It was a thrilling and captivating 29-28 victory for the offense in the Iowa spring game.

Okay, maybe not “thrilling.” …or “captivating.”

Both offenses struggled for the vast majority of the game, and a large portion of that falls on the quarterbacks. Iowa only has two, CJ Beathard and Tyler Wiegers, on scholarship and each looked shaky through large chunks of the contest on a cold, windy Saturday in Kinnick Stadium.

Iowa took a few shots downfield, three of which saw wide open receivers over the top. Two were overthrown to Tevaun Smith, and the other was dropped by converted defensive back Josh Jackson. Each quarterback also accounted for an interception.

“It was very windy, that’s one thing, but you can’t make excuses about that,” said the newly named starting quarterback Beathard. “That’s part of the game. You’re going to play in windy conditions. You just got to get used to it.”

The wind was no excuse for the running game’s issues.

None of the four backs under the scope, senior Jordan Canzeri, junior LeShun Daniels, or sophomores Derrick Mitchell and Akrum Wadley, were able to find much grass throughout much of the contest. Wadley saw the bulk of carries with 13 touches for about 80 yards, but no official statistics were kept.

No touchdowns were scored until sophomore running back Wadley danced into the end zone on a four-yard run with the clock paused at 5:00 in the fourth quarter. At that point, the first-team Hawkeye offense was opposed by the third-string defense, giving a little less legitimacy to the score.

Mitchell did run hard and Wadley showed some moves in their limited opportunities. I expect all four to get significant playing time, with Daniels getting the majority sharehold of touches over the season.

The offense looked completely inept at many times in the game, giving a cause for concern.

“After 15 days our defense might know our offense better than our offense does,” said Ferentz.”

Fortunately for the Iowa offense, the opening game is still several months away. They’ll need it.

            Or maybe the defense is really good

For an intra-squad scrimmage, it’s difficult to gauge whether the game consisted of woeful office or plentiful defense. In this case, let’s focus on the latter.

The defensive line completely shut down the run game, the linebackers were consistently well-placed and wrapped up on their tackles, and no passes were completed over the top.

“Certainly at LB we’re a lot more veteran than we were a year ago. Right now it’s almost flip a coin for who the starters would be,” Ferentz said. “I think right now on the defensive line we’ve got three guys with Jaleel, Nate Bazata and Faith that give us a good core. The secondary is starting to clear itself out again.”

For the second consecutive public scrimmage, senior Nate Fisher intercepted backup quarterback Tyler Wiegers. In a game that is intended for the offense to win judging by the skewed scoring system, the defense took the contest right down to the wire. Hold a questionable call that guy Iowa an “explosive play,” and this may have been an outlandish spring game where the defense wins.

Special Teams are coming along

The punting decision has yet to be made, and Ferentz said that competition will likely run through the summer and up to fall. Currently, Dillon Kidd would be the projected starter, but the finalized job is still certainly up for competition between him, Kornbrath and Koehn.

Koehn, a new entrant into the punting position, connected on all three of his field goal attempts and looks more confident than over the past season. Miguel Recinos connected on his lone attempt, and Mick Ellis missed his – albeit a 50-plus yarder into the wind.

Iowa struggled mightily on special teams last year, giving up huge returns to Nebraska in a stunning comeback loss. While punting in the spring game isn’t an issue for most teams, it’s one for Iowa fans to keep an eye on.

Other Notes

• Iowa may no longer have a quarterback controversy, but now it lacks depth. Only two active scholarship quarterbacks, C.J. Beathard and Tyler Wiegers, are on the roster.
• Beathard made a diving tackle after his interception on a hard collision. The junior said coaches were happy about it. Ferentz made a lot more sense when he said he’d blow a whistle on that play if he had one.
• Saturday’s scrimmage was capped by the new University Children’s Hospital that overlooks Kinnick stadium having the final steel beam placed as fans and players watched.
• Ferentz hopes that starting tight end Jake Duzey will be back to open the season. The redshirt senior is scheduled to have surgery Monday.
• The weather was ugly in Iowa City with a blast of cool air and wind, but rain halted just before game time.
• Junior tight end George Kittle made a slight impression, taking advantage of his opportunity due to injuries. He grabbed a few downfield passes and delivered punishing blows to potential tacklers.
• Tevaun Smith ought to be the Hawkeyes’ biggest downfield receiving threat with Matt VandeBerg owning the Kevonte Martin-Manley role, but Iowa will need someone else to step up.
• The young offensive line should improve with a summer going up against a currently superior defensive front.

The post What we learned from the Iowa Spring Game appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Dynasty” is term loosely tossed around to describe successful teams after championship runs. In most modern sports, the talent pool has proven too deep to have a classic, 20^th-century, dynasty such as the 50s Yankees, 60s Celtics or 90s Cowboys. Those squads dominated and left little question as to which team was the best in their respective eras. While that same scenario may not exist in all major United States sports, we can garner at least a debate.

In this piece we will dive into the top dynasties since the first season post-2000 started of each major sport between the college and professional levels and decide which recent squad has had dominated its respective sport the most. There are rules that will be followed.

1. There will be a qualified team picked out of each individual sport before jumping to a final debate on who is the king of kings.
2. One team must be chosen out of each major sport – college football, men’s/women’s basketball, baseball, wrestling, volleyball, MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL.
3. Seasons that are currently in progress (2014-15 college hoops, NBA, NHL) are not included. For example, Kentucky’s current undefeated record in college hoops cannot be applied to their opportunity to be considered college basketball’s top dynasty on the men’s side.
4. Dynasty is a term used far too often. Are the Seahawks a dynasty because of how great their defense is in the past two years? No, because Seattle struggled through a lot of down seasons beforehand. In this piece, a dynasty will be defined as “Dominating a respective sport, while simultaneously competing for championships to the tune of being the greatest team in the discussed era.”
5. A team must consistently be in championship contention, but in order to be a dynasty in this span – a team must have won at least a single title.
6. I cannot compare teams between sports, as that will happen in the follow up article, where I will rank the selections from each league.

Let the games begin.

NBA

The NBA has always had a lack of parity.  We may no longer be limited to just the Lakers and Celtics, but the situation is still heavily lopsided.

Starting in the 2000-01 season, just three out of 14 Western Conference champions haven’t been named either the Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs. The Dallas Mavericks made two Finals appearances, and the Oklahoma City Thunder briefly showed up before being ousted in five by the LeBron James-led Miami Heat.

The Eastern Conference has been more diverse, but less successful. Seven teams (Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Detroit, Miami, Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando) have won the conference, but just three (Detroit, Miami, Boston) have managed to end the postseason with a victory.

The Heat have an impressive five title appearances and three championships to make a case for a potential top-NBA dynasty in the last 14 seasons. However, they fall well short of the Western Conference rivals from California and Texas.

The Spurs have a cumulative regular season record of 804-328 (.710), a postseason tally of 129-80 (.617), and four championships in five appearances since 2000. Their worst record in that span is 50-32 in 2009, and yet they still made it to the Western Conference Semifinals. Gregg Popovich has led this team to being easily the most consistent of all NBA squads in this era.

Los Angeles, albeit currently in its lowest moment in franchise history, also has an argument to be the representative for professional hoops. While their 690-442 (.610) overall regular season mark is well below San Antonio’s, their post season record of 108-66 trumps the Spurs. In six Finals appearances, the Lakers have taken home four titles – equal to the Spurs. If the 1999-2000 season and the first third of the Shaq-Kobe three-peat were included, my final decision may not have been…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs, led by a long-time coach and familiar players, have (somehow quietly) been one of the most consistent teams in all of American athletics. Their YMCA-style of play may not captivate casual audiences with oohs and awes, but their record says all that is needed. The Lakers have missed the playoffs as many times (two) as the Spurs have missed the second round. The ability to avoid down years is what makes the difference. San Antonio and Los Angeles have the same highs, but the Spurs have yet to hit a low this century.

Honorable mention: Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat

NFL

Baltimore, New England, Pittsburgh and the New York Giants have all won multiple titles since Super Bowl XXXV, thus obviously deserving of recognition in this analysis. Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, New Orleans, Green Bay and Seattle will also be included as to compare all Super Bowl victors.

Looking based simply off of this, the answer is penciled in. Let’s engrave it in stone with this next chart. I gave every team a point total for each category – the top team receiving nine points and the bottom receiving one – (regular season win percentage, total postseason wins, postseason win percentage, division titles and Super Bowls). The point total depended on where a team finished in each respective section.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: New England Patriots. New England swept the board in each measurable category. It’s hard to tell if they’re farther ahead of the pack than Tampa Bay is behind. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have created a dynasty and are two absurd catches from having six Super Bowls in this span, including the Brady-Randy Moss 2007 combination that was the best team in NFL history to not win it all.

NHL

The NHL has experienced more parity than its professional counterparts this century. Ten teams have won a Stanley Cup in the last 13 occurrences (plus the 2005 lockout season). The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche have all taken home one championship, while the Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings all have a pair of titles. To avoid confusion in the following chart, the NHL did away with ties during this span and therefore the records will be Win-Loss-Overtime Losses-Ties.

  We have seven categories (Stanley Cups, playoff appearances, playoff series victories, postseason wins, postseason win percentage and regular season win percentage and points). The best team in each category will receive 10 points and the worst will pick up just one. In order to put a stronger emphasis on advancing in the postseason, playoff series victories will count as a point for each accumulated. This should counteract disciplining teams for advancing on to tougher rounds just to be swept.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Detroit Red Wings. Outside of postseason win percentage, Detroit swept the board since 2000. Its 17 postseason series victories is even more impressive when factoring in the lockout season and the fact that no other franchise has more than a dozen. Despite parity among Stanley Cup victors, Detroit has easily been the most consistently dominant in all of professional hockey. Not much of an argument can be made for any other squad from this chart, and therefore none are honorable mention worthy.

Men’s college basketball:

After a relatively easy start, we reach what might be the most complicated of all sports we list. College basketball is about as random as they come (see odds of making a perfect bracket). Of course, Kentucky seems like an obvious choice after winning a national title in 2013-14 and going undefeated so far in 2014-15 (void). Don’t let fresh tastes discount distant memories.

Recent impressions can’t influence this decision, but the Wildcats have enough beyond that to make a pretty decisive statement. A 369-124 overall record is tough to argue with. What’s even harder? Twelve NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Sweet Sixteens, three Final Fours and a 1-1 record in the championship. Take away the two seasons Billy Gillispie coached Kentucky to a 40-27 overall record with zero NCAA Tournament victories and an NIT berth, and the Wildcats may blow the competition out of the water.

One team has been so remarkably consistent in its conference that it’s impossible to leave off this list: The Kansas Jayhawks.

After transitioning from a Hall of Fame coach, Kansas found a fate much simpler than Kentucky. Bill Self took over Roy Williams’ squad and didn’t miss a beat.

Williams’ last three seasons resulted in a 42-6 conference record that was overshadowed by a Sweet Sixteen, Final Four and a championship appearance. Since? Self has given the Jayhawks a 325-69 mark with a 151-31 stretch in the Big 12.

Self’s initial tournament resume left much to be desired with two first round exits sandwiched between a pair of Elite Eight showings. That turned around quickly with Kansas’ lone national title during this span in 2008.

Kansas boasts similar marks to Kentucky, with one extra championship loss thrown in, and its down years were first round exits over being completely left out.

So how about ex-Jayhawk coach Williams’ new squad – North Carolina? The Tar Heels have two national titles and another Final Four on their record and they may not even be the best dynasty in their own state.

Recent 1,000 game winner Mike Kryzewski’s Duke Blue Devils are.

Duke has a pair of national titles, has appeared in the tournament in each covered year, and has lost in their opening matchup just three times. Their conference dominance may not be as high as a team such as Kansas, but the competition is relatively stellar each season.

The Blue Devils hold an absurd 412-87 (.826) record in this span. So it has to be them, right?111

Let’s head over to Big Ten country where Tom Izzo is standing by for a quick lecture on postseason play. Michigan State, although missing its 1999-2000 national championship by just one season, has made nine Sweet Sixteens, five Elite Eights, four Final Fours, and has won one title. They haven’t missed the tournament a single time, and have been eliminated before the Round of 32 just four times.

What about UConn’s three title runs? Florida’s star-studded squads? Kentucky’s heated-rival Louisville? We need a way to rank these teams accordingly as to put all bias aside and assign an overall score. Postseason play in college basketball has always taken precedence over any other measurement of success. Here is the scoring chart to decide the top NCAA Tournament team since 2001’s tournament when solely considering those whom have a title to their name in this span:

Round of 64 loss: 0 points
Round of 32 loss: 1 point
Sweet 16 loss: 2 points
Elite Eight loss: 4 points
Final Four Loss: 8 points
Championship loss: 12 points
Championship: 16 points

NCAA Tournament champions results since 2000-01 March Madness: Kansas 68, UConn 67, Duke 59, North Carolina 56, Florida 55, Kentucky 55, Michigan State 51, Louisville 44, Syracuse 37, Maryland 30.

Shockingly, outside of its three titles runs, UConn only scored 19 points on this scale. The Huskies fell just a point shy of claiming this all important statistic in pushing forward to choosing men’s college hoops’ most dominant dynasty of the 21^st century. Despite just one title, consistency overcame roller coaster levels of postseason success and your winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Kansas Jayhawks. Not only has Kansas (almost surprisingly) performed as the top overall team in March Madness, but it also has the most eye-popping accomplishment. I’m going to type this out to make it even more drastic: Kansas has won at least a share of (ahem) back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back to back regular season Big 12 championships. That’s 10. Read that out loud and you’re likely to need to catch your breath. This isn’t Kansas playing in the Summit League or intramural athletics – this is a major conference with a tough road to the top every season. Ten?! In a row? And just for the record, it’s also 12 of 13, but who’s counting? The Huskies have a legitimate argument when it comes to this discussion due to three incredible runs to the championship, but Kansas has been a more consistently feared team. Welcome to a new postseason tournament, Jayhawks. Let’s see who else is joining you.

Honorable mention: Duke, UConn

Women’s College Basketball

I went from one of the more difficult sports to choose to what might be the easiest. UConn women’s hoops is out of this world. Seven championships since the turn of the century. Average margin of victory in those title-winning contests? 15.4 points. That’s 15 points better than the second best team in the country. Talk about a talent gap. I can’t put into words how unbelievably incredible the Huskies’ overall record has been, so I’ll leave two simple numbers on its own.

486-38.

That’s a .927 winning percentage.

I could play myself in checkers and not win 93 percent of the time.

Connecticut has missed out on the Sweet Sixteen in this span only…well, they haven’t. And just once were they limited to that. On top of the Sweet Sixteen and seven titles, the Huskies have made two Elite Eight appearances along with four Final Fours. Therefore, your clear cut winner without any hesitation is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Connecticut Huskies.

College Wrestling

If the 70s, 80s and 90s were included, this wouldn’t even be a competition. The Iowa Hawkeyes took home 20 titles from 1975-2000. Despite those all being out of the picture, Iowa is still in contention for the 21^st century title post-Dan Gable. The Hawkeyes have three titles to their name, which comes shy of Penn State and Oklahoma State, who put together four each. With the overall team title competition so close, our answer comes from individual championships. The Nittany Lions have nine, Hawkeyes 13 and Cowboys 18.

Oklahoma State’s 2005 season was the best of the era, fielding five individual champions in 10 weight classes, and scoring 153 points – best since the 1997 Hawkeyes scored 170. Therefore the winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Cowboys are tied for the lead in titles, have the best overall team of the era and can claim having the most individual titles. They may be fortunate to wrestle outside the Big Ten, but national titles don’t lie.

Honorable Mention: Iowa Hawkeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions

MLB

Four teams have won multiple titles since 2000 – the Red Sox (three), Giants (three), Yankees (two) and Cardinals (two) – to give a clear starting point when trying to declare the top 21^st century dynasty of professional baseball.

It’s clearly visible that this is a dead heat. You know the drill. In order to decide, I assigned a point total to each stat category. The top finisher in each category – World Series victories, division titles, regular season winning percentage, playoff appearances, total playoff wins and postseason playoff winning percentage – receives four points, followed by three for second place and so on. I also gave teams an extra point for each playoff series they won. The final tally came out as followed:

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: St. Louis Cardinals. Any fan of one the final four teams can state a statistic on how their team deserved to be the one represented. New York dominated the AL East. Boston and San Francisco won a third World Series and were more efficient in the postseason when they did make it. None of that jumped out the way this did:

The Cardinals took the cake with 16 postseason series victories.

That’s out of this world consistent. The Yankees came close, carried by consistently owning the division crown, whereas the two teams that take advantage of playoff appearances the most, Boston and San Francisco, found themselves looking up.

Honorable Mention: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants

College Volleyball

Some of these don’t take much time. Penn State has six championships, including two 38-0 seasons. USC, Stanford, Nebraska, Texas and UCLA have had strong programs, but none have approached the dominance by the Nittany Lions. Let’s just get to the point. Without a hint of doubt, your winner is…

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Penn State Nittany Lions.

College Baseball

Unlike most of the other sports in the discussion, the full 2000 season is included since it began post-millennium. Texas, South Carolina and Oregon State all have a pair of titles, with nobody else claiming more than one. Naturally, only those three are in consideration. However, the Beavers have only made four CWS appearances compared to six for South Carolina and eight for Texas. Typically that would lead one to believe that the answer is obviously the Longhorns.

Take a look at overall winning percentage: Texas is 661-294 (.664) in this millennium, lagging considerably behind the Gamecocks at 713-289 (.712). So what do we value? Winning more regular season games against what is typically stronger competition, or taking overall postseason play? The latter carries more weight. Here is how each team fared in NCAA Tournament play with its overall statistics tallied at the bottom.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: Texas Longhorns. In what ended up being the closest contest of any sport so far, Texas prevailed because of one statistic: CWS appearances. South Carolina may hold a relatively significant advantage in regular season record and have a slim lead in postseason record, but they couldn’t get the job done in enough Super Regionals. One could argue that Texas’ lows were below South Carolina’s, but they consistently made the trip to Omaha and that familiarity with getting to the final eight put them over the edge.

College Football

Alabama, Ohio State, LSU, and Florida all have multiple FBS championships to their names, while Appalachian State and North Dakota State have dominated the FCS level well enough to be included in the discussion. USC vacated one of its two national championships and will not be considered. As we’ve come to find out, tables can be really useful when measuring statistics of multiple teams. Unfortunately, college football has more variables than most so let’s compare like it is 2000 (and we’re using WordPad).

Alabama: The Crimson Tide are the only team in this span with three FBS national title victories. Their overall record takes a hit because of 21 vacated wins, but stands at 116-57, including a 6-5 bowl mark – which is also hindered by one vacated victory and two seasons in which ‘Bama was ineligible for the postseason. They have garnered three SEC titles and five SEC West crowns – most of which have come under Nick Saban. The pre-Saban era was somewhat dark for Alabama, which had a (now shocking) 3-8 season in 2000. The loss of 21 victories could really come back to bite the team that is likely the first one on everybody’s college football power shortlist.

Florida: Florida boasts two national titles (thanks, Tebow) complemented by a 137-56 overall record. If Alabama had kept its wins, Florida would be one game ahead in the loss column and tied with the Tide for overall victories. In bowl play, Florida has a lackadaisical 7-6 mark. They have picked up three SEC Titles and have headed the SEC East four times.

LSU: Consistency in a more than tough conference is what could separate LSU from the group. Like every team on this list besides Alabama, the Tigers have a pair of national championships. Their overall record of 151-45 is only topped by Ohio State. They’ve won nine bowl games compared to six losses and have not missed out on the postseason. They’ve picked up four conference titles and five SEC West titles along the way to top both Florida and Alabama in those areas.

Ohio State: Surprised to see a Big Ten team here? You shouldn’t be. Despite a negative stigma built around the conference in recent years, Ohio State has been among the most dominant teams lately. The Buckeyes’ 157-36 overall record is hard to argue with. An 8-7 bowl record with a few postseason embarrassments could be improved on. What really couldn’t be is a sensational seven conference titles – which reasonably would be eight if not for a postseason ban on a 12-0 squad in 2012. The Buckeyes may not have the numbers to claim best of this century now, but with Urban Meyer pulling the strings, it might not be too long until they do.

North Dakota State: If we were only talking about the last four years, the Bison would breeze through the competition. Their 63-3 record with four national titles is, well, absurd. Before that? North Dakota State swiftly comes back to Earth with a more reasonable, but still strong, 74-40 mark. Did you already do the math? That’s an overall record of 137-43

…and I should probably mention they have a 20-2 postseason record.

20 wins. Two losses.

The Bison made the move from Division II to FCS in this time period and were ineligible for postseason play in multiple 10-1 seasons, otherwise they very well could have added to that title total. Which, quite frankly, is a little scary. One thing that isn’t as scary is this game. And this one in the same season. Sometimes you find things while researching that you wish you never did. Those qualify.

Appalachian State: While the Bison were fiddling around with moving up from Division II, another squad was busy winning national championships and knocking off the winningest-program in FBS history. That was the Mountaineers of Appalachian State. Their record of 131-52 is a modest amount below North Dakota State’s. It isn’t the regular season that separates these two FCS programs. The Mountaineers postseason mark, despite a three-peat from 2005-2007, is 19-8, considerably worse than the Bison’s…let me say it again…20-2.

Top Dynasty of the 21^st century: North Dakota State Bison. I get it. Strength of schedule for the Bison isn’t anywhere near what Ohio State, let alone Alabama, Florida and LSU, face on a week-to-week basis. Their national titles are much less publicized and viewed. They don’t have NFL prospects filling up the first round. They weren’t even in the FCS for part of this era. There are a lot of reasons not to pick them.

Go ahead, write an article on why LSU’s consistency in the SEC makes them the best dynasty of this century, or why Alabama’s three titles set it apart, or how Ohio State’s conference dominance make them the frontrunner. They all have strong cases to disprove my choice.

To me, these issues have to be made relative, not directly compared. Of course North Dakota State doesn’t have to play the LSU defense, the Tim Tebow offense or Nick Saban’s game plan on an annual basis, but they ought to be held to the standards of their competition, not of a league above them. North Dakota State has simply dominated about as much as a modern college football team can in this span. 137-43 in the regular season? Incredible – just as incredible as the others on this list, especially considering transition seasons. That doesn’t set them apart.

A .909 winning percentage in the postseason will. When the Bison play the best competition, they don’t just compete – they absolutely own everyone. Alabama doesn’t. Florida doesn’t. LSU and Ohio State don’t. They’re all tremendous teams, but have not set themselves apart at any part this century the way the Bison have.

Conclusion

The aforementioned follow-up article will now include the St. Louis Cardinals, San Antonio Spurs, New England Patriots, Detroit Red Wings, Kansas Jayhawks men’s hoops, UConn Huskies women’s basketball, Oklahoma State wrestling, Penn State volleyball, Texas baseball and North Dakota State football. Those ten dominant teams will be ranked to determine an ultimate “dynasty of the 21^st century.”

Be sure to check out Night Stuff on KRUI at the stroke of midnight Wednesday mornings as we discuss topics such as this, other sporting news and a few outrageous topics mixed in with a phone always ready to hear your takes. Did you like the article or happen to disagree with some of the choices? Tweet @TheMainStevent or @KRUISports to share your opinion.

The post The 21st Century’s Best Dynasty appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (21-10, 12-6) took care of business in front of a capacity crowd with a 69-52 final tally over visiting Northwestern to extend its Big Ten win streak to six.

The Wildcats (15-16, 6-12) were overwhelmed by a flurry of high-energy plays by the Hawkeyes. Aaron White finished with 25 points, including five alley-oop jams, and eight boards, in his final game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena that went just as scripted.

White, alongside fellow seniors Gabriel Olaseni, Josh Oglesby and Kyle Denning hugged at center court after a Fran McCaffery timeout with just under 30 seconds remaining. They were then greeted individually by each underclassman, before embracing their energetic head coach, all before 15,400 fans on their feet in approval.

“It was emotional walking off for the last time, hugging coach – who has meant so much to me,” White said. “It got to me. It was special, amazing. It was truly amazing.”

White scored the first eight points for the Hawkeyes, and has been playing the best basketball of his career at the most ideal time, averaging 24 points, nine rebounds and shooting 55 percent from long range over the past four games. According to McCaffery, despite skyrocketing numbers, nothing has changed about his demeanor.

“Let me say this,” McCaffery stated after denying a shift in White’s mindset. “Maybe the worst game of his career was when we played Northwestern last time. I think that determination, ‘I’m not going to play like that again.’”

Iowa led from opening tip to final horn, starting the game on a 17-7 run. Beyond Northwestern cutting the deficit to just two momentarily deep into the first half, the pressure never seemed to be on. Iowa doubled a six-point halftime lead within three minutes following the break.

Jarrod Uthoff and Adam Woodbury were the other two double-digit scorers for Iowa, finishing with 16 and 13 respectively. Uthoff filled the stat sheet by adding eight rebounds to complement three steals and a pair of blocks, but Iowa’s offensive rebounding as a team stole the show.

The Hawkeyes outrebounded Northwestern 14-1 on the offensive glass, and forced 15 turnovers compared to just six, impressing Northwestern head coach Chris Collins.

“They’re playing as good as anybody in our conference right now, and that’s a credit to the leadership of their coaching staff and also their older players, and the way they’ve led that team,” Collins said, “You can tell they’ve turned it up a notch and they’re ready to make a run.”

The late stretch run by Iowa is the polar opposite of a year ago. The Hawkeyes carry a six game winning streak into the Big Ten Tournament, and still have an opportunity to earn the coveted double bye with a loss by either Purdue or Wisconsin.

Iowa lost seven of its final eight games in 2013-14, including an upset by Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament, and a play-in game exit in the NCAA Tournament. Following consecutive conference losses to Minnesota and Northwestern this season, the Hawks wanted to ensure that didn’t happen again.

“We don’t want what happened last year to happen again,” junior Mike Gesell said. “We really got together and talked to make sure it doesn’t.”

Seniors Oglesby and Olaseni struggled offensively, but it still made for a meaningful night.

“It was a nice touch.” Olaseni said in reference to getting his first career start on senior night. “Coach didn’t have to do that.”

Olaseni’s family, from Britain, were in attendance to see him play his final home game as a Hawkeye, but weren’t there to see his reaction when McCaffery initially gave him the news.

“When I told the guys in practice that I was going to do this,” McCaffery said. “The first thing Gave did was go give Woody a hug. That’s something special about our team.”

The Hawkeyes await the conclusion of the Big Ten regular season to decide their conference postseason fate, but can do no worse than a five seed. When the senior class first arrived, Iowa was far from such fortune. In the three seasons prior to this class playing its first game, the Hawkeyes had won a total of 13 conference games – just one more than this season alone.

“[Oglesby] wanted to be a part of the resurgence. Whitey just wanted a chance to play. He believed in himself. Josh believed in himself,” McCaffery said. “Doesn’t matter what happened before I got here. We’re going to change that. We’re going to have the confidence and belief in ourselves. Gabe is the same way. Now you have guys that say ‘together we can get this thing done.’ I think that’s the greatest feeling as a coach.”

The Hawkeyes, in their final curtain call, certainly have changed the feeling in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Game notes: Iowa honored all four seniors before the game with a framed jersey and standing ovations. Roy Marble Sr., Iowa’s leading scorer who is suffering from stage four cancer, was honored at halftime. His jersey was not retired. With a Purdue or Ohio State loss, Iowa will be the four seed and receive a double-bye in the Big Ten Tournament. The six game Big Ten win streak is the first for Iowa since the 1986-87 season. Fran McCaffery picked up his first technical foul of the season after a foul was called on Mike Gesell.

The post Hawkeyes Victorious in Emotional Season Finalé appeared first on KRUI Radio.

As we are all unfortunately aware, one of Iowa’s greatest and most recognizable athletes in any sport is currently battling stage four cancer. We all hope for the best, but as is often the case, life can grievously be too short.

With tragic news comes incredible opportunity. Let’s create a moment – a happy ending to a sad plot. Before the inevitable happens, we can give generations of audiences, an assortment of a surrounding cast, and the two main characters a moment none will forget.

Here’s the script:

Roy Devyn Marble unveils his father’s jersey hanging high in the rafters, before pulling his dad in for a long embrace in front of a cheerful, applauding crowd, sending one last thank you to one of a program’s greatest.

Tears will be shed, by both Marbles and adoring fans, as all realize the past struggle that still haunts.

Stories will be exchanged from generation to generation about their favorite moments from each Marble, as no players in Hawkeye history have impacted such a vast age gap. Parents will insist Marble Sr. is the best – children will refute.

Goodbyes will be whispered, as this could be the last time Iowa City will salute its top player.

What the Marble name has meant to Iowa’s basketball program can’t be understated. The elder Marble led the Hawkeyes to a 30-win season, an Elite Eight and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, cementing his legacy with records scattered throughout the books.

The second stayed true to his commitment in order to give life to a program desperate for revival.

The reasons to keep the Marble name off a hovering jersey are clear. The issues in his past are tough to swallow, numerous in quantity and reveal a set of flaws that a program may not want to be associated with.

But this isn’t Pierre Pierce. By all indications this isn’t a bad man. Marble never hurt anyone but himself. His issues are publicly known, but a private problem.

Having bad associated with the Hawkeyes is something to avoid. Having troubled isn’t.

Despite those troubles, he never abandoned his Hawkeyes, just as the Hawkeye fan base has remained faithful to him. Autograph sessions are the norm whenever an appearance is made, and Marble has never seemed shy about expressing his love for the university.

Iowa can’t wait too long to show the love in return. Nothing in this situation would be more hurtful than having to hear Devyn Marble represent his father years down the road and be forced to say “I wish my dad could be here.”

We have the opportunity to avoid that forlorn line.

Let’s give Marble the stage one more time to tell us how much we meant to him and his family, to say how Iowa is his adopted home state, and how he will always be a Hawkeye. Then, right before he takes his final bow, we throw vocal flowers onto to the stage to show him how much more he has meant to us.

And then the credits roll.

The script is written, actors chosen and now the audience is waiting for this Hollywood moment to premiere.

Iowa just needs to produce it.

The post Roy Marble Sr. Needs a Hollywood Moment appeared first on KRUI Radio.

One side is positive, underwhelmed, but not disappointed, and is critical of those who are critical of the program. The other side is unhappy, clamoring for jobs to be lost and embarrassed at what the program is slowly becoming. It’s not hard to decipher which is which, as the Hawkeye faithful seem content with a little above average results, while the Huskers are furious as their national relevance dwindles. But, which side has the correct mindset?

It’s not Iowa.

Following the Iowa loss to Wisconsin, Hawkeye fans were acceptant and satisfied with the effort put forth by their student-athletes. They played their tails off and nearly pulled off an incredible upset that could potentially put them into a position to reach the Big Ten Title Game. Had a two-point conversion been turned late, or Wisconsin not converted a few third-and-longs, they may have actually pulled it off.

But, they didn’t. They didn’t win, they didn’t get a shot at the Big Ten Title, and they didn’t make the Nebraska game worth anything to a national audience and judging by the pregame ticket prices ($70 face value tickets selling for $5), even local audiences. But, Hawkeye fans are still content.

“It could have been worse.” “At least it was a good game.” “I’m just happy we didn’t get blown out.”

These are the commonly heard quotes as we take what should be a shameful walk out of Kinnick Stadium.

Why?

Why is Iowa content with paying a coach a top ten salary to not even be ranked? Why is losing to a Wisconsin team that doesn’t have any superior recruiting, coaching, or financial advantage over Iowa considered a moral victory? And why are eight win seasons considered successful after sustaining greater success just a half decade ago? None of it should be.

There’s a simple phrase that puts this into perspective: “Expect better, be better.” Iowa isn’t expecting anything more than what is being put out on the field. There’s no pressure on the coaching staff to play the younger, more talented player over the experienced seniors, or change a scheme that isn’t working. Without pressure, there will be no improved product. Nobody with power has any reason to change anything.

Do you know what that does? It’s like eating the same meal every day. That food is going to taste stale. That’s what the Iowa program is right now: stale.

The crowd has groaned more than it has cheered in the last four seasons. Kinnick Stadium isn’t intimidating because it’s hard for a fan base to have a sense of identity when its team doesn’t. The play calling isn’t only predictable to opposing defensive coordinators, it’s predictable to intoxicated students in the crowd. Many can be heard throughout the game saying “Weismann off tackle to the left.” Correct. “Weismann middle.” Correct again. “Play-action pass to the tight end.” Three for three.

These fans, while not only lacking full brain function after tailgating, also don’t have access to game-film, haven’t looked at all of Iowa’s numbers and can’t give you a full scouting report on either team. But they still know what Iowa is going to call. Imagine a guy who is being paid to review every second of Iowa’s offensive schemes. There’s no way he doesn’t have a hunch at what play is going to be run every single time.

The stubbornness of the Iowa football program is astounding, and it’s going to lead to a collapse sooner rather than later. Why? Because Iowa is stuck in neutral and the competition is only going to get better.

Iowa’s best victory in 2014 was on the road in Illinois. Let that sink in for a moment. The 7-5 squad we witnessed this year was not better than the 4-8 squad seen two years ago, and most certainly was a step back from the 8-5 team last season.

So how does Iowa solve this? Do they blow up the entire program, dismiss Ferentz and cover the costs? It wouldn’t be as pricey as expected, but wouldn’t be the correct route, either.

Iowa’s longevity of coaches can be one of its strongest recruiting tools. There have been two (Fry, Ferentz) in the last 35 years. However, coordinators are in a different realm.

This offense isn’t working under Greg Davis. We grew tired of Ken O’Keefe, but his methods were more effective. Davis refuses to see faults in his plan and adjust, as shown by Weismann making outside runs in the last game of his third season. If it hadn’t worked before Nebraska of 2014, it wasn’t going to work then. Davis is only part of the issue, though, the rest lies in what one word could describe what Iowa football is. No, it’s not tough, intimidating, grueling, old-school, or hard-nosed like Iowa wants to be called.

It’s “boring.”

Iowa needs to fix “boring.” If the fans are bored watching the action, can it be much more fun for the players? Or for the players we want to play here in the future?

Take a look at the preseason poster following Iowa’s Orange Bowl run: Marvin McNutt, Ricky Stanzi, Adrian Clayborn, Tyler Sash –those were good times with players fans could get behind. Iowa had a nationally recognized team with nationally notable players. And now? You can make a case for Scherff as a near-lock for a first-round pick, but not much beyond that, and how exciting is a left tackle?

We could fix boring by hiring an offensive coordinator who runs a spread offense and can put points on the board. But I’m having a hard time finding something more ludicrous and unexpected to happen. Iowa, and most of the Big Ten for that matter, is built to run the ball to set up the pass behind a strong offensive line – all held up by a stingy defense. Let’s not mess with the big picture. Let’s just tinker with the little things.

Like what?

Recruiting, for one. Looking at the top 100 players coming out of high school, teams like Nebraska and even Illinois have at least offered them scholarships in hopes of landing the big fish. Iowa can’t be found. Our neighbors on either side have least a stake in these athletes – whether they get denied or not. There’s a chance. That’s more than Iowa has.

Iowa is the boy at the middle school homecoming dance, scared to ask any of the 15 girls standing around to dance with them – despite knowing at least one of them will consider it. You can’t dance with the girl you don’t ask, and you can’t catch a fish when you don’t cast out. How many more metaphors does it take? Top recruits get a fan base excited, and that’s what Iowa needs.

Iowa needs its fans to brag about their school and to have something positive to talk about. Recruiting is one option, but there’s plenty more.

How about once a year Iowa creates an alternate uniform using the stellar combination of black and gold we have at our disposal, along with Nike? That’s a start. Give the players something “fun” and “cool.” The Steelers-themed jerseys are neat, but let’s catch up with the rest of the country. Let’s get “hip.” Hip gets retweets on Twitter, not only in Iowa, but high schoolers in Texas, Florida, California, etc. “Look at Iowa’s jerseys, those are awesome!” That’s the makeover Iowa needs.

Next, the Hawkeyes need to coordinate its fans better. The card stunt is pretty cool when it works, but as mentioned in my previous article, it wasn’t successful this year. Timeliness of cheers isn’t successful either. Kinnick Stadium simply isn’t loud enough, packed enough or intimidating enough to make home games a real advantage for Iowa. Take a look at the atmosphere against Michigan in 2009. Wisconsin was electric, but not throughout the entire game, rather just the second half. One solution for this? Scheduling a marquee game against a prime opponent every year. Sorry, Northern Iowa.

If Iowa scheduled Oklahoma, Akron, Iowa State and Pittsburgh on a regular basis, not only would it spread recruiting to different parts of the country, it would make the Akron game squeezed between two interesting contests look much better than it really is. The game doesn’t have to be Oklahoma (although there is an obvious Stoops vs. Alma-mater tie). It should be a top-four team in a Big Five conference at the very least. Give the country, or at the very least give the state of Iowa, a reason to watch.

Having both Northern Iowa and Ball State on the schedule makes the team look weak come season’s end with such a terrible strength of schedule, as well as putting Iowa in an all-risk, no reward scenario. In an era where a victory of Ball State is so much less than guaranteed, wouldn’t you rather run that risk against a nationally-respected opponent? In 2016 Iowa plays North Dakota State – the FBS killer from the FCS. Two years away and I’m already taking the Bison.

Next up on the agenda: paint the water tower. Between the unenclosed corner of the end zone sits the giant, plain white water tower. Where’s the tiger hawk? The “Go Hawks?” Heck, where’s the black and gold color scheme at the very least? This may not seem like a big deal – but, it’s the little things that can change a program. They add up. Fans, players and recruits love wide-spread school spirit. Start there.

Now, we get to the actual on the field issues. Iowa doesn’t need to get a Bible-sized playbook – I’m just asking for a page two. Mix up the throws a little bit. Having an Alex Smith-style offense is all right, but hey, sometimes we like to see a dose of Brett Favre. Iowa has recruited speed receivers that can make plays – they just don’t have the capability to use them with a relatively weak arm in Jake Rudock. And here is where we transition to beating the dead horse that is the quarterback controversy that never really should have been.

Heading out of camp in 2013, it seemed as if the race for quarterback was neck and neck. That means one thing: Beathard and Rudock were really, really close. Close enough where Ferentz was uninterested in giving the nod to either until spring practice. Iowa fans are typically big Hayden Fry supporters, so this is where they should ask “What would Fry do?”

Play the younger guy. You should always, always, ALWAYS – I don’t know how to stress it anymore over text – play the younger guy if the talent is truly tied. Would you rather have a senior play one year or a freshman play four? Coaches are here to coach, and if that means hurting feelings, so be it. I’m not going to say Beathard is better than Rudock, I’m just saying if it really was that close, Rudock shouldn’t have ever started. Or Vandenberg in the last half of 2012 if we want to dive that far back. If another school had a Vandenberg-like quarterback running the show, they wouldn’t last four games, let alone a whole season. Especially a school like Nebraska.

I mentioned Nebraska to open up this article. Not only as our last loss, but as a reasonable piece to compare to in the “averageness” of a program. Nebraska and Iowa both currently consider themselves “average,” and they very much are as shown by this somewhat obscene, but still accurate article by Deadspin.

Many thought Bo Pelini saved his job after the comeback victory against Iowa, but as we learned Sunday that’s not the case. Nebraska was guaranteed at least nine wins every season as long as Pelini was head coach. To them that isn’t enough. They expect more – especially since the championships in the nineties that created a dynasty. Nebraska has been there, Iowa hasn’t, which causes some of the disparity in overall expectations for each respective program.

A disparity that really shouldn’t exist to the extent that it does.

Looking at the last decade since the beginning of the 2004 season, here are the two teams’ total records:

Team one: 93-49, 4-4 in bowl games, zero BCS appearances, zero conference championships.

Team two: 84-55, 4-4 in bowl games, 1-0 in BCS games, one split conference championship.

If you are a fan of either team, it isn’t difficult to tell which team is which. One is Nebraska, two is Iowa. Nebraska has a slim lead in the overall record, but Iowa has the major bowl victory and split conference championship to boast.

So, we’ve established that these two programs are relatively equal over the last decade. Why is it that Nebraska fans are so astoundingly bent over backwards about the state of the program, while Iowa sips on a cup of tea and shrugs its shoulders? Because Nebraska knows better.

Nebraska knows that if they want more, they will eventually get more. It backfired in the case of Bill Callahan, who replaced Frank Solich after a nine-win season. Pelini turned the program around quickly, but has hit the same wall Solich did. Nebraska is doing what it can to break the wall. Iowa is buying the wall dinner.

Nebraska is correct in its frustration of consistent nine-win seasons in some regards. Their program is getting stale in the same way Iowa’s is – it just looks a little nicer.

Iowa is getting seven and eight win seasons with a four-five win and a 10-11 win season mixed in, losing to teams they shouldn’t and keeping games close they have no business being in. Nebraska is dismantling inferior opponents and being torn to shreds by the likes of Wisconsin and Ohio State with a loss to Minnesota or Northwestern sprinkled in. Every. Single. Year. Nebraskans can say the same thing Iowans do: “It gets old.”

And it really has gotten old for both squads. They both found coaches who took them to a “good, but not great” situation. Ferentz took a distraught program and turned it into a conference contender, back into an average squad, a conference contender again, and now to its lowest point since the beginning of this millennium. Does this roller coaster go back up or is it coming to a stop?

Pelini boarded the ride, took it up from rubble, and is now riding in a straight line. Riders were continuously waiting for the promised thrill, but the ride never delivered. How long could they cling to the promise before boarding another? That question was answered Sunday. One simple reason they continued down this path is while they annually fell on their face in big opportunities, they continually had the chances to begin with. Would you rather have your heart ripped out or to never have a heart at all?

Let’s be honest. Which program is closer to a conference title and a playoff berth? If you say Iowa, you’re lying to yourself. Nebraska is the one with its hearts ripped out every season because they always have a chance. Iowa doesn’t because it’s consistently middle-of-the-road. Give Iowa its in-state-rival Iowa State’s schedule, and they’re not making a bowl game. Give Nebraska that same schedule? Throw your money down on 9-3 with losses to Baylor, TCU and Kansas State.

Compare athletic directors and decide what direction each team is heading. Gary Barta, you’re up:

“It was a week ago we were in contention for the Big Ten championship…[on bowl games] I think San Francisco would be terrific. I think San Diego would be terrific. Going out West, we haven’t gone out West for a bowl for a while, I think that has a lot of merit. If it did end up being Nashville, it is drivable for our fans. We’ll see.”

            Being in the conference championship race at one point is on his list of positives. Iowa didn’t affect the conference championship any more than Indiana, Illinois or Rutgers did. The Hawkeyes beat nobody in contention. Going out West for a mediocre December bowl has no long-term merit. Outside of the players – who is going to remember it? The Orange Bowl year sticks out for a reason – the Hawkeyes won a game that mattered.

How does Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst summarize his program? Here is a brief summary of his full statement about the firing of Pelini:

“As I just said, there are standards and expectations at Nebraska that are high both on and off the field. And although we did win a bunch of games, we didn’t win the games that mattered the most. I think we gave Coach ample time, ample resources and ample support to get that done. Now we are headed in a different direction…We want to do things the right way. At the end of the day, our coaches understand that pursuing championships is what we do, and being competitive in those games that matter is important.”

Where are these expectations? Why is Iowa setting the bar so low, but a team with so many similarities including location, conference, and recent prestige looking so much higher? What will it take for the fan base to be as loud as those west of the Missouri River about their displeasure with where the program is at after 16 years of the same head coach? Iowa is settling for the same adventure on level one every season. Nebraska wants to go to new heights; to see what level two has available.

As this story goes, Iowa is 7-5, going to play a middle-of-the-pack SEC squad in the bowl game, lose by a few points, say “I can’t be mad, we really played them close,” and do it all again next year. Nebraska could head either direction – either hire a coach who can’t get the job done, fall to below average and hire another, or become a national contender after making a necessary change. Why am I more positive of the first scenario?

It’s written on page one of the playbook.

The post Iowa Football has Gone Stale appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Despite a roller coaster 2014 season, fans have reason to make Kinnick an electric atmosphere as two wins will likely give the home team a shot at the Big Ten title.

But, we have a few things to go over before we get to that. During my two years at Iowa, Kinnick Stadium hasn’t been what it was growing up. Noise is down, empty seats are more apparent and boos are more common than statement victories. Fans have seemingly grown tired, stale and annoyed with what has been seen. Blame can be spread from players and coaches, but don’t forget, crowds are a part of this issue, too.

Through five home games this season, Iowa has managed an average crowd of 67,415. Kinnick Stadium holds 70,585, so we’re not too far from being sold out, but can still do better. This also does not mean that 67,415 fans sit in their seats from kickoff to final score. I’ve included a few pictures gathered from Tweets showing the card stunt against Northwestern taken just moments before kickoff.

There are a few factors that can excuse Iowa from having capacity crowds throughout the entire game. First of all, for many of the games fans are either getting sunburnt or frostbite. Once you had in the 11 o’clock kickoffs on Saturday mornings, low-profile matchups such as Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Ball State, Indiana and Northwestern, and the style of play that can put the San Antonio Spurs to sleep, and quite frankly most are probably surprised we’re seating over 60,000.

That’s not even taking into account the students that begin tailgating at 5 a.m. and either can’t make it to the game, or leave at halftime. Take a look at the card stunt again and see which section is missing fans. Just getting to the ballgame is part of the issue, but that’s not the biggest focal point here.

Kinnick Stadium is full of a beautiful black and gold mixture that houses some of what I biasedly call the most passionate and loyal fans in the country. What needs to be fixed there? Timing.

The student section is the source of most cheers and noise in the stadium, so fellow students, please read on.

Not to call out our incredible cheerleaders, but they have one thing wrong: When to start the “Let’s go Hawks” chant. We all really appreciate you trying to get the crowd going, but right before Iowa is about to snap the ball is not the time.

Quarterbacks need to be able to call plays, shifts, hot routes, etc. at the line of scrimmage and the other 10 teammates need to hear him. The nosebleeds should be able to hear Kirk Ferentz chew his gum – that’s how silent it needs to be.

Clapping and applauding after the play is reasonable, but it should go right back to being silent immediately after our approval is aware. Also be wary of the no-huddle, because then snap counts and the ability to hear Rudock becomes even more crucial to the offensive flow.

On the other side of the ball, 3^rd and 3 in the second quarter can be just as important as 2^nd and 7 late in the fourth. We need to always make the opposing offense know that Kinnick Stadium isn’t a friendly environment. At many points, the stadium will become lackluster, especially when the game is happening on the opposite side of the student section. Iowa home games should never feel like a neutral field.

Students, don’t forget that when we get loud, the rest of the stadium is always soon to follow. If you still have your voice on Sunday, you’ve let the team down. Imagine how much fun Iowa City will be if the Hawkeyes are battling for the Big Ten Championship. Having to go a day or so with a voice that squeaks from time to time isn’t much of a sacrifice in order to help make that happen.

In its last 18 home Big Ten games, Iowa is just 10-8. That’s against what has mostly been average – at best – competition, and shows that there isn’t much of a fear going into Kinnick.

Wisconsin is going to be, by far, Iowa’s toughest contest to date. The Hawkeyes are going to need everything going their way to come out on top, and that includes the fan base. It’s up to us to force the Badgers into false starts, delay of games, miscommunications and unnecessary timeouts. Scream, go nuts and represent your school in front of a national audience to set up a potential showdown with Nebraska on Black Friday.

And then do it again.

Let’s regain what made Kinnick Stadium one of the most feared stadiums in the Big Ten just a decade ago. Back our players to fire them up from the time Back in Black sounds to when the band plays In Heaven There is no Beer. Make opposing teams get on the bus with a loss and argue about if the receiver ran the route wrong or the quarterback called the wrong play. With five seconds left, make sure whoever is visiting us has no timeouts and has to throw an unlikely Hail Mary instead of have that chance at the game-winning field goal. It’s up to us to cause these circumstances and advantages that can make or a break a game, and in some cases, a season.

On a final note, showing your disapproval for a 3^rd-and-8 halfback draw is one thing, but booing the players as they head into the locker room is another. We as fans are there to help our team feel more comfortable than the other inside the bricks of Kinnick.

When Saturday rolls around do your pregame rituals, wear your lucky sweatpants and cheer your lungs out for a Hawkeye victory.

Just make sure we’re not on offense when you do.

The post Kinnick Stadium Public Announcement: Fans need to improve! appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Western Conference
Regular Season Standings
Playoff Teams

1. San Antonio Spurs: I want to choose against the Spurs, and the Cavaliers for that matter, with all of my being. However, it’s pretty difficult in San Antonio’s case when they’re night in and night out the most fundamentally sound squad. The ageless Tim Duncan returns with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli once again. Add in NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, alongside Danny Green, Boris Diaw, Marco Belinelli and the best coach in the game, and you have yourself a recipe for success. See: The last decade or so.
2.  Los Angeles Clippers: How would things in the NBA be different if the original Chris Paul trade went through? Would CP3, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard be headlining this city for the Lakers and the Clippers stuck in their usual second-tier rut? We’ll never know, but what we can expect is Doc Rivers to have one of the best squads in the NBA this season, especially with his system implemented for another year.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook may be the highest scorer in the league come December. Afterwards? Not so much. That’s when Kevin Durant will return and lead what will potentially be a middle of the road team back to the top three in the West. Steven Adams showed he could be a decent big man in the league, so Kendrick Perkins may find more and more pine. Anthony Morrow and Jeremy Lamb still aren’t a replacement for James Harden, but they should stretch the floor consistently. That is, if Westbrook and Durant don’t do it enough.
4. Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki finally has help again in Dallas. Monta Ellis, Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler should form a dangerous starting lineup run by Jameer Nelson. If the Mavericks do make a top four seed in the West, does Rick Carlisle have a case for coach of the year? There’s a strong chance. Remember, the Mavericks took the Spurs to seven games last season. They’d meet them in the second round this year.
5. Golden State Warriors: And here we have the Western Conference team that everyone wants to play as in video games. Do you want scorers? Well, they have Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodola, Shaun Livingston, Brandon Rush, David Lee and Andrew Bogut. Even new head coach Steve Kerr can knock it down from range. The defense might be a little
6. Portland Trail Blazers: If Damian Lillard played in a bigger market than Oregon, he’d be a superstar in this league. Lamarcus Aldridge is a top tier power forward, but I felt was overhyped during his magnificent stretch of last season. It didn’t carry deep into the playoffs, losing to the Spurs in the second round in five games after eliminating the Rockets in the first. Nicolas Batum might be the key factor if the Blazers can take the next step, while Robin Lopez, Wesley Matthews and Steve Blake will also play significant roles.
7. Houston Rockets: Don’t get me wrong, the Rockets are a strong team with Dwight Howard and James Harden. However, the loss of Chandler Parsons will really hurt. Trevor Ariza ought to bring a strong third option, but I’m not too sold on the depth of this squad. I wouldn’t hold my breath on a championship run.
8. Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies won 50 games in 2014 despite multiple missed games by their stars. Marc Gasol may not be on the squad a year from now, but Tony Allen, Tayshaun Prince, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter and Mike Conley should be enough to push the Grizzlies into postseason play.

Contenders

9. New Orleans Pelicans: Honestly, I had to fix the mistake of putting “Hornets” down. Look at this lineup, though: Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon, Anthony Davis and Omer Asik. Austin Rivers and Ryan Anderson can come off the bench and form a pesky team throughout the season. I have them ninth, but they should be in the playoff hunt up until the end.
10. Denver Nuggets: Kenneth Faried looked like a top-level player in the FIBA games. Nate Robinson will be back and healthy as a sparkplug. Danillo Gallinari, Ty Lawson, JaVale McGee, Aaron Afflalo, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov put together a pretty talented roster that might be in the running for a final seed.
11. Phoenix Suns: The Suns played as well as anyone could have expected last year…and still just missed the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. A step back is more likely than a step forward as they played a little over their heads in 2013.The Rest
12. Los Angeles Lakers: I’m not as low on the Lakers as most. They finished second to last without Kobe in 2013, so with Kobe it ought to be a little better. Or at the very least more entertaining. Carlos Boozer, Jeremy Linn and Nick Young don’t exactly form a stellar “Big Three” to tag along. You might as well have Kobe go for the record 100 points every single game.
13. Sacramento Kings: The Kings could be a surprise team in the sense they might be around the 10^th-seed by year’s end. Could. We’re talking Dumb and Dumber level chances. Ben McLemore, DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay, Derrick Williams and all of the Big Ten’s favorite Nic Stauskas form a young core. If someone like Sim Bhullar turns out to be more than height, they could be dangerous. But don’t count on it.
14. Minnesota Timberwolves: “Why can’t this be Love?” “Do you believe in life after Love?” “Love is a battlefield.” This might as well be the Timberwolves pregame music. Wiggins should sell some tickets, but they won’t win many games.
15. Utah Jazz: I mean, the Jazz have players who could be decent in the future. As for right now? Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, Trey Burke, Enes Kanter and Gordon Hayward aren’t exactly striking fear into anybody. Daunte Exum may end up being a good draft pick, but he has looked a little overwhelmed in our limited viewing.

    

Eastern Conference
Regular Season Standings
Playoff Teams

1. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls boast the deepest roster in the league. Rumor has it that rookie Doug McDermott may find a starting role so it looks something like this: Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, McDermott, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah starting, Kirk Hinrich, Tony Snell, Mike Dunleavy, Nikola Mirotic, Taj Gibson rotating off the bench, and Aaron Brooks with Nazr Mohammed available for spot minutes. What worries me? Despite the depth, Rose and Gasol’s health are vital, especially the former. We’ve all heard that enough throughout the past few years for the former.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: We keep being force fed information about LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, so I’ll stray away from them. If Dion Waiters can take a step forward, Mike Miller stays healthy, and Anderson Varejao does the same, the Cavaliers should win the East. The biggest, underrated offseason move of the season? Cleveland getting Shawn Marion. He can provide some defense where Love and Irving don’t.
3. Toronto Raptors: And here we hit the ridiculous amount of solid teams that East has relative to last year. But honestly, most of these teams aren’t making the playoffs in the West. Toronto boasts Kyle Lowry, DeMar Derozan and Jonas Valanciunas among a group of good role players.
4. Washington Wizards: I could see any order happening from teams ranked 3-6, and then again from 7-12. The Wizards are here because they, and I’m going to make up a few words here, outgritted the grittiest team in basketball last year in the playoffs. Sure, it was a banged up Bulls team, but Nene and Gortat took it to Noah and Gibson. John Wall, Bradley Beal and Paul Pierce finish up a starting lineup that could make some noise.
5. Miami Heat: Sure, the Heat lost the best player in the game to Cleveland. That doesn’t mean they’re going to fall as fast and hard as the Cavaliers did when they originally lost James. Wade, Bosh, Chalmers and Anderson all return to the squad. One of the best two-way players in the game in recent years, Luol Deng, joins them and so does Shannon Brown, Danny Granger and rookie Shabazz Napier. The Heat still have plenty of firepower to make an impact on the East.
6. Charlotte Hornets: Outside of any of the Cavs’ moves, Lance Stephenson is the biggest name in the East to change homes this past offseason. Combined with Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al Jefferson and Cody Zeller, the Hornets have their best team in the Michael Jordan ownership era. Don’t be shocked if you hear something along the lines of “Al Jefferson” and “MVP” at some point. He won’t win, but he could very well be mentioned if the Hornets get off to a blazing start.
7. Brooklyn Nets: I have so many problems with the Nets. First of all, I said immediately that the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett trade was one of the worst I’ve ever seen. Secondly, remember when Deron Williams versus Chris Paul was actually a thing? Two more stars of yesterday are featured in this lineup: Joe Johnson and Andrei Kirilenko. Brook Lopez only managed to play in 17 games last year. This team has enough to make the playoffs, but not much more. They’ll be at the very bottom of the East in about two or three years.
8. New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony received a ton of hatred last year, and in his whole career for that matter, for being lackadaisical, not winning playoff games and struggling defensively. From my perspective, very few played harder for their team – if you can call what is around ‘Melo a team. Phil Jackson’s influence should bring improvements across the board to get this team into the playoffs, and then next year the real rebuilding begins.

Contenders

9. Indiana Pacers: Lance Stephenson left, Paul George broke his leg and there isn’t a bigger head scratcher in the NBA than Roy Hibbert…literally. The core of this team that was supposed to dethrone the Heat is in shambles. It could still have enough to find a postseason berth, but it could also tank to a top pick.
10. Detroit Pistons: This is where the East falls apart. It has no depth on outsiders looking in. The Pistons feature a front court of Greg Monroe, Andre Drummond and Josh Smith. It bothers me to this day that the Pistons shelled out so much cash for Smith, but fortunately, I’m not a fan of any Detroit sports. Brandon Jennings and Jodie Smith will head the backcourt, as the Pistons will make an effort at being swept in the first round of the playoffs. Stan Van Gundy will help matters some, but the current Pistons roster is like three different puzzles thrown into one box.The Rest
11. Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks are here simply by default of making the playoffs last year, albeit finishing 38-44. There may not be a more boring team on paper in the NBA. Or on the court. Kyle Korver is fun to watch shoot threes. That’s it, we’re done here.
12. Orlando Magic: Roy Devyn Marble will score 20 points per game and…oh, forget it. The Magic actually have one of my favorite underrated players in Nikola Vucevic. Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Even Fournier, Tobias Harris, Channing Frye, Mo Harkless and Seth Curry might be the biggest group of average players to ever grace a professional team.
13. Boston Celtics: Just give it time and that trade off of Pierce and Garnett will look great. Unfortunately for Rajon Rondo, he has to play during that time. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is in another uniform by the All-Star break. There is potential on this squad in Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, Jeff Green and Jared Sullinger, but that’s for down the line.
14. Milwaukee Bucks: At least the Brewers didn’t have a complete meltdown and miss the playoffs after having a huge division lead or anything. Jabari Parker and O.J. Mayo are an interesting backcourt, but that’s about the extent of my interest in this team. It will take a few drafts for the Bucks to be back in the playoffs.
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Outside of Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid, name two players on this team right now. Try it. If you can, I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t be able to. Here is the rest of the roster: Michael Carter-Williams, K.J. McDaniels, Hollis Thompson, Henry Sims, Luc Mbah a Moute, Brandon Davies, Chris Johnson, Jerami Grant, Arnett Moultrie, Alexey Shved, Elliot Williams, Jason Richardson, Tony Wroten and Casper Ware. Yes, Jason Richardson is still in the league, apparently. And yes, the 76ers will have the worst team in the NBA.

Playoff Predictions and Awards

Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers over Bulls in six. The Bulls will have the better regular season record, but will continue to struggle to get past LeBron James. At this point, it’s going to put Chicago in a bind about how it can compete going forward. 2014-15 is the window for this Chicago squad. Cleveland will take a little bit of time to get all the kinks out, but should hit their stride come playoff time.

Western Conference Finals: Clippers over Mavericks. That’s right, no Spurs or Thunder in this matchup. The Mavericks will take out the Spurs in the second round, but run into a tougher matchup in the Doc Rivers-led Clippers. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and company continue taking positive steps on both ends of the court and get on a hot streak to finish the season.

NBA Finals: Clippers over Cavaliers. The “Jordan wouldn’t have lost,” arguments gain even more fuel as LeBron James reaches his fifth straight Finals. Cleveland will continue to be a threat however by adding a few role pieces and defensive additions in the next offseason to make what should be multiple consecutive deep playoff runs.

Coach of the Year: Rick Carlisle, Dallas. If the Mavericks are able to make a top four seed in the West, I can’t see anybody else staking a claim to this award.

Rookie of the Year: Doug McDermott, Chicago. The rookie will be getting a lot of shot attempts on a Chicago squad desperate for offense. If he does end up starting and Thibodeau continues to like his “swag,” as the coach said during the preseason, then he could out-perform Parker, Wiggins and company.

MVP: Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers. If Chris Paul plays a full schedule last year, his name is right up there with LeBron and Durant. With Durant’s injury, it’s going to be difficult for a repeat MVP performance, so it may come down to CP3, who averaged nearly 20 points to complement 10 assists per game, and James.

Defensive Player of the Year: Marc Gasol, Grizzlies. Once again, LeBron finishes second in this category. Gasol will be the best defensive player on the best defensive team.

The post NBA Preview: Who will surprise out of the West? appeared first on KRUI Radio.

That’s exactly what I found myself repeating time and time again throughout Tuesday’s unbelievable sudden-death game between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics.

It was a tale of two lengthy stories in a do-or-die Wild Card game. First, the Royals and their “never say die” attitude fought from levels of obscurity to find themselves right in the midst of an American League Central Division title. While not garnering the division lead after a brutal 162-game schedule, they captured a playoff berth and the eyes of baseball nation. The Cinderella of baseball went up against, well, the once-Cinderella of baseball.

Oh, the Oakland Athletics: the featured team in “Moneyball” that made Billy Beane quite possibly the most well-known general manager in sports. While the tactics featured in the film got them into the playoffs with a salary well below the likes of the AL West superpower Los Angeles Angels, it wasn’t a winning strategy in the playoffs. So what did Beane do? He went completely out of his typical mind and traded his top prospect and best power bat to acquire exceptional rotation additions in Jeff Samardzija, Jason Hammel and Jon Lester.

Before that trade the A’s had the best record in baseball. Since? They’ve lot 30 of 46 and stumbled into the postseason, struggling to regain the same outstanding lineup composition that had them as World Series contenders.

Two different roads lead to the same destination, one on the upswing and other trying to find theirs once more. But that isn’t the story, rather just the background. The story is how the Royals singlehandedly sparked baseball.

After not reaching the playoffs for 29 years, Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City was as electric as any stadium I’ve ever seen, and I watched the Kansas City Chiefs break the stadium sound record across the street just a night earlier.

Fans, dressed fully in blue, were never out of the equation, even when trailing on three different accounts. Their resilience matched the team – one of small ball, never giving up and a blue-collar attitude. The fan base represented their team just as well as the team played for its fans.

And through our televisions we witnessed the beauty and perfection of sport combined with a flawless relationship between athletes and fans. Never were the Royals out of it – not following a two-run, opening-inning deficit, not when down four runs with a seasoned playoff ace, Lester, staring them down on the mound, and not even when The A’s took a one-run advantage in the top half of the 12^th inning. The fans never stopped cheering, and in turn the players never quit performing.

And as neither a fan of the Royals or Athletics, I feasted on it – and I know others without an interest in the game did, too. Watching and not wanting the Royals to win seemed impossible, even against my preseason World Series pick. I’d rather be wrong than see those fans go home unhappy. This is how Kansas City sparked baseball.

They revealed what has been baseball’s appeal since it debuted well before my grandparents were born. Hard work, determination, teamwork, playing for the love of the game and simply doing whatever is necessary to pull victory from the jaws of defeat is so valued in a sport that has dwindled in popularity while trying to compete against the likes of the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS in recent years. This can be shown by a singular play: a simple steal of third base.

Here’s the situation: bottom of the ninth, one out and a runner on second. Kansas City’s speedster Jarrod Dyson is on the base path, sitting in scoring position only because of a sacrifice bunt (what seemed like the 20^th of the night for Kansas City’s small ball attitude). With an out from the sacrifice, the Royals have two choices: Either 1) With Norichika Aoki and Lorenzo Cain the next two batters, let them swing and hope for a single to the outfield to tie the game, or even better walk-off or 2) Throw all the chips on the table and do what you’ve done all year by attempting an incredibly gutsy steal of third.

They chose option two, not jumping off the methods that got them to this point, such as their counterparts did during mid-season. It worked.

Dyson darted to third and slid well through the bag, one of an MLB playoff-record seven steals for the Royals. Sure enough, Aoki hits a sacrifice fly and Cain lines out. Had they changed strategies now, Kansas City would have lost.

Long story short: The Royals give up a run in the top of the 12^th, sure enough fight back once again, and win on a single off one of Oakland’s midseason acquisitions in Hammel.

Gatorade coolers were dumped, hugs shared to greet the winning run at home plate, and the crowd was as passionate as ever. The Royals showed what being an athlete and a fan is truly supposed to mean, where winning matters, but appreciation for maximum effort means even more.

And baseball provided something that football, basketball, hockey and soccer can’t. Something so unique to the sport, that it is also their downfall to many modern fans. The amount of time it took for this game to conclude was wonderful.

Every pitch made fans hold their breath, as everything could change from one swing of the bat, one fielding error – a passed ball, a steal, and all the other immense variables baseball provides. Every. Single. Pitch. The suspense was brutal – it was a literal nail biter as proof by my hands today. It was as stressful as game to watch as any, but I couldn’t take my eyes away. And remember, I’m not even a Royals fan.

Kauffman was rocking, and as a fan of a team that hasn’t been a winner since 1908, I thank Kansas City for showing me what that kind of passion looks like. Thank you, Kansas City, for being a Cinderella, blue-collar story that not only refused to go down without a fight, but refused to lose in general. Thank you, Kansas City, for showing anyone who questioned the intensity and immense passion that baseball can provide what the potential truly is. And thank you, Major League Baseball, for creating a one-game playoff with such immense pressure that these scenarios have the opportunity to come about.

The sudden death play-in game creates such a pressure-filled atmosphere that it makes baseball so much more appealing than its multiple seven-game bouts. After 162 games, to have it all come down to one game may seem unfair to some spectators, but it’s such an incredible concept. Imagine doing 162 days of classes, just to have the professor say “throw out all the homework, your grade comes down to tomorrow’s final test.” Yeah, that kind of pressure.

I hope you all got to experience to an extent what that Tuesday night game involved. Appreciate the pressure on both squads, the nerves they had to squander to perform and the show they put on.

But before I finish, remember what Kauffman looked like in that playoff atmosphere. Now imagine it’s Game Seven. Now move that game to Wrigley Field.

“It doesn’t get any better than this.”

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