Gus Johnson: I talked to Robbie, and he said he's experiencing some shooting pains in his butt. He said he's feeling better, although he said there is still some minor discomfort.
Good luck to Robbie and his butt problems, hopefully he'll be ready for the upcoming Iowa game.
I wrote this on my personal blog the other day and thought I'd throw it up here as well.
You are Old, Deal with it
Stay in denial all you want, but you are old. Even you twenty-somethings out there. You guys are old. I'm almost 30 and I am old. No disrespect to those people "over the hill", as you are old too, but if you reading this blog, you are old. Sorry. Here's the proof.
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
That Oscar winning film with cartoons walking around the set with real people was released 20 years ago. Yes, that's right. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is TWENTY YEARS OLD.
Spencer Elden, the Nirvana baby, turns 18 this summer.
DISNEY'S ADVENTURES OF THE GUMMI BEARS
The Gummi Bears' final season concluded over 18 years ago. Someone could have gotten a lifetime education (sans college) since this show has been on the non-syndicated air.
CHRIS STREET
Chris Street died over 15 years ago (will be 16 this month). R.I.P., Chris.
JANE GOODALL
Dame Jane Goodall is 74 years old.
MICHAEL JORDAN
It's been 10 years since Jordan wore a Chicago Bulls jersey.
VS. GAME INFO: Sat., Jan. 11th, 2009 - 10:35 AM CST - Crisler Arena; Ann Arbor, MI IOWA: 11-5 (1-2); POM: 55; RPI: 65 / MICHIGAN: 12-3 (2-1); POM: 60; RPI: 35
TV COVERAGE: BTN RADIO: Links LINE - Iowa is a 7.5 point underdog at home.
Well, here's your excuse to skip church - Iowa plays the "butt crack of dawn game of the year". Rise and shine for the 10:35 AM CST (8:35 AM PST) starting time vs. Michigan this Sunday.
These two teams play sort of the same style of ball, they both shoot well and are efficient on the offensive side of the ball. Both teams shoot FTs at a terrific rate, but teams don't go to the line very often vs. Michigan. Iowa continues to chuck treys at a crazy rate - 48.5% of Iowa's shots are from behind the arc. Overall, Iowa is the better shooting team, but Michigan does a better job taking care of the ball and getting steals on the other end of the court. Long story short, Iowa is going to hit more shots, but Michigan is likely going to have more possessions.
Iowa is 3-3 in games decided under 6 points, while Michigan is 2-1 in those same games.
Iowa is turning into an infirmary. Tate went down with a sprained ankle last game (doubt he will play in this one), Tucker is still ailing from his bout with Mono, Peterson has a broken bone in his non-shooting hand, Kelly has a broken finger on his shooting hand and sprained his wrist last game. The way things are going, the starting lineup could include Angle and Palmer by year end.
KEYS TO THE GAME FOR IOWA: 1.) Shoot Well from the Outside. Facts are facts, when Iowa isn't hitting the outside shots, they lose. It's that simple. 2.) Brommer and Cole. With Tate being doubtful for this one, these two will have to contribute something. Someone will need to guard Sims. 3.) Pass the Ball Effectively. With UM likely coming out in a 1-3-1 zone, Iowa needs to work the ball around to get the defense out of position to free up their shooters. 4.) Dribble Penetration. Along with good passing, Iowa needs to penetrate against the zone, Iowa will look to Peterson and Davis to do this.
Well, the rumors were correct this time. People close to the program had stated middle of the year that Jake would probably leave. Speculation began to increase after the Outback Bowl when Jake reportedly told a crowd at a bar that he was done at Iowa and appreciated all the support.
What I appreciate about the whole situation was the maturity and team-first approach Jake took during the season. He could have cause a mighty distraction midway through the season, but instead he was supportive from the sidelines and was leader off the field.
What I don't appreciate is the way Jake's dad continues to talk to the press. It's readily apparent that Jake is far and away more mature than his old man. Jeff's whiny, "woe is me" attitude hasn't rubbed off on Jake, and that's great to see. The past four years Jeff has been interviewed a handful of times by the media and every time he comes off as an arrogant man with a sense of entitlement.
Regardless of how Jeff acts, this post is about Jake and the fact that he is no longer an Iowa Hawkeye. I, for one, appreciate what Jake did for The University of Iowa. He played hard, was all about the team, and was an all around good guy. Much thanks to Jake for what he has done at Iowa, good luck to him in his future endeavors. I hope to see him playing pitching for the Cubs some day.
VS. GAME INFO: Thu., Jan. 8rd, 2009 - 6:05 PM CST - Carver-Hawkeye Arena; Iowa City, IA IOWA: 11-4 (1-1); POM: 48; RPI: 50 / #22 MINNESOTA: 13-1 (1-1); POM: 64; RPI: 31
TV COVERAGE: ESPN2 LISTEN ONLINE - http://www.kscj.com/ LINE - Iowa is a 2 point favorite at home.
Minnesota has beaten Iowa only once in the last 9 times in Carver (and 4 straight in Carver), Iowa hopes their odds of winning will continue on that sort of trend. Tubby has the Gophers off to their best start in over a decade (thanks to a cupcake schedule that allowed them to remain in The Barn for the majority of their games). Iowa is undefeated at home (9-0), while Minnesota has only played one true road game (the other being a neutral site). The Gophs are ranked in the Top 25, but like their football team, they are very young and haven't been tested yet.
Minnesota natives Tucker, Davis, and Brommer get their first shot against their home state in this rivalry. We'll see how much each of these contribute, however it's going to be Davis that will likely get the most PT of the trio. Tucker is still recovering from his illness (mono), so it's anyone's guess as to the amount he will play. Brommer just came off a 20 minute outing vs. Indiana, and with the big bodies Minnesota will bring it's safe to assume he will get some time.
The Gophers have a pretty decent backcourt in Westbrook and Nolan. I'd put Nolan up there as one of the best PG in the Big Ten (just behind Talor Battle). Al has an insane A:TO ratio of close to 4:1, which is unheard of. Minny blocks a TON of shots, but that really should affect Iowa, a team that shoots and makes more threes than anyone in the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes will need to make their shots, though, as they are the worst rebounding team in the Big Ten.
Matt Gatens continues to impress. He is currently sitting at the top of the Big Ten in 3 pt % (54) and FT % (97). As of right now, he has my vote for Freshman of the Year in the Big Ten (my vote totally counts in my own head). Jeff Peterson has been hot and cold this year, but looks to have improved his overall game since last year. Jeff is 7th in the Big Ten in assists per game, however he is also 7th in the Big Ten in turnovers per game. The kicker in this game has to be Cyrus Tate. After putting up 22 and 11 vs. Indiana, it looks as if Iowa is starting look for him again like they did towards the end of last year. If Tate can do anything against the massive Seqouias that Minnesota is bringing, Iowa has a great shot to win this ballgame.
KEYS TO THE GAME FOR IOWA: 1.) Shoot Well from the Outside. They shot poorly vs. Indiana and it almost cost them. Minnesota won't be as forgiving. 2.) Play Solid D from the Guards. Minnesota has some good guards, so Iowa will need to pressure to keep them at bay. 3.) Take Care of the Ball. Tubby's defensive scheme will put A LOT of pressure on Iowa's guard, they'll need to slow down and handle the rock. 4.) Make Friends with the Refs. Iowa will need to play physical in this one. If the tick tack fouls are called, Iowa won't be able to compete.
Super frosh, Matt Gatens, is quietly having one of the better freshman campaigns in recent Iowa Hawkeye Basketball history.
He's put up double digit points in 9 of his first 15 games. He has 41 assists to just 24 turnovers (1.71 A:TO ratio). He is shooting over 54% from 3 point range (26/48 3 ptrs).
Yet the biggest stat thus far, in my opinion, is his FT%. Matt has shot 31 FTs so far and missed just 1 of them (the miss came in the second half of the second game of the season). So while the amount FTs isn't remarkable, the percentage is (97%). Furthermore, if you go back to that miss against UTSA, Matt has now made 24 consecutive free throws. I don't know where that places him in the nation in regards to that sort of stat or where that ranks him all-time for freshmen... but I do know this. Matt is now just 10 consecutive FTs away from tying the late, great, Chris Street, for the Iowa record. So what is Matt to do? Whether he gets to that 33rd/34th in a row in the next couple games or even a couple years down the road, he will have a quasi-dilemma on his hands. What does he do? Does he miss that 35th intentionally or does he sink it and wipe Chris' record out of the record books. I know it might depend on the situation (or maybe it doesn't matter at all in the end), but it's something to think about.
I'm all about the team, but if it's me, I miss it.
TV COVERAGE: BTN LISTEN ONLINE - http://www.kscj.com/ LINE - Iowa is a 14 point favorite at home.
It's not going to get any easier in the Big Ten this year than this one today. Iowa gets the worst team in the Big Ten at home. Indiana starts the Big Ten season on the road, while Iowa already has a game under its belt. The Hawkeyes put up a great fight on the road against Ohio State, and was quite possibly the funnest game to watch this year so far. Another thing to note is Iowa's RPI and KenPom ratings, both are above the 50 mark, which is EXCELLENT for this year's squad.
Iowa has not lost a game at home this year. Indiana hasn't won on the road this year.
It's no secret that this is a completely different Hoosier team than last year. In fact, if you look at the minutes logged in last year's game in Carver, not one player on this year's team logged minutes in that one.
Iowa is infinitely better than last year's squad, while Indiana has gone south thanks to their ex-coach, Kalvin Sampson.
Iowa has made 129 3pt FGs this year, 4th best in all of college basketball. Even more impressive is that Iowa isn't just heaving up three pointers to be able to make that many treys. Iowa is also ranked in the Top 10 in the nation in 3pt FG%, as they are shooting 41.1% from behind the arc (9th).
Indiana has only attempted 608 shots so far this year, which ranks them 296th in the nation. The reason for such few FG attempts? Turnovers. The Hoosiers average the 4th most turnovers per game in the nation at almost 20 per game. They also shoot an abysmal 29.% from behind the arc.
KEYS TO THE GAME FOR IOWA: 1.) Shoot Well from the Outside. They have almost every game, and it's the reason they win ballgames. 2.) Pound the Ball Inside. It's sickening how many missed opportunities Iowa has this season thanks to ignoring Tate. 3.) Get to the FT line. Iowa shots well from the line, but do not have enough attempts.
Well, Iowa just came off an impressive showing vs. the Ol Ball Coach's Gamecocks.
It wouldn't be Bowl Season without speculation that Kirk Ferentz is heading to the NFL. This time it seems a little more plausible. Big time connections are contacting people's people's people, and the rumors are flying around like crazy. Jon Miller stated on his radio show that he thought Ferentz's chances of going to the Browns was "about 75%". That's scary stuff right there. The message boards are blowing up with different stuff right now.
One of the latest rumors is Jake Christensen being done at Iowa. Although many people expected him to take off after losing the starting job, I had hoped he'd stick it out. Regardless of what happens, Jake has been one of the greatest teammates. He has been continually helping out Ricky and stayed focused while he was on the bench. The latest rumor of his leaving was found HERE on Hawkeyenation. The link points to THIS PHOTO from the latter part of the Outback Bowl. The photo(s) are credited to Gazette photographers Jim Slosiarek and Jonathan D. Woods.
No idea what that means...but... you never know these days...
Then again, the "he's outta here" might have been directed at DJK, as in he is leaving the stadium, see you later type of thing. EDIT: I am, by no means, advocating anything. I am just relaying what I've read and spouting off some of my observations.
After racking up 121 yards and 3 TDs against South Carolina in the 2009 Outback Bowl, Shonn Greene declared that he would be heading to the NFL in an interview with ESPN. Greene was the only running back to rush for over 100 yards in every single game this year. The Doak Walker winner also set the single season TD record for the Hawks with his 3 TD performance.
