Iowa hoops were decent until Cyrus Tate's injury last year

With all the losing and negativity surrounding the Iowa men's basketball program, it's easy to forget that just 15 months ago, the Hawkeyes didn't look too bad.

In hindsight (or maybe in comparison to the current situation), they looked fairly impressive. They started just one senior, center Cyrus Tate, and had a mixture of youth and experience.

The Hawkeyes started 5-0 and ended their non-conference portion of that season 10-3. Iowa beat Kansas State (yes, THAT Kansas State) with a basket at the buzzer in Las Vegas. Iowa rolled Northern Iowa by 19 and Iowa State by 16. Two of its three losses were blowouts -- at Drake and West Virginia -- but the other was a two-point loss at Boston College, where Iowa freshman Andrew Brommer had the opportunity to tie the game at the free-throw line with no time remaining. That kept the Big Ten from winning the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

Even early on in Big Ten season, the team looked poised to compete. Iowa lost at Ohio State by three points when a last-second 3-pointer by Matt Gatens missed its mark. Iowa beat Indiana and led Minnesota by seven points in the third league game. Then, senior post Cyrus Tate went down with severe ankle sprain, and Iowa lost 52-49. The rest of the season was all downhill, with Iowa losing 13 of its last 17 games.

There were a couple of reasons why Iowa played so well early in that season. Then-freshman guard Anthony Tucker was outstanding in Iowa's first six games, averaging more than 17 points. Tate was an unselfish, hard-nosed player in the post. On defense, he took away the opponent's best inside presence and played without much ego on offense. Then-sophomore Jake Kelly locked in on the opponent's best guard and defended him fairly decently. Then-sophomore Jeff Peterson played the point with more efficiency. Then-freshman Matt Gatens was allowed to develop without being forced to play the role of go-to guy.

So where did it all go wrong? There were a couple of turning points in that season that were instrumental in leading to today's current situation.

• Tucker was suspended early that season after he was arrested for public intoxication. He also developed mononucleosis and later was ruled academically ineligible for the second semester. His outside presence kept defenders on guard, which allowed players like Gatens and Kelly to find open shots.
• Tate's injury cannot be understated. Statistics aside, he was the rock for that team on both ends of the court. His backup, then-sophomore Jarryd Cole, still was recovering from knee surgery and lacked the explosiveness or endurance to compete in Tate's absence. Iowa had little inside presence after Tate's ankle sprain.
• Following the Minnesota loss, Michigan destroyed Iowa 64-49 at Crisler Arena. Iowa players and coaches were in heated arguments, specifically Coach Todd Lickliter grilling then-junior guard Jermain Davis during a timeout for getting beat by Michigan forward DeShawn Sims during a defensive switch. Iowa's offensive game plan looked nothing less than "30 seconds of fear, 5 seconds of panic." Iowa's players and coaches seemed to lack trust in one another during that game, something that seems apparent through today.
• Of course the biggest move was losing Kelly, Peterson, Davis and then-junior forward David Palmer in the offseason. Kelly and, to some extent Peterson, have been irreplaceable. Iowa lacks talent and experience in comparison with its opponents this year. Both players would have helped Iowa to a better season.

I think the turning point last year was Tate's injury. Tate may have helped Iowa win around two more games. That may have pushed Iowa into a postseason tournament, possibly the NIT. Maybe that keeps one or more players from leaving the program. Maybe fans would have a little more patience with Lickliter today.

Or maybe not.