NIT Champs > First Round Big Dance Loss

Number 3 seeded Iowa Hawkeyes will play Baylor tonight for the NIT title.  Many say that they would have rather lost first round in the big dance than win the NIT.  If the Iowa team was full of experienced seniors, I would probably agree, but that is not the case.  Iowa is a very young team who needs more game experience.  Iowa has also played four games on Espn and gained good national exposure.   I would much rather win the NIT and take the momentum into the off season than go lose in the first round of the big dance. 

Iowa is very young.  If you take a look back to the start of the season and the middle of the season, you will find our struggles.  The young team didn’t know how to close out a game.  They struggled late and weren’t able to put games away.  It all comes from experience.  As the Hawkeyes finished the season, they showed a little composure but still struggled.  The NIT has given the Hawkeyes a great opportunity.  Extra practices and games against solid teams have aloud Iowa to practice closing out games.  They have proven that they can play smart basketball, get a nice lead, and close out a game.  That was simply not true when the Hawks started this year.  The young guys, such as Adam Woodbury have gained two weeks of extra practice and high-profile games against stiff competition. Woodbury and Gabe Olaseni tested their skills against Alex Len, Maryland’s big man and projected lottery pick, and didn’t shy away one bit.  

Iowa has received a lot of recruiting buzz from the NIT.  The NIT airs during the dull times of sports.  There was no Miami heat record to watch, no big dance games, only the Hawks on Espn.  The games were fun to watch too.  Carver Hawkeye was sold out for the two NIT games.  Nobody is talking about Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, teams that were knocked out early in the big dance.  Iowa is still talked about.  Recruits are watching these games and it is leaving a good impression.  The benefits from winning the NIT will carry forward to the next year. 

Iowa has a great chance to win the NIT this year.  They are on fire defensively and are shooting with poise.  I fully expect a win tonight fairing the Hawks don’t become complacent.  I highly doubt that will happen.  The positives from winning the NIT will carry the Hawks easily into the big dance next year.  Maybe we could even snatch a 3 seed for the big dance? Anything is possible in basketball.

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