Iowa started off strong with three time national champion and #1 ranked 125 pound wrestler Spencer Lee. Lee beat Michigan’s #14 Jack Medley by a score of 11-2, earning a bonus point to kick the night off.

After Lee, the Hawkeyes rolled. #13 Brody Teske tech falled Wilfried Tanefeu 19-3 and 133 pounds, with three very impressive four point tilts throughout the match. Teske only needed 4:09 to finish Tanefeu off. #2 Real Woods also came out hot, beating Pat Nolan 15-1, just one point away from a second straight Hawkeye tech fall. #10 Max Murin kept his streak of wins going, beating Chance Lamer 10-4.

The most exciting match came at 157, with the #13 ranked junior Cobe Siebrecht upsetting Michigan’s #10 Will Lewan 3-1 in a sudden victory in the fourth period. Lewan had Siebrecht tied up less than a minute in, but Siebrecht remained calm. He rolled over Lewan and spun around the back for a two point takedown, accompanied by the loudest crowd cheers of the night in Carver. 

In the second half of the meet, Patrick Kennedy started off with a bang, pinning Alex Wesselman in the first period. While Kennedy expected #6 ranked Wolverine Cameron Amine to wrestle, he took care of business when he got red shirt freshman Wesselman instead. #16 Nelson Brands at 174 also got his fair share of Carver chants, winning 5-1 over Joseph Walker.

The Hawks took their first of two losses at 184, with Drake Rhodes being tech falled by #9 Matt Finesilver in the second period. It’s been a tough task for Rhodes all year to wrestle above his weight, especially in the absence of Abe Assad. Rhodes just used his last red shirt freshman match today, so it’ll be interesting to see if Brands burns it next week, or if another fresh face appears at 184 against Oklahoma State.

#11 Jacob Warner bounced back better than ever, pummeling Brendin Yatooma 16-1 for Iowa’s second tech fall of the night. And finally, #3 Tony Cassioppi took on Goliath, wrestling #1 Mason Parris who was 22-0 before the match. Cassioppi had never beaten Parris, and narrowly took home the underdog story. However Parris got a late takedown in the third to extend his career record against Cassioppi to 4-0, winning 9-7. 

Next week the Hawkeyes will have their final home meet against Oklahoma State on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 3:30pm. It’ll be more than just a regular match, as Sunday will be senior day and alumni day. A big showing is expected in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, with hopes of a 15th win and a shot at the national championships.

The post Big Ten Beatdown: Iowa wrestling dominates Michigan 33-8 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

August 11th, the date everyone knows, was the day the Big Ten announced it was postponing all fall sports, including football. The decision was made by an 11 to 3 vote. The three who voted against the cancellation were Nebraska chancellor Ronnie D. Green, Ohio State president Kristina Johnson, and Iowa president Bruce Harreld.

“The ruling on the field is an incomplete pass.”

The criticism came from far and wide, and rightfully so. Many of the Power 5 and Group of 5 conferences had privately adopted a “wait-and-see” approach to the season, rather than flat out punting it like the Big Ten and eventually the Pac-12.

Fans, coaches, athletes, and athletes’ parents all challenged the conference, pushing commissioner Kevin Warren to find a way to play college football in the fall of 2020. Parents of football players went so far as to protest on the grounds of the Big Ten office in Rosemont, Illinois. A group of Nebraska football players also filed a lawsuit against the conference.

“The ruling on the field is under further review.”

Starting less than a week after the Big Ten, the now-infamous Sir Yacht began his series of tweets that lasted all the way until the conference’s decision on Wednesday. Many of the tweets were incorrect and some stirred more conversation than others. However, by the time the start of September rolled around the whispers had grown louder.

At this point, if it were a replay review, many would not be convinced the call was going to be overturned. There wasn’t enough evidence. As a matter of fact, there was much chatter about evidence that turned out to be completely false.

A Penn State doctor erroneously reported that studies of the university’s athletes showed that 30-35% of the student-athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 had contracted myocarditis, a minor heart condition linked to all viral infections. The national media took the ball and ran with it like a defensive end picking up an errant sideways pass.

That was until officials blew the whistle and called the play dead. Multiple Big Ten universities refuted the claim made by Penn State doctor Wayne Sebastianelli. Sebastianelli later walked back his claim and Penn State stated that he was citing “outdated information.”

Rumors were heating up that the Big Ten was close to deciding on an October 10th return date. Many felt it was a little too coincidental that the story broke as the rumors were beginning to heat up, as reputable reporters had begun to give merit to them.

*Camera shows the angle that starts to convince people it was a catch*

What began to turn people’s heads was the conversation that Kevin Warren had with President Trump regarding the use of saliva-based COVID tests that could give 97.1% accurate readings in a 15-minute span. All signs pointed that the meeting had gone well and that a fall Big Ten slate was foreseeable.

In the end, the Big Ten did not end up using the federal tests offered by the President, as the conference wanted to keep those tests available to the general public. Instead, the conference plans on using antigen-based tests that not only give lightning-fast results but can also trace the virus before the person can become contagious.

This debate is what began to shift the Big Ten’s thinking. Along with the avalanche of data that showed that the risk to student-athletes from myocarditis was not nearly as great as initially thought, which had been a driving force in the Big Ten’s initial decision to cancel.

The conference had no other choice but to reconsider, and from the sound of it, everyone was on board.

“After reviewing the play, the ruling on the field is reversed, the receiver did maintain possession, First Down, Big Ten.”

Many were relieved, many were condescending, a few were vehemently opposed, but in the end, nearly everyone is excited that Big Ten football is back. It has also appeared to have triggered a domino effect in college athletics.

Boise State head coach Brian Harsin released a statement on Wednesday stating that his players and coaches want to play, and the Mountain West appeared to hear their message, loud and clear.

Then, as of Wednesday night, it appears the USC and UCLA are spearheading a movement to put the Pac-12 in action by the end of October. The Pac-12 has always been the tougher sell in reversing their decision as the state governments of California and Oregon have had some of the toughest COVID restrictions in nation.

The Big Ten’s reversal was a giant replay review for college athletics. Those who wanted football and went ahead on football knew they were doing the right thing. Those who didn’t want football because of the pandemic disagreed and some threw temper-tantrums that would make toddlers blush.

In the end, it was right for the Big Ten to restart fall football. The fans needed it, communities need it, universities need it, and most importantly, the student-athletes need it.

And they got it.

The post Douglas: Big Ten’s Change of Course was a Replay Review for College Athletics appeared first on KRUI Radio.

In my short answer: yes, there absolutely should be.

The time on the calendar that sports fans begin to set their sights on the upcoming college football season has been the debate that has been raging hot since the 4th of July holiday.

However, we can’t deny the reality of our current situation. National cases are on the climb, over 130,000 Americans have died from the virus and the closest vaccine is likely on hold until this upcoming winter. These are the facts.

The Ivy League has already made the decision to postpone all fall sports until spring, a move that makes sense for them as sports actually drain money from Ivy League schools. For Power 5 conferences, it is not as simple a decision.

Conferences such as the Big Ten and SEC have made football into a billion dollar business and their athletic departments rely on football to pay the bills for sports that lose money. In most cases, they are Olympic sports such as wrestling, track and field, soccer, etc.

Pushing the football season to spring isn’t a given. What if there is no clear decline in cases by the time spring semester arrives? What if the vaccine, that many people are banking on existing, isn’t here yet? There’s too many risks of the season being completely canceled to move the season to spring.

On Monday, Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard released an open letter to fans about what impact no football would have on the Iowa State athletic department. In his letter, Pollard states that the Cyclones athletic department would lose $40 million dollars of it’s athletic revenue if there is no football.

This means it’s probable that athletic programs will be cut within the Iowa State athletic program. This will happen all over the country at Power 5 programs without a football season. Kids that have come to universities for an athletic opportunity could have that dream snatched because of not playing due to a virus that has only killed 149 people that are 15 to 24 years old (As of July 8) in the United States.

My best friend from my hometown runs track and field at UNI along with his younger sister. The UNI men’s track and field program has 3 combined conference championships in indoor and outdoor track in the last 3 years, and is arguably the most successful athletic program at UNI in the past decade.

But he nearly didn’t have a program to run for, according to his coach. Track and field has continuously been brought up as a program that would likely be cut if UNI continues to suffer financial hardships in its athletic department. UNI athletics will be hurting even more if no football is played and the fact they lost their buy game with Iowa, which was a missed $650,000 payday.

With no football, the two options UNI has are this: either move it’s football program down to a Division I non-scholarship program (Similar to Drake), or cut more athletic programs. Judging by history, it’s very likely UNI chooses the latter.

The talk of moving football to spring would also affect track and field. If football is played in the spring, track and field would be moved to the fall of 2021. With athletes already preparing for the fall training season, that would mean a preparation period of an entire year before running a track meet.

By the time outdoor conference championships happen for track athletes, everyone is hanging on by a thread. Injuries become more and more common and everyone’s bodies are more than fatigued. Making them practice for a year before running another meet is absolutely crazy.

How is that fair to track and field athletes?

Another aspect to think about is the local economic impact, separate from the athletic departments. To use Iowa State as an example, it is estimated that the Ames area grosses an average $8.9 million every weekend of a home football game.

Plug Iowa City in that equation, the number is likely well over $10 million due to the higher volume of people that Iowa City holds on Saturday’s than Ames does with Kinnick having a capacity that is 7,750 higher than Jack Trice.

Now plug a city in that equation such as Columbus, Ohio, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Austin, Texas. That number doubles, triples, maybe even quadruples that of Iowa and Iowa State. These businesses in college towns make most of their money back from football weekends. It would be crippling to take that away from them.

This past weekend we saw our first football action since the country shutdown. Nebraska held their annual Shrine Bowl at the University of Nebraska-Kearney.

A crowd of nearly 2,500 people in a stadium that holds 6,500 people, and based on the information in the tweet above, Nebraska did show the sports world how football will be played with COVID-19. It can be done, and it can be copied and adjusted for stadiums that hold 100,000 people.

Even if games are played without crowds, the monetary blow will be great, but not as great as it would be without football at any capacity. No fans is better than no football.

There are a lot of people I expect to read this and quickly disregard it. I’m a 21-year old college student who probably appears as a “blogger boy”. I’m not an expert on the matter, nor will I ever be, and that is fine.

But, for those reading this with an open mind, all I ask is for you to take what I have talked about into consideration. Yes, people’s lives are at risk from this virus, but the ones who are playing the game make up 1/10th of one percent of all COVID deaths in the United States according to the CDC (.129 percent).

These student-athletes lives aren’t nearly as at-risk as their livelihoods are. I believe that is something worth speaking up and fighting for, to make sure these student-athletes in non-revenue sports are not left without a team to compete for.

The post Opinion: No football spells danger for student-athletes and local economies appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa has had the best of luck with these kinds of stories. Just this year, the Kinnick Wave captured the hearts and minds of the nation, even winning the annual Disney Spirit Sports Award. But, if you had the chance to be at the Purdue-Iowa slaughter at Carver, the annual Chris Street reminded the Iowa faithful of why we love sports.

January 19^th, 2018 marks the 25^th anniversary of the passing of Hawkeye legend Chris Street. Street lived out his dream, even if it was marked short. The legend of Chris Street was never about his stats. Street’s passion was such a high intensity that the only thing you’d be able to do is be in awe. And smile. Chris did that a lot, another level of the legend. Not only did Street have an unparalleled passion for the game, but his lovable personality and magnetic smile was equally a force to be reckoned.

Iowa fell in love with Chris Street because Street was Iowa embodied. Street had the “Iowa Nice” personality commonly found in the Hawkeye State and held the tenacity of the court that is a by-product of his tough, blue collar work ethic. But, more than anything, Chris Street woke up everyday wanting to do nothing more than to play basketball for his Hawkeyes. The University of Iowa released a video and showed the same video during halftime of the Purdue-Iowa contest one day after the 25^th anniversary of his passing. The following link goes to the inspirational tribute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48dGMn_muYk.

The game prior to and following the Chris Street tribute did not have the match the intensity of the Iowa legend. Purdue put Iowa out of the game in the first ten minutes of the first half and merely poured on the point. Making the game seem like nothing more than a morning stroll, the Boilermakers sliced through the soft Iowa defense on its way to a Big10 record in most 3-pointers in a game. 20 shots fell out to 33 attempted from beyond the arc for the third nationally ranked Purdue squad. Iowa could and would not come close after taking an early 3-0 lead in an eventual 87-64 loss.

Purdue will be taking their talents back home to West Lafayette, Indiana in a matchup against Michigan on Thursday, January 25^th at 6 pm CST. The next game for the Iowa comes with another tribute to Chris Street. However, in this Tuesday contest against the hated Wisconsin Badgers, Iowa will be wearing the Gold jerseys. Iowa faces Wisconsin on January 23 in Carver-Hawkeye Arena at 6 pm CST.

The post Forever 40: Remembering Chris Street appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The biggest factor in Iowa’s favor as well as the largest deterrent is the young, raw talent of the Hawkeyes. The best player on the team is no doubt a dynamic sophomore, Tyler Cook. At 6-9, the forward out of Saint Louis flashed looks of high potential consistently throughout his freshman year. Tyler Cook’s effect on the game cannot always be shown in his stat lines; however, Cook’s impacts every possession, regardless of his possession of the ball.

Jordan Bohannon, Isaiah Moss, and Brady Ellingson will be dominating the guard spots as sophomores and juniors. Bohannon and Moss can both score off the dribble and distribute to make plays at will, even as mere sophomores. Ellingson, however, will be more of a pure point guard. With the powerhouse Tyler Cook at forward, clear leaders at guard slots, and depth at both forward and guard positions, Iowa Basketball will be successful if McCaffery can find a large player to play in tandem with Cook.

This large X-factor for Iowa will be the freshman center for the Hawks, Luka Garza. The 4-star recruit out of Washington DC will play the role which could put Iowa over the top. The 6-11 has already grabbed 18 boards through two games with 27 points in addition. In recent memory, Iowa loses the rebounding affair on a strikingly consistent basis. In addition to the young Garza and Cook, the returning Big Ten Conference 6th man of the year award winner, Nicholas Bear, will jump start the young Hawkeyes whenever needed. With a deep set of young big men behind Garza, Baer, and Cook, the rebounding deficit will improve moving forward.

Another reason for the jump into March Madness will be the schedule for the young Iowa team. With the only notable non-conference opponents coming on the road against both Virginia Tech and the rivaling Cyclones, wins will be racked up quickly prior to conference play. Iowa also draws one of the weakest schedules in the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes will not travel to ranked opponents in #2 Michigan State, #20 Purdue, and #19 Northwestern.

Iowa will also not travel to rival Wisconsin and will only play Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana once. The Hawkeyes will reach 20 wins before the final stretch of the season. Three of the final five games will

play on the road with the last two facing ranked opponents. With an easier schedule than most, even if the young players do not improve in the expected ways, Iowa will rack up at least 22 wins before the Big Ten Tournament in the Madison Square Garden.

The graduation of Peter Jok will also allow the Hawkeye basketball squad to acquire a bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Jok made up the core of last year’s team, leading the Big Ten in scoring. However, Jok also lead the team in shots taken. Despite leading in points, Jok shot a 7^th team best shooting percentage to return for it, behind the likes of Tyler Cook, Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner, and others.

Contrary to popular belief from mainstream sports analysts, Iowa will benefit from the absence of Peter Jok for multiple reasons. Iowa will not be reliant on a one-man effort with multiple people getting involved. A team is much easier to stop with one man scoring instead of a team. The spacing of the floor will also be nicer for shooters with the best player in Cook playing in the post instead of Jok playing around the 3-point arc. All in all, Peter Jok is an absolutely great player; however, Jok’s presence hurt the team more at times than not.

Due to the young raw talent of the Hawkeyes in addition to lucky breaks in scheduling and an ability to involve more players than in years past, the 2017 Iowa Hawkeye basketball team will not only return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, but will chance running at Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The next game for the 2-0 Hawkeyes will come against Grambling State on Wednesday, November 16^th at 7:05 pm CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The post Spoilers: Hawkeyes Dance in March appeared first on KRUI Radio.

This storied conference is rich in past glory, but the teams continue to make history every year. All fourteen teams are in a constant battle for supremacy in the conference and the 2017 Big Ten season is just getting underway.

14. Rutgers – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: N/A

(1-3, 0-1) Next Game: vs #11 Ohio State

Before losing in Lincoln, Rutgers got its first win on the season against the Morgan State Bears. The Scarlet Knights have struggled to get much going so far this season, but put up a fight against Nebraska.

Looking for its first conference win since Oct. 17, 2015, Rutgers has a tough test against Ohio State coming. Senior quarterback Kyle Bolin has thrown for a subpar 642 yards this season and they’ll need a more impressive outing from him if the team wants to beat a ranked team for the first time since 2009.

13. Illinois – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: N/A

(2-1, 0-0) Next Game: vs Nebraska

Illinois lost its first game on the season against #22 South Florida, but it wasn’t all that close. Quarterback Chayce Crouch was benched midway through the game in favor of backup Jeff George Jr. It wasn’t just the offense that struggled, the Illini defense allowed 680 yards of offense on Friday night.

Illinois has a good chance of getting a win at home and tying last season’s win total. Tanner Lee has been struggling for Nebraska and freshman running back Mike Epstein should thrive against a Nebraska defense that allows upwards of 350 yards a game.

12. Nebraska – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: vs Rutgers

(2-2, 1-0) Next Game: at Illinois

The nonconference has been a disappointment for the Huskers. A 1-2 start got athletic director Shawn Eichorst canned and head coach Mike Riley cannot afford to lose this one. Considering the next two games are Wisconsin and Ohio State, this contest becomes all the more important.

Junior QB Tanner Lee has disappointed for Nebraska by leading the Big Ten with nine interceptions through four starts. He’s thrown 146 times for 898 yards, but has cost his team plenty of chances down the stretch. This will be a great stage for Lee to prove that he’s worth his weight.

11. Northwestern – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: N/A

(2-1, 0-0) Next Game: at Wisconsin

Northwestern was a sleeper pick to win the Big Ten West this season, but after the walloping at the hands of Duke, it’s not looking as likely. Clayton Thorson has been uninspiring thus far and the defense hasn’t backed him up.

The Wildcats have turned the ball over seven times in three games and they head to Camp Randall Stadium for its toughest test of the year. Wisconsin has a Big Ten best +5 turnover margin so far and will not make it easy for Thorson.

10. Maryland – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Texas

(2-1, 0-0) Next Game: at Minnesota

You’ve got to feel for this Terrapins squad. Both Tyrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill have suffered season-ending injuries and the team is now relying on sophomore Max Bortenschlager. Regardless of who’s throwing, the team will depend on star wide receiver D.J. Moore who leads the conference in receiving yards (323) and touchdowns (four).

Winning in Minneapolis is much easier for an east coast team now than in frigid mid-November, so that’s one solace the Terps can take. The team has done well to take care of the ball thus far and Bortenschlager will have to improve quickly to compete at TCF.

9. Indiana – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Virginia

(2-1, 0-1) Next Game: at Penn State

Freshman running back Morgan Ellison ran for 186 yards and two scores in his first career start which is great news for Indiana. The team struggled on the ground in its first two games and Ellison will need to exploit Penn State’s linebacking corps to stand a chance.

There’s no real chance that Indiana wins this football game in Happy Valley and the near future doesn’t look much better for the Hoosiers. However, the team gave Ohio State a run for its money in the first half a month ago and can still air it out despite the defense’s deficiencies.

8. Michigan State – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: N/A

(2-1, 0-0) Next Game: vs Iowa

Getting dismantled in East Lansing by Notre Dame is no way to end the nonconference slate, but no one expected an insane Spartan resurgence this season. After a forgettable 3-9 season, MSU sophomore Brian Lewerke leads the charge to kick off the Big Ten schedule against Iowa.

Sparty is favored in this one, but the team will have their hands full against the Hawkeyes. The team’s only test thus far has been a home blowout, so the team will need to reset for the Big Ten schedule. The team is already much better than last year and improvement is certain.

7. Purdue – 0 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Missouri

(2-2, 0-1) Next Game: BYE

The Boilermakers have been an oddity of sorts in the Big Ten. Purdue has gone from nearly upsetting the defending Heisman winner on opening weekend and dismantling Missouri last week to losing handily at home to Michigan and its backup QB.

Switching between Elijah Sindelar and David Blough has been a roller coaster for the team with both QBs notching over five touchdowns so far. Heading into a bye week will give the coaching staff enough time to evaluate its shot caller scenario before the Minnesota game.

6. Minnesota – 3 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Oregon State

(3-0, 0-0) Next Game: vs Maryland

PJ Fleck has rowed the boat to an undefeated nonconference schedule and his defense has dominated. The Gophers have allowed three touchdowns in as many games and have six takeaways so far.

At home against Maryland, Minnesota and its running game should roll over an already depleted Maryland squad. The Terps have allowed 39.5 points per game in their two contests against FBS opponents and its third-string QB will struggle to keep up.

5. Iowa – 16 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Iowa State

(3-1, 0-1) Next Game: at Michigan State

A heartbreaking loss in the final seconds has Iowa reeling, but the team showed that it can fight to the finish with any Big Ten team if they’re at Kinnick. However, the team will be in East Lansing against Michigan State and hasn’t faced the Spartans since the Big Ten Championship in 2015.

Sophomore quarterback Nate Stanley has put up impressive numbers through four games, passing for 12 touchdowns and only one pick. The reason for Iowa’s success, however, his supporting cast. Linebacker Josey Jewell led the team in tackles and managed a fumble recovery and interception in the loss versus PSU. The defense will put plenty of pressure on the Spartans, but there will be memories of the championship game two years ago.

4. Ohio State – 1016 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at Indiana

(3-1, 1-0) Next Game: at Rutgers

Since losing at home to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes have rolled over some relatively measly competition at home. Traveling to New Jersey, OSU is favored by 30 against a team struggling to put up points.

Freshman running back J.K. Dobbins leads the conference in rushing yards (520) and will likely keep pushing the bar against Rutgers. J.T. Barrett is regaining form since his dud against the Sooners and doesn’t get another true test until Penn State on Oct. 28.

3. Wisconsin – 1023 AP Votes – Notable Wins: at BYU

(3-0, 0-0) Next Game: vs Northwestern

The Badgers are rolling on defense, allowing 10 points per game entering this home contest. Hoping to take an early lead in the Big Ten West, Wisconsin is touting a prolific offense to pair well with the intimidating defense.

Freshman back Jonathan Taylor is hitting the ground running 438 yards on only 53 carries. This is good news for the Badgers as the Wildcats have allowed over 150 rushing yards per game. A fast start is in the cards for this team as NW doesn’t match up well in any category.

2. Michigan – 1088 AP Votes – Notable Wins: vs Florida, at Purdue

(4-0, 1-0) Next Game: BYE

Michigan is running a fine-tuned machine through four weeks. The Wolverines lost ten starters from their stellar defense last season, yet haven’t missed a beat. Tallying an astounding 18 sacks in the first four games, this D is lights out.

The real issue is the offensive unit. Inconsistent Wilton Speight left the Purdue contest with an injury and John O’Korn picked up where he left off, throwing for 270 yards, one score and one pick. The season will be decided on the success (or lack thereof) of the offensive side, but the blue and maize look quite impressive through four.

1. Penn State – 1304 AP Votes – Notable Wins: vs Pittsburgh, at Iowa

Winning a night game at Kinnick is no easy feat and it seemed like the Nittany Lions wouldn’t be able to get it done when trailing by four with less than two minutes on the clock. However, Heisman candidate Saquon Barkley’s bulging stat line (305 total yards, one TD) proved too much for the Hawks to handle as Penn State won on the final play.

This team is not only the best team to watch in the Big Ten, but arguably the best to watch in the country. This averted upset proved that Barkley is even better than imaginable and that quarterback Trace McSorley’s stats and game management are for real. Penn State is the all-around most complete team in the Big Ten, hands town.

The post Big Ten Football in Full Swing appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The “sabermetric revolution”, or the application of using objective methodology to determine and understand player performances, is swirling all around Major League Baseball. Statistics such as  On-Base Plus Slugging Plus(OPS+) for hitters and Fielding Independent Pitching Minus(FIP-) with pitchers, among many more sabermetrics. All these unique stats determining player performance are great ways to understand the game of baseball from a unique perspective. The MLB and everyone working with it/alongside it make these stats easily available. I thought to myself, why not do some digging and research to have these metrics present in NCAA Baseball, specifically the Big Ten and the Iowa Hawkeyes? I am proud to introduce OPS+ and FIP- to the Big Ten Conference, but before I do that I must talk about the metric that is involved with all of the other metrics, the park factor.

A park factor is a measure of how much a given ballpark contributes to the production of a player or team. The formula indicates the difference between runs scored in a team’s home and road games. It goes such as this: (Runs Scored by the Home Team+ Runs Allowed by the Home Team)/(Runs Scored by same team in away games+ Runs Allowed in away games)*100. An average park is scaled to 100. A park below 100 is a pitcher-friendly park. A park above 100 is a hitter-friendly park. I’ve done the park factors for each team through the past weekend in the Big Ten. So, a team like Iowa has a pitcher-friendly park. They scored 90 runs and allowed 56 runs in 15 games at Duane Banks field, while scoring 138 runs and allowing 135 runs in 23 games on the road. Multiply that by 100 and those numbers come up with a park factor of 83.

Alright, on to the fun stuff.

On Base Plus Slugging Plus(OPS+): OPS+, according to MLB.com, is on-base percentage(OBP)(how many times a player gets on base) plus slugging percentage(SLG)(total bases by a given player divided by their at-bats) and normalizes the number across the entire league, while accounting for ballpark factors. It adjusts to a score of 100, which is considered league-average. An OPS+ over 100 is above league average, while below 100 is below league average. The formula goes as follows: 100 * ( OBP/lgOBP + SLG/lgSLG – 1)/Park Factor. The lgOBP and lgSLG is the league average On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage for qualified hitters. A qualified hitter is a player who averages at least 3 Plate Appearances per team game played. The lgOBP for the Big Ten(through April 23) is .365 and the lgSLG(through April 23) is .417. Here are the results for the Top 5 hitters in the Big Ten based upon OPS+:

Take Iowa’s Jake Adams who currently has posted a 216 OPS+, which is 116% better than league average. Yes, that is possible. Matt Lloyd is the league-leader because he hits well in a pitcher-friendly environment, as Indiana’s park factor, as previously mentioned, is 76 to go with a .434 on base percentage and a .655 slugging percentage.

Fielding Independent Pitching Minus(FIP-): Fielding Independent Pitching is similar to ERA, but it focuses on a pitcher’s three true outcomes: strikeouts, walks/hit by pitches, and home runs. The formula for FIP: ((13*HR)+(3*(BB+HBP))-(2*K))/IP + constant. The constant came out to be 3.73, but is subject to change until the season concludes. Then we take FIP and put it in another formula to determine how well a pitcher does compared to his league, adjusting for park. The formula goes as follows: 100*((FIP+(FIP-FIP(Park Factor/100))/lgFIP, where the lgFIP is the league average FIP based upon qualified pitchers who have thrown at least 1 inning per team game played. The league average FIP is 4.52. Unlike OPS+, FIP- is designed to have a lower score, so the lower the number is, the better a pitcher is compared to league average. A number above 100 is considered below league average. Here are the top 5 pitchers according to FIP-: 

According to the data, Nebraska’s Matt Waldron is the best pitcher in the Big Ten according to FIP-, 44% better than league average. The reasoning behind his success is his high strikeout-to-walk ratio. So far, he has 33 strikeouts and has only walked 8 batters, hit 4 batters, and gave up 3 home runs in a hitter-friendly park, with a park factor of 136.

There will be a full update on these statistics once the season concludes.

The post Introducing OPS+ and FIP- in the Big Ten appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Today at 12:30 p.m. EST (11:30 a.m. CST), the selection committee will reveal the top 16 seeds for the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. This will be the first time the selection committee has ever released any rankings before Selection Sunday in March. The seedings will represent where the committee believes teams stack up against one another at this point in the season.

These rankings will not be final, seeing that there is still a whole month of basketball to be played before Selection Sunday on March 12. The reveal is a new attempt to spark debates and stir up conversations between fans and basketball analysts alike.

“We are excited about giving the fans a glimpse to what the men’s basketball committee is thinking at this point of the season and creating a buzz as we look toward Selection Sunday,” NCAA Tournament Chairman Mark Hollis told CBS Sports.

Starting at 11:30, CBS will air a 30-minute program revealing the top 16 seeds and where they are placed, followed by an in-depth analysis of the selection committee’s reasoning. The show will also include a review of the rest of the field of 68 and a glance at potential bubble teams who could find their way into the tournament by season’s end.

The show will feature Hollis, as well as host Greg Gumbel, analysts Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis, and CBS Braketologist Jerry Palm.

Most fans that have watched college basketball for the majority of the season can probably guess who the top 11 or 12 teams will be, but there may be some surprises when the four-seeds are announced. Someone will get snubbed, but that’s the joy of this whole process. It’s only February, and if you’re even being considered for one of the top four seeds, you’re probably in good shape.

Picking the top 16 teams in the country isn’t as easy as it sounds, especially with all of the parity in college basketball this season. Just last Saturday, six of the top nine teams in the AP poll lost, which caused quite a shakeup in the rankings just seven days before the sneak peak.

Here are my projections for who will be the #1 seeds at 11:30 a.m. CST:

EAST REGION: VILLANOVA

23-2 overall, 10-2 Big East

Week 14 rankings – AP: 2 RPI: 2

Jay Wright’s squad is one of the more experienced teams in the league this season, after returning nearly the whole starting lineup from last years National Championship team. With just two loses on the season, both on the road to Big East Conference opponents, it’s not crazy to think that this team could be the number one overall seed come Selection Sunday. The Wildcats are lead by senior Josh Hart, who averages 19.2 points per game (PPG) and 6.6 rebounds per game (RPG), both team highs. The John R. Wooden Award Top-20 finalist, senior Kris Jenkins, and sophomore Jalen Brunson make up one the most dynamic ‘”big threes” in college basketball, and based on what they showed us last March, the Wildcats are poised to make another deep run in the big dance.

SOUTH REGION: KANSAS

21-3 overall, 9-2 Big 12

Week 14 rankings– AP: 3 RPI: 3

Per the usual, the Jayhawks are on top of the Big 12 conference yet again, and their top five players are as good as any five players any other team fields. Led by Wooden Award Top-20 finalist Frank Mason III, Kansas has as much talent as anybody in the college game. Four players – Mason, Josh Jackson, Devonte’ Graham, and Svi Mykhailiuk – average double figures, and all four can get their shots off whenever they please. Bill Self’s guys are 3-2 this season when facing teams in the AP Top-25, including a 79-73 road win at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena during the Big 12-SEC Challenge. Lack of depth could prove to be the downfall of the Jayhawks come tournament time, but in February, Kansas’ starters are doing enough to elicit them getting a #1 seed.

WEST REGION: ARIZONA

22-3 overall, 11-1 PAC-12

Week 14 rankings – AP: 9 RPI: 9

Yes, I know Oregon just blew them out in Eugene. Yes, I know Gonzaga is unbeaten and took them down in December. No, I don’t care. This was probably the hardest region to decide on, but I still think the Wildcats are more prepared for the tournament than are the Ducks and Bulldogs. In the loss to Oregon last week, the Ducks made 65.2% of their field goals and 64% (16-of-25) of their threes. No one beats Oregon in that game. At the moment, Arizona owns a one-game lead over Oregon in the PAC-12 standings, and a slight edge in my February top 16 predictions. However, if Gonzaga runs the table and enters Selection Sunday without a loss, Mark Few’s Bulldogs will likely get the #1 seed. Arizona’s Lauri Markkanen averages 15.6 PPG, and the 7’0 freshman from Finland can score in the paint and from behind the arc. He is the x-factor for Sean Miller’s first place Wildcats, and if sophomore Allonzo Trier starts getting back into a rhythm after returning from suspension, the Wildcats will be a team no one wants to see in March.

MIDWEST REGION: WISCONSIN

21-3 overall, 10-1 Big Ten

Week 14 rankings – AP: 7 RPI: 16

Again, not an easy region to pick a top seed, but Wisconsin quietly fits the bill. The Badgers have established themselves as the team to beat in the Big Ten Conference, and they have slowly but surely climbed the rankings this season to where they have a legitimate chance to crack the top five next week in the AP if they can handle Northwestern on Sunday at the Kohl Center. Greg Gard’s team has only lost three times on the year, all three times to AP Top-25 teams, and twice on the road. The 59.8 PPG they allow is good enough for 4^th in all of Division I basketball, and they themselves boast one of the best individual talents in the game. Ethan Happ, another Wooden Award Top-20 finalist, averages 14.7 PPG and 9.1 RPG, and seniors Bronson Koenig and Nigel Hayes are playing some of the best basketball of their stellar careers. This Badgers team hasn’t made a ton of noise nationally, but something tells me everyone will know about this team next month.

REST OF THE FIELD

2-seeds: Gonzaga, North Carolina, Oregon

3-seeds: UCLA, West Virginia, Kentucky

4-seeds: Florida State, Louisville, Baylor

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Jarrod Uthoff and Peter Jok were essential, notching 49 of Iowa’s 85 points. “Uthoff and Jok were the two guys we wanted to be with at all times,” said Northwestern coach Chris Collins. Uthoff had 19 points in the first half and finished with 23, while Jok scored 26 points, 22 of which came in the second half. “We lost him (Uthoff) a bunch, and in the second half we lost Jok,” said Collins.

The turning point in this game was the second half run led by Peter Jok. Jok hit three consecutive three pointers for the Hawks just as Northwestern had gotten to within ten points, and from that point Jok took over the game. Jok shot 6-10 in the game with four three-pointers, and went 10-12 from the free throw line.

“He’s (Jok) really an interesting player, because he’s so smart, and he gets open, and he gets going,” said Head Coach Fran McCaffery when asked about Jok’s performance.

Free throws played a big factor in the game, as the Iowa Hawkeyes shot 36 free throws, to Northwestern’s 14. Collins noted Iowa’s veteran leadership. “…they’re a veteran team, they’re smart and they knew how to get themselves to the line.”

There was nothing but praise from Collins for Fran McCaffery’s team. The one thing that stood out most to Collins was the Hawkeyes’ experience. “What you see is all juniors and seniors that believe they’re good.”

Collins couldn’t help but throw in a bit of humor when talking about Coach McCaffery. “I’ve known Fran since I was a ball boy and he was a player at the University of Pennsylvania… I used to watch him play back when he was ‘White Magic’.”

The Hawks improve to 17-4 on the season, with an 8-1 record in the Big Ten Conference, good for a share of first place for the Big Ten standings with Indiana. The Hawks’ next game comes on Wednesday, February 3^rd at home against Penn State University.

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Despite the Iowa Hawkeyes 19-16 loss to the Michigan State Spartans, The Hawks have nothing to be mad about. Even though the loss stings, The Hawkeyes are most likely going to receive a bid to a New Years Six Bowl game.

With the College Football Playoff out of the question, The Hawkeyes will have to shift their focus to one of those games occur the last weekend of 2015. One place that the Hawkeyes could be going to is The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

When asked if they deserve the Rose Bowl bid over Ohio State, Desmond King, Nathan Bazata, Tevaun Smith and Greg Mabin all shared their opinions and those opinions can be summed up with one word:

Yes.

On the other hand, Kirk Ferentz was his usual self, saying, “That’s really the last thing that’s been on my mind all week. I think the answer is no one knows right now.”

With Michigan State now being a lock for the College Football Playoff, The Rose Bowl would then take the next highest ranked Big Ten team. Whether that be our beloved Iowa Hawkeyes or the Ohio State Buckeyes will be determined Sunday afternoon by the College Football Playoff Committee.

Although the Rose Bowl would be the Hawkeyes first choice for the post season, there are a few other potential destinations.

With the first four being announced in the late morning, Iowa will likely have to wait until the afternoon to hear their fate.

The Rose Bowl, as previously mentioned, would be their first choice. The Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona would be another intriguing game as well. The 2009 Buckeyes are the last Big Ten program to play in the Fiesta Bowl.  The Texas Longhorns topped the Buckeyes by a score of 24-21.

The last New Years Six bowl that the Hawkeyes could receive a bid to would be the Peach Bowl in Atlanta, Georgia. The last Big Ten team to receive a bid to the Peach Bowl was the Indiana Hoosiers in 1990. The Hoosiers lost to the Auburn Tigers, 27-23.

Although the ultimate goal was not obtained, The Hawkeyes still have a bright future ahead of them. They continue on in a season which most will consider them the best team in Iowa Hawkeye Football history.

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