In reality, what is the ISU Basketball program?

[JimmyChitwood]

This is a very valid point. When we start making the winning our fair share of conference titles and making the Elite 8 on a continual basis, then we can be considered an elite team. Till then, I suggest we enjoy the ride that Fred is taking us on. The road might get bumpy at times but if we relax we'll get to our destination sooner then later.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I was expecting us to be pretty damn good this year, like everyone else was, where we were potentially better than last year's team. However, next year's team is the one I have very high expectations for, regardless if we land Diallo or not.

It certainly has a chance to be among the best Cyclone teams ever. The overall experience level in big game environments will be off the charts.

 

[jatrain]

As a KU fan I can give you an outsiders perspective on your program, but only if you want me to. Don't want to mess up what looks to be a good thread (not that my perspective would be bad, what happening up there is impressive).

 

[CTTB78]

Who cares if people talk about going to the final four? Is it bad thing that fans are excited about the program?....

No, not really. Although the fans that think we will make the Final Four are the same fans who hit the earth hard if we get knocked out in the second round. I certainly hope we get there this year but I'd be thrilled to make it to the Sweet 16. That's not settling for less, just accepting how hard the tournament is.
Let's just leave the annual preseason national championship predictions to Iowa football fans. Fred's teams can prove it on the court.

 

[Luth4Cy]

Most fans are very pleased with the program. Some are nuts and freak out after losses. I think there are a few of us who pleased with what Fred has done, but due to Fred's comments pre-season, the tournament play last season, and the fact that this team is more athletic and deeper expected more this season.

 

[Rolling Clones]

As a KU fan I can give you an outsiders perspective on your program, but only if you want me to. Don't want to mess up what looks to be a good thread (not that my perspective would be bad, what happening up there is impressive).

Go ahead sir.

 

[digZ]

I think most rational fans are very pleased with the overall program. Doesn't mean I have to be farting rainbows after a loss. Losses are bad, wins are good.

The program is in great shape, better than it's ever been in fact. Being a consistent top 25 team, contending for a regular season title, becoming a regular fixture in March. Doesn't get much better than that. Doesn't change the fact that ISU came up short last night in a critical home game in the B12 title race. It sucks, and I can see why many fans(myself included) are disappointed, but the program is fine, and that's the way it is.

 

[rockchalkKU]

I am obviously a KU fan as indicated by my username. I saw on here somewhere that Iowa State fans are considering themselves as becoming our new "rivals." I believe that is true to some extent. However, I hope that as you become more established as a program, that ISU does not merely become another KSU. A lot of KU fans view KSU as the jealous little brother who never wins anything - the team with a huge inferiority complex. I see some comments on here that seem to suggest the same thing about ISU fans with the whole "Kansas must be destroyed" thing. But I also see other comments that are well-reasoned and display much more intelligence than any KSU fan could ever hope to muster.

I think that a majority of KU fans, including myself, respect Iowa State and know that the games could go either way when we play each other. I hope that continues because we need a good rivalry. KSU is not a rivalry - it is KU dominating KSU for years and years and KSU occasionally squeaking out a win. You will NEVER see KU fans rush the court after winning a game (with the rare exception for when/if we win a national championship).

If I were an ISU fan, I would be rather optimistic of the chances of securing a share of the Big 12 title after seeing the competition that KU just lost to. You know that the same KSU team that beat KU is NOT going to show up against ISU. KSU only seems plays good when KU comes to town. I think ISU has a very good chance of winning out the rest of the season. On the other hand, my school just lost to the worst college in the entire Milky Way galaxy, so who knows what's going to happen with us.

I do not think that ISU has established itself as a "blue blood" just yet, but that could very well change in the future. I also don't necessarily consider KU to be on par with a lot of other "blue bloods" as we consistently disappoint according to blue blood standards. As it stands now, I think KU will end up sharing the big 12 title with ISU this year. Iowa State wins out the rest of the season. KU beats Texas and West Virginia, but then loses to OU in Norman.

 

[CyTwins]

I am obviously a KU fan as indicated by my username. I saw on here somewhere that Iowa State fans are considering themselves as becoming our new "rivals." I believe that is true to some extent. However, I hope that as you become more established as a program, that ISU does not merely become another KSU. A lot of KU fans view KSU as the jealous little brother who never wins anything - the team with a huge inferiority complex. I see some comments on here that seem to suggest the same thing about ISU fans with the whole "Kansas must be destroyed" thing. But I also see other comments that are well-reasoned and display much more intelligence than any KSU fan could ever hope to muster.

I think that a majority of KU fans, including myself, respect Iowa State and know that the games could go either way when we play each other. I hope that continues because we need a good rivalry. KSU is not a rivalry - it is KU dominating KSU for years and years and KSU occasionally squeaking out a win. You will NEVER see KU fans rush the court after winning a game (with the rare exception for when/if we win a national championship).

If I were an ISU fan, I would be rather optimistic of the chances of securing a share of the Big 12 title after seeing the competition that KU just lost to. You know that the same KSU team that beat KU is NOT going to show up against ISU. KSU only seems plays good when KU comes to town. I think ISU has a very good chance of winning out the rest of the season. On the other hand, my school just lost to the worst college in the entire Milky Way galaxy, so who knows what's going to happen with us.

I do not think that ISU has established itself as a "blue blood" just yet, but that could very well change in the future. I also don't necessarily consider KU to be on par with a lot of other "blue bloods" as we consistently disappoint according to blue blood standards. As it stands now, I think KU will end up sharing the big 12 title with ISU this year. Iowa State wins out the rest of the season. KU beats Texas and West Virginia, but then loses to OU in Norman.

Good post but this part is wrong.
[video=youtube_share;AwMlvmxsiXc]http://youtu.be/AwMlvmxsiXc[/video]

 

[rockchalkKU]

Good post but this part is wrong.
[video=youtube_share;AwMlvmxsiXc]http://youtu.be/AwMlvmxsiXc[/video]

Dammit. I stand corrected. Regardless, that's a pretty pathetic "storming."

 

[CyTwins]

Dammit. I stand corrected.

No worries, you guys rarely storm the court which is good. Now if we could just get you guys to stop booing all the time...

 

[isu81]

Let's just leave the annual preseason national championship predictions to Iowa football fans. Fred's teams can prove it on the court.

See that's exactly what I'm talking about earlier. How did Iowa football come in to this great thread and discussion about ISU basketball's place in college basketball?

 

[aeroclone]

I think the state of the program today is very good. We certainly haven't taken the next step to great, but we are sustaining very good, and that is the necessary step to take on the journey to great.

We are currently the defending B12 tourney champs, and whether we pull it off or not we are going to be in the mix for the regular season title up until the final weekend this year. We have been ranked in the top 20 for pretty much two straight seasons now, and are headed to the NCAA for the fourth consecutive season for the first time in school history.

The fact is we are close, and if we can keep it up and keep knocking on the door eventually we will get in. This team certainly looks like it has the pieces to make a run at the final 4. Last season's team could have done the same without the Niang injury. Hell, they team two years ago may have made a run too if it wasn't for an unfortunate draw and a couple questionable calls. There aren't a lot of programs that have a fighting chance at a final 4 run three years in a row. And honestly, looking at next year's team on paper it certainly appears like we could have another contender there. If we just keep doing what we are doing and catch a couple breaks with the tourney and recruiting, that next step to greatness is not far off.

 

[IAStubborn]

This is basically it. It's a matter of higher expectations. There's a concept called "anchoring" which is basically about managing expectations. If you walk into a car dealership and expect to to pay $20K for a car and get it for $19K, you feel like you've gotten a good deal, even if objectively you got screwed. But because you anchored that $20K number in your mind, even though it wasn't well-informed, you feel good.

Ever since last spring, the expectations have been that we had a team that could compete for a championship. And at Hilton we are supposed to be virtually invincible. We've been hovering around the top 15 all year. That's the new normal, the expectation, the anchor. Last night, we had to pay $22K for the car we thought we'd only have to pay $20K for, and now we're mad about it. The real question is, did we get screwed (or in this case, screw ourselves by losing), or were our expectations misguided to begin with?

Personally based on what I've seen from this team this year, the expectations are mostly on target. We can be that good. So it's that much more infuriating when we aren't, and last night it cost us in a big way. That doesn't excuse the way some people choose to behave about it.

People should have expected a loss was possible and maybe even probable in hindsight. Because ISU was not equipped yet to handle the pressure of those increased expectations. It really is just basic psychcology.

When I was in High school I didn't go out for football until my sophomore year. My first year, as you would guess, I stunk. My Junior year I was moving up the depth chart had nothing to lose went balls out every day. Then the coach told me I was starting the 3rd game of the season. Mind you we were undefeated state champs in 4A and I was playing for a defense that was not just good, the firt team didn't give up a first down much less a score my senior year. The first two games prior to me starting I played a lot and played really well but the weight of starting wasn't on my shoulders. I was still hunting. I wanted that job. When I got there though, that first game starting I had a crappy game and lost that job again. It took me a while to earn it back and condition myself to handle the expectations of everyone and the weight of being the primary person my team counted on. To be able to play like I was when hunting still instead of trying to "keep" my job.

It is the same reason teams have trouble playing the same once they get a lead. How about how our team loses once in the top 10 (should have been a clue)? Remember when our team used to lose when it would get in the top 25? We are just getting over the hump and learning how to be the champ and have that weight as a team.

So yes while our fans are learning so is our team. Last night wasn't about losing a game it was about not being conditioned yet to handle the weight of increased expectaions. We will learn how to anchor and our team will learn how to manage the pressure of those expectations. I agree expectations were right our team just wasn't equipped yet to handle them.

 

[CyJack13]

No, not really. Although the fans that think we will make the Final Four are the same fans who hit the earth hard if we get knocked out in the second round. I certainly hope we get there this year but I'd be thrilled to make it to the Sweet 16. That's not settling for less, just accepting how hard the tournament is.
Let's just leave the annual preseason national championship predictions to Iowa football fans. Fred's teams can prove it on the court.

Didn't Fred himself say something about hanging a national championship banner during the midnight madness event this year?

 

[tigerclone924]

Didn't Fred himself say something about hanging a national championship banner during the midnight madness event this year?

Yes, and I loved it! It's great to have a coach that is confident and has lofty goals. It's not good to have a fan base that thinks we are something we aren't and therefore jumps off the ledge after ever loss against a top 20 team. Like I said before, high expectations are great. It's a belief that we are elite based on a good 4 year stretch with the pinnacle during that stretch being a Sweet Sixteen that rubs me the wrong way.

 

[Cycl1]

Anything can happen in college basketball, and that is why March is so great. Well 'anything can happen' just happened all over us. I don't care how open you are, that many 3s in a row is impressive. i think the reason people are upset isn't that we think we are elite and losing to a top 25 team was world ending, but we basically all got this great amount of hope built up by kansas losing, and it was taken away. The likelyhood of kansas losing 2 more isnt probably very good, and our chances at ending the streak have gone down considerably.

 

[jsb]

Yes, and I loved it! It's great to have a coach that is confident and has lofty goals. It's not good to have a fan base that thinks we are something we aren't and therefore jumps off the ledge after ever loss against a top 20 team. Like I said before, high expectations are great. It's a belief that we are elite based on a good 4 year stretch with the pinnacle during that stretch being a Sweet Sixteen that rubs me the wrong way.

its good for the coach and team to have those high goals and expectations. But not for fans.

Im surprised at how many on here heard fred say that and then assumed that anything less than a national title in 2015 would be a failure worth rioting over.

 

[DesignerClone]

its good for the coach and team to have those high goals and expectations. But not for fans.

Im surprised at how many on here heard fred say that and then assumed that anything less than a national title in 2015 would be a failure worth rioting over.

Nicely said JSB. The sports world is full of teams with unfulfilled goals/expectations; that's just the way it works. I personally have learned to take such comments when they are spoken as a gesture of how hard the team and coach will work to be as good as they can be. No more, no less. A realistic look at this team reveals some warts, and the margin of error is not great. CFH is building a program that is getting consistently better as he goes. THAT's the important takeaway.

 

[CyJack13]

its good for the coach and team to have those high goals and expectations. But not for fans.

Im surprised at how many on here heard fred say that and then assumed that anything less than a national title in 2015 would be a failure worth rioting over.

Why not? I have high expectations for this team and think they could get to the Final Four this year with a few breaks. It's weird on this site that the group of people who often get accused of being "negative" after wins are also the same ones who don't freak out over losses. You can have high expectations and still be a rational fan and realize that upsets happen, good teams lose games too. There's plenty of that type of fan on this board, there just happen to be a lot more who treat the season as one big roller coaster.