Wooo Pig Sooie! Looking forward to visiting Ames on Dec 4!

[razorbackinkc]

Hey y'all, I am here to learn more about ISU's 2014-2015 team and to answer any questions that you might have about the Razorbacks.

I went to undergrad at the U of A and have been a season ticket holder/fan since I was a small child. When I was eight years old we played in the Final Four. When I was ten we won our lone national title against Grant Hill's Duke (1994), and when I was eleven we lost in the National Title game to the O'Bannon brothers and UCLA. We've been on a steady decline until now.

Fast forward to 2014. We're still not quite there yet but we expect to be a tourney team this year and potentially crack the top 25. I am really excited to have such a quality non conference road matchup, even if we don't pull the upset it is going to really help prepare us for conference play where we have struggled mightily on the road -- we get both Florida and Kentucky away from home this year (although we did sweep UK last year and took UF to overtime).

Anyway, I'd love to get some perspective from the home crowd here. What are your prospects? Who do you return? Who graduated? What new players are expected to make an impact?

Finally, what is there to do in Ames? I would appreciate restaurant, bar, and tailgating suggestions.

Good luck destroying the Big XII this year. I just don't know much beyond Ejim, Kane, and that Georges kid (one of my favorite players last year).

Wooo Pig Sooie! Looking forward to it. I hope that some of you are able to make it to the game in Fayetteville in 2015.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

You guys have Chris Babb's brother correct?

 

[jay moe]

2 threads from the same guy?

 

[ajk4st8]

Tailgating for basketball is more limited during December usually. Several of us will still set up our tailgates, but if its 15 degrees and windy most people just head to the bars. We usually hit a place called Whiskey River before the game.

 

[isuforlife]

wooie pig what?

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Hey y'all, I am here to learn more about ISU's 2014-2015 team and to answer any questions that you might have about the Razorbacks.

I went to undergrad at the U of A and have been a season ticket holder/fan since I was a small child. When I was eight years old we played in the Final Four. When I was ten we won our lone national title against Grant Hill's Duke (1994), and when I was eleven we lost in the National Title game to the O'Bannon brothers and UCLA. We've been on a steady decline until now.

Fast forward to 2014. We're still not quite there yet but we expect to be a tourney team this year and potentially crack the top 25. I am really excited to have such a quality non conference road matchup, even if we don't pull the upset it is going to really help prepare us for conference play where we have struggled mightily on the road -- we get both Florida and Kentucky away from home this year (although we did sweep UK last year and took UF to overtime).

Anyway, I'd love to get some perspective from the home crowd here. What are your prospects? Who do you return? Who graduated? What new players are expected to make an impact?

Finally, what is there to do in Ames? I would appreciate restaurant, bar, and tailgating suggestions.

Good luck destroying the Big XII this year. I just don't know much beyond Ejim, Kane, and that Georges kid (one of my favorite players last year).

Wooo Pig Sooie! Looking forward to it. I hope that some of you are able to make it to the game in Fayetteville in 2015.

You're not going to recognize Georges (by the way, if you want to fit in, DO NOT pronounce the "s" in his name).

Hilton was constructed with noise intensity in mind. The students sit behind the basket on both ends of the court (the student section is called Cyclone Alley, or simply the "Alley"). The crowd is generally loud, rowdy, and pretty involved in the games...for conference games. It's hard to predict what will happen vs Arkansas. The games against Michigan & Iowa last year were sold out and very full, but the other pre-season games were less well attended.

 

[RubyClone]

Tailgating for basketball is more limited during December usually. Several of us will still set up our tailgates, but if its 15 degrees and windy most people just head to the bars. We usually hit a place called Whiskey River before the game.

Food - Hickory park in Ames is an institution. I personally love me some Great Plains Sauce and Dough Pizza (Denver Style).

Have a safe trip, enjoy your time, sorry about the loss - but it'll serve you well. :wink:

 

[Doc]

Welcome -- I met a few Arkansas fans when I was in KC and they were all great peoe. I think many on here are underestimating your team this year, so be prepared. :smile:

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Welcome. Seems as though Arkansas usually has good talent and this should be a battle. NW Arkansas is a great area.

 

[razorbackinkc]

You guys have Chris Babb's brother correct?

Nick Babb -- solid outside jumper and can slash.

 

[razorbackinkc]

2 threads from the same guy?

Touché. I started to post in the welcome forum and then realized that there was a basketball specific forum.

Arkansas education.

 

[Luth4Cy]

Ejim and Kane graduated, putting more pressure on the offensive side on Niang, Morris, and Bryce Dejean-Jones who transferred from UNLV. Since Hoiberg has been in Ames, Iowa State has consistently been one of the best offensive teams in the country and I expect the game with Arkansas to be a high scoring one.

Hilton crowd is also great by the way. The stadium is probably one of the loudest in the country when the crowd gets into the game.

 

[razorbackinkc]

Tailgating for basketball is more limited during December usually. Several of us will still set up our tailgates, but if its 15 degrees and windy most people just head to the bars. We usually hit a place called Whiskey River before the game.

Jesus, tell me about it. I forget about the weather. I had lived in Nashville, TN for the past few years before moving to Kansas City last fall. ******* brutal.

Whiskey River within walking distance?

 

[acgclone]

Arkansas had some really good athletes when I watched them last year. I had a hard time figuring out if Mike Anderson had an actual half court offensive strategy though.

Should definitely be a fun game to watch between two teams that can get up and down.

 

[iacyguy]

Arkansas football team has been my second favorite behind Iowa State since i was a kid. Especially during the Darren McFadden days i watched them play every weekend and almost got to go see a game in Fayetteville when they played LSU in 2006.

I personally am very excited to play Arkansas because I am a fan of both schools. Also, Mike Anderson is one of a few coaches Fred Hoiberg has yet to beat (coached Missouri). Not many of us here know about the Razorbacks so if you could fill us in on your team's players, prospects, and style that would be great. Hopefully you guys can manage a top 4 finish in the SEC this year.

For your gameday needs everyone on here will have a different opinion but i personally enjoy Hickory Park. Good bbq thats fairly cheap and fast. You most likely wont see anyone tailgating either because it will be too damn cold to be outside for more than 10 minutes.

Anyway, we look forward to having you in Ames and enjoying a good basketball game with the Cyclones coming out on top

 

[MNCyGuy]

Ejim and Kane graduated, putting more pressure on the offensive side on Niang, Morris, and Bryce Dejean-Jones who transferred from UNLV. Since Hoiberg has been in Ames, Iowa State has consistently been one of the best offensive teams in the country and I expect the game with Arkansas to be a high scoring one.

Hilton crowd is also great by the way. The stadium is probably one of the loudest in the country when the crowd gets into the game.

I would assume Hogue's role to grow some as well. And I would imagine any sort of suspension for Nader to be played out by this game. He should be a big part of making up Ejim's production.

I think overall people are pretty high on the team. Obviously Ejim and Kane have big shoes to fill, but one nice thing about transfer-heavy recruiting is always having some non-freshman waiting in the wings to step in.

 

[razorbackinkc]

Arkansas had some really good athletes when I watched them last year. I had a hard time figuring out if Mike Anderson had an actual half court offensive strategy though.

Should definitely be a fun game to watch between two teams that can get up and down.

I sometimes wonder the same thing. The team is in killer shape. It's a lot if full court pressure and getting to the rim or finding guys in transition for open jump shots.

We pretty much return everyone except Coty Clark and will get some contribution from a couple of new comers.

 

[ajk4st8]

Jesus, tell me about it. I forget about the weather. I had lived in Nashville, TN for the past few years before moving to Kansas City last fall. ******* brutal.

Whiskey River within walking distance?

not really a walk, but fairly close. There are several other bars in campus area that are more walkable. Its a great parking area to tailgate in and can likely be pretty nice. Normally in the 20-30s in December.

 

[CycloneErik]

I've always enjoyed Arkansas basketball, at least after Nolan Richardson got there. Those were great teams.

This is the nonconference home game I'm most excited about. We should all be in for a frenzied one.

 

[razorbackinkc]

Arkansas football team has been my second favorite behind Iowa State since i was a kid. Especially during the Darren McFadden days i watched them play every weekend and almost got to go see a game in Fayetteville when they played LSU in 2006.

I personally am very excited to play Arkansas because I am a fan of both schools. Also, Mike Anderson is one of a few coaches Fred Hoiberg has yet to beat (coached Missouri). Not many of us here know about the Razorbacks so if you could fill us in on your team's players, prospects, and style that would be great. Hopefully you guys can manage a top 4 finish in the SEC this year.

For your gameday needs everyone on here will have a different opinion but i personally enjoy Hickory Park. Good bbq thats fairly cheap and fast. You most likely wont see anyone tailgating either because it will be too damn cold to be outside for more than 10 minutes.

Anyway, we look forward to having you in Ames and enjoying a good basketball game with the Cyclones coming out on top

It all starts with 6 '10 Soph big man Bobby Portis. His rebounding improved throughout his freshman campaign and he can score in a plethora of ways -- off of the offensive glass, in transition, and he's got a good mid range jumper and a solid three ball.

Michael Qualls is among the most exciting players in the country to watch if you enjoy a Dominique Wilkins type highlight show above the rim. I believe he had five SC top ten dunks last year.

Rashard Madden is the other of our "big three," if you will. He's a combo guard with a good three point shot and an ability to run. He's not a true PG but has been sort of forced into that role.

Anthlon Bell is a wing man who really showed a lot of improvement from year one to year two. He's primarily a three point specialist and can be hot and cold, but he's always got the green light.

I'm excited about Soph Moses Kingsley, an athletic and long-armed 6-11 center who specializes in shot blocking. He averaged less than 5 points per game but was among the SEC's best shot blockers last season despite limited playing time. A lot of serious Razorback fans are very excited about his upside, but you may not read a lot about him in media previews.