Let's stop playing UNI on the road, NOW

[alarson]

Dannen: UNI hoops future with Iowa, Iowa State cloudy: Big Four event coming? | Des Moines Register Staff Blogs

If something like this were to play out, id guess we'd play UNI or Drake (with iowa playing the other one) at the well, and then the other at home. That could be an interesting change.

But it definitely sounds like the days of an ongoing home and home with valley teams are coming to an end.

 

[cyclones500]

As far as recent win-percentage, we should stop playing UNI at home.

I'm sure someone already beat me to that statement — didn't want to wade through all the comments.

But I'm also of the opinion that, if ISU doesn't try to make the non-conference at least a smidgen more challenging, at least win a majority of games involving (1) marginal teams, regardless of venue and (2) competent teams, at home.

Examples of ridiculous or barely-forgiveable non-league losses since 2005-06, spanning 3 coaching staffs:
Iona (home) ’05
Fresno State (home) ’05
Bradley (“neutral†— in Des Moines, for gosh sakes!) ’06
Drake (home) ’06
Hawaii (road) ’08
Drake (home) ’08
South Dakota State (home) ’08
Northwestern (neutral) ’09
Cal (home) ’10
Drake (road) ’11
UNI (home) ’11 (probably not awful, but winnable)

And ISU needed OT to win at Oregon State in the Pac-10/Big 12 challenge in ’07 — a program that hasn’t been relevant since the early ‘80s.

I’m not saying ISU should never lose games like that. It’s going to happen. it happens to Final Four-level teams.

But until it happens infrequently, dropping the home-and-home in-state games is just chicken-****. Cloning SWAC opponents for 7 games each year doesn’t do anything for me.

 

[CyBobby]

Fail...

Fail?................Fail?..................


That pretty much describes our b-ball program right now...esp. on the defensive side.


The real problem with playing Drake & UNI is that both teams make you play defense for 30 seconds every possession and until we have teams who can play

DEFENSE............We at ISU are gonna LOSE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to both Drake & No Iowa.

 

[c.y.c.l.o.n.e.s]

Whose conference officials were used at UNI? I remember in football, we use Big 10 officials in Ames and big 12 officials in Iowa City. If the same rule holds in BB, then Iowa got screwed by their own conference officials.

In the Johnny Orr days, I was at a UNIdome close UNI-ISU game, where the UNI timekeeper didn't start the time clock for UNI possession till the UNI player hit half court to get more time for UNI at the end of the game, and the ISU crowd that was there let him know about it. Not doubting home cooking still exists. In that game at UNI, they also used an non sanctioned high school ref, who normally did SE Polk games, not college.

Below is a copy/paste my post in the "Doing his best Larry" thread. His crew also had our ISU-UNI game ....

Would it shock anyone to know that John Higgins has officiated more games for UNI than any other school? And his top three - by far - are Mo Valley teams. He's a Mo Valley/Big 12 official. How in the world did Iowa get stuck with him at UNI??

http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/john-higgins/teams


Team Games Officiated
Northern Iowa 81
Missouri State 79
Wichita State 59
Bradley 56
Illinois State 53
Iowa State 52
Southern Illinois 50
Texas 49
Oklahoma State 43
Kansas 43

 

[lars4isu]

Please! Quit sounding like Hawkeye Woosies. We want to and look forward to playing UNI, Drake, and Iowa home AND away. If we cannot win at their place then they deserve the win. This small percentage of our fanbase that cannot get this need to shut the f**k up! It is embarrassing. Just my 2 cents.

 

[alarson]

We want to and look forward to playing UNI, Drake, and Iowa home AND away. [/SIZE][/FONT]

We do? I'll say it again.

1. I dont give 2 ***** about either of UNI or Drake. They have barely more value than anyone else we could bring in in the nonconference. Nobody makes a big deal about it when we win (like last year, when we blew out drake), its only ever a big deal when we lose.
2. It is very uncommon for a major conference school to have a regular home and home series with a midmajor, much less 2 of them. Schools like ISU and Iowa would be well within their rights to say 'these games are only going to be played at ISU and Iowa now', and giving the option of having the away game @ the well would be a compromise given to them.

 

[HFCS]

Below is a copy/paste my post in the "Doing his best Larry" thread. His crew also had our ISU-UNI game ....

Would it shock anyone to know that John Higgins has officiated more games for UNI than any other school? And his top three - by far - are Mo Valley teams. He's a Mo Valley/Big 12 official. How in the world did Iowa get stuck with him at UNI??

http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/john-higgins/teams


Team Games Officiated
Northern Iowa 81
Missouri State 79
Wichita State 59
Bradley 56
Illinois State 53
Iowa State 52
Southern Illinois 50
Texas 49
Oklahoma State 43
Kansas 43

Reality has no place here, please leave facts out of it. ISU games in Cedar Falls are always officiated by 100% pro Big 12 refs and Iowa games in Cedar Falls are always officiated by pro Big Ten refs. UNI truly earned 24 more free throws than Iowa on Tuesday even though UNI's offense was basically just shooting 3s.

Seriously, let's play them every year at a neutral site in Des Moines, not saying we have to play them in Hilton. The ISU/Iowa games up there are rigged for them, even back when they sucked and ISU was better. Nobody is "running away" if they demand a fairly officiated game on a neutral site every single season. I'm just sick of getting jobbed up there and most of you hate Iowa so bad you can't see they got the same treatment this week.

The fact that so many on CF and Iowa sites instantly were 100% sure the officials were all Big Ten officials without looking into it just goes to show that a lot of fans first instinct is to defend officiating no matter how obviously tainted it is. This was a 100% homer ref job just like ISU usually gets at UNI.

 

[lars4isu]

Hey ALarson- you don't give a **** about Drake or UNI?? Really?? When is the last time we've been in the NCAA Tourney? Are you kiddin' me? You are sounding very arrogant. We need to respect all of our opponents. Especially the ones in our state(except Iowa-never Iowa)- even after we start winning again. - D. Larson

 

[alarson]

Hey ALarson- you don't give a **** about Drake or UNI?? Really?? When is the last time we've been in the NCAA Tourney? Are you kiddin' me? You are sounding very arrogant. We need to respect all of our opponents. Especially the ones in our state(except Iowa-never Iowa)- even after we start winning again. - D. Larson

What does not being in the tourney anytime recently have anything to do with me caring about Drake or UNI? What does being in the state have to do with having to care about them? Are kansas fans supposed to care about Wichita State? Are Oklahoma fans supposed to care about Tulsa? I care about one team- ISU. And ISU should do what is best for ISU, and that is playing these games either all at home, or home-neutral (where we can fit a lot more people into the well)Most major schools dont have setups like we do with our minor in state schools (especially drake. we have no business having a home and home in that high school gym), and thankfully it appears this home-home setup is coming to an end.

 

[IowaSTATCyclone]

Hey ALarson- you don't give a **** about Drake or UNI?? Really?? When is the last time we've been in the NCAA Tourney? Are you kiddin' me? You are sounding very arrogant. We need to respect all of our opponents. Especially the ones in our state(except Iowa-never Iowa)- even after we start winning again. - D. Larson

What you don't understand is that the Valley has to put up with absolutely atrocious officiating in almost every game they play. They've got some fogies on their officiating circuit who are atrocious. The absolute worst example I can think of is an Illinois State home tournament they hosted (non-televised, I was at the games) - the officials called - I'm not exaggerating - more than 60 fouls in two games. That's a minimum of 100 potential points worth of free throws (subtracting maximum non-shooting fouls)!!!

It was horrible. One two hour game (again, no tv timeouts) took almost three hours.

Admittedly, those were the worst two of all the Valley games I've seen in person, but between the Redbirds, Bulldogs and UNI games that I've been to and Valley games I've seen on tv that don't have "special" refs, its embarrassingly bad.

They've upgraded their basketball, but the officiating is, plain and simple, bush league (at least what I've seen - I attend maybe 5 valley games a year, watch a few more - very casual interest). I'll be surprised if a die hard Valley fan will fight me on this, but the hard core fans would be most able to correct me.

 

[alarson]

The fact that so many on CF and Iowa sites instantly were 100% sure the officials were all Big Ten officials without looking into it just goes to show that a lot of fans first instinct is to defend officiating no matter how obviously tainted it is. This was a 100% homer ref job just like ISU usually gets at UNI.

Yep, its kind of amazing, considering only one year ago there was such a big uproar here over how bad the officiating was when we were up there. It was the same story then too- things called completely differently on either end of the floor.

 

[creightonclone]

Iowa got the same screw job in Cedar Falls we always get.

29-3 free throws. Iowa isn't good, but those two teams aren't that drastically different, not even close.

I remember about a decade ago seeing ISU with 13 fouls at half to zero for UNI.

Iowa fan friend of mine said they mentioned on the broadcast that there is no contract for the series to continue because of Big12/B1G conference schedule changing.

I really hope we never play in Cedar Falls again, screw job every time. We'll get it next year, 100% guaranteed.

Afraid?

 

[alarson]

Afraid?

I guess Paul Rhoads is afraid too, because he's gone on record saying we needed to schedule smarter in the future. Not the exact same scenario, but still the same concept of trying to ensure the maximum benefit out of your schedule.

 

[ruxCYtable]

In that game at UNI, they also used an non sanctioned high school ref, who normally did SE Polk games, not college.

I'm calling BS on this.

First off, there is no such thing as a sanctioned or non-sanctioned college ref. The supervisor either hires you or he doesn't. If he was hired to do the game, he was hired to do the game.

And there are some college officials who still work high school games. A guy on my high school crew worked the Iowa-UNI game two years ago because Ed Hightower got snowed in at an airport and couldn't get to the game. He was the closest official on the MVC roster and he got the call. He did a great job, too.

 

[creightonclone]

I guess Paul Rhoads is afraid too, because he's gone on record saying we needed to schedule smarter in the future. Not the exact same scenario, but still the same concept of trying to ensure the maximum benefit out of your schedule.

Apples and oranges and you know it...

 

[Cybyassociation]

If you cant beat 'em...quit.

 

[HFCS]

Afraid?

If I made the schedule for my own amusement I'd schedule 4 games against UNI at a neutral site next year, not sure how that means I'm afraid for ISU to play UNI.

How is calling attention to the obvious fact that officiating screws Iowa and ISU in Cedar Falls "afraid"? We get screwed against KU more times than not too. I'll let you figure out the differences between KU and UNI, the only two teams we consistently get the shaft against in basketball.

 

[ruxCYtable]

Below is a copy/paste my post in the "Doing his best Larry" thread. His crew also had our ISU-UNI game ....

Would it shock anyone to know that John Higgins has officiated more games for UNI than any other school? And his top three - by far - are Mo Valley teams. He's a Mo Valley/Big 12 official. How in the world did Iowa get stuck with him at UNI??

http://statsheet.com/mcb/referees/john-higgins/teams


Team Games Officiated
Northern Iowa 81
Missouri State 79
Wichita State 59
Bradley 56
Illinois State 53
Iowa State 52
Southern Illinois 50
Texas 49
Oklahoma State 43
Kansas 43

Officials do not work exclusively for one league or another. All three of the officials in the Iowa-UNI game work in BOTH leagues, Big Ten AND MVC. I can't believe you people are actually stooping to counting how many games they work in each league. OMG! John Higgins works more in the MVC than in the Big Ten! Conspiracy! He threw the game!

 

[creightonclone]

If I made the schedule for my own amusement I'd schedule 4 games against UNI at a neutral site next year, not sure how that means I'm afraid for ISU to play UNI.

How is calling attention to the obvious fact that officiating screws Iowa and ISU in Cedar Falls "afraid"? We get screwed against KU more times than not too. I'll let you figure out the differences between KU and UNI, the only two teams we consistently get the shaft against in basketball.

You sound like a Hok fan when you blame the officials for a team's poor performance. Isn't that right, Franny?

 

[alarson]

If you cant beat 'em...quit.

Has nothing to do with beating them or not. If we were winning by 50 every year i'd still say we shouldnt be playing @UNI or @Drake every other year.