Iowa 76 - Michigan St 73

[oldude]

Iowa pulls out a close one at home over unranked MSU on a last second 3pt shot by Clark who had 40 pts on 14/34 shooting , taking slightly more than 50% of all of Iowa’s shots.

Clark is undoubtedly a great player. But it is games like the one tonight that make me shake my head in amazement that, in this day and age, any team in WBB can so completely depend on a single player to carry the scoring load.

 

[cancontent]

The BIG10 got a good one for their debut on Peacock, that's for sure. Entertaining game, some controversy at the end as well for additional drama.

 

[Bone Dog]

Iowa pulls out a close one at home over unranked MSU on a last second 3pt shot by Clark who had 40 pts on 14/34 shooting , taking slightly more than 50% of all of Iowa’s shots.

Clark is undoubtedly a great player. But it is games like the one tonight that make me shake my head in amazement that, in this day and age, any team in WBB can so completely depend on a single player to carry the scoring load.

I haven't had a chance to watch any replays yet. But the box score is almost embarrassing. A squeaker over an unranked team is also not the hallmark of the #4 ranked team in D1. This is the team CC has built for herself, along with Coach Bluder's apparent approval.

 

[cancontent]

I haven't had a chance to watch any replays yet. But the box score is almost embarrassing. A squeaker over an unranked team is also not the hallmark of the #4 ranked team in D1. This is the team CC has built for herself, along with Coach Bluder's apparent approval.

Ah...........the highlights won't do the game justice. Don't think the home crowd expected the fight that Mich State gave Iowa tonight. There was a lot of good basketball on both sides.

 

[Plebe]

I haven't had a chance to watch any replays yet. But the box score is almost embarrassing. A squeaker over an unranked team is also not the hallmark of the #4 ranked team in D1. This is the team CC has built for herself, along with Coach Bluder's apparent approval.

Haha I see that the "I Hate Caitlin" voodoo doll is getting lots of work tonight.

As I noted elsewhere, Michigan State is no cupcake. Number 26 in Massey and #14 in the NET. Knowledgeable WBB fans were aware that this team can surprise some folks. Anyone who actually watched the game came away with respect for the opponent rather than disdain for the victor.

 

[Bone Dog]

Haha I see that the "I Hate Caitlin" voodoo doll is getting lots of work tonight.

As I noted elsewhere, Michigan State is no cupcake. Number 26 in Massey and #14 in the NET. Knowledgeable people were aware that this team can surprise some folks. Anyone who actually watched the game came away with respect for the opponent rather than disdain for the victor.

You're right. She does rub me the wrong way for some reason. She is a great player, without question.

But you're even more right about how good Michigan St is, this year and what they were last year. Not great necessarily, but good.

 

[Heytherego]

https://x.com/dawnstaley/status/1742392511593697627?s=46&t=RdNqL5gPqPAxJ0L9YzJelA

Does anyone have the play from what Dawn is tweeting about? Seems a little inappropriate to tweet IMO

 

[Plebe]

Ah...........the highlights won't do the game justice. Don't think the home crowd expected the fight that Mich State gave Iowa tonight. There was a lot of good basketball on both sides.

I tried to tell people to watch this game! Pity the fool who didn't pay attention

Seriously, in what is possibly/probably the final year of college basketball for Clark and/or Bueckers, I resolved long before January 1 to enjoy this season.

Shout-out as well to the Iowa fans for selling out Carver-Hawkeye on a Tuesday night at 8 pm.

 

[Plebe]

https://x.com/dawnstaley/status/1742392511593697627?s=46&t=RdNqL5gPqPAxJ0L9YzJelA

Does anyone have the play from what Dawn is tweeting about? Seems a little inappropriate to tweet IMO

We've had some discussion about it in the weekly thread:

Week 9 - Jan 1 to 7

Happy new year BY! Here are upcoming games for top 25 teams, along with a few "friends", per the usual:

the-boneyard.com

Late in 4Q, Iowa player shot-faked from 3 and got the MSU defender in the air, then went to dribble and was fouled as defender crashed into her. Clearly NOT in the act of shooting, was called a shooting foul, hit 2 of 3 free throws.

Dawn is right about the bad call but I agree it's highly inappropriate, albeit par for the course.

 

[cancontent]

https://x.com/dawnstaley/status/1742392511593697627?s=46&t=RdNqL5gPqPAxJ0L9YzJelA

Does anyone have the play from what Dawn is tweeting about? Seems a little inappropriate to tweet IMO

Haven't seen it online, but it's in reference to a foul where Molly Davis got to shoot 3 free throws. She looked like she was about to dribble after faking out Hagemann who fouled her.

 

[Hester42]

 

[The deacon]

the box score is almost embarrassing. A squeaker over an unranked team is also not the hallmark of the #4 ranked team in D1. This is the team CC has built for herself, along with Coach Bluder's apparent approval.

Well said by Plebe. Caitlin struggled through a tough third period but played really well in the fourth period, hitting two of her last three threes, including the buzzer beater from about 25 feet. She also blocked a layup attempt by the Spartans in the final minute with the score tied.

It's too bad Caitlin rubs you the wrong way, Bone Dog. You're missing the chance to just sit back and enjoy watching greatness.

The young woman scored 40 points on a night her perimeter teammates Martin, Marshall and Davis shot 1 of 10 from beyond the arc. Think about that. 40!!!

No matter what anyone else says, and no matter what Caitlin does, you'll find reason to be negative about Clark. That's just too bad.

By the way, Aliyah Boston did a quite credible job on Peacock's anchor desk. I was impressed... and, yes, perhaps sensing she might have Caitlin as a teammate by this coming summer (and recalling last April's NCAA semifinals), she raved about Clark.

 

[The deacon]

Haven't seen it online, but it's in reference to a foul where Molly Davis got to shoot 3 free throws. She looked like she was about to dribble after faking out Hagemann who fouled her.

Yup, Dawn Staley should not be inserting herself into that situation, but it was a bad call by the official.

 

[Plebe]

Yup, Dawn Staley should not be inserting herself into that situation, but it was a bad call by the official.

Not only that, but her "give the official the game ball" implies that the bad call decided the game. It came at a critical time, yes, but MSU tied the game after that. A correct call of a foul "on the floor" would have awarded Iowa a possession and who knows, maybe Iowa would have hit a 3 instead of only making 2 free throws. Lots of things could've happened differently.

Dawn's call-out of the bad call and her token lip service to "heckuva shot but..." (without naming the shooter) hints at a leftover taste of sour grapes from April. Her name is Caitlin Clark, Dawn.

 

[cancontent]

Yup, Dawn Staley should not be inserting herself into that situation, but it was a bad call by the official.

Seeing too much of this, regardless of the sport lately. It's taking the attention from some really entertaining games. Instead of talking about a competitive game until the end, with great offensive and defensive plays by both teams, the refs are the conversation.

 

[cancontent]

Not only that, but her "give the official the game ball" implies that the bad call decided the game. It came at a critical time, yes, but MSU tied the game after that.

Dawn's call-out of the bad call and her token lip service to "great shot" (without naming the shooter) hints at a taste sour grapes left over from April. Her name is Caitlin Clark, Dawn.

And there were other situations that also impacted the final score. As I noted in the weekly thread, the unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Tate for Mich State also had impact. Free throws with the clocked stopped and an extra possession to Iowa in the fourth? Not a good thing if you ask me.

 

[CL82]

Iowa pulls out a close one at home over unranked MSU on a last second 3pt shot by Clark who had 40 pts on 14/34 shooting , taking slightly more than 50% of all of Iowa’s shots.

Clark is undoubtedly a great player. But it is games like the one tonight that make me shake my head in amazement that, in this day and age, any team in WBB can so completely depend on a single player to carry the scoring load.

Alternatively, it's pretty impressive that Caitlin Clark can continue to carry the load for Iowa. Everybody understands that job 1 is stopping her and yet she keeps chugging along.

 

[Bone Dog]

It's too bad Caitlin rubs you the wrong way, Bone Dog. You're missing the chance to just sit back and enjoy watching greatness.

The young woman scored 40 points on a night her perimeter teammates Martin, Marshall and Davis shot 1 of 10 from beyond the arc. Think about that. 40!!!

No matter what anyone else says, and no matter what Caitlin does, you'll find reason to be negative about Clark. That's just too bad.

You're wrong about one thing. I do actually enjoy watching her play, more this season and the previous one than ever before. She's a step quicker, sees plays develop before others, is a clever passer, and has endless nerve as a shooter -- and she worked really hard to develop all these talents to such a peak of perfection.

But it is also not the best version of basketball, to my mind. You don't have to share my sense of this, obviously. I enjoyed the sort of game Iowa played in Caitlin's freshman year more. They were not quite as sharp, but they were heady as a group, they made extra passes and took interesting chances on defense, they hustled more for loose balls. I might even call them wild-eyed and puckish. They don't look like that to me now, or last year, even though Caitlin's skills have clearly advanced significantly.

 

[BigTenGuy]

And there were other situations that also impacted the final score. As I noted in the weekly thread, the unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Tate for Mich State also had impact. Free throws with the clocked stopped and an extra possession to Iowa in the fourth? Not a good thing if you ask me.

The unsportsmanlike conduct call certainty had a big impact. But it was obviously the right call.

 

[Plebe]

And there were other situations that also impacted the final score. As I noted in the weekly thread, the unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Tate for Mich State also had impact. Free throws with the clocked stopped and an extra possession to Iowa in the fourth? Not a good thing if you ask me.

I didn't fully agree with that call either TBH, but I can see why they called it. A very costly and pivotal play for MSU. Tate otherwise had some really nice plays; that kid can play.

 

[BigTenGuy]

Not only that, but her "give the official the game ball" implies that the bad call decided the game. It came at a critical time, yes, but MSU tied the game after that. A correct call of a foul "on the floor" would have awarded Iowa a possession and who knows, maybe Iowa would have hit a 3 instead of only making 2 free throws. Lots of things could've happened differently.

Dawn's call-out of the bad call and her token lip service to "great shot" (without naming the shooter) hints at a leftover taste of sour grapes from April. Her name is Caitlin Clark, Dawn.

Aliyah Boston is tremendously classy in talking about Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Dawn Staley, not so much.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

The unsportsmanlike conduct call certainty had a big impact. But it was obviously the right call.

The right call? She tripped over the less players legs on the floor that were kicking about carelessly.

 

[critterfxr]

I'm just going to sit here and be proud of the MSU team (I have two degrees from MSU and pretty much bleed green when I'm not following the UConn women's team). They've come a long way with the new coach and I'm hoping the trend continues. I did wonder a bit, though, about the decision to roll the ball on MSU's last possession, and then drive to the basket, thereby negating any time saved. You wouldn't want to give Clark any more time than you absolutely have to, as she proved with that last shot.

 

[BigTenGuy]

. . . Don't think the home crowd expected the fight that Mich State gave Iowa tonight. There was a lot of good basketball on both sides.

The chippiest game (both teams) that Iowa played last year in conference play was at Michigan State. Clark got an intentional foul late in overtime that nearly cost Iowa the game. So no one from the Iowa side was sleeping on Sparty, and MSU had a score to settle.

MSU is also a really tough matchup for Iowa. Sparty is more athletic than Iowa, with more scoring options. In Clark’s 3-4 minutes on the bench, Iowa was minus 6.

 

[The deacon]

You're wrong about one thing. I do actually enjoy watching her play, more this season and the previous one than ever before. She's a step quicker, sees plays develop before others, is a clever passer, and has endless nerve as a shooter -- and she worked really hard to develop all these talents to such a peak of perfection.

But it is also not the best version of basketball, to my mind. You don't have to share my sense of this, obviously. I enjoyed the sort of game Iowa played in Caitlin's freshman year more. They were not quite as sharp, but they were heady as a group, they made extra passes and took interesting chances on defense, they hustled more for loose balls. I might even call them wild-eyed and puckish. They don't look like that to me now, or last year, even though Caitlin's skills have clearly advanced significantly.

Glad to hear, Bone Dog, and it's very possible Caitlin would much rather have better alternatives than her taking 34 shots.

It really is difficult to imagine Iowa getting through a physically tough Big Ten season and tournament without it taking a toll on Clark. I hope I'm wrong, but it's not close to an ideal team makeup for long-term success.

As long as it lasts, however, I'm enjoying seeing Caitlin do what she can to help the Hawkeyes win.