Rising

The theme of the season is "Rising" and many believe the Iowa men's basketball team will begin their march to a post-season appearance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in many years on Friday. While still not earning the respect of Michigan State or Ohio State or even Wisconsin, there are some in the media that have begun to notice this year's team. The question, the challenge, then, is for this year's team to not live up to the expectations of BTN analyst Jim Jackson and what he thinks they can do. The challenge is for the team to surpass their wildest dreams.

So, that means the big news out of Carver Hawkeye Arena is not that the team won. The Big News that victory does not encapsulate this year's team - it's a passion for a better performance. I wasn't at the game but I love it - absolutely LOVE IT!! - that the Iowa men's basketball team earns an exhibition victory, winning by more than 20 points. You'd think the coach would be ecstatic. Instead, the headline on Hawk Central paints a different picture:

McCaffery: Iowa men ‘substantially outplayed’ in victorious exhibition

A win by a huge margin is not "enough" for this program, for this season. It's about effort and, frankly, it's about changing the mindset of young men to believe that they are a better player than what they even imagine they can be. And when you look at the box score, they have work to do. The 3 point shot was not falling when you shoot a miserable 11.1% in the 3-point shot department. Can you do that against *any* Big Ten team and win? No, you cannot.

So, good for Fran and his team. I hope this attitude takes them deep into the NCAA tournament. I hope it makes the seniors on the team mentor the underclassmen a bit more, and I hope they are successful.