The Black and Gold Roundtable features everyone on the Dear Old Gold staff as we’ll sit down and discuss some hot topics relating to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
What a winter it has been thus far for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Iowa men’s team has been red hot and are currently atop the Big Ten. The Iowa women’s team has struggled as of late, but still have time to get some wins and turn their season around.
Basically, how this works is; I sat down with the guys and asked them some questions. Let’s see what everyone had to say.
1. Henry Krieger Coble didn’t get an invite to the NFL Combine. Although some think he could be a pretty decent NFL tight end. Why do you think HKC was left off the list of invitee’s and someone like Drew Ott was invited?
Ryan: I don’t think this is an issue. It would have been nice for Krieger Coble to get some face time with teams and show his measurables, but this isn’t going to end his pro career before it gets started. Iowa tight ends have a good reputation in the NFL, guys like Scott Chandler, Dallas Clark; even likes of Brandon Myers, Tony Moeaki, and C.J. Fiedorowicz have been players that consistently make NFL rosters. Iowa tight end is a marketable brand that some NFL team will desire, especially at 6’4, 245 pounds. There will be a team that wants HKC, and they will find their way to him, whether he’s at the combine or not.
Kenny: To me, it’s all about name recognition. In my opinion, the combine is mostly a television and public production. The common NFL and college football fan doesn’t know who Henry Krieger Coble is and they would rather see a guy like O.J. Howard from Alabama at the combine, rather than HKC. I would imagine the best general managers in the NFL don’t draft players based on how fast they can run 40 yards or how high they can jump. Krieger Coble showed what he can do in the Senior Bowl and will have a chance to prove himself at his pro day, so I don’t think it’s really a huge deal.
Dylan: I don’t think this will have a big impact on HKC’s draft stock. Sure, the combine is a great place to showcase your skills, but it isn’t your only opportunity. Every NFL hopeful has a pro day and Krieger Coble will have every shot to strut his stuff whenever that day may be. It stinks that he isn’t getting an invite, but it won’t define him or his NFL career. He has a good enough understanding of the game and a good enough skill set that he could be a pretty successful pro.
2. Iowa Basketball has five games left on their regular season schedule. What would you say is going to be the toughest game for the Hawkeyes?
Derek: The re-match with Indiana. The game could have huge implications for conference tournament seeding, along with the opportunity to even the score with the Hoosiers. Not only could this game have ramifications on Big 10 tournament seeding, but seeding in the NCAA tournament as well. None of the other five games left on the schedule carry as much weight.
Ryan: February 24th, Wisconsin at Carver Hawkeye Arena. The obvious answer is the second Indiana game, but Wisconsin will be a blood bath drenched in the ghosts of Adam Woodbury eye pokes. We do not like Wisconsin, they do not like us. This year’s Iowa team is very similar to last year’s senior led Wisconsin team that made it to the National Title Game, the guys in Wisconsin know that and they want nothing more to knock us down a peg and lock themselves into prime NCAA Tournament position. Every game is huge for Indiana at this point while they fight for a Big Ten Championship, we are Wisconsin’s championship game and I personally could not be more excited. (and sorta nervous)
Kenny: The home game against Wisconsin. There are certainly games that appear tougher, but Wisconsin is playing its best basketball right now and they are going to be desperate to get a big win and improve their NCAA tournament chances. The Badgers are beginning to resemble those Bo Ryan teams of old that have always given Iowa issues. Look at how they played Saturday at Maryland and how they have played over the past month. The current Badgers are not the team that lost to UW-Milwaukee, Western Illinois, and Northwestern.
Dylan: It’s the final game of the year at Michigan. This game could wind up being game where Iowa can clinch either the Big Ten title outright or a tie. The Wolverines will come in knowing that as well. They’ll have Caris Lavert back, who they did not have in the first matchup between these two teams. Iowa won that game 82-71 in Iowa City. Michigan can be tough at home and have guys that can shoot the lights out like Duncan Robinson and Zac Irvin. Wisconsin or Indiana is the popular answer here, but I think it’s the Wolverines.
3. The Iowa women have been struggling lately. Last I heard they were on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament. Why have they struggled so much?
Derek: You could chalk it partially up to inexperience and youth. The team has been starting underclassmen all season, but that’s not wholly to blame. At times the team has looked flat on defense, and given up way too many easy looks at the basket because they have been caught flat-footed or out of position.
I would agree that this is a team that is on the outside looking in as far as the NCAA tournament goes, which would be an unfortunate end to an eight-year run. They have to win out just to finish above .500 in Big 10 play, and the conference as a whole isn’t a juggernaut this year. The only way the Iowa women get into the field of 64 this season is probably by winning four games in a row in the conference tournament.
Ryan: You would expect a team that lost as much as the women did to fall off a little bit, but this is not as bad as it seems. They have lost a lot of close games. Four losses by five points or less, 2 more by less than 10. If they can close down some of those games they can make a late push in the tourney. A run in the Big Ten tourney wouldn’t hurt either.
Kenny: It was always going to be a tough year for the Iowa women, that was to be expected. It’s not easy replacing the combination of Melissa Dixon, Bethany Doolittle, and Samantha Logic. As Derek said, the defense has not been great, but the defense was not all that great last year, but Iowa made up for it with such a productive offense. It will be an uphill climb to make the NCAA tournament, but if the Hawkeyes can finish off some 4th quarter leads that it has blown this year, this team can still make a run at the tournament
Dylan: It’s plain and simply. It’s extremely hard to replace players like Samantha Logic, Bethany Doolittle, and Melissa Dixon. Those three provided a huge chunk of offense last year and Iowa’s youth simply can’t make up for it. Whitney Jennings is a very nice point guard, but right now in her career, she isn’t Sam Logic. They’re going to have some growing pains this year and maybe next. Unfortunately, I think the Hawkeyes will miss this years NCAA Tournament.
Next: Why We All Need to Relax a Bit
That’s all we have for you guys this week. These will be put out each week, so if you have questions you want our guys to answer, you can DM us on Twitter or drop us a comment below to ask for next week.
Have a great day Hawkeye fans and remember to stay locked into Dear Old Gold for constant coverage of the Iowa Hawkeyes.