SB Nation - Matt Gatens

82-69: Win Over South Carolina State Likely High Point For Hawkeyes' Entire Season

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:46:11 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

South Carolina State's Khalif Toombs, left, looks to drive around Iowa's John Lickliter during the first half. Toombs' job was made easier as Lickliter had just been murdered by a sniper. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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We don't normally assign homework 'round these parts--there'd be more than a sliver of hypocrisy in it all--but we do want our readers to take notes on what's going on with the basketball team. Just know that when this season's said and done and we've all wept, gnashed our teeth, and slammed our heads against whatever hard surface is nearby until the sweet release of unconsciousness... Iowa had a winning streak this season.

Maybe even more amazingly, they actually scored over 80 points. Granted, the games in this streak were against ~~North Carolina~~ South Carolina State and ~~Duke~~ Drake. Neither team is, how you say... good. But hey, beggars, choosers, etc. etc.

Jokes aside, this game seemed to demonstrate what we'd heard from Lickliter and others well-versed in his offense: that players are going to take good shots when they get them. Last night, there were plenty of shots with ample time left on the shot clock, which isn't something we're used to seeing. At all. But it's plainly obvious that it's easier for a major college team to guard the Hawkeyes' half-court set for 30 seconds than it was for SC State to do so for, say, 15 seconds. It's good that the team had the wherewithal to take advantage of that and not fall back into their rut of passing the ball around for 30 seconds. That, like it or not, reflects well on the coaching.

Also, even though the Bulldogs hung around for a good portion of the first half, Iowa seemed to avoid the typical cold snap in play until the game was well in hand. This is likely more a function of their competition than any coaching adjustment.

Speaking of high performance being a function of weak competition, we offer this stat line:

Player	Min	FG-A	3PF-A	FT-A	Reb-O	Ast	Stl	TO	Blk	PF-T	Pts
Jarryd Cole	30	8-10	0-0	3-4	5-1	0	1	1	0	1-0	19

Jarryd Cole does this about 5 times a season, and uniformly against bad competition. Read nothing into this game. We implore you.

Otherwise, the men of the match were Matt Gatens, finally scoring 20 points (and on 13 shots from the field!) like we wish he'd do every game, and Eric May with 18 points (on 11 shots!) and a team-leading 8 rebounds. Nobody has any clue what position May plays or will eventually play, but hey, that's what they said about Larry Bird (no it is not).

So, anyhoo. The Hawkeyes get more than a week off to spend Christmas with their families and get NCAA-compliant gifts, which will be limited to used sweatpants from Goodwill, generic brand cottage cheese, and smiles (but no smiles with teeth; that's generally considered too much of a "perk"). After that, let's see what scrub's next on the schedule... Purdue? Oh, hell. Yeah, this win streak's stopping at two.

81-50: Andrew Brommer With the Performance of the Year

Oops Pow Surprise — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:30:14 -0000

Andrew Brommer was called for a foul on this play. Probably. Or within a couple seconds, anyway.

First of all, get well soon, Coach Lickliter.

Second, Iowa registered their most dominant win of the young season with an 81-50 win. It was a lightly attended game, and even more sparsely-watched; the game wasn't even on DirecTV, instead banished to local cable and the absurd BTN online pay-per-view that I hope nobody bought. Seriously, fuck you BTN; just put it on one of the alternate channels or something.

In the absence of the Lickliter family (John and Garrett were also missing; ostensibly, they were both with their father and/or family), the Hawkeyes put up what will likely be their best offensive performance of the season; the team tied its franchise record for three-pointers made with 15. That Lickliter wasn't on the bench seems to have less to do with the offensive explosion than the fact that, well, it's Prairie View A&M. The Aggies (we're just assuming they're Aggies) haven't so much as finished in the top 300 of I-A over the last six seasons, and the only reason they're in the top 200 so far this season is their ability to get shellacked by legitimate programs. Once the vaunted SWAC schedule rolls around, we're pretty sure they'll dip right back down to sub-300.

The statistical leaders were A) Anthony Tucker, who hit 6 3s en route to a game-high 20 points. Tucker also corralled 15 rebounds--haha, no he didn't, he's like allergic to rebounds. He had 2, and they both made him break out into hives. Also, B) Eric May, who registered a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Can we stop pretending he's a guard already? He's doing a fine Jess Settles impression, though it's not the best on the team; that goes to C) Matt Gatens, who's getting pretty good at doing all the little things for a team that would probably prefer about 20 points a night from him instead, thanks. Gatens ended up with 12 points, 5 boards, 4 assists, and 4 blocks in 32 minutes.

But the real hero of the game was Andrew Brommer, the man whom we had started to wonder would ever get into a game as of a couple weeks ago. Brommer registered 10 minutes, and he made them all count. 3 points, 2 boards, 2 assists... and he fouled out.

This deserves its own paragraph: Andrew Brommer played 10 whole minutes against Prairie View A&M and fouled out.

Can you imagine what's going to happen once (hell, if) Brommer gets pressed into action against, y'know, a real team? He might start committing two or three fouls at once. Like when he's trying to hack someone, he somehow slashes them with a hockey stick. Or jumps offside. Or farts in church.

We don't know what the record is for fewest minutes played before fouling out, but Brommer's probably pretty close. 5 fouls in 10 minutes is awfully impressive. Hell, give us an Iowa jersey and a baseball bat, and we'd still probably struggle to get to the 5 mark in under 10 minutes. Are you allowed to chase someone with a baseball bat as long as you don't hit them? Because if so, we'd probably get a couple "fouls" out of the way early, and--presuming the ref doesn't take the bat away or we don't get beaten mercilessly by the opponents--then we'd chase someone around instead. Seems more effective than a regular old screen.

What about nunchaku--or, translated into American English, numchucks? That kind of evens the score a bit, mainly because you could do a lot more damage, but at the same time this could happen.

Yeah, tell us you couldn't totally see Brommer doing this to himself in the post while trying to play "defense."

I guess the point is: let's put at least a Louisville Slugger in Brommer's hands next time and see what happens. We could use the amusement, and he could probably use the help.

70-64: Well, Damn It

Oops Pow Surprise — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:05:12 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Neibergall - AP

20 days ago: Iowa coach Todd Lickliter reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Virginia Tech, Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009, in Iowa City, Iowa. Virginia Tech won 70-64. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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In some ways, it was Iowa's most admirable game to date: They jumped out to an 8-1 lead, kept their shots falling at a reasonable pace for most of the night, and hustled for at least 80% of the loose balls. And yet it still wasn't enough, not even at home against a team that may not end up being very good this season.

The final was 70-64, a score that's appropriately close in respects to how the game went. Though the Hokies had a moderate lead for most of the second half, Iowa was in striking distance for most and even led for a short while, at 54-53. That didn't last very long.

Iowa's struggles came in two main areas: first was the usual late-first-half power outage, this one manifested in a glacial 15-2 run by the Hokies that turned a 20-15 Iowa lead into a 30-22 Hokie advantage. The second was more discouraging, just because it was as familiar as it was endemic: the talent just isn't there.

Cully Payne just isn't athletic enough to overcome his total lack of experience on either side of the ball. Anthony Tucker and Devan Bawinkel really can't contribute much on defense. Matt Gatens doesn't make points appear out of nowhere. Jarryd Cole is still just plain frightening on offense. And other newbies like Brennan Cougill and Eric May are still adjusting to the pace of the collegiate game--an adjustment that most major conference teams would let them go through on the bench. No such luxury at Iowa when almost nobody sticks around for their senior season.

And yet, it took the proverbial dagger from Dorenzo Hudson--a roughly 700-foot three pointer as the shot clock expired--late in the game to effectively bury the Hawkeyes. It's not as if the Hokies were sure to lose without the shot--it turned a 4-point game into a 7-point game with under 90 seconds to play--but it made the comeback impossible. The fish was probably staying in the barrel; it was just a matter of shooting it.

So it goes, so it goes. At the very least, Iowa played well enough to beat about 10 of the teams on its schedule this season. Small consolation, to be sure, but we were pondering the implications of a 5-win season just last week. That's probably not going to happen. Oh, 4-14 in the BXI (or worse) might happen and would definitely suck, but I'd take 4-14 over 0-18, y'know?

All that said, this team's young enough that they really ought to show significant improvement over the course of the season. If it's not evident that they're learning anything about The System... then what's the point?

The TDG Big Ten Basketball Preview

GopherNation — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:45:15 -0000

I have intentionally held off with a Big Ten basketball preview, waiting until we could see a few games and get a feeling for how teams are adjusting to the key gains and losses from a year ago. Gopher Nation has plenty to look forward to this season. As we all know everything is returning with some key additions added. An NCAA tournament bid and likely a win or two is expected. But what about the road before the NCAA Tournament. The long and difficult Big Ten season comes first and this team has a chance to really be a factor in the B10 title race. Let's take a brief look at each team in my expected order of finish.

1 - Purdue (NCAA) - Were it not for Purdue having injury issues a year ago they could very likely be defending a Big Ten title this year. Robbie Hummel was last year's preseason B10 POY and he should not be fully healthy to lead the rest of a very talented roster. The bulk of the talent lies in the junior class for the Boilermakers and this team is athletic and deep. Injuries and other uncontrollables aside, what may be the difference between a Big Ten title and a top 2 finish could come down to coaching. Matt Painter is an excellent coach but who knows if he'll be capable of steering his team accurately to win a Big Ten regular season title. Guys like Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Bruce Weber and Tubby Smith have the resume of winning multiple titles. I think after this year Matt Painter adds a Big Ten regular season title to his resume.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - E'Twaun Moore
SG - Chris Kramer
SF - Keaton Grant
PF - Robbie Hummel
C - JJ Dawson

2 - Michigan State (NCAA) - I know that Michigan State is the consensus title team and for very good reason. Tom Izzo is a great coach, his team is coming off a national runner-up season and he returns the vast majority of his roster. But my gut tells me they have a great season but one that ends the regular season looking up one spot in the B10 standings. It is really hard not to like Michigan State. They too are deep, very athletic, play great defense and as I mentioned they are very well coached. But I think the one key loss will be the loss that makes the difference. Goran Suton meant a lot to the Spartans a year ago and while this team still has very talented players like Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen and Durrell Summers (with guys like Raymar Morgan and Delvin Roe off the bench); Suton will be missed. Freshman Garrick Sherman may be very good but he's not the same thing. From year to year team's take on different personalities and even the loss of just one player can change the dynamic of a team. Michigan State will be great, they'll be extremely dangerous in the NCAA Tournament but I think they fall a game or two short of Purdue this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Kalin Lucas
G - Chris Allen
G - Durrel Summers
PF - Draymond Green
C - Garrick Sherman

3 - Ohio State (NCAA) - In this early season the Buckeyes have looked fairly strong. And leading their early season charge is the outstanding play of Evan Turner, who looks like the early favorite for Big Ten POY (very early, I know). Turner has notched a double-double in all four games averaging 21.7 ppg and 14.7 rpg. OSU has a lot of very nice pieces outside of Turner, which isn't surprising considering the recent string of very highly ranked recruiting classes in the Thad Matta era. OSU has some offensive weapons but they are lacking in a couple key areas. First of all they are not an overly deep team. Jon Diebler is a lights out shooter and Turner might be the best player in the conference but they can only carry them so far. Matta has been going with an eight man rotation so far this year with heavy minutes for the starting five. Secondly this team is not overly strong in the paint. Their perimeter is as good as anybody's in the conference but Kyle Madsen and Dallas Lauderdale will not strike fear into the hearts of the conference's coaches.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - William Buford
SG - Jon Diebler
SF - Evan Turner
PF - David Lighty
C - Kyle Madsen

4 - Minnesota (NCAA) - There was a time when my maroon goggles would have had me rank the Gophers one spot higher. The potential (probable?) losses of Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe greatly lessened my optimism. But then the impressive play of Rodney Williams to start the year has me thinking big things again, just not as grand as before. As we all know the Gophers are deep and defend very well. I think the improvement of the sophomores and the athleticism that Williams brings to the table makes this team dangerous. Over the course of a long season I don't think we have what it takes to finish in the top 2 but this team is good enough to beat anybody on their schedule.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Al Nolen
SG - Lawrence Westbrook
SF - Rodney Williams
PF - Damian Johnson
C - Ralph Sampson III

5 - Illinois (NCAA) - this might be the team I know the least about but I do know enough to know that this team is well balanced and has the roster make-up that is well suited for Bruce Weber. Demitri McCarney, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale are known quantities around the Big Ten. These guys averaged a combined 33 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game last year. They compliment each other well and this year they add a couple dynamic freshmen to the backcourt in DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul. In the early goings these kids have 11.3 and 16.7 respectively, although they have yet to play any team of substance. Overall this will be a very good team that will only get better as the season goes along.

Likely Starting lineup
G - Brandon Paul
G - DJ Richardson
G - Demitri McCamey
PF - Mike Davis
C - Mike Tisdale

6 - Michigan (NCAA) - Manny Harris is such a great player who can win a game on his own and probably has the best pro potential in the conference. A lot of people would put the Wolverines as high as third on their prediction list based mostly on the talent of Harris and DeShawn Sims. But I'm not 100% sold on the rest of the team. John Beilein is a great coach and in year three he should really have his guys and his system working well. But once again I'm not sold on the rest of the roster and in this year's Big Ten a guy like Manny Harris will win you a few but on the nights when teams slow him down Michigan will be rather vulnerable. Decent depth, great scoring and not great interior size. A sixth place finish may seem very low but the difference between the 4th through 7th place teams could really only be a couple games.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Darius Morris
G - Manny Harris
G - Laval Lucas-Perry
F - Zack Novak
F - DeShawn Sims

7 - Wisconsin (NCAA) - Rule #1 in Big Ten basketball, never underestimate Bo Ryan and the Badgers. This isn't a great Badger team but there is some talent here with Trevon Hughes, Jason Bohannon and even Jon Leuer is having a pretty good season thus far. It may be easy for Gopher fans to overlook Wisconsin since we did sweep them last year (that was fun to write), but this team is capable of not only beating the Gophers but finishing at least a few spots higher than this. Maybe this is wishful thinking or maybe I'm not sold that the talent is there, not even for Bo Ryan.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Trevon Hughes
SG - Jason Bohannon
SF - Tim Jarmusz
PF - Jon Leuer
C - Keaton Nankivil

8 - Penn State (NIT) - The Talor Battle show will be a lot of fun to watch in Happy Valley. Penn State is perfectly demonstrates why I wanted to wait a couple weeks before I started my B10 preview. I once would have put PSU a spot or two higher, but after losses to UNC-Wilmington, Tulane and a 2-pnt win over Davidson (Steph Curry is no longer there folks) I am thinking that 7th might be too high. This team will go as far as Taylor Battle will lead them but the development of freshman Tim Frazier at PG and how well their interior rebounds is what could be the difference between another NIT run and the NCAA Tournament. Their Big Dance resume is already in bad shape, they'll will have to finish a lot higher in the conference standings to avoid the NIT again.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Tim Frazier
SG - Talor Battle
SF - David Jackson
PF - Jeff Brooks
C - Andrew Jones

9 - Indiana (NIT) - Great recruiting class and I am a huge Tom Crean fan, but this year will be tough for a young Hoosier squad to make much noise in the Big Ten. The conference is the deepest and most talented that it has been in a very long time. Other years a hot, young team like Indiana could make a run into the top 5, but not this year. This will be the sheik team next year and this year you'll likely seen them stun a few top 4 teams along the way. But learning to play at the Big Ten level is not an easy adjustment no matter how talented you are. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see them finish higher, but not likely this year.

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Verdell Jones III
G - Jeremiah Rivers
G - Maurice Creek
PF - Tom Pritchard
C - Christian Watford

10 - Northwestern - This may have been the year for the Wildcats to make the tournament, but the loss of Kevin Coble effectively ended that dream. This is a surprisingly talented NU roster and with the way they defend and execute their precision offense they should never be taken lightly. But with Coble out for the season they'll rely on Michael Thompson and John Shurna. There are a couple intriguing freshmen to go along with Thompson and Shurna

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Michael Thompson
SG - Jeremy Nash
SF - Drew Crawford
PF - John Shurna
C - Luka Mirkovic

11 - Iowa - The outlook for the Hawkeye season is so bleak that they cannot help but surpass expectations this year. Scoring has been the problem this year for Iowa. There will be games when they are hot from behind the arc and maybe they'll get a few conference wins. But for the most part you can expect a lot of losses for Iowa (that too was fun to type).

Likely Starting lineup
PG - Cully Payne
SG - Anthony Tucker
SF - Matt Gatens
PF - Jarryd Cole
C - Brennan Cougill

I know that people hate preseason polls and predictions but at the conference level this is a lot of fun. Everyone has much hope and optimism for the season, except Iowa fans. There are eight teams capable of making a run to the NCAA Tournament (although Penn State is already on life support). The Big Ten should be a blast to watch this year.

Since I'm taking a wild stab at the standings here is my best guess at some post season individual awards.

All Big Ten First Team

PG - Kalin Lucas
SG - Manny Harris
SF - Evan Turner
PF - Robbie Hummel
F - DeShawn Sims

All Big Ten Second Team

G - Taylor Battle
G - Demetri McCamey
F - Jon Diebler
F - Damian johnson
C - JJ Dawson

Big Ten All Freshman Team

G - Brandon Paul - Ill
G - D.J. Richardson - Ill
F - Rodney Williams - Minn
F - Christian Watford - Ind
F - Garrick Sherman - MSU

Big Ten Hoops: The Starting Five

Bama Hawkeye — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:45:09 -0000

Monday night, the 2009-2010 Big Ten basketball season got under way with a crushing performance by Ohio State. Yes, they only beat Alcorn State. The important thing is that the season is underway. By this weekend, every team will have tipped off. In an attempt to ~~provide great insight~~ ~~troll for hits~~ stop thinking about Ricky Stanzi's ankle, I am starting a new recurring (i.e. it will happen as often as I want it to) feature at The Rivalry, Esq.: The Starting Five. In it, we'll discuss five things about our hoops teams.

Since you probably think that we know nothing about basketball, we felt that it was important to look for an outsider's insight into the state of the conference. Chris from Blogging the Bracket, an outstanding SBNation college basketball blog, was kind enough to answer our initial Starting Five questions about the Big Ten.

1) Let's start with your predictions. Winning the league, you have MIch-----HOLD ON! WAIT A MINUUTE!!! You have Northwestern making the Field of 65. The Wildcats are, of course, the one BCS conference school that has never made it to the Big Dance. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Defend your projection.

This is not making me hate Northwestern less.

They were so close last season, and even though they lost Craig Moore, just about everyone else--led by Kevin Coble and Michael Thompson--is back. However, a lot of the supporting cast needs to step up. Wins in East Lansing and West Lafayette last season show they can win big games, but they have stop dropping games at inopportune moments. I feel they're due, especially as the two teams closest to them in the league, Penn State and Wisconsin, lost more experience after last season.

If Lighty stays healthy, Ohio State will make some noise.

2) At the top, it sure looks like it's Michigan State, Purdue, and then everyone else. If a third team was to rise up and win the league crown, who would it be?

Ohio State. Getting David Lighty back from injury will help them out a lot, and Evan Turner could be an even more dangerous player at the point, especially since managed the second triple-double in school history in his first game starting at that position on Monday night. Sure, the opener was against Alcorn State, but the Buckeyes looked like a well-oiled machine out there, especially when compared to the other BCS level teams in that played that night. If they can keep that up, it will be a three team race.

3) In your Pre-Season bracket projection, you have 7 Big Ten teams making the Field of 65. Is it safe to say that after a down couple of years, the Big Ten is back?

The Big Ten is definitely back. The league is frighteningly close to having every single team be competitive night in and night out, but I'll talk more about that when I get to your questions on Indiana and Iowa, as they're the current problem children. If the Hoosiers and Hawkeyes can get back to respectablility in a year or two, and Northwestern and Penn State, the two weakest programs traditionally, can keep their current level of competitiveness, the conference could be the most balanced in the nation.

4) How far away is Indiana from a) competing for an NCAA Bid; and 2) winning a Big Ten title?

It'll be when, not if.

I think they're a year away from getting an NCAA bid, thanks to the youth of the roster. Eleven underclassmen is a staggering total, so you have give them, especially the six freshmen, a year to get acclimated to the league and to each other. In terms of contending for the league title, I'd say it's going to take Tom Crean at least another two or years or so of recruiting to get them in a position where they can make a run.

5) Is this the year that the Big Ten finally wins the ACC/Big Ten Challenge?

The Big Ten has an excellent shot, as the ACC should only dominate in three contests--Maryland-Indiana, Virginia Tech-Iowa, and Duke-Wisconsin, and those are all in the Midwest. In the other games, I'd say the Big Ten team has at least a slight advantage, except for Michigan State-UNC, which is a push.

6) I was very surprised when I saw that you have Iowa pegged for a strong 11th Place finish. Then I saw that it was 11th in the Big Ten, not the nation. How would you rank Iowa versus the other last place teams in the 6 BCS conferences?

The Hawkeyes could very well be the worst team in the Big Six conferences, though Providence and DePaul in the Big East will push them. Like Indiana, they're young, but Todd Lickliter's recruits aren't as heralded as Tom Crean's are. Jake Kelly's transfer to Indiana State is painful because he really came into his own last year, and Jeff Peterson heading to Arkansas means Lickliter has to find another point guard. Cully Payne could be a good one, but he is one of those freshmen, so there will be an adjustment period. But it's not like the cupboard is completely bare, as Matt Gatens, Anthony Tucker, and Jarryd Cole (if he stays healthy) are all capable players.

You hear that? Iowa has "capable players." That's high praise!

The Rivalry, Esq. thanks Chris for answering The Starting Five Questions about Big Ten basketball. Here's to a great Big Ten season.

BtB 2009-10 Big Ten Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:44:34 -0000

For all of the beating that the Big Ten took during a particularly rough and tumble regular season, the conference really validated itself in the postseason. Those March and April performances bode well for this season, especially considering that the Big Ten's main contenders didn't lose as much as the contenders in other conferences. For example, all five players on the coaches' All-Big Ten team from last season are back.

The two teams who progressed furthest in the NCAAs, national runner-up Michigan State and regional semifinalist Purdue are the clear favorites in the league, and both teams could make a serious run at a MIdwestern Final Four. Penn State, the NIT champions, will look to improve their standing enough to get into the Big Dance this time around. And of course, Northwestern will look to really shake things up in the league and make it to the NCAAs for the first time. In between, the Big Ten's other five NCAA entrants will attempt to stay in the field. The biggest thing for the conference this year is separating itself from the other BCS leagues, especially in non-conference play. With the Big Ten being hyper-competitive this year, its members really need to distinguish themselves during the early part of the season. Otherwise, teams will be clumped together on lines 8 through 12 of the bracket like last year, which doesn't bode well for sustained tourney runs. More on all 11 teams after the jump.

To refresh your memory, let's take a look at how the Big Ten standings looked at the end of the 2008-09 regular season.

Big Ten Conference Standings

(updated 4.7.2009 at 12:23 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Michigan St. Spartans	15	3	31	7
Purdue Boilermakers	11	7	27	10
Illinois Fighting Illini	11	7	24	10
Penn St. Nittany Lions	10	8	27	11
Ohio St. Buckeyes	10	8	22	11
Wisconsin Badgers	10	8	20	13
Minnesota Golden Gophers	9	9	22	11
Michigan Wolverines	9	9	21	14
Northwestern Wildcats	8	10	17	14
Iowa Hawkeyes	5	13	15	17
Indiana Hoosiers	1	17	6	25

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a school's name appears in red, that's a link to its SBNation site. You can go there for more detailed analysis throughout the season.

Iowa (last NCAA: 2006) The long rebuilding process continues for Todd Lickliter. It looks to be another long year in Iowa City, especially since the Hawkeyes have real point guard issues after Jake Kelly (transfer to Indiana State for family reasons) and Jeff Peterson (transfer to Arkansas) left the program. 6-1 frosh Cully Payne will have to adjust to the Big Ten game fast, as he will have to be the main option. If he doesn't, expect sophomore Anthony Tucker (10.4 ppg, 0.6 apg) to move over from shooting guard. The team's only other returning double-digit scorer, Matt Gatens (10.8 ppg), will be a force as he can really shoot the ball (40.3 % from the perimeter and 90.4 % from the free throw line). The Hawkeyes really need more contributions inside, where Jarryd Cole has battled injuries and struggled offensively, which has also been a problem for the rest of Iowa's frontline players.

Indiana (last NCAA: 2008) Tom Crean is also in a rebuilding situation, but he loaded up on recruits this offseason, something Lickliter couldn't quite do. Jeremiah Rivers, son of Boston Celtics coach Doc and a Georgetown transfer, is now eligible and will run the offense. Rivers' steady hand should improve a team that rated near the bottom of Division I in assist/turnover ratio. Meanwhile, the incoming freshmen are so highly regarded that last year's leaders may see reduced playing time. Rivers' arrival, and that of freshman Jordan Hulls, will eat into Verdell Jones' playing time (11 ppg, 3,6 apg). 6-5 Maurice Creek will take time away from Devan Dumes (12.7 ppg). In the frontcourt, Tom Pritchard (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) will still see significant time, and he'll be joined by freshmen Bobby Capobianco, Derek Elston, Bawa Muniru, and Christian Watford. Considering that Crean's returning frontcourt players not named Tom Pritchard only average 0.8 ppg, they should see plenty of action. If they adjust to the Big Ten quickly, the Hoosiers may win some of those close games they tended to lose in 2008-09.

Penn State (last NCAA: 2001) You rarely see teams as happy about winning the NIT than the Nittany Lions last year. PSU had a real case for an NCAA bid, thanks to 10 league wins, but a non-conference schedule full of cupcakes cost them. On that front, the Lions hope they can get some big wins in the Charleston Classic to help their case this time around. In terms of personnel, the good news is that all-Big Ten first teamer Talor Battle (16.7 ppg, 5 apg) is back. The bad news is that his backcourt mates, Stanley Pringle (12.8 ppg) and Danny Morrissey (5.3 ppg) are gone and so is star forward Jamelle Cornley (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg). The effectiveness of their replacements will dictate the Nittany Lions' chances of moving up. Sophomores Chris Babb (2.8 ppg) and Cammeron Woodyard (2.2 ppg) will have to step it up to replace Pringle, but incoming freshman Tim Frazier will also play a big role in the backcourt. In the frontcourt, 6-9 Andrew Jones (6.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg) is expected to increase his production to make up for Cornley's graduation, so will David Jackson. Both Jones and Jackson played key roles in PSU's NIT run. Serbian freshman Sasa Borovnjak and redshirt frosh Billy Oliver will also see lots of time inside.

Wisconsin (last NCAA: 2009) The Badgers struggled on offense and defense last year. However, Bo Ryan's team was able to right the ship after dropping six in a row in January to sneak into the tournament and grab a first round win over Florida State. However, Ryan lost two key performers off that team, swingman Joe Krabbenhoft and F Marcus Landry. Jason Bohannon (10.3 ppg, 1.7 apg) and Trevon Hughes (12.1 ppg, 2.8 apg) are back, however, so the backcourt remains in good shape, typical of a Ryan-coached team. The returning frontcourt players, led by 6-10 F Jon Leuer (8.8 ppg, 3.8 ppg) and 6-8 Keaton Nankivil (4.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) will have to be tougher to adequately replace Landry and Krabbenhoft. Look out for the Badgers' two redshirt freshmen, Jared Berggren and Ryan Evans, as they should see significant frontcourt time as well. If the frontline improves significantly, the Badgers could go dancing for the 12th straight year.

Northwestern (last NCAA: None) While Wisconsin (and the rest of the league) has become a consistent NCAA performer, the Wildcats are the complete opposite. Once again, NU is the only team in a BCS conference to fail to qualify for a single NCAA tournament. On March 4, the men from Evanston stood at 17-11, after winning at Indiana, against Iowa at home, and at Purdue. They then managed to lose at Ohio State by 5 to finish 8-10 in the conference. If that wasn't bad enough, they then fell to Minnesota by 13 in the opening round of the conference tournament. The Wildcats cannot let something similar happen this season. Personnel-wise, the Wildcats bring back nearly everyone from last year, most importantly all-Big Ten second teamer Kevin Coble (15.5 ppg, 4.8 apg) and point guard Michael Thompson (9.9 ppg, 3.7 apg), a deadly three-point shooter (41.7%). The major loss is guard Craig Moore (14.3 ppg, 2.7 apg) who graduated. Incoming frosh Drew Crawford could slide into Moore's slot on the roster. He's the son of NBA referee Danny Crawford. If coach Bill Carmody can squeeze a little more from his returnees, who provided solid, if unspectacular and inconsistent performances throughout last season, the Wildcats will finally make the field of 65.

Minnesota (last NCAA: 2009) Expectations are high for Tubby Smith's third season in the Twin Cities. The Gophers will have to find a way to play Michigan State and Michigan better, as they didn't manage to win a single game against those two teams (0-5). The Gophers return all of their key performers from last season, including leading scorer Lawrence Westbrook (12.6 ppg), second leading scorer Damian Johnson (9.8 ppg), point guard Al Nolen (6.5 ppg, 4.3 apg), and big men Ralph Sampson III (6.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and Colton Iverson (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg). Sampson and Iverson should see more time at center thanks to the arrival of 6-7 freshman Royce White and JC transfer Trevor Mbakwe, if he's ever cleared to play. Mbakwe is due to go on trial for assault in South Florida in December. Nolen could also see the bench if he's as inconsistent as he was during Big Ten play, thanks to the arrival of freshman PG Justin Cobbs. The Gophers are drawn against Butler in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, which should be a good indicator of how well this team will perform in 2009-10.

Michigan (last NCAA: 2009) Much like with Tubby Smith's Minnesota team. great things are expected in Ann Arbor during John Beilein's third season. Beilein's offensive and defensive philosophies usually take consistent hold in that third season, and the team's performance improves as a result. One of the Wolverines' biggest needs is in the frontcourt, where DeShawn Sims (15.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg) was often left on an island last season. Seven-foot, redshirt freshman Ben Cronin should provide some help, as should 6-8 frosh Jordan Morgan, if he plays. Beilein may redshirt him depending on how well he's recovered from offseason knee surgery. 6-10 frosh Blake McLimans and 6-6 junior Anthony Wright may be called into duty frequently. The backcourt is the strength of this UM squad, led by all-Big Ten performer Manny Harris (16.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.4 apg). Harris should get more time to drive to the hoop (and get to the foul line), thanks to the arrival of freshman Darius Morris, who is expected to take over at the point. The reserve backcourt players need to show more consistency, as none averaged more than 6.7 ppg, despite some impressive shooting nights.

Illinois (last NCAA: 2009) While the Illini lost guards Chester Frazier and Trent Meacham, the returnees and Bruce Weber's best ever recruiting class should keep the squad near the top of the Big Ten. Demetri McCarney (11.5 ppg, 4.6 apg) already has plenty of experience at the point to replace Frazier. Incoming freshman D.J. Richardson will be called on to replace Meacham, especially from the defensive perspective. Brandon Paul, another heralded recruit, will be an inside-outside threat. In the frontcourt, Mike Davis very nearly averaged a double-double last season (11.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg), so he'll continue to be a force. Mike Tisdale could be a star if he's more aggressive. He has plenty of room to improve on the 10 points and 4 boards he averaged last season.

Ohio State (last NCAA: 2009) The Buckeyes did pretty well last season, winning 22 games and making the Big Ten title game despite losing G/F David Lighty in the seventh game of the year. With Lighty back and all-Big Ten selection/jack-of-all-trades Evan Turner still around, the Buckeyes should be even better this time around. Joining Turner as offensive forces are guards William Buford and Jon Diebler who both averaged a little more than 11 points a game. While Thad Matta has a lot of guys who can shoot, he doesn't have a true point guard. Not that this issue really stopped the Buckeyes last year. Jeremie Simmons (6.8 ppg, 2.5 apg) and P.J. Hill (3.2 ppg, 1.9 apg) saw some time at the point after Anthony Crater's departure for South Florida, with Hill making more of an impact. If the two have issues, Turner, who averaged 4 assists per game last year, could spend some time running the offense. Turner will also see time in the frontcourt, where Lighty will serve as OSU's power forward (9.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg). 6-8 junior Dallas Lauderdale and 7-foot UAB transfer Zisis Sarikopoulos will occupy the post. OSU will be tested early, thanks to a matchup with defending National Champion North Carolina at the Coaches vs. Cancer event in New York, followed by a game with either California or Syracuse.

Purdue (last NCAA: 2009) The Boilermakers bring back nearly everyone from last season's team, which fell to UConn in the West regional semifinals. Thanks to the graduation of Nemanja Calasan, Matt Painter has only two returning post players. However, they're two good ones. Robbie Hummel (12.5 ppg, 7 rpg) should be fully recovered from a stress fracture in his back that cost him five games last season. Meanwhile, 6-10 junior JaJuan Johnson (13.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg) is one of the most electrifying players in the country. They'll be backed up by a crop of freshmen, led by 6-10 Croatian C Sandi Marcius. Purdue's backcourt remains intact. Chris Kramer will provide the defense, E'Twaun Moore the scoring--and some assists (13.8 ppg, 3.0 apg), while Lewis Jackson (5.9 ppg, 3.3 apg) will run the show. The Boilermakers' commitment to defense, led by Kramer, Johnson, and Jackson, is a major reason why they will seriously threaten to make the short trip to Indy this season. If they avoid the health issues of last season, they should get a seed that will help their path.

Michigan State (last NCAA: 2009) While the Boilermakers will attempt to do what the Spartans did last year, make a short trip in state to play in the season's final weekend, don't discount MSU, a team that has plenty of history of its own in Indianapolis. Tom Izzo has a team that may be able repeat Sparty's 2000 triumph. Kalin Lucas, the Big Ten Player of the Year is back at the point. Raymar Morgan is back in the frontcourt. But the biggest questions are how well the Spartan frontcourt plays without Goran Suton and who replaces Travis Walton's defensive prowess in the backcourt. Junior Tom Herzog and incoming freshmen Derrick Nix and Garrick Sherman will be given every chance to fill Suton's shoes. Meanwhile, Lucas will have to play more of a defensive role this season than in the past, to make up for Walton's absence. While Lucas is the unquestioned star of the team, he'll need lots of support from players like guards Chris Allen (8.4 ppg) and Durrell Summers (8.6 ppg), and F Delvon Roe (5.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to make a second straight Final Four run.

So, the Spartans will hold the Big Ten's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. Check in then to see what other teams from the conference I've penciled in at the start of the season. To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big Ten team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big Ten Team

Player of the Year: Evan Turner, 6-7 G/F, Jr. (Ohio State)

Remainder of the Team
Talor Battle, 5-11 G, Jr. (Penn State)
Manny Harris, 6-5 G, Jr. (Michigan)
JaJuan Johnson, 6-10 F, Jr. (Purdue)
Kalin Lucas, 6-0 G, Jr. (Michigan State)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big Ten this season?

Illinois

72 votes

Indiana

4 votes

Iowa

5 votes

Michigan

12 votes

Michigan State

106 votes

Minnesota

9 votes

Northwestern

5 votes

Ohio State

14 votes

Penn State

20 votes

Purdue

49 votes

Wisconsin

4 votes

300 votes | Poll has closed

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It Selects Antonio Ramos

Hawkeye State — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:00:22 -0000

Joe Fermino Is an Undrafted Free Agent Our friends at Hawkeye Hardwood, the only Iowa basketball message board we bother reading, have tackled the most interesting of off-season projects: An 8-team fantasy draft of post-1970 Hawkeyes. The first round shook out as follows:

(1) Roy Marble (of course)
(2) Ronnie Lester (probably the only other potential first pick)
(3) Acie Earl
(4) Fred Brown (love him, but there's a better point guard on the board)
(5) Andre Woolridge (yeah, that one)
(6) John Johnson
(7) Greg Stokes
(8) B.J. Armstrong

Other recent notables: Jess Settles went mid-second round, Reggie Evans, Greg Brunner, and Adam Haluska went in the third, Jeff Horner and Ricky Davis made it into the fourth, and Matt Gatens kicked off round six. Generally well-researched and well-explained (though Greg Brunner was a real stretch), in marked contrast to what we do.

They May Take Our Appendicies, But They'll Never Take Our Freedom Matt Gatens had an emergency appendectomy over the weekend and is out indefinitely. And, by "indefinitely," we mean about a week:

"On Saturday night about midnight he started having stomach pains and he tried to sleep it off," Mike Gatens said. "He came over about 6 o’clock (Sunday) morning, and I kind of figured that’s what happened.

"We went to the hospital, he was in surgery from 11 to 1 and had it taken out."

Mike Gatens said Matt Gatens will be out at least a week from the Prime Time League....

"He won’t miss that much. He’ll play in a week or so," Mike Gatens said.

Good to hear everything went well, and we wish Matt a quick and painless recovery.

Footnotes The Rivalry, Esq. has succumbed to the offseason doldrums and began a list of the Top 80 Reasons to Love the Big Ten. Vastly underrated at #79? The Big Ass Turkey Leg. Shonn Greene and Matt Kroul spend a night on the town with Mark Sanchez. Ed Orgeron says "LEMSDAY," regardless of age or gender. John Daly wants you to cut the music so he can talk to the ladies.

It's Not Plagiarism If You Link To It: May 28

Hawkeye State — Thu, 28 May 2009 12:00:19 -0000

INPIYL2I is your daily roundup of Iowa news, epic photoshopping, and other things you should read. Send tips to hawkeyestatebhgp@gmail.com.

Just ask the Persians: Stay out of Greece Despite a late-game rally, Iowa lost game 2 of its European vacation 76-75 to the Greek Select Team. Given that the Hawks were down 27-10 after the first ten minutes, it wasn't so HOLY SHIT WE TOOK FORTY-THREE 3-POINT SHOTS?!?

Shooting proved to be the difference in the contest, as Greece shot 45.5% from the field, compared to 38.8% for Iowa. The Hawkeyes hit just 13-43 (30.2%) three-point attempts, while Greece made 11-24 (45.8%) three-pointers. Greece won the rebounding battle 40-37 and outscored Iowa from the free throw line, 15-10. Iowa was guilty of just nine turnovers.

You would think that, given the fact that we played well inside against the Italians and were making shots inside the arc at a 54% clip, we would focus on the interior offense. You would think that, when you average 1.08 points per 2-point shot and 0.90 points per 3-point shot, that it would be statistically logical to pound it inside. You would be mistaken. Keep chucking it, Tucker (4-15 from three) and Bawinkel (4-12)!

When asked for comment on the loss, leading scorer Matt Gatens said, "Man, fuck this place. The gyros are better at George's anyway."

What do you expect when you name your stadium after the whiny guy from Friends? Rittenberg (who is quickly finding that there are only so many Disney-friendly ideas for the offseason) ranks the toughest places to play in the Big Ten. ~~Kinnick~~ Legendary Kinnick Stadium comes in fourth:

For starters, it's always packed. And arguably no stadium in the Big Ten puts the fans closer to the field than Kinnick. Throw in the color schemes -- black and gold in the stands, pink in the visitors' locker room -- and this is not a fun place to play.

Notably (and correctly), he ranks The House that Nile Built ahead of that key-jangling-geezer-infested library in Ann Arbor. More troubling for Iowa's chances of a Big Ten championship this year, he places it behind three road opponents, including Penn State:

If every game was played at night, Beaver Stadium would get the nod for the top spot. Penn State's White-Outs are freakin' awesome and very intimidating, and the sight of the massive stadium rising from the hills is enough to make opposing players tremble.

Just a reminder: Iowa plays Penn State September 26. At Beaver Stadium. At night. Um, yeah, that could be a problem.

Stanford had some trouble with the windmill Rain hit Toledo this afternoon, and the Hawkeye golfers were only able to finish the first half of their second round. Iowa sits in 19th place at +20, two shots ahead of Illinois (Yeah, suck it Illini!) and only one shot back of jNWU. With a good morning session, a top 20 finish isn't out of the question.

The story of the day was Michigan, who posted a -7 team score before darkness cut their day short, vaulting the Wolverines into second and giving UM a legitimate shot at the weekend match play finals. Just one Big Ten school (Minnesota, 2002) has won the championships in the last 30 years.

Oh, and Tiger Woods' alma mater is in last place.

UPDATE: Iowa finished the morning in a tie for 20th at +29. Scores ballooned for teams who had to finish this morning; for instance, Ohio State finished at +26 for the day. Any hopes for the weekend are effectively over, as we're 15 shots back of the top 8.

Tim Brewster Tweeting o' the Day

"On to Baton Rouge for NCAA tourney PERIOD," sir? Brewster hasn't used a period in a Twitter post since May 15. That is twenty tweets with nary a period. In that time, he has used exclamation points in sentences about such things as:

And, the greatest of all...

Young children with life issues

Clearly, someone has a case of tournament envy...

BREWSTATS!!!!
Exclamation point count: 6
Total exclamation points: 18
Exclamation points per day: 6.0
Inadvertent ENTER key usage: 1

2009-10 Basketball Captains Named And They Will Piss You Right Off

Oops Pow Surprise — Thu, 07 May 2009 12:00:15 -0000

After the theater of pain and horror of Exodus 2009, you'd think the basketball team could use some positive P.R., some good news. And hey, nothing says fluffy like naming your captains for the upcoming season, right? It's a way for a program to say, basically, "hey, here's some good news about our best players."

This guy's one of them, right? Right??

And speaking of best players, you'd think that there's one in particular, the guy who's now by far (and almost by default at the same time) the top returning scorer, defender, and overall player. Like, it's not even close. Surely, Shirley, he was rewarded for a fine freshman campaign by OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE GODDAMN KIDDING ME:

Iowa’s basketball captains for next year are junior post Jarryd Cole and senior guard Devan Bawinkel, Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter said tonight.

Doc, you wanna run those guys' 08-09 stats by us one more time?

Cole, a 6-foot-7 post, played in all 32 games last year and averaged 3.7 points and 3.0 rebounds a game. Cole joined graduating senior Cyrus Tate as co-captains last year. Cole started a bit slow coming off knee surgery but started nine games.

Bawinkel , a 6-5 perimeter guard, played his first season at Iowa last year after transferring from Highland (Ill.) Community College. Bawinkel played in every game and started nine. He averaged 4.8 points a game and shot a team-high 139 3-pointers. All but five of his shots were 3-point attempts.

Okay, here are the thoughts that come to our mind, in descending order of composure:

1) How you don't give one captaincy to Matt Gatens is just mind-boggling. From the moment he set foot on the court all through the year, he demonstrated not only a high level of basketball IQ but a high level of hustle as well. He and Jake Kelly were the two best players on the team; now, he alone is the best player on the team. This is fact, this is indisputable.

2) Jarryd Cole's all right and he'll do better now that his knee's 95% of the way back. If Lick thought he was a good captain last season and there's no reason not to re-up, fine. P.S. Score more.

3) Matt Gatens averaged as much or more by himself in every single statistic but rebounds and 3-point attempts than those two guys did combined. Look it up.

4) Devan Bawinkel doesn't show any leadership, he just plays a one-trick-pony role moderately well. He's like if Justin Johnson couldn't dribble. If Lickliter picked him because Bawinkel only does the one thing that the coach tells him to do--jack 3s from the corner--and never deviates from that, then that makes us very upset because that is not how you encourage high-level play.

5) Remember when Lick decided to skip over Freeman for a captaincy last year? Remember how that one turned out? Does Lickliter--or anyone else--seriously want to go down that road again?

6) Why does Lickliter hate Matt Gatens?

6) Matt Gatens Matt Gatens Matt Gatens.

6) RRRRGHSLJHSDKJSVHJSDKJGSDHSFHFSKJSDHSKJHFS

We need to lie down for a while. Go get us a blanket and a bottle of scotch.

The Case For Matt Gatens

Oops Pow Surprise — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 01:41:33 -0000

According to HawkMania, the Big Ten will be handing out its postseason awards tonight. We expect Jake Kelly to be on the 2nd team after the last three weeks, and if that doesn't happen there'll be hell to pay.

But let's talk about the other accolade at stake, which is Big Ten Freshman of the Year. There are two main candidates in play here: OSU's William Buford and Gatens. There are some tertiary characters as well--OSU's BJ Mullens, Indiana's Tom Pritchard, MSU's Delvon Roe, but they're probably not getting much other than a few third place votes from homers. This stuff happens.

And let's be clear: Buford's pretty damn good. He kind of reminds us of Ricky Davis at this stage in the game, but a little less athletic and with a better outside shot. He's an effective scorer who can go to the NBA whenever he feels like it, basically.

But at the same time, while OSU would still be pretty good without Buford, Iowa may not have won a game in the BXI without Matt Gatens.

Fact: Gatens is 8 and a half feet tall.

First, the intangibles. Gatens was the smartest player on the court at all times for Iowa, and he could capably D up any of the first four positions. He's every bit as good a shooter as anyone else on the team; had Lickliter instructed him to stand in the corner and just wait for the ball so he could jack up 3s (not to name any names), he probably would have managed a higher shooting percentage than Bawinkel (okay, we named names).

The offense just plain ran better with Gatens involved. He rarely, if ever, picked up a dribble at an inopportune time, threw a lazy pass, or dribbled a hole in the court while the shot clock ran out. We're not saying those are things that Buford did, but we are saying that those are things that everyone else on the entire Iowa team did.

Most importantly, when it comes down to the numbers, Gatens was just better. Observe:

Minutes per game: Buford 28.0, Gatens 34.1
BXI Minutes per game: Buford 35.1, Gatens 36.7
Points per game: Buford 11.14, Gatens 11.06
FG%: Buford 44.6%, Gatens 43.5%
3-pt. FG%: Buford 35.6%, Gatens 41.3%
FT%: Buford 92.1%, Gatens 90.4%
Points per weighted shot: Buford 1.16, Gatens 1.38
Assists per game: Buford 1.2, Gatens 2.3
Turnovers per game: Buford 1.0, Gatens 1.5
Assist/TO ratio: Buford 1.14, Gatens 1.49
Blocks per game: Buford 0.36, Gatens 0.32
Steals per game: Buford .93, Gatens .74

Yes, both led in six categories. The difference is that of the six, Buford is only clearly better in one, steals, and not a standout by any stretch there. Meanwhile, Buford's only within sniffing distance of one of Gatens' superior qualities (two if you're feeling generous about 3-point percentage).

Again, we're taking nothing away from Buford, who is a fine player in his own right and who will probably have a more productive NBA career when it's all said and done. Probably.

But it sure seems like giving the trophy to Buford will be most largely a reflection of Ohio State's record compared to the Hawkeyes, and that's the most unfair metric of them all. Ohio State was never fighting not to implode under the weight of all the injuries and absences that befell the team, nor did Ohio State need to lean on Buford from Day 1.

8'7" Gatens makes a block without jumping.

And look, we understand that from a semantical standpoint, the name of the award is "Freshman of the Year" and not "Most Valuable Freshman," so a voter would have the option to foresake whatever larger team context he saw fit. That's fine. But these guys didn't play in vacuums--they're much too tall to fit in a Shopvac, we checked--and to determine that Buford was better requires a substantial and obvious amount of shortsightedness and cherry-picking, and that makes picking Buford over Gatens a bad choice.

Don't make a bad choice.

[UPDATE: It looks like while we were fighting with tech issues, the awards were released, and Gatens, in fact, didn't win FOTY. Further, Kelly didn't even make 3rd team, which is a silly fucking joke. Yes, Iowa went 5-13, but Kelly and Gatens weren't to blame. Way to go, guys.]