Game 22 - @ Southern Illinois - Jan 28

[Panther AC]

Another two hours of watching the other team - taller, faster, wider, better athletes - outclass us.
Even though they are younger than us.

But there is hope.
At least four of our guys (three starters) will be gone next year.

Back-handed compliment? Brutal.

[unifan]

We are just so set in our ways - with the type of recruits we go after, with the style of game we’ll play, with the annual 20-14 record (though I think 20 will be a stretch at this point).

Hard not to be apathetic about the state of the program.

[kochrab]

Yeah, like you all, if the team that played on Saturday shows up, we're golden. If not, we may struggle to break 50/60 points again. Hopefully, the lesson has been learned and we continue onward in the way that we are. Also, come back soon Tristian. This team needs you.

Well, crap. Just watched the replay. That wasn't worth it. Apparently the second team showed up. Gross.

[BCPanther]

Best defense since the Sweet 16 team with an absolute inability to put the ball in the bucket. We'd be 20-2 with even an average offense.

This must be what it feels like to be an Iowa Football fan.

[PantherAlum09]

Last night was as disappointing of a game as I can remember. We missed some really easy looks early in the game and then just reverted to poor spacing and movement and taking bad shots.

I know there is a lot of talk of how important Tristan is to the offense and I really like Tristan, but he is not Tytan. Tytan was significantly better on the block and much better at kicking the ball out to open guys on the perimeter. If we are that dependent on Tristan, our offense is going to be severely limited. I think what we saw is that Murray is a really poor defensive team that showed absolutely no ability to restrict the paint. We are awful if we have to adapt to a team that can show some ability to do that.

Leon Bond, man. What is going on with him? He really feels like he checks out if things aren't going well early. So many bad turnovers and missed easy looks.

Last night Jake pulled the starters with around 4 minutes to go and that really felt like a message more than anything else. We weren't winning the game last night and he knew it. It was quite the image seeing Will, Ben, Leon, Max, and Trey on the bench. How can we be so strong on defense and so mentally weak on offense?

There is some soul searching to do on this team. They have a lot of stuff to figure out in the next month if they want to make any noise.

[BCPanther]

We've got the yips on offense. If it doesn't click immediately we are so in our own heads trying to make a 10 point play every time down the floor.

It's just so frustrating because the defense is truly elite. It took 2 guys that don't make 3s hitting a combined 5 of them last night for SIU to get to 65 points.

Maddening.

[06panther10]

They don't have the yips. They aren't good. Even before this horrific losing streak started, the offense was trending down and was not good unless we were playing vastly inferior opponents. We are averaging less than 60 PPG in the last 7 games, and that's including the Murray game where we scored 81. The level that our offense is playing at is essentially a statistical impossibility in modern CBB.

We can't shoot (known problem for literally 4 straight years that the staff has not even come close to fixing), we can't finish at the rim, and we can't even make FTs. This is not a fluke.

Probably the most pathetic and inept coaching job I have seen since Jake took this program over. Watching UIC, Valpo, and a 2-7 SIU team run circles around our team while we scratch and claw our way to 18 point halves is unacceptable. Quite literally not worth our time and money if this is what we get.

[BCPanther]

They don't have the yips. They aren't good. Even before this horrific losing streak started, the offense was trending down and was not good unless we were playing vastly inferior opponents. We are averaging less than 60 PPG in the last 7 games, and that's including the Murray game where we scored 81. The level that our offense is playing at is essentially a statistical impossibility in modern CBB.

We can't shoot (known problem for literally 4 straight years that the staff has not even come close to fixing), we can't finish at the rim, and we can't even make FTs. This is not a fluke.

Probably the most pathetic and inept coaching job I have seen since Jake took this program over. Watching UIC, Valpo, and a 2-7 SIU team run circles around our team while we scratch and claw our way to 18 point halves is unacceptable. Quite literally not worth our time and money if this is what we get.

We finished 29th in the country in eFG% (55.2%) and 36th in the country in 3FG% (36.8%) last year, in the low 100s in both in 2023 and 2024 but sure, it's an ongoing problem for years at this point, I guess.

I get it, I'm frustrated too but this is a team with a month to get healthy and figure it out. Jake teams always play well in February and he's certainly earned enough rope to hang himself with.

[UNIAlum95]

I get it, I'm frustrated too but this is a team with a month to get healthy and figure it out. Jake teams always play well in February and he's certainly earned enough rope to hang himself with.

That's the problem. We'll figure a few things out, finish mid-pack again. Win one in St Louis and then go home and nothing will change. Something needs to change. This is the football program 5 years ago.

[BCPanther]

That's the problem. We'll figure a few things out, finish mid-pack again. Win one in St Louis and then go home and nothing will change. Something needs to change. This is the football program 5 years ago.

So, still better than or equal to any football playing school in the league in the last decade?

In the last decade, the football playing schools have 4 appearances on Sunday in StL and ZERO titles. Illinois State 2017 & 18, UNI 2019, Indiana State 2024.

[CletusCat]

In the last decade, the football playing schools have 4 appearances on Sunday in StL and ZERO titles. Illinois State 2017 & 18, UNI 2019, Indiana State 2024.

Excellent point and it's not going to get any easier for schools to sponsor both sports and expect consistent winners.

Heck, it's not even easy to do at the highest level. Rutgers is operating at an $80 million a year deficit WITH B10 money.

Also, does anyone else consider Murray a football playing school? They came to the Valley for purely basketball reasons IMO.

[QCPanther05]

We are just so set in our ways - with the type of recruits we go after, with the style of game we’ll play, with the annual 20-14 record (though I think 20 will be a stretch at this point).

Hard not to be apathetic about the state of the program.

Don’t you dare suggest the program is stale on here though.

[unifan]

Don’t you dare suggest the program is stale on here though.

Good point!

Realistically, things will never ever be any different without a complete overhaul of the staff. Anyone on the staff under Jake is not going to deviate far enough from the status quo in order to make any significant improvements / changes. But that is also never going to be a popular idea with the individuals writing the checks for the program.

[GarretW1797]

Good point!

Realistically, things will never ever be any different without a complete overhaul of the staff. Anyone on the staff under Jake is not going to deviate far enough from the status quo in order to make any significant improvements / changes. But that is also never going to be a popular idea with the individuals writing the checks for the program.

And then we'll go from consistent 20 win seasons to consistent 20 loss seasons more than likely. Who out there is gonna come here and do any better? I honestly am curious who you all who think a staff overhaul is necessary would recommend we go after and why you think they would come coach Northern Iowa?

I'm as frustrated as anyone about the NCAA tournament drought especially during the AJ years, but some of the things I've seen on this forum lately are some of the biggest overreactions I've ever seen. Apparently we are a "stale" program. Imagine what that description turns into with a brand new staff trying to implement a brand new system in a city/area that is constantly complained about for playing basketball in because of fan support, facilities, and weather. It likely leads to a 5 year rebuild at the least.

I just think as a fanbase we have been spoiled with so much success that many would have never saw coming 25+ years ago. And that success is mostly because of Ben Jacobson. And I understand the effect that causes on a fanbase when you reach that level, when you reach a Sweet 16, and then you expect to eventually top that in the future. But it's more than likely never gonna be topped in any of our lifetimes. And that leads to seasons that teams like Evansville, SIU, and UIC would kill to have be seen as failures to us.

So, if a new coaching staff is the solution to many of you, I'd just be curious to see how that plays out. Because I highly suspect that it will lead to us being the doormat of the Valley for potentially a decade.

[06panther10]

And then we'll go from consistent 20 win seasons to consistent 20 loss seasons more than likely. Who out there is gonna come here and do any better? I honestly am curious who you all who think a staff overhaul is necessary would recommend we go after and why you think they would come coach Northern Iowa?

I'm as frustrated as anyone about the NCAA tournament drought especially during the AJ years, but some of the things I've seen on this forum lately are some of the biggest overreactions I've ever seen. Apparently we are a "stale" program. Imagine what that description turns into with a brand new staff trying to implement a brand new system in a city/area that is constantly complained about for playing basketball in because of fan support, facilities, and weather. It likely leads to a 5 year rebuild at the least.

I just think as a fanbase we have been spoiled with so much success that many would have never saw coming 25+ years ago. And that success is mostly because of Ben Jacobson. And I understand the effect that causes on a fanbase when you reach that level, when you reach a Sweet 16, and then you expect to eventually top that in the future. But it's more than likely never gonna be topped in any of our lifetimes. And that leads to seasons that teams like Evansville, SIU, and UIC would kill to have be seen as failures to us.

So, if a new coaching staff is the solution to many of you, I'd just be curious to see how that plays out. Because I highly suspect that it will lead to us being the doormat of the Valley for potentially a decade.

In the last 10 years, we have 3 20 win seasons, and 5 losing seasons.