Favorite Iowa State men's basketball team

[ScottyP]

What was your favorite Iowa State men's basketball team?

Mine was the 1995-1996 team with Cato, Willoughby, Bankhead, Jacy, etc. Going into the season, they were a bunch of unknowns and ended winning the final Big 8 tournament. That team was also some of my earliest memories as a fan.

 

[CycloneEggie]

1999-2000 Fizer Tinsley
2013-2016 teams with Niang and Monte Morris

 

[ISUTex]

What was your favorite Iowa State men's basketball team?

Mine was the 1995-1996 team with Cato, Willoughby, Bankhead, Jacy, etc. Going into the season, they were a bunch of unknowns and ended winning the final Big 8 tournament. That team was also some of my earliest memories as a fan.

99/00 w/ Fizer and Tinsley
Ejim/Kane team close second.
maybe this year......??

 

[BCClone]

What was your favorite Iowa State men's basketball team?

Mine was the 1995-1996 team with Cato, Willoughby, Bankhead, Jacy, etc. Going into the season, they were a bunch of unknowns and ended winning the final Big 8 tournament. That team was also some of my earliest memories as a fan.

Were those guys seniors that year?

 

[ScottyP]

Were those guys seniors that year?

Juniors that season. They ended up losing in the round of 32 to Utah (Keith Van Horne, Andre Miller, Rick Majerus)

Their senior year they went to the sweet sixteen and lost to UCLA on the Cameron Dollar shot.

 

[Drew0311]

It's a tie for me

Tinsley/Fizer team

Loren Meyer/Hoiberg/Julo team

Close second was the Dedrick and Cato team. That team was not supposed to do anything since we had just lost Johnny, Lost basically the whole team the year before. Nobody had any idea who the new guys were at the time. Some New Orleans University transfer and some other guys.

 

[BCClone]

Juniors that season. They ended up losing in the round of 32 to Utah (Keith Van Horne, Andre Miller, Rick Majerus)

Their senior year they went to the sweet sixteen and lost to UCLA on the Cameron Dollar shot.

Thanks. I was given an autographed poster of when they did the senior tour. They did those back then to raise some funds. I was at this thing and saw the poster sell for good money. Wife’s friend bought it and gave it to us years later.

They would sell stuff as a fundraiser for them and a charity. The person incharge of having them sign a poster to sell was a hawkeye fan. So being a typical jackwagon, he bought a hawkeye poster and didn’t tell anyone and gave it to them to sign.

They saw it, signed it, and each spit on it after they did. So I technically have each of their dna if you want to clone one of them.

 

[ruxCYtable]

What was your favorite Iowa State men's basketball team?

Mine was the 1995-1996 team with Cato, Willoughby, Bankhead, Jacy, etc. Going into the season, they were a bunch of unknowns and ended winning the final Big 8 tournament. That team was also some of my earliest memories as a fan.

Going to agree with you on this one. My roommate who may or may not have been @keepngoal and I literally chuckled when they took the floor in their first game. "Who are these guys?" By the end of that night we were like ok, might be something to work with here. They turned into one of our best teams ever!

 

[cyclones500]

Sometimes, it's difficult to separate favorite from "most successful favorite." If that makes sense. Like, if all the best teams were similar record/conf standing/tournament success, then think of "favorite to follow."

At the top end, it's easy to like 99-00. I think I may have liked 2013-14 slightly more. That could depend on the day.

I have a soft spot for 2012-13, although there were rough spots and the first month or so looked like a mess.

 

[ClonesFTW]

2013/14 Team to this day is still my favorite team of all time.

DeAndre Kane, Ejim, Niang, Morris, Hogue, Naz, Matty Thomas....

 

[Cy4Lifer]

What was your favorite Iowa State men's basketball team?

Mine was the 1995-1996 team with Cato, Willoughby, Bankhead, Jacy, etc. Going into the season, they were a bunch of unknowns and ended winning the final Big 8 tournament. That team was also some of my earliest memories as a fan.

And Pratt! Rebound machine!

 

[brokenloginagain]

85/86: Hornacek, Grayer, Thompkins, Elmer, Virgil, Sam Hill.

Game winning shot in the NCAA tourney and the major upset against Mich to make a sweet 16. Really the first time we were on the national stage in the modern era.

 

[cyclones500]

85/86: Hornacek, Grayer, Thompkins, Elmer, Virgil, Sam Hill.

Game winning shot in the NCAA tourney and the major upset against Mich to make a sweet 16. Really the first time we were on the national stage in the modern era.

That one definitely is high on my list. It helps it was in era of my college days and attended all the home games + was top of that first Orr build (recalling how first 2+ seasons were a bit rough).

 

[fsanford]

85/86: Hornacek, Grayer, Thompkins, Elmer, Virgil, Sam Hill.

Game winning shot in the NCAA tourney and the major upset against Mich to make a sweet 16. Really the first time we were on the national stage in the modern era.

Hornacek was such a great player. His passing was amazing. Best walk on player in ISU history

 

[pulse]

99-00. 32-5!

 

[Jim GBA]

85/86: Hornacek, Grayer, Thompkins, Elmer, Virgil, Sam Hill.

Game winning shot in the NCAA tourney and the major upset against Mich to make a sweet 16. Really the first time we were on the national stage in the modern era.

This would be my favorite as well. I think the regional finals were in KC that year and we had a good chance to go to the final 4 after beating Michigan. But ISU started out very slowly against a beatable NC State team and lost by a few points.

 

[cyclones500]

This would be my favorite as well. I think the regional finals were in KC that year and we had a good chance to go to the final 4 after beating Michigan. But ISU started out very slowly against a beatable NC State team and lost by a few points.

Seems like “start slow” is ISU’s M.O. when it loses in Sweet 16.

Halftime scores:

1986
N.C. State 40
Iowa State 29
Final: 70-66

2014
UConn 36
Iowa State 26
Final: 81-76
—> a little closer at times in first 10 minutes

2016
Virginia 45
Iowa State 31
Final: 84-71

2024
Illinois 36
Iowa State 26
Final: 72-69

Exceptions:
1997
Iowa State 37
UCLA 25
—> Increased lead to 16 early in 2nd half … in some ways, it’s worse than slow-start defeat.

2022
Miami 32
Iowa State 29
—> Although U opened game 7-0

Please excuse the Woe-Is-Us thread derailment. Back to the main discussion, in progress.

 

[madguy30]

Thigpen/Hoiberg/Julius/Meyer is my first real memory of a full team so they're ingrained in there. They were generally just pretty good teams but had some wild moments like the Okie State come back. That was also a time before ESPN etc. were so saturated so watching on TV brings back great memories.

99-00 just for how they were playing toward the last month of the season. From a skill standpoint I don't think I realized just how 'multiple' they were until recent years when I've watched games on YT.

 

[Cloned4Life]

99-00. 32-5!

Same. Our best Team ever. *ucking 2 seed in Michigan State's (home) region

Close behind are the Dedric/Cato/Pratt teams. Dedric my favorite Cyclone of all-time. RIP

 

[DrShip]

Honorable Mentions:
95-96: first memories of an ISU team as a child. I'd like to pick them as my favorite, but I was 6 and can't say I knew enough.

99-00: Most successful team, fun to watch, easy pick for anyone.

21-22: It may have been rough to watch at times, but that team was so damn tough. Brought ISU basketball back from the dead.

Champion:
13-14: Dynamic and fun to watch. They could be down 20 with 5 minutes left, and I'd just wait them them to make a run. Ejim has always been one of my favorite players, Kane was a beast, Niang, Morris, Thomas...so great. I remain convinced that team would have won a natty if not for injuries in March.