Hawk Talk Daily: Random Thoughts

Dec. 16, 2013

• 2013 Game Day Central
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• 24 Hawkeyes to Watch

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Random thoughts on the Sunday morning after a Friday night that featured one heck of a men’s college basketball game…

They don’t get much better than what we enjoyed three nights ago…other than one with the good guys finishing with one more point than the other guys. That was 40 minutes of great college basketball played by two teams whose seasons will include postseason play — perhaps multiple games in the postseason — and rosters of players that include a few that will get a shot to make an NBA roster.

You can read our take on it HERE.

While you reading that, take a moment to open the box score and examine the line for Aaron White. The junior had an unbelievable night. I was also impressed with the game played by Adam Woodbury, Jarrod Uthoff, and Devyn Marble. The other thing that jumps out at me from the box score was — as in the case of the women’s game the night before (see below)- – the home team had quite an edge in attempts from the charity stripe.

You can also enjoy a whole bunch of great photographs HERE.

And you can watch some video HERE

The sting of the loss on Friday night hurts. But Bryce Miller of the Des Moines Register’s “global view” of the men’s basketball event played Friday night is on target: HERE. We have at least two upper-crust NCAA Division I basketball programs in the state this season. Last year, the team that won the Iowa-Iowa State event didn’t advance to the Big Dance. The loser did.

All was not lost Friday. Marc Long’s Iowa women’s swimming and diving team had little trouble dealing their Iowa State peers their fourth straight loss in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series dual in the pool. You can read about that HERE. Speaking of the series, ISU now owns a one-point advantage in the head-to-head competition. You can review the scoring HERE. One note: Historically, the school that wins the football game — Iowa did last September in Ames — has won the overall series.

Lisa’s team also came up short against the Cyclones last week. Bluder’s Bunch was victimized by seven first-half 3-poinetrs and a parade of Cyclones being handed the ball at the charity stripe. It’s hard to overcome a 49-20 edge in free throw attempts. The good gals in black and gold also had two opportunities to get the margin to 10 in the second half, but missed on each. Convert on one of those and at the least it gets a little more interesting.

You can read our take on the game and review some pictures HERE

There’s also some video HERE

I like the way Melsahn Basabe plays the game and I like the way he carries himself off the court, as a student at the UI. The Cedar Rapids Gazette’s Scott Dochterman penned this one a few days before the Hawkeyes’ game at Iowa State: HERE. Enjoy.

Count me among those who will miss “Legends” and “Leaders”: HERE. While I’m a huge fan of the new West Division of the Big Ten Conference — because we get to play all of our border rivals annually — don’t you have to admit that “East” and “West” is a little boring? Accurate? Yes. Interesting? No.

Mark Weisman needs 62 yards to become the 14th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season. Given the way the LSU Tigers play defense, it will be a positive sign in terms of an Iowa victory in the 2014 Outback Bowl if our hard-hitting junior running back reaches that milestone in Tampa. It will be even better still for the Hawkeyes if he registers his fifth 100-yard game of the 2013 season. That would be a sign that Iowa would likely be chewing up clock along with yards.

Here we are a year away from the first four-team playoff, and one of the selection committee members is already talking about expanding the number of participants from four to eight and, maybe, 16: HERE. Proceed with caution because there is a direct relationship between the number of participants in the playoff and the importance of the regular season. Speaking of regular seasons, I agree, the 2013 regular season was a grand one: HERE.

This week, Mike Hlas of the Cedar Rapids Gazette aggregated a series of videos of Les Miles, the head coach of Iowa’s bowl game opponent, the LSU Tigers: HERE.

Speaking of LSU and the 2014 Outback Bowl, you won’t find a more comprehensive collection of exclusive editorial, photography, and video about the Hawkeyes’ 11th bowl game appearance under Kirk Ferentz than what you’ll find on the “Bowl Central” page inside hawkeyesports.com. A quick video with Kevonte Martin-Manley after yesterday’s practice is the latest video addition to the collection. To go there, click HERE.

So the Alamo Bowl will be the last stand for Texas head coach Mack Brown? I have never met him, but from afar I liked the guy. He carried himself the way I think head college football coaches should carry themselves and represent their institution.

College football conferences are measured for their “greatness” by how they perform in big nonconference events and in postseason play when they play games like the Big Ten’s Hawkeyes against the SEC’s Tigers and the Big Ten’s Spartans against the Pac-12’s Cardinal. I like the Big Ten’s chances of having a good bowl season and maybe even a real good bowl season because I think the Big Ten is a little under-appreciated.

Win. Graduate. Do it Right. 49 UI student-athletes were named Academic all-Big Ten last week. The list included a nice chunk of our football squad. You can review the list HERE.

Here’s a link to Accuweather’s forecast for the next few weeks in Tampa: HERE. It will change a little between now and game day. Even with some slight movement, it sure gives you reason to consider an Outback Bowl getaway. If you do, you can purchase your game tickets HERE.

Speaking of tickets, we need a full house for the Iowa-Penn State dual on Saturday night. Purchase your tickets HERE instead of waiting in line the night of this big event.

GH!