Podcast Musings today. Hoops. Football. Off topic. Fire away. I’ll record in an hour.

lower level single ticket for tonight
section 110
$15

Any thoughts on where we could finish in the conference standings. If we win our last two games and TCU and WV lose their last two we would be tied at 7-11 conference record. How would the tie breaker go? Trying to determine if we are a lock to play Wednesday.

CF consensus pick record: 11-6

Curious as what people think is more likely to happen first

What a difference a week makes. Last week I looked at the schedule AND how the sisters were playing and predicted that perhaps they would end the season in 3rd place and only one more loss. Well...three losses later we are seeing a team come apart at the seams. The loss to TCU was one many predicted could happen and it did. But then came Texas Tech and the ladies were dominated in every quarter but one. Yes, some might say the last second foul on a three pointer was bogus, but the ladies put themselves in that precarious position by playing spotty defense for the entire game. Then came tonight against a very poor K-State team. A Mildcat squad with a 50/50 record. A team ISU had kicked the thunder out of at home. Yes, Scott left the game with an injury, but ISU can’t go seven minutes in a quarter without a score. SIX points in the second. Yes...S****I****X points. KState dominated every single stat and held the sisters to 32% shooting (which went up a long ways in the second half) and we missed 5 of 13 free throws to boot.

Would or could Scott have made a difference? Possibly. Yet she left the game having gone 0- from the field. I’ll never discount her contribution to this team as she is an all star. But nearly the entire team (outside of Joens and Rae) stunk it up on offense. The team has played itself out of that third place and probably fourth place finish. KState and ISU have similar schedules left. An almost certain loss to Baylor and KU for both and one mid level team. KState is trending up and ISU is flatlining.

is there hope? I’m sure a positive report on Scott would be the best news we can get. Without her and with Wise still not showing any signs of offense the team will be challenged in every game left on the schedule. It’s gut check time.

Excited to see that at least at the moment, we'll have a team in the tournament and I'd take the current matchup he's projecting/guessing in a heartbeat, though the game site sucks....

http://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/bracketology

Des Moines area Cub fans. If you have any interest in joining a group of local cub season tickets holders our group may have an opening. We share a pair of season tickets at $825 each if we split it 9
ways. Section 434 row 5 unobstructed view over right field. There are 81 home games so we like the group to be 9 so we get 9 games each.

We get together and draft for the games.

If they can make the post season, we get together again and draw #’s out of a hat so everyone has a even chance. Then pay as we go since we will get access to the tickets at face.

We may have one opening in our group this year if interested IM me back ASAP.

We plan too draft this week or next at a local watering hole with money due at the draft.

According to a NorthJersey.com article Iowa State was third in average attendance.

1. Iowa – 12,568
2. Penn State – 7,604
3. Iowa State – 4,795
4. Rutgers – 4,292
5. Ohio State – 4,118

The coaching staff has done a great job in bringing excitement back to Hilton and making every weight fun to watch.

https://www.iowastatedaily.com/news...cle_f786ef70-599f-11ea-8966-63855dac0f9d.html

“For fall 2019, we opened with over 800 vacancies,” Englin said. “We hope it improves but we are currently trending to have over 1,500 vacancies across the system next fall. We can save over $750,000 by not operating Oak-Elm.”

Been working on this a while. Hope you guys enjoy.

https://cyclonefanatic.com/2020/02/williams-an-analysis-on-iowa-state-basketballs-future/

The men’s team has won the Big 12 indoor championship! The women finished 4th too. Great effort for the Cyclones!

1. KSU





2. Baylor



Everybody else.

EDIT: SORRY, I missed the other thread. @cycloneG's is the one true thread on this matter.

vs


IOWA STATE (12-16, 5-10 BIG 12)
VS. OKLAHOMA STATE (14-14, 4-11 BIG 12)
SATURDAY, FEB. 29 | 3 P.M. CST
STILLWATER, OKLA. | GALLAGHER-IBA ARENA (13,611)


Radio: Cyclone Radio Network
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (analyst)
TV: ESPNU
Talent: Clay Matvick (pxp); King McClure (analyst)

...all the happy, satisfied fans. I imagine he'll get a lot of positive encouragement though because, well, can't hide behind a anonymous name on a message board. Go Cyclones! Hope next year will be better.

I’m going to start here with this summary. If Ashley Joens isn’t named the Big 12 POY then there are stupid voters or the whole thing is rigged. Yes, we’ve seen it before when ISU had some outstanding players and someone else…usually from Oklahoma or a Texas school…got the votes. She is not only the best in the Big 12, she is one of the top 5-6 in the country. There, I said it. Now about the game.

As you all know by now, Kristin Scott is out after being undercut in the last game. Yes, it’s her back again and there is no telling when she might return. We can hope for the tournament and I doubt it happens before then. Backs are a tricky thing and it could come back together in a week or it might take longer. Cross your fingers.

Without her what we saw today was a squad that had to fight tooth and nail to pull out the win. By the end of the game there were five players on the court that were completely gassed. That being said, every single one of them gave it their all and I give them the highest kudos for it. This is not a team that takes the easy way out. They have grit.

This game was all about attacking a tough WVU defense right where their strength is…the middle. Even without our best inside player, the ladies dominated the middle. From beginning to end you could say the same thing about each quarter. This was a physical battle. Neither team was able to gain much separation thought WVU led most of the way. By the half, WVU had the narrowest of leads 33-29.

The ISU starters would put in most of the minutes with some key rest created by Wise and Kane. Unfortunately, Wise continues to struggle on offense, but her minutes on the court were critical to the outcome of the game. One of the outstanding players today (besides Joens) was Nez. She is playing like the end of her career is in sight. Rebounds, moving, scoring put back points. She had a game to remember. The outcome of this game literally came down to her and Joens in the 4th. This was the quarter that ISU scrapped back. After ceding WVU a 5 point lead, the ladies rebounded like furies on the defensive end and scrapped their way to a short lived lead. WVU was never done as they kept answering everything the sisters had to offer. But more WVU shots missed (tired legs the main culprit) than were missed by ISU. It was those inside shots by Joens and Nez that were the difference. After a critical rebound with about ten seconds left and ISU hanging on to a nail thin 1 point lead, Joens got fouled and promptly edged the lead to 3. The last time out by Fennelly set up the last gasp for WVU and what we were to do on defense. The perimeter defense was tough and the seconds were ticking away when they launched a desperation three to tie. It never even hit the rim, but then it got interesting. As the clock expired WVU had rebounded and put up a layup and the whistle blew. AC, out of instinct more than anything, played defense on the two point shot and was called for a foul. The shot went in. The crowd went crazy with anger. Yes, it appeared there was no foul, but it looked like OT was on its way with one free throw coming. The officials went to the monitors as the crowd looked on. They called the coaches to center court and a Fennelly fist pump later you knew the result. Not only did the shot come after the buzzer, but No foul. Sisters win 61-58.


Observations:

Turnovers. Much has been said by fans and coaches about this turnover happy team. Today against a crazy defense, the sisters only committed 7. SEVEN. Several of those happened in the critical fourth quarter with errant passes. That means through most of the game they only committed about 4 turnovers.

Fouls. Another ISU trademark. Those fouls turned into 19 free throws and the ladies were exceptional again hitting 16 (84%). Love it.

Offense. A bit rough around the edges. Rae struggled from the field, but it was the Nez (14) and Joens (29) show. It wasn’t like Joens was shooting lights out. No, she was getting pounded every time she went inside. Some went, most didn’t. Three point shooting was horrible for the entire team. It was the grit and willingness to take a beating and get to the free throw line that won this game.

Defense. You can’t say enough about the defense. It wasn’t perfect (when is it?), but the ladies were scrappy and when WVU missed they didn’t get too many opportunities. Even better was that WVU’s conversion rate for 2nd chance points wasn’t good. What is always fun is watching Rae take a charge. She doesn't flop. She just sets it up perfectly.

I’m not going to single out anyone other than the two players mentioned. Every person who stepped onto the court today gave it 100% and left it all out there. The level of fortitude shown by this group was something to be proud of.

Well..there are two games left. No curse intended, but I like 99.9% of the country expect Baylor to win the last game on senior night. In between there is a road trip to last place KU. Not an easy game as they’ve knocked off a few teams lately (Texas and OU). The sisters are currently by themselves in 5th place with a shot at 4th (ugh…second round v Baylor). KSU should fall back into a tie for 4th if they lose to Baylor tonight. Their last two are OSU and KU. They definitely have the easier path. This is why they play the games though.

It’s going to be a ride…hang on for some excitement.

Iowa State is scheduled to play NDSU on Saturday in Minneapolis. I thought about taking my soccer playing daughter to see the 'Clones play. Does anyone know where this game is supposed to be played? There are no details on Cyclones.com that I can find and nothing on the NDSU website. I have even resorted to looking at websites of stadiums in the Twin Cities but am still coming up empty. Anyone know what is going on?

I've even tried calling the ticket office and they have no idea.



I thought about putting this in the Football Forum just to tweak people but refrained.

Because I didn’t see a thread...

https://cyclonefanatic.com/2020/02/spring-position-preview-quarterbacks/

CF consensus pick record: 11-5

Their team gets better thru out the season! ISU even if Haliburton wasn't injured is not getting better. Hope the new recruits next season makes a difference!

...and with no other coach to blame, Prohm deserves the full credit for one of the worst Cyclone seasons ever. It’s time to accept he is a great guy but an absolute joke of a coach. We need to cut our losses and move on.

Hopefully the crappy Cyclone.TV stuff works better than it's norm, we will see. Per the department release Scott will be starting but who knows for sure. They have a history of cut-n-past on these and they are not always correct.

**************************************************************************************************************

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State women's basketball team (15-11, 7-8, Big 12) looks to avoid the sweep when it takes on West Virginia (16-10, 6-9 Big 12) on Saturday, Feb. 29 at noon on Cyclones.tv. The Cyclones are to get back on track after three-straight losses in Big 12 play. Iowa State fell to WVU, 79-71 earlier in Big 12 action. ISU is 5-11 all-time against the Mountaineers and 3-4 in Hilton Coliseum.

As a reminder, Hilton Coliseum has instituted a Clear Bag Policy for athletic events. The policy will enhance security while improving efficiency at the entry gates.
Where: Hilton Coliseum - Ames, Iowa
When: Saturday, Feb. 29 at Noon
Projected Starting Lineup: Rae Johnson, Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw, Ashley Joens, Adriana Camber, Kristin Scott
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: BJ Schaben, Molly Parrott
TV: Cyclones.tv

My monthly collection of amusing/enlightening comments from CF message boards.

It's impossible to document all the fun, so if I omitted something notable, feel free to add to the thread. Also, any time you encounter a gem and want to nominate it, PM me.

• In case you missed it: Notable Posts, January '20

Here we go. Some entries are edited for brevity or clarity.

From “The Economic Cost to the University of a Poorly Performing Basketball Team”
@tyler24: Fun fact about correlations... Increased Ice cream sales and shark attacks go hand-in-hand. Do you think it's the ice cream sales bringing the sharks in?
@CyCrazy: Now that I think about it, yes.

From “Football Facility and Gameday Plaza Renderings”
@Stewo: Where are we putting the monument to all the Iowa band members who lost their lives that day?
@Remo Gaggi: A statue of Stork, leading the band the wrong way.



From “Official KSU-ISU game thread”
@Clonefan32: Lose at home to this K-State team and the wheels have official come completely off.
@SpokaneCY: Exactly how many wheels do you have on this team? We're spinning off wheels like a clown car spits out clowns...

From “Who Should We Hire After Prohm?”
@jcyclonee: Shakira.
@peteypie: Now this is a hire I could get behind, if you know what I mean.

From “What’s Going on Here?”
@cyclone: Why don't they call them “gnus” anymore?
@coolerifyoudid: Don’t complain. No gnus is good gnus.

From “Political Quiz”
@cyrocksmypants: I have no desire to answer 100 questions for it to tell me I’m a communist, when you guys can just call me that anyway.

From “Friday OT: The Modern Stone-Age Family”
@Cybyassociation: Thought this thread was going to be about raising a family in the days of legalized marijuana.
---
@Angie: I think going to the Middle Ages or Renaissance times would be amazing... but I don't want to stay long enough to have to pee; chamber pots sound horrifying.

From “AARP”
@BoxsterCy: I keep getting s**t from them. Thinking maybe it would be worth it for hotel/senior discounts … Downside: I hate old conservative farts and they are a collective of old conservative farts, while I am senior advisor to the Che Guevara Revolutionary Brigade of Minnesota.

From “Official Texas Tech vs. Iowa State Gameday thread”
@Cyched: Hard to believe this is the same ISU team that hung with Florida A&M the whole game.
---
@Prone2Clone: I think I'll go dust the undersides of all my furniture.
---
@atlantacyclone: I think our problem is offense and defense...
@Chipper: Special teams look decent.

From “If You’re Into It: My new Podcast”
@ChrisMWilliams: Please give me feedback on guests you'd like to hear from, topics to tackle, etc.
@CycloneErik: Do you want us to listen before providing feedback, or just do our normal thing?

From “The End of Oak-Elm?”
@cycloner29: The memories of working in Oak-Elm food service, the floor parties, walking out of girls' dorm at 7 a.m. Food service was a blast!!
@JM4CY: Walked out, or kicked out naked?

Random “Mailbag” nuggets:
@Cyched: What is your favorite penis-shaped food?
@cyrocksmypants: Probably fried penis.
---
@Doc: Got a biological question for you guys: What is the scariest bird in the world?
@jcyclonee: Do those flying snakes count as birds?
@Doc: Do I look like I’m in Audubon Society or something?
---
@Sigmapolis: Heaven's Gate is a very solid choice, @GTO. Their leader Do (aka Marshall Applewhite), has to be on the Mount Rushmore of all-time crazy looking cult leaders.
@VeloClone: Marshall Applewhite? Didn't he play for Texas?
----
@Fitzy: You must select two real people, alive or dead, to serve as a candidate and their running mate in the 2020 presidential election … Which two do you pick, and why?
@GTO: Just realized you said REAL people. How about Lincoln and JFK? I don't think anyone could shoot down that ticket. It would be bulletproof. OK, I'll stop now. (apologies to @ImJustKCClone, since I know she lived through both of those)
----
@Gunnerclone: I was tossing around the idea of starting my own rival malebag.
@Ms3r4ISU: If you're a guy, you already have a malebag. And I don't want to see it.
---
@SCyclone: What’s the most creative buyout proposal for Steve Prohm's contract that you've heard so far?
@Cy$: My Tetris Championship winnings will be used to buy out Prohm.
---
@BCClone: Who is the guest answerer? That may affect my questions.
@Cyched: @BCClone
@BCClone: Hell’s bells. That really changes it.

Has the web cam disappeared for the Sports Performance Center?

Anybody been to the book in Jefferson...I have seen some pictures, looks nicer to than Prairie Meadows, do they have decent seating or is it just table and chairs??? Just curious and peoples thoughts...