Lipsey was 40% in the dance last year as well....being down 1.5 athletic defending guards made us go from a top 10 to a top 30 team.
This team is pissed off, hungry, and together
- Thread starter FallOf81
- Start date
Lipsey was 40% in the dance last year as well....being down 1.5 athletic defending guards made us go from a top 10 to a top 30 team.
Even a bit hobbled Lipsey the other night was ten fold compared to a year ago when he was basically playing on one leg.
Gilbert was dinged up for most of conference season and then it must have just gotten to a place where things just weren't working.
This is where I fall. The first viable post play in TJ tenure.
And by viable the ability to play both offense and defense.
Gilbert played lots of iso ball. Some on here bark about Jefferson and iso ball. But he pales in comparison to Gilbert. With Gilbert it was feast or famine
Also I know for a fact Jackson was looking to leave before ISU played its first NCAA tourney game.
This bunch to me has much less drama that in itself makes this a higher ceiling group.
But in a 1 done tourney no guarantees you reach the ceiling
Cyclonepride
Thought Police
I feel like you need to have about 4 Final Four quality teams to get you 1 Final Four (unless you are lucky and just plain catch a heater or the bracket gods open up your path).
The season was a test for this team to get to this point.
Play consistently at a high level.
Perform in hostile environments
Go toe to toe against elite competition
Play their best with high stakes on the line
This team has passed every test you want going into March. Yes, young grasshopper this team is ready
Play consistently at a high level.
Perform in hostile environments
Go toe to toe against elite competition
Play their best with high stakes on the line
This team has passed every test you want going into March. Yes, young grasshopper this team is ready
The team needs a special reminder of how they were left out of the Championship game in Las Vegas. If that does not put them in a p*ssed off mind set nothing will.
Yea but expecting a final 4 isn’t something we should do. I expect a sweet 16 this year for sure. I’d really like an elite 8. But luck plays a huge factor in final four runs even for the best teams. If that makes sense.
And the 'almost beat AZ' thing doesn't hold up one week later either.
They'll need to be sharp and play within themselves Friday.
Tell me more about Jackson. Not that I wanted him back. He couldn’t do what we need a 5 to do.
I would like another Keshon type player. A kid that is fearless going to the hoop, can shoot well enough to keep a defense honest and one that can defend and disrupt. When Keshon was healthy he was electric
There are more than 4 "final four quality" teams every year, yet only four actually make it. Takes a little luck too. Putting yourself in a Final Four Or Bust position is setting yourself up for disappointment. Just enjoy the ride, man!
FWIW I agree this is our best chance at a Final Four since 2000.
We were playing kelderman real minutes in the tourney. Enough said about last years team.
Yes, but so is Michigan and a maximum of one of them is going to the Final Four.
And turned out to have a medical condition so he didn’t play this year.
Kentucky reminds me of Baylor. The talent is there, but they only play together once in awhile. We would probably beat them 8-9 times out of 10, but if they decide to play with a chip on their shoulder, they absolutely have the athleticism to be dangerous. I'll be watching the KY/Santa Clara game like a scout that has nobody but a message board to report to.
I think Houston is a great example here. Barttorvik has had them as a top 5 team every year going back to 2021. And we all know how tough of a program they are. Yet, they've "only" made the Final Four 2/5 times in that period, including missing it twice as a 1 seed. Sometimes things just don't go quite the way that fans hope.
Yeah, not saying that it wasn't justified, especially that year. Just that a lot of things can cause a team to fall short of fans' hopes in a single-elimination format, whether injuries, a bad shooting night, foul trouble from a star player, etc.
