Can't believe the team will miss the tournament

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Kagavi

Well-Known Member
Mar 4, 2013
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California
www.kagavi.com
Has it really come to this?

Seems like a billion years ago (in reality, 2014) that we were headed to Madison Square Garden full of hope. The team had NBA players and a charismatic NBA player turned coach. Why has it gone so bad?

The non-conference schedule was a bummer, including the road loss to that despised Big Ten team that we shall not speak of.

Now we stand at a pathetic 5 - 4 conference record and if trends hold, probably won't make the tournament.

Guess having a star point guard isn't enough, huh?

___

I am, of course, talking about UConn, which currently sports a 10 - 11 record, thanks to a lack of height due to multiple injuries, despite being led by a five-star point guard named Jalen Adams. Sound familiar?

___

Iowa State has been in the NCAA tournament five consecutive years, which is a longer streak than these four teams in particular:

Louisville
Kentucky
UConn
Villanova​

All are teams that have won the national championship during the past five years. All have missed the tournament during these five years, largely due to recruiting misses or players who were one-and-done. All have been placed on probation in the past, because the NCAA essentially rewards cheating.

I wonder if it is realistic for some fans to expect ISU to have a longer sustained period of success than these schools?
 

DeereClone

Well-Known Member
Nov 16, 2009
8,281
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Problem is we don't have 5 NBA players waiting in the wings to play for us like Kentucky would in a down year. Sustained, boring, year after year success is key to building a program when you aren't going to be able to recruit multiple blue-chippers every year.
 

Cyclonepride

Thought Police
Staff member
Apr 11, 2006
96,587
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A pineapple under the sea
www.oldschoolradical.com
Has it really come to this?

Seems like a billion years ago (in reality, 2014) that we were headed to Madison Square Garden full of hope. The team had NBA players and a charismatic NBA player turned coach. Why has it gone so bad?

The non-conference schedule was a bummer, including the road loss to that despised Big Ten team that we shall not speak of.

Now we stand at a pathetic 5 - 4 conference record and if trends hold, probably won't make the tournament.

Guess having a star point guard isn't enough, huh?

___

I am, of course, talking about UConn, which currently sports a 10 - 11 record, thanks to a lack of height due to multiple injuries, despite being led by a five-star point guard named Jalen Adams. Sound familiar?

___

Iowa State has been in the NCAA tournament five consecutive years, which is a longer streak than these four teams in particular:

Louisville
Kentucky
UConn
Villanova​

All are teams that have won the national championship during the past five years. All have missed the tournament during these five years, largely due to recruiting misses or players who were one-and-done. All have been placed on probation in the past, because the NCAA essentially rewards cheating.

I wonder if it is realistic for some fans to expect ISU to have a longer sustained period of success than these schools?

Tricksy
 

Clonefan32

Well-Known Member
Nov 19, 2008
21,699
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I see your point, but this team does not have an excuse to miss the tournament. All-American point guard. 2 guys in Naz and Matt who have been very solid contributors through the years in their senior seasons. A player in Burton who, despite his struggles, is a physical freak and a very capable player. We have, what, 6 seniors in our rotation?

I'm all for tempering expectations next year, but it drives me nuts how passive this fanbase can be. "Oh we don't have a big man." "Fred's recruiting is killing us." There is no excuse for this team to not, at a minimum, make the tournament.
 

Cyowan008

Active Member
Feb 27, 2014
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Ankeny, IA
Texas Tech made it at 9-9 last year. Now I know it's not exactly apples to apples, but preseason I had us at 10-8 in the conference and think that will still be good enough. Before Tuesday final 10 games my prediction was 5-5 (5-4 remaining games) and that would put us at 10-8. We'll see what happens but still confident.
 

Max57

Well-Known Member
Dec 18, 2008
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Somewhere on Hwy 30
We haven't won a championship, we don't have one and done's, and in 3 of those 4 cases, the coaching/recruiting is at a different level. The issue is that we're starting 4 seniors and we don't have a single big that can play at the Big 12 level. Naz has been wildly inconsistent, Burton would be a really good complement player, but we're missing a key components: rebounding and interior defense, (and maybe the ability to catch a pass.)

This team reminds me a lot of McDermott teams. Inconsistent, too many mistakes, wasted talent.
 
  • Agree
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chuckd4735

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Mar 29, 2006
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This team is still going to be in the top 5 of the Big 12 and is still going to the tourney. The bubble is looking to be pretty weak this year, and a .500 finish in the Big 12 should be enough, IMO.

I just ran the bracket generator this morning, and I had ISU as the 4 seed in the Big 12 tourney at 10-8. Every team underneath them was under .500 in conference play.
 
  • Informative
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NWICY

Well-Known Member
Sep 2, 2012
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Another well thought out read by Kagavi. Haven't been to your website lately, what are you working on?
 

State43

Well-Known Member
Nov 22, 2010
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Omaha, NE
Truth is, I think people are disappointed because our team has so many seniors including 5 starters and a bench player yet stuggle the way a young team with underclassmen do. Recruiting Bowie and Holden is obviously the biggest misses. If just one of them would have been a Kyle Washington type of player, I think we would have won a few more of those closer games. I also think people were counting on this being the last year for a possible deep run before having to rebuild the next year or two where we will be a bubble team at best due to recruiting gaps.
 

Rick

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2007
1,813
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Ankeny
Naz, Burton and Thomas have been inconsistent all year. If they can all get hot at the same time this team could be unstoppable. The problem is, that hasn't happened. We get exposed with our soft middle and can't fight our way out of it without at least two guys on fire. All we can hope is they all get hot, stay hot and we make a big run.
 

Clones8686

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2015
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Kevin Ollie has had an interesting coaching career. Five seasons, only made the NCAA tournament twice. (assuming they don't win the conference tourney this year) Lost in the second round in one of those and won the national freaking championship in the other.

I wonder how many years a national title buys him if he continues to struggle?
 
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CTTB78

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2006
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Nice one by Kags. When he turned the corner in his post, I thought the team he might be talking about would be the downtrodden Oklahoma Sooners.