Definitely. We'll be 10 deep at that point, with plenty of fouls to give (which I am sure we will need) and another scoring option will be huge.
*** Official IOWA STATE vs #20 UCONN Game(Day) Thread ***
- Thread starter CycloneRulzzz
- Start date
Eli isn't quite ready yet apparently, and Tre is still sitting out until midseason due to transfer rules.
First we need him to pay attention on defense. His rotations and rebounding were beyond horrid and likely contributed to at least 12 points. He had 5-6 rebound opportunities where piss poor box outs, not paying attention, or slow hands led to UConn offensive boards.
Kunc and Kalscheur were beyond putrid. Those two alone wiped out any chance the game had to be competitive.
You haven’t gone to sleep yet have you. Move on with your life. This is basketball we don’t cry on this board for 6 days after a loss to a ranked team.
Not going to lie I was pleasantly surprised with how good she looked compared to what I remembered
Agree. Kunc was really poor on defense last night. Just looked really "off". It's usually his intangibles that are better than his opponent and last night it was opposite; he was getting beat to everything. He even looked visibly frustrated and had his head down for portions of the night, which also is not common for him. He'll be fine, just one of those nights.
The failed alley-oop to reiterate again was absolutely a back breaker and will be a learning opportunity also. Big time dunks and "wow" plays are 100% important and will have their place for this squad (because they obviously are major momentum boosters); that specific time was not a time to try it, and UConn instantly made Iowa State pay for its mistake.
As for me, I'll wait patiently for my Gunner-scolding because apparently it is not OK to watch the games and then share your observations/opinions on an anonymous, free, sports message board regarding the exact topic you're watching itself.
Hilarious.
Why are you even on a message board, let alone after a loss? It's a place for discussion regarding the previous game. If you don't like said discussions, which you apparently don't, then why read let alone post?
I'm not really disappointed "in the loss" rather in how it transpired. The offense rebounding (giving up) and blown layups were literally a 15-20 point swing. Obviously a change in those two things changes the entire complexity of the game however, the fact that BOTH happened and that Kalscheur and Kunz were major factors in both completely wiped out whatever chance this game had to be competitive.
The biggest positive was Lipsey's play, which was outstanding and that's despite being hampered with foul trouble. Osun also showed he can be lethal (pick and roll) though he needed to be more aggressive on the defensive end (zero fouls). The lack of consistent offense, especially in terms of shooting, was to be expected. We will see what the newcomers bring, but I don't expect that will change.
I apologize in advance if this post hurts your feelings (which I'm sure it somehow will).
He can shoot, but the majority need to be mid-range. If he doesn't hit one his first couple of 3s, he's got to dial it back.
I think he easily has the best and most natural basketball IQ on the team. I was probably most impressed with his entry pass/lob abilities, especially on the pick and roll. Those early first half passes were a thing of beauty and it's a shame foul trouble hampered the pick and roll between Tamin and Osun late in the half. Even when Lipsey was scoring and effective, we really never regained that facet of our game.
I'd like to see him develop or feel more comfortable in popping some outside shots. He had a lot of opportunities against UNC (passed them up) and had a few more last night but (at least) he was much more aggressive in looking to get to the hoop, especially when the opp was there.
At this point I'd settle for him not blowing layups (persistent problem since he's been here) and simply going with the flow of his game. When he's off, settle for the drives and easy buckets and when he's on fire (3-5 times a year) recognize and increase volume. The reality is his shot will be off most nights. If he defends, rebounds, and doesn't jack up volume he can still be a major asset on the floor. Last night he had too much volume, too many missed layups, and way too many gaffes on he defensive end. He was particularly lackadaisical in corralling loose balls and that's simply a matter of effort and paying attention.
It felt like our entire team was a step slow last night. Could have been due to the 3rd game in 3 days. Our guys aren't the most athletic teams out there so they do have to put more effort in to be aggressive on defense, so that may be tough when your legs are tired.
My biggest issue was the constant reaching in on defense. They were in position almost the entire time, but they pick up fouls because they're trying to knock the ball out when it's just not there.
Can he, though? We thought maybe he found something late last year when he started hitting some midrange shots but it's not like he's showing he can do that consistently this year. He might just be a bad shooter. Seems like, jumpshooting-wise, the team is just a roll of the dice from night-to-night.
I agree that the on-ball defense is just too aggressive, too much arms, not enough feet. It's WAY too easy for the refs to call that. And if they don't adjust, you end up just handing the other team a zillion free throws for absolutely no reason.
I did like some of the pick & roll, give & go stuff on offense, though. I think this team is gonna have to do that a TON, like 90+% of their offense, cause the jump shooting is really bad.
I don't think the critiques are giving UCONN enough credit. The first 10 mins of the game were incredibly high-paced, and aggressive from both parties. With ISU right there it was neck and neck.
The fouls limited our rotations and UCONN had more horses to run at our pace a full :40 and offensive firepower to outman us on the other end.
That said, clean up the defensive glass a bit and that game is ours for the taking. That's even without getting additional production from Gabe/Grill etc.
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Yes, he can shoot the ball. Saw it 13 times last night. Can he make the ball? That appears to happen at a much, much lower rate.
There's a difference between 'they're having a rough game' and 'they're the reason ISU lost and they need to be benched, why do they even play!?' takes that basically show that the poster doesn't notice anything else that contributes.
Lipsey was a bright spot but otherwise everyone struggled because that happens when the other team is not only good, but plays well. It's like the 'Why doesn't ISU just run the same plays as tOSU and Michigan!?' approach in football.
UConn only shot 27% from 3 last night but their makes were well timed to keep ISU at arm's length and were the better athlete everywhere in about every aspect of the game.
I think it might help a few folks to even just casually watch other teams play and honestly ask 'does ISU have this kind of ability across the board?' so they avoid going off the ledge in ****ing late November.
Folks not seeing this are bonkers. I may eat my words but I will be really surprised if they don't have a really nice season including in late March.
RE: the reaching in, one good thing is it seems like ISU was able to adjust and hold off a bit in the last two games and still be effective in the 2nd half. Maybe they need to tone it down a bit at the start while still being active.
Refs are also doing their annual 'we're really going hard at THIS' thing which usually lasts until mid-December.
