Iowa

Go Iowa Awesome – WBB: Selection Committee First Top 16 Reveal

Published

2 years ago

February 10, 2023

Go Iowa Awesome – WBB: Selection Committee First Top 16 Reveal

Late Thursday night time, the NCAA Event Choice Committee revealed its Prime 16 groups if the event choice had been to occur right now. Reveals like this are necessary in that they take a number of the hypothesis out of bracketology work; the highest groups not should guess the place they stand. Analysts can evaluate traits and decide what elements in a staff’s resume that this specific committee likes higher than others.

One word earlier than we dig in: Thursday’s outcomes — together with Iowa’s loss at Indiana — weren’t factored into the committee’s rankings. It is uncertain that end result would have modified a lot for Iowa anyway, however it’s nonetheless price noting that the reveal wasn’t up to date to account for that consequence.

Earlier than displaying the Choice Committee’s Prime 16, let’s use ESPN’s final bracketology (launched on Tuesday) as a baseline. Nobody bracketologist is ideal clearly, however ESPN’s Charlie Creme might be greatest at it on the ladies’s aspect. ESPN’s projection can function an affordable guess on the anticipated Prime 16 after which we are able to evaluate the place the Committee differed from ESPN.

Two notes on ESPN’s bracketology. First, it was launched earlier than UConn misplaced at Marquette on Wednesday night time. Thus the Choice Committee’s Prime 16 takes that loss under consideration, however ESPN’s final projection didn’t.

Second, Creme doesn’t launch the S-curve he makes use of in his projections. What’s listed under for the Prime 16 groups is considerably of a guess, although the highest 3 appear pretty apparent, and Creme defined how he ranked groups 4-6.

1 Seeds

1—South Carolina
2–Indiana
3—UConn
4—Stanford

2 Seeds

5—Iowa
6—LSU
7—Utah
8—Maryland

3 Seeds

9—Duke
10—Notre Dame
11—Ohio State
12—North Carolina

4 Seeds

13—Michigan
14—Virginia Tech
15—Florida State
16—Texas

1 Seeds

1—South Carolina (SEC)
2—Indiana (Large Ten)
3—Stanford (PAC 12)
4—UConn (Large East)

2 Seeds

5—LSU (SEC)

6—Utah (Pac 12)

7—Iowa (Large Ten)

8—Duke (ACC)

3 Seeds

9—Maryland (Large Ten)
10—Notre Dame (ACC)
11—Michigan (Large Ten)
12—Texas (Large 12)

4 Seeds

13—Virginia Tech (ACC)
14—North Carolina (ACC)
15—Villanova (Large East)
16—Ohio State (Large Ten)

The largest distinction for Iowa followers is that ESPN had Iowa fifth total and the Committee had Iowa seventh total. That stated, ESPN thought the hole between 4 by way of 7 was pretty small, and there’s likelihood the Committee feels the identical.

ESPN and the Committee’s Prime 10 groups had been all the identical. The one distinction of word of their prime 10s was the Committee had Duke on the 2-line (eighth total) with Maryland as a 3-seed (ninth total), whereas ESPN switched the 2 with one another.

Extra considerably, ESPN was a lot increased on Ohio State (eleventh) than the Committee (sixteenth). That’s dangerous information for Iowa, as a result of Iowa’s win in Columbus is likely one of the greatest on its resume. Hopefully Ohio State will decide issues up once more and enhance its standing.

The one staff the Committee had in its prime 16 that ESPN didn’t was Villanova (ESPN had FSU as a substitute).

South Carolina seems like simply the most effective staff within the nation, and is the one staff that will be good for Iowa to keep away from within the event for so long as attainable. So long as Iowa stays at 7 total or increased, the Hawkeyes ought to handle that.

At seventh total, Iowa would have been in Indiana’s mock bracket, however the Committee flipped Utah and Iowa to keep away from the Indiana-Iowa rematch potential. As enjoyable because the Iowa-Indiana video games are, we gained’t see one within the NCAA Event until each groups make the Closing 4 or Nationwide Championship.

A completely wholesome UConn squad might be the second-best staff within the nation, however UConn hasn’t been wholesome all season. We’ll see if the Huskies can get more healthy earlier than the season ends. If they will’t, they’re as susceptible as any of the highest groups.

I’m undecided whether or not the Committee would keep away from pairing Iowa and UConn for a possible rematch within the Elite Eight. Final 12 months the Committee arrange a possible Iowa-Iowa State rematch within the Candy Sixteen, however that was additionally a rivalry match that will have been simple to promote. Iowa-UConn is a big-time matchup, however doesn’t have the identical rivalry hype. And with Paige Bueckers damage, there’s no Clark vs. Bueckers matchup to market.

Stanford has a loaded frontcourt that will be tough for Iowa to cease, however its star submit—Cameron Brink—usually finds herself in foul bother, and the Cardinal are comparatively weak at guard. Stanford wouldn’t be a horrible matchup for Iowa in a possible Elite Eight recreation.

Utah is a little more mysterious, however from glancing at their stats and metrics, they appear an terrible lot like Iowa—an offense-first staff that performs rapidly and will get into shootouts. Iowa tends to do comparatively higher in opposition to offensive groups than defensive groups, so that will probably be a enjoyable matchup within the NCAA Event if it involves move.

As I discussed in my recap earlier, LSU hasn’t performed a ranked staff all season. Due to that, they’re the largest query mark in faculty basketball proper now. They’ve blown out some good groups, however have additionally appeared notably shaky within the final two weeks. LSU’s Angel Reese would most likely put up monster numbers in opposition to Iowa, however it’s attainable that the Tigers’ true expertise degree is considerably decrease than their present seeding as a result of their resume is being propped up by the undefeated file. It could not be an enormous shock if the Tigers drop fairly a bit within the Committee’s eyes if they’ve an enormous loss to South Carolina (Sunday, February 12, 1 PM CT, ESPN).

Additional down, ACC and Large Ten groups occupy 8 of the ten slots between #7 and #16. Iowa gained’t be matched with any of the Large Ten groups in that vary for a possible Candy Sixteen recreation, so the Hawks would match up in opposition to Texas, Villanova or one of many ACC groups if issues don’t change considerably between now and Choice Sunday.

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Iowa

Grinnell window manufacturer announces plans to lay off 152 workers in November

Published

5 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Press Room

Grinnell window manufacturer announces plans to lay off 152 workers in November

JELD-WEN, a manufacturer of windows and doors in Grinnell, has announced it will be laying off 152 workers effective Nov. 7.

The announcement was made on Iowa’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) site.

The company, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, was founded in 1960 and has 18,000 employees, with operating facilities in 16 countries in North America and Europe with 2023 sales of $4.3 billion, according to the company’s website.

JELD-WEN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, JELD-WEN announced the closing of its Hawkins, Wisconsin facility, affecting 338 employees, and in Vista, California, resulting in the loss of 110 jobs.

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Iowa

Iowa Coach Fires Brutal Quote at Players Leaving Via Transfer

Published

13 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Press Room

Iowa Coach Fires Brutal Quote at Players Leaving Via Transfer

The Iowa Hawkeyes lost two players from their football team this week.

Both running back Leshon Williams and wide receiver Kaleb Brown have announced that they will redshirt for the rest of the season and enter the transfer portal at the end of the year.

Despite the two players opting to leave the program, it hasn’t phased head coach Kirk Ferentz. He isn’t worried about the decisions that they made at all.

When asked about Williams and Brown transferring, Ferentz offered a short and brutal quote.

“Not to be callous, but if a player isn’t playing, you don’t lose much.”

Williams had been dealing with an injury throughout the season thus far. Before the injury, he had shown flashes of being a player that could end up making an impact. Unfortunately, those flashes were never able to come to light on the field.

As for Brown, there were big plans for him coming into the season. But, he was suspended for the first game of the year and was never able to earn his role back.

Clearly, Ferentz is not worried about how his team will respond to the news. Basically, he doesn’t think the losses of them will impact the team at all.

Ferentz isn’t necessarily wrong with what he stated. Neither player had a role that will change how the team has been operating. However, it was the way he said it that was a bit out of line.

Regardless of the role that they players had, handling the situation with a bit more grace would have been a better look.

All of that being said, Iowa is not a program that needs to be graceful necessarily. The Hawkeyes want to win football games and neither Williams or Brown was contributing to that goal so far this year.

Looking ahead to the future, we wish the best to both Williams and Brown. Hopefully, they find success in their future endeavors.

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Iowa

Iowa High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – Oct. 8

Published

21 hours ago

October 9, 2024

Press Room

Iowa High School Football Rankings: Top 25 Teams – Oct. 8

The Iowa On3 Massey Ratings top 25 list as of Oct. 8 underwent some changes compared to last week’s rankings. These updates highlight the competitiveness of Iowa high school football, especially when you consider that only three of the top ten teams remain unscathed.

Meanwhile, two teams ranked 11 to 25 swapped spots. Here’s how the state’s top teams fared after the 2024 Iowa high school football season has reached its halfway point.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

CLICK HERE to watch your high school’s games on NFHS Network now!

After losing to Dowling Catholic, the Tigers have secured victories against ranked teams. Their latest conquest was against 23^rd-ranked Waukee Northwest, wherein Drake DeGroote completed three touchdown passes to Zay Robinson. Valley can extend their winning streak to five games against Waterloo West.

The Maroons survived the fierce opposition ushered in by fifth-ranked Ankeny Centennial in a match that needed three overtime periods to be settled. Dowling Catholic showed resilience despite a 21-3 halftime deficit and scoring their first touchdown with six minutes left in the third quarter. Overcoming that test of character should give the Maroons confidence in their upcoming match against Urbandale.

The Dragons are flying again after clinching their third consecutive victory against ranked opponents. This time, they’ve shut out eighth-ranked Southeast Polk, thanks to their defense, ranked fourth in Iowa high school football. After limiting Ankeny, Waukee, and Southeast Polk to 14 points, Johnston should have no problems defeating Urbandale on the road.

The Bulldogs remain undefeated after five games and haven’t allowed 20 points to an opponent since their season opener against sixth-ranked Pleasant Valley. Bettendorf’s latest result was a 33-14 masterpiece over Kennedy, a game practically over by halftime when the Bulldogs established a 27-6 lead. Bettendorf can improve to 6-0 by defeating Davenport Central this week.

The Jaguars could not translate their fantastic start against Dowling Catholic into a victory. Failing to close out the Maroons after three overtimes handed them their second consecutive defeat. However, they remain in the top ten and could bounce back with easier matchups against Roosevelt and Waukee Northwest over the next two weeks.

In their last match, the Spartans surrendered 28 points to Cedar Falls. While that’s a concern, the second-best offense in Iowa high school football scored a season-high 52 points. Pleasant Valley is on a groove, scoring 101 points in their two previous games. In that case, they should have no problems maintaining the momentum against Muscatine.

After starting the season at 1-3, the Hawks have won two consecutive games, beating Iowa City West and Prairie by a combined score of 73-38. However, their schedule gets more challenging as they face 11^th-ranked Liberty and top-ranked Valley in their following two assignments.

The Rams’ shutout loss to Johnston halted their winning streak. That result also brings their record against the top ten teams to 2-2. It’s also a total contrast to their 48-3 win over Sioux City East the week before. Southeast Polk should make a better effort in the next two weeks to defeat No. 13 Waukee and second-ranked Dowling Catholic. Those games are perfect for the Rams’ defense to prove why they are Iowa high school football’s top-ranked defense.

The Titans have scored over 50 points in back-to-back games, defeating Jefferson 56-6. The week before, they scored 55 on Glenwood. Lewis Central can keep their hopes for a perfect season intact by defeating Winterset, Norwalk, and Dallas Center-Grimes in their next three games.

The Comets flew to the top ten after a 29-8 victory over Ballard Community. North Polk’s defense has intensified, allowing only 33 points in its last three games. Before that run, they gave up 68 points to Bondurant-Farrar and Carlisle combined. On deck for the Comets are Indianola this week and Boone on the 18^th.

11. Liberty
12. Pella
13. Waukee
14. Linn-Mar (+1)
15. West Lyon (-1)
16. Decorah
17. Xavier
18. Iowa City High
19. Cedar Falls
20. Humboldt
21. Grundy Center
22. Williamsburg
23. Waukee Northwest
24. ADM
25. Western Dubuque

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