Fran fade talk seems unfair and premature for this Iowa team
Dealing with all forms of adversity is just part of the Big Ten grind
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Unlike Fran McCaffery, I can criticize the officiating in Iowa’s 80-75 loss at Illinois on Friday without the risk of being fined or reprimanded by the Big Ten Conference.
Some of the calls, or no calls in Friday’s game, left much to be desired.
The fourth foul on Luka Garza, which was a touch foul against 290-pound Illinois center Kofi Cockburn, was highly questionable since so many other touch fouls hadn’t been called.
My biggest expectation from any official is to be consistent, and to not let the circumstances influence the calls.
And by circumstances, I mean things such home-court advantage and the stage of the game.
What are considered fouls in the opening minutes of the first half should also be fouls in the closing minutes of the second half, or vice versa.
The fact that Garza only attempted one free throw against Illinois, and that Illinois wasn’t called for a foul in the final 10 minutes of Friday’s game in Champaign, Ill., was peculiar, to say the least.
Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was clearly frustrated with what he had just witnessed on the court when he met with the media on a zoom conference shortly after the game.
McCaffery blamed himself for Garza only attempting one free throw, saying he must be a horrendous coach.
McCaffery was accused of taking out his frustration on the media based on some of his responses to questions.
But that wasn’t McCaffery’s intent.
I don’t want speak for McCaffery, but he seemed to be voicing his displeasure with some of the officiating without actually voicing his displeasure with some of the officiating.
He wasn’t rude or confrontational.
McCaffery was just limited in what he could say.
And while the officiating was suspect at times, it’s not the main reason Iowa lost.
Iowa lost for lots of reasons, not the least of which was senior point guard Jordan Bohannon being held to just six points. Bohannon has combined to score just 15 points in Iowa’s four losses this season.
That’s a glaring problem that has to be fixed ASAP.
Starting guard C.J. Fredrick also missed Friday’s game with a lower leg injury. So his absence, coupled with Bohannon being held in check, was too much for Iowa to overcome, especially with Garza in foul trouble.
The concern with Fredrick’s injury is that it could linger.
Fran McCaffery described Fredrick as day-to-day heading into Friday’s game, and it was the same afterwards.
“The truth is, I do not have an answer. It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything,” McCaffery said. “He’s literally day-to-day. The last thing we want to do and risk making it worse, and now he can’t play the next four weeks or something like that. We’re trying to be prudent with how we utilize him.”
Fredrick’s absence hurts Iowa on both ends of the floor as he helps with spacing on offense and is a quality perimeter defender.
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Bohannon might benefit the most when Fredrick is on the floor because Fredrick helps to create more space for Bohannon.
Illinois and Indiana both made containing Bohannon a priority, and they succeeded by playing in your-face defense, which was easier to do without having to worry about Fredrick.
Freshman forward Keegan Murray replaced Bohannon in the starting lineup in Friday’s game and held his own with eight points and eight rebounds.
Freshman shooting guard Tony Perkins also made a solid contribution, even without scoring.
Another positive was the play of junior Joe Wieskamp, who matched Garza with 19 points and made 5-of-7 shots from 3-point range.
“I just tried to leave it all on the floor,” Wieskamp said. “I tried to play as hard as I can, knowing CJ (Fredrick) would be out. He’s a big piece for us. I knew I really had to step up my game, and I tried to do that. But I know there are still some improvements I need to make.”
Iowa fans are frustrated and concerned in the wake of Friday’s loss, and deservedly so.
Iowa (12-4, 6-3) has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, a key player is out with an injury, and Bohannon is struggling big time.
This is what happens during the Big Ten grind. Adversity is part of the journey, and how a team handles adversity goes a long way in determining its level of success.
Iowa is trying to win the Big Ten regular-season title for the first time since the 1978-79 season. But, obviously, it’s a daunting task that will continue with a rescheduled game against Michigan State on Tuesday at Caver-Hawkeye Arena.
The Spartans have their own problems as evidenced by their 67-37 loss to Rutgers on Thursday in Piscataway, N.J.
Michigan State had its previous three games postponed due to COVID-19 cases, and its offense looks disconnected right now.
But a Tom Izzo-coached team never should be taken lightly.
The Iowa players should be eager to get back on the court in pursuit of a victory.
Some fans worry, or assume, this two-game losing streak is the start of another Fran fade.
Fans need to relax and keep the faith in this Luka Garza-led team. The Fran fade talk gets blown out of proportion, because actually, it’s been a while since Iowa really faded down the stretch.
Each team, and each season is different.
Iowa has some problems that have to be addressed quickly.
But Iowa also has plenty of experience and talent to address those problems.
It’s easy to be a prisoner of the moment after back-to-back losses.
The hard part is staying positive and staying the course.