By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com Publisher
CycloneFanatic.com’s coverage of the 2011 Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City is brought to you by our good friends at Wilson Toyota, located at 2212 S. Duff Ave. in Ames.
Kansas City – Wednesday’s 77-75 first round Big 12 Tournament loss to Colorado was a microcosm of what you saw from this Cyclone basketball team all season long.
All year long, the Cyclones played hard. They were severely undermanned. They were almost there. Close…But certainly no cigar.
This wild ride has come to an end.
“Our guys fought, they clawed, they played hard and we had chances to win a lot of games,” said Fred Hoiberg. “I am going to watch a lot of film and do everything that I can to help our team close out these games.”
Don’t plan on Hoiberg taking much of a vacation now that the season has concluded. Prep for next season starts tomorrow.
“We will meet tomorrow,” Hoiberg said. “I’ll have meetings with these guys and I told the seniors that I would do anything I can for them. We’re moving ahead. We’ll bring in our young guys and start putting a plan together.
Here are some thoughts/notes from the loss. Know that over the next few weeks, CycloneFanatic.com will take numerous looks back at the season that was.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jake Anderson – There’s no room for debate here. “Uncle” Jake Anderson saved the best game of his college career for the last game of his college career. Anderson scored 33 points in the loss and nobody else was even in the conversation for our CF player of the game.
“It was my last college game. I had to go out fighting,” Anderson said. “This whole experience has been great for me. I’ve been able to display a lot of skills.”
What’s next for Jake Anderson?
“I have been playing basketball my whole life,” Anderson said. “I don’t plan on stopping right now.”
THREE UP
Calvin Godfrey – A month ago, this guy wasn’t even in next season’s conversation. After the last two weeks, Calvin Godfrey’s toughness has made him a threat to start for the 2011 Cyclones. A seven point, eight rebound performance on Wednesday sends Godfrey into the postseason with a lot of momentum.
Seniors – Diante Garrett, Jamie Vanderbeken and Jake Anderson each played their final game in an Iowa State uniform today. This Fred Hoiberg quote sums things up pretty well.
“I told our young guys to learn from our seniors. Those guys went out all year long and gave us a chance to win. They were great leaders. They had great attitudes. They kept things positive. It is something that our young guys can learn. They could have learned from guys who had their own agendas. These guys were all about the team and doing everything that they could to help us win games.”
Colorado – By default, I think that this win punched Colorado’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
THREE DOWN
Crowd conflict – For being the 12-seed, Iowa State’s crowd was stellar on Wednesday afternoon. Brent Blum told me that was also the case a the women’s game. It was a crying shame that Iowa State fans had to make that decision. What can you do about it though?
Christopherson/Vanderbeken combo – Iowa State’s two best shooters, Jamie Vanderbeken (5-18) and Scott Christopherson (4-28) combined to go 9-for-46 from the field in Iowa State’s final two games of the season.
“Those guys missed looks,” Hoiberg said. “They have made those shots all year. They weren’t going down.”
Rebounding – Colorado 48, Iowa State 36. In last week’s Cyclone win over the Buffs, Iowa State outrebounded Colorado 40-32.
