Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Iowa is not the team they were the year before


Last year, around this time I was treated to a game in Iowa City between the Drake and Iowa women's teams. Iowa has had a fairly decent run in the past couple of years, making the NCAA tournament the last 8 consecutive years, and they looked like the more capable team that night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
On Sunday, the tables were turned, and it was Drake that stymied the Hawkeyes. The game was in Des Moines, and the win was a 5 point victory for the Bulldogs, but it was still a sign that this Hawkeye team, despite some early season triumphs, is not nearly the team it's been in recent years.
Most Hawkeyes fans acknowledged that this season would be a bit of a let down after a veteran core graduated and moved on, but their work so far this season must be a disappointment. Not only have they lost to Drake, but dropped another game to South Dakota State, another opponent that the tournament committee won't be able to shrug off come selection time.
While much of the issue with the team can be attributed to the loss of some senior leaders like Whitney Jennings, some members of the team are not developing or contributing as much as Hawkeye's fans should hope. For every Tania Davis or Ally Disterhoft, who ARE contributing and excelling in their role, there is a Chase Coley, now a junior relegated to the end of the bench. Despite the talent level being lower with this iteration of the team, Coley has seen her playing time reduced, even after being the second leading scorer a year ago. Alexa Kastanek is another upper classman who has seen her role on the team reduced significantly, appearing for only 2 minutes in Des Moines, as her role has been reduced progressively since a 1-10 night against UCLA around Thanksgiving.
The game against Drake was a perfect example of a team still trying to figure itself out.  There were two sources of offense, Disterhoft and Megan Gustafson, who accounted for 44 of their team's 76 points. The rest of the team shot less than 28% from the field,, with the point guard Davis managing to only hit 1/9 in the field to lead the way. They obviously carried their frustration to other aspects, allowing 81 points to what should have been an inferior opponent. 
The Big Ten regular season will begin in a week, and Iowa's schedule will get much more difficult. A leader needs to emerge from within, otherwise this will be the most difficult season the Hawkeyes have faced in a decade. 

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