IUFLA Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 (edited) When: Saturday, January 11th 8 PM EST Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa TV: Fox Fran McCaffery (291-195 at Iowa) in his 15th season as the Iowa coach, pits his 11-4 (2-2 Big 10, KenPom #51 NET #50) Hawkeyes against our Hoosiers. In our only meeting last year, IU took down the Hawks 74-68 in Assembly Hall. Iowa is coming off a thrilling OT home victory over Nebraska. The Hawkeyes are led in scoring by reigning Big 10 Co-Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman. Freeman is a good inside post player who has added a touch of 3 point shooting (36% on low volume) to his repertoire. Decent rebounder, and can block shots, but not known as a defensive presence. Freeman is joined in the starting lineup by high school teammate, PG Brock Harding. Harding is a pass 1st PG that has improved his 3 point shot 39%) this year. A willing defender, he can be physically overpowered by bigger, stronger guards. Now for the real trouble. Josh Dix and Payton Sandfort are two of the best shooters in the Big 10. Dix is more known for his midrange game, but has upped his 3 point shooting this year. Sandfort has always been a pain in our side. Both scored over 30 against Nebraska in a game in which the Hawkeyes came back from a 15 point 2nd half deficit. Sandfort scored all 30 of his points in the 2nd half. Ladji Dembele had been filling the last starting spot, but Morehead State transfer Drew Thelwell had taken it until he was injured before the Nebraska game. Thelwell's status, along with that of reserve forward Cooper Koch who also sat out, is unknown. Bench help comes from Payton Sandfort's younger brother Pryce, who has a pretty good shooting eye himself, registering 40% from 3. Manhatten transfer Seydou Traore also sees double digit minutes off the bench. Our defense has to show up big time here. Iowa is probably the best offensive squad in the Big 10. Have to pressure the shooters on the perimeter, own the boards, and not turn it over. And you have to play until the final whistle. Fran's teams have a knack for late comebacks at home (witness the MSU game from 2 years ago when they were down 13 with a minute 34 to go and won in OT...the infamous Fran vs Kelly Pfeifer staredown game ). Let's play our best D of the year and win in Iowa City for the first time since 2021... GO HOOSIERS! Edited January 9 by IUFLA 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHoosier32 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 They beat NW and Nebraska. Lost by 2 at Michigan. I will be stunned if we win this one. But pleasantly stunned 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier4Life53 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 2 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said: They beat NW and Nebraska. Lost by 2 at Michigan. I will be stunned if we win this one. But pleasantly stunned I didn’t think we’d win the Penn St game in the Polestra either, so I’d say we’ve got a good chance, considering how we’ve been playing lately…defense, defense, defense! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHoosier32 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, Hoosier4Life53 said: I didn’t think we’d win the Penn St game in the Polestra either, so I’d say we’ve got a good chance, considering how we’ve been playing lately…defense, defense, defense! i admire your optimism, but don't share it. i think winning at Hawkeye Arena is a bigger ask than the Palestra. Will also be super interesting to see what happens with Malik. I mean the guy is our leading scorer. I don't think we're better without him, but we're better without him and Ballo playing at the same time. So... will he be back? And how will Mike play? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdhoosier Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 This team is SO Iowa. Lol. I'm afraid our defense won’t be able to handle them. We’ll definitely need to be making shots to stay in this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdhoosier Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 4 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said: I mean the guy is our leading scorer. I don't think we're better without him, but we're better without him and Ballo playing at the same time. So... will he be back? And how will Mike play? Man, I don’t know. Let’s just say, our best line ups don’t include him. Our guard play is better with just Ballo on the floor. I was going to to draw the coincidence that Rice has been better without Malik in the line up after PSU, but thought it may be too early to plant that flag. Well, Rice had another great game last night. Is this becoming a trend? when Malik comes back, he needs to come off the bench when Ballo needs rest. If they are both on the floor for major minutes my head will explode. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHoosier32 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 24 minutes ago, tdhoosier said: Man, I don’t know. Let’s just say, our best line ups don’t include him. Our guard play is better with just Ballo on the floor. I was going to to draw the coincidence that Rice has been better without Malik in the line up after PSU, but thought it may be too early to plant that flag. Well, Rice had another great game last night. Is this becoming a trend? when Malik comes back, he needs to come off the bench when Ballo needs rest. If they are both on the floor for major minutes my head will explode. yeah. my point is, we do look better with him off the floor, but we're not better when Ballo has to go out and Hatton is in. ideally that is when Malik comes in, but i'd be willing to bet that ain't happnin. if Mike is savvy at all, he'll at least convince Malik to come off the bench the first game or two to "ease back in." i don't really think he will, and if he does, i don't think Malik will accept it. i said this before, but my opinion is that i don't even blame Mike much. today's basketball society is such that they get paid and promised things to get them to stay at their school or come to another school. egos get in the way. there is no loyalty. they care more about their stats than winning. it's gotta be tough. didn't Painter convince Williams or someone to come off the bench one year instead of playing alongside Edey? i know there was a big man duo that he did that with. can't believe he pulled that off, but i don't have confidence that Mike can. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierfan1901 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 I hate Iowa, always a pain in the **** and I’m still salty about that banked 3 in the BTT Semifinals 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierfan1901 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 Dix or Standfort usually get their 3 PTM, but if we manage to limit their other scorers, I think we will have a decent shot. I went and checked their board and they are a bit worried about the interior defense they have. But when they get their 3s to go down early on, they are tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdhoosier Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 11 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said: yeah. my point is, we do look better with him off the floor, but we're not better when Ballo has to go out and Hatton is in. ideally that is when Malik comes in, but i'd be willing to bet that ain't happnin. if Mike is savvy at all, he'll at least convince Malik to come off the bench the first game or two to "ease back in." i don't really think he will, and if he does, i don't think Malik will accept it. i said this before, but my opinion is that i don't even blame Mike much. today's basketball society is such that they get paid and promised things to get them to stay at their school or come to another school. egos get in the way. there is no loyalty. they care more about their stats than winning. it's gotta be tough. didn't Painter convince Williams or someone to come off the bench one year instead of playing alongside Edey? i know there was a big man duo that he did that with. can't believe he pulled that off, but i don't have confidence that Mike can. To clarify, I meant that even in one big lineups, Ballo is the better choice. He's just a better all-around player. Regarding promises made to Malik, I just hope that isn't the case or it's another check against Woody. I'm all for players being paid and being allowed to transfer without penalty (been strongly on record for that), but that also comes with accountability. They're pretty much pros now, so put on the big boy pants. Players can't have their cake and eat it too. After all, this is a two-way street. If they are going to get paid and can transfer, they can't dictate playing time. Not playing well? Not putting in effort? Not listening to the coach? Then be quiet, accept your place on the bench, collect your money and then transfer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC2345 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 30 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said: yeah. my point is, we do look better with him off the floor, but we're not better when Ballo has to go out and Hatton is in. ideally that is when Malik comes in, but i'd be willing to bet that ain't happnin. if Mike is savvy at all, he'll at least convince Malik to come off the bench the first game or two to "ease back in." i don't really think he will, and if he does, i don't think Malik will accept it. i said this before, but my opinion is that i don't even blame Mike much. today's basketball society is such that they get paid and promised things to get them to stay at their school or come to another school. egos get in the way. there is no loyalty. they care more about their stats than winning. it's gotta be tough. didn't Painter convince Williams or someone to come off the bench one year instead of playing alongside Edey? i know there was a big man duo that he did that with. can't believe he pulled that off, but i don't have confidence that Mike can. Mike Woodson will most likely go back to two bigs. He loves Malik and he did this same thing in 2014 with the Knicks. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoosierMama Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 I didn't realize there is another Sandfort 😭 Between Wisky and Iowa weren't there a bunch of Bohannons too? They need to stop with all of these B1G bros who like to hit a bajillion 3s against IU. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHoosier32 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 28 minutes ago, DC2345 said: Mike Woodson will most likely go back to two bigs. He loves Malik and he did this same thing in 2014 with the Knicks. i would 100% expect that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCHoosier32 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 34 minutes ago, tdhoosier said: To clarify, I meant that even in one big lineups, Ballo is the better choice. He's just a better all-around player. Regarding promises made to Malik, I just hope that isn't the case or it's another check against Woody. I'm all for players being paid and being allowed to transfer without penalty (been strongly on record for that), but that also comes with accountability. They're pretty much pros now, so put on the big boy pants. Players can't have their cake and eat it too. After all, this is a two-way street. If they are going to get paid and can transfer, they can't dictate playing time. Not playing well? Not putting in effort? Not listening to the coach? Then be quiet, accept your place on the bench, collect your money and then transfer. maybe "promises" weren't made to Malik, but 100% guarantee that if he thought there was any possible way he wouldn't be starting he would have transferred. if he would have gone to Mike and asked if he'd definitely be a starter and Mike said, no promises, he'd be gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kdug Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 After the PSU game Woodson said Malik’s wouldn’t be back any time soon, so it doesn’t seem like Malik will be back for this game anyway. To me that sounds like he’ll be out until late Jan or even into February. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdhoosier Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 (edited) 13 minutes ago, NCHoosier32 said: maybe "promises" weren't made to Malik, but 100% guarantee that if he thought there was any possible way he wouldn't be starting he would have transferred. if he would have gone to Mike and asked if he'd definitely be a starter and Mike said, no promises, he'd be gone. Honestly, I think all these points are moot. The speculation is irrelevant because I honestly think Woody is more comfortable with Malik on the floor, and it's where the disillusion starts. it's one of the many reasons I just can't get behind this coach any more. I hope he proves me wrong, but the only thing that has been consistent about these last 4 years is me muttering that exact phrase: "I hope he proves me wrong". .....but he never does. Edited January 9 by tdhoosier 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierfan1901 Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 31 minutes ago, HoosierMama said: I didn't realize there is another Sandfort 😭 Between Wisky and Iowa weren't there a bunch of Bohannons too? They need to stop with all of these B1G bros who like to hit a bajillion 3s against IU. Yup, Pryce Standfort, currently averaging 9.3 PPG and 40% from the 3 (30-75). I think there was another Bohannon at Iowa, but he transferred out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btownqb Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 (edited) Iowa is complete poop. Sandfort can play. PG is 6ft 160lbs-- and no shot their big should be able to guard Ballo. Ballo and Rice should also live at the line. Again, not a game we should lose, but 🤷♂️... neither was Nebraska. Edited January 9 by btownqb 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDB Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 I am going to this game. Hopefully, we keep it rolling as I will be going with a bunch of Iowa fans. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IowaHoosierFan Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 1 hour ago, BDB said: I am going to this game. Hopefully, we keep it rolling as I will be going with a bunch of Iowa fans. My wife and I will also be going to this game. On the game side, expect home cooking from the refs, always happens. If we let Iowa get on a roll, we will be in trouble. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuthruandthru Posted January 9 Report Share Posted January 9 5 hours ago, DC2345 said: Mike Woodson will most likely go back to two bigs. He loves Malik and he did this same thing in 2014 with the Knicks. This is why I am not putting much stake in how the team is playing now. This 100% is because of MR getting hurt and Woodson being forced to go against his archaic coaching. I said it in the post game when MR got hurt and I’ll say it again here: Woodson will prove whether or not he wants to stay the IU coach by what he does when MR is healthy. His job is to win and set the team best up to do that, and two bigs is clearly not the way to do that. It would be gross incompetence to change back, I don’t care if MR makes $1 million in NIL. This isn’t everyone is happy and gets a participation trophy. This is about winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted January 10 Author Report Share Posted January 10 (edited) Watch for Anthony Leal in this game...Senior, on the road, and if you remember, he had a career high 13 points on 3-4 3 point shooting against them last year in our win at Assembly Hall... But he was a bigger factor helping guard Dix and Sandfort...He's a good matchup for either one... Edited January 10 by IUFLA 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceDouglas Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 On 1/9/2025 at 10:09 AM, HoosierMama said: I didn't realize there is another Sandfort 😭 Between Wisky and Iowa weren't there a bunch of Bohannons too? They need to stop with all of these B1G bros who like to hit a bajillion 3s against IU. At least almost all of the McCaffery's are gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosierfan1901 Posted January 10 Report Share Posted January 10 7 minutes ago, BruceDouglas said: At least almost all of the McCaffery's are gone. Wasn’t there a 3rd brother that decided to go elsewhere? Or am I crazy since he didn’t want to play at Iowa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IUFLA Posted January 10 Author Report Share Posted January 10 3 minutes ago, Hoosierfan1901 said: Wasn’t there a 3rd brother that decided to go elsewhere? Or am I crazy since he didn’t want to play at Iowa. Jack...He signed with Butler...class of 25 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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