- Big east not as good as advertised.. @PeteThamelNYT No. 2 Nova trails No. 15 Robert Morris 28-22. Halftime. #
- Man my byu villanova final is lookin like it might not happen… #
- Butler dominating the 2nd half… up 13 on UTEP #
- Northern Iowa/ UNLV about to tip off on KIMT #
- @KWWLSports you can see some empty seats. UNI doesn't travel like Iowa. These guys need to start shooting better! in reply to KWWLSports #
- UNI trails UNLV 22-20 with 8:40 remaining in first half. Watch it on KIMT. #
- UNI hits back to back three balls, Farokhmanesh nails a 3, UNI up 26-24, 6:20 left in 1st half #
- UNI trails UNLV by 1 at half. A higher scoring game than normal. Eglseder having a big day. #
- don't tell that to @PeteThamelNYT! @WhitlockJason The Big East is starting to look very, very suspect.
6 minutes ago via web # - G-OHIO! #
- Big Three ball by Sonnen, plus they get to keep the ball on a foul away from the action. 42-40 UNI leads with 15:00 to go #
- ISU and Woden, IA native andrew sorenson loses first round match 8-4. #
- Sorenson is wrestling at NCAA Tournament in Omaha, NE #
- Bowling in his Blood — I'll have a feature about a Mason City Bowling Manager who's rolled 12 perfect games… after the games on KIMT #
- UNI up 50-48 with 10:19 remaining, watch the finish on KIMT #
- If UNI can win, it will be their first tournament win since their debut in the Big Dance… 1990! #
- UNI up 66-63, 1:56 remaining, UNLV ball #
- Farokhmanesh is your hero!!!!!! Big Time 3 ball, wow! #
- He shot that from Cedar Falls….what a deep 3! 69-66 with about 1sec left! #
- UNI wins a thriller! 69-66… Farokhmanesh hits the game-winner with 4.9 secs left. Panthers play KU/Lehigh on Saturday #
- JUST GREAT. #
- UNI/KU Tip is 4:40 on Saturday… #
- who's watching the news right now???? #
- The black hole is returning? @4ToddBynum Jordan Hamilton just said post game he's definately coming back next year. #horns #
- This was the best day of NCAA Tournament hoops I have seen in my entire life….not saying much as I'm 26, but still! #
You couldn’t have asked for a better start to the NCAA Tournament.
There’s nothing like tipping off the Big Dance to the tune of overtime games and buzzer-beating shots from major underdogs.
Murray State, really? Last time I checked, Murray isn’t a state…but its a name that’s definitely going to be talked about around the water-cooler on Friday morning.
I’m watching UNI and UNLV as we speak…and this game has all the makings of having a great finish.
Texas will play against Wake Forest in the late game. If Texas gets past the Demon Deacons…the future isn’t so bright. From the tweets from my Austin peeps, it sounds like the Kentucky Wildcats are the real deal (if you didn’t think so already). Or, they could just be playing a 16 seed.
I didn’t get the Murray State or the Old Dominion upset, but I did pick St. Mary’s.
My sweet 16 is in tact, until Georgetown loses to Ohio in the 3-14 game.
Wow.
- Vikings agree to terms with DT Jimmy Kennedy #
- she's worse than a mom-ager… @kmsward Nice website! http://www.jeff-zell.com/ @sportszell #
- Woden, IA Native Andrew Sorenson wrestles in the NCAA Tournament Thursday…is favored in his first round draw #
- I'll have sound from Tomlinson on the DanPatrick Show talking about Brett Favre tonight at six #
- Cliff Lee Suspended 5 games for throwing at Arizona catcher chris snyder in a spring training game…geez. welcome to the M's! #
- UNI Presser just wrapped up #
- Jacobson: " You want to be on this stage. but i think theres a strong feeling when you do get here you want to win a game or two and advance #
- Jake on UNLV: "Combination of a couple teams we played." Kind of like Old Dominion and Siena (two teams they beat). #
- Jake to Open Jobs: "It's not something I put thoughts to. It's flattering for our program. I don't talk about it with our guys." #
- "Our guys know I love what I'm doing. No thoughts about it. It's flattering for our program. I love what we're doing." #
- Jake on Jordan's Impact – "Jordan has had a consistent year for us. His ability to play longer stretches. He's better defensively." #
- "My hope is he has a real impact tomorrow. We will work to get him touches." #
- Jake on Wow Factor: "Couple people from Iowa are laughing here. There's not much of a wow-factor with our basketball team." #
- "Our depth is good. Some of the teams in our league were caught off guard. We try to be consistent and defend at a high level." #
- Jake – "Haven't thought of what it would mean to have a win in the NCAA Tournament on the resume. It's about the team and our program." #
- Ben Jacobson always says the right things. It kind of reminds me of Mack Brown, Rick Barnes in a way #
- Urban Meyer is back from his leave of abscence??? When did he leave? He pulled a Brett Favre! #
- @PeteThamelNYT who's gig is better, seton hall or Iowa? #
For those fantasy baseball fans (or Twins fans for that matter) holding on hope about Joe Nathan returning this season, I’ve got news for you: it’s not going to happen.
When a player gives an interview where he’s basically crying; the season is over.
Are the Twins in a precarious situation?
Yes.
Could it be worse?
Yes.
- Oh boy RT @jalenrose (Official) Tiger Woods will return to play golf April 5-11 at the Masters! (Fist pump) #
- Tiger woods still has not changed. He's controlling his press like he tried to control the number of mistresses.
Its sick. #
- @nsparacio_waow marquette plays too many close games, they will have problems in tourney…but good luck! in reply to nsparacio_waow #
- so much for golf @KIMTnews3 The next few days will be nice and sunny, but expect to see a snowy start to spring. -Adam http://bit.ly/be6tJ8 #
A day after I wrote about how Todd Lickliter didn’t have chemistry with his players, many other columnists took their stabs at the same big question, what’s wrong with Hawkeye hoops?
Let’s go through these.
- Reports say Todd lickliter us out as coach at Iowa. I heard Iowa will have to pay him 2.4 million to buy out contract. Presser at 230 #
- Iowa ad Gary barta announces firing of mens basketball coach Todd lickliter. Says records, revenue is a factual reason #
- Quote under the current circumstances we can't climb the current hill #
- Barta naming players. Making plea for everyone to not transfer. #
- The search begins today. Looking for a proven winner, leader committed to student athletesShares values of state and university. No timeline #
- Will not be responding to rumors #
- Termination without cause and will honor 800 thousand a year for the next 3 years. The money comes from athletic dept funds #
- Todd is a terrific coach, people are making progress He felt like all the pieces weren't there so barta feels like he has to make change. #
- Doesn't judge program on 1 or 2 games. Certainly as a fan and someone who loves program everthing is considered part of program #
- Hawkeye fans have proven they will fill carver Hawkeye arena. Basically barta says success can be had at Iowa. #
- Calls the decision a pain staking decision. Says he doesn't have a quick trigger. He would love to never have to hire anothe coach again #
- Internet is full of rumors. He did the best to get to the bottom with facts. Made the recommendation today to sally mason. #
- Rumors last week were absolutely false #
- @awelsch make sure to get an etsu tournament angle about how ghetto their players looked on selection show #
- Just happy to be there. Very tough draw.. Rt @KCRG_Sports UNI women get the #16 seed, will face Nebraska on Sunday in Minneapolis. #
I only got to interview former Iowa Men’s Basketball coach Todd Lickliter a few times. I got to watch his program from a far for all three years. One thing I noticed, a lack of team chemistry between a coach and his players.
And that is squarely Todd’s fault.
For whatever reason, the players Lickliter inherited did not buy into his system. A system that was considered to be “boring to watch” or one that lacks a superstar. And what we learned, gimmick systems do not work in a power conference like the Big Ten.
The players agree with me.
Nine players ended up transferring.
This year was the icing on the cake. With fresh faces getting extensive playing time in their first year, Iowa recorded their worst record in school history this year. The Hawks finished 10-22.
The popular opinion is that a coach needs time to get his own players into the system. I believe that is partially true. However, I think success early in tenure at a school establishes respect to a coach.
In Lickliter’s first two seasons at Butler, he went 53-12, making the sweet 16 his 2nd season. He recorded a 28-35 record in his first two seasons in Iowa City. The recruits talked. The big-time regional recruits that used to be coming UI’s way, weren’t. His best recruit was Matt Gatens, a guy who attended high school with his son. Gatens wouldn’t be the best player on any other team in the Big Ten.
In his 3rd year, Lickliter knew his team would have their bumps along the way. His firing becomes imminent when there’s not a light at the end of the tunnel.
Fans new it.
The players new it.
Iowa AD Gary Barta started to realize it.
My thoughts, a system is only so good with mediocre players. The players Todd Lickliter wants to fit into the system may be able to eventually gel into a good team, but without capable athletes you can’t hang with the Michigan State’s, Ohio State’s, Purdue’s or even Minnesota’s of the Big Ten.
AD Gary Barta looked into his crystal ball (that was paid in full by Boosters)…and saw a young team, that even if they were seniors, would have a hard time making the NCAA Tournament based on talent alone.
The ultimate demise of Todd Lickliter was the bottom line.
The lack of fans in the stands, the lack of money coming into the program is the reason Lickliter had to go.
The immediate future looks bleak. I commend Barta on his plea to keep recruits. My opinion, they aren’t going anywhere. There’s only 1-or-2 guys that other “big-time” universities would even look at.
Scott Dochterman of the CR Gazette speculates UNI’s Ben Jacobson, Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl among 10-15 other names in this article.
The Des Moines Register throws a handful of names at the wall, hoping one will stick so they can say they knew about it first. Here’s that article.
I have a feeling Iowa doesn’t go the mid-major route. If the answer is Keno Davis (the former Drake coach), hold on…there’s lots of questions including how the guy recruits, and whether he can maintain success over a long period of time.
- Uni panthers to play unlv at 610 on Thursday #
- Or just mediocre, national media get off the bandwagon @PeteThamelNYT Big East Tournament, 7 decided by 3 points.its the best conf tourn #