove off the road as I heard Gmac on the post-game:

"I told the team at the timeout, when we were ahead 65-61 in overtime, that we had enough points to win. We just had to make defensive stops."

[TheHelgo]

Exhibit A is this, when I about drove off the road as I heard Gmac on the post-game:

"I told the team at the timeout, when we were ahead 65-61 in overtime, that we had enough points to win. We just had to make defensive stops."

was that really said? if so, wtf?

[cyclones500]

I've thought about those tournament losses during the past couple of years, and wondered if they showed the limits to GMac's upside. The only one I remember seeing at the end was the G-Tech loss.

When GM was hired, that game immediately came to mind — and I recall thinking, if he could get a mid-major close against and eventual Final Four team, he ought to be able to come out on the winning side against quite a few Big 12 teams.

I never reviewed the "how" of such losses — or explored those tournament losses and noticed that game-flow pattern we would see time and time again at ISU.

Maybe it should've been a red flag, maybe not, but it shows the fine line between "almost" and actually doing it. That's why a mid-major can get some kudos for playing close, but it doesn't translate on the BCS level, when you're playing those kinds of teams on a frequent basis.

I guess playing tight in a 3-14 game shows more promise on paper than it actually is — because (on average) about half of the 3-14 games each year are blowouts and the other 2 are competitive much of the way (and roughly every 2 or 3 years, the 14 wins it).

So it's about 50-50 that the 14 will come close — that's parallel to a safe pregame prediction for almost every ISU game in the last 4 seasons. GMac has turned this into a regular-season 14-seed program.