MBB Struggles
- Thread starter cyfan92
- Start date
For this reason offense isn’t as concerning as the defense lately.
Offense has been falling and I wish we had more movement but the defense is a gamble that completely got taken advantage of 2 games in a row now. Maybe the guys are sluggishly executing it, but it seems wise to mix it up a but more so it’s less predictable
The defensive effort today was alarming. I was just doing some research. This Cincinnati offense is only a spot above Prohms last team that went 2-22.
ISU was 199th that year, this team is 198th. To go further, they have the 3rd worst ADJO in the Big 12 the last decade......and we gave up almost 80 points to them.
Im not sure what it is, but when TJ plays these teams that have wild gaps in their ADJO and ADJD we play like ****. Remember Pitt in that tourney game, they had a good offense and a terrible defense and we couldn't score on them.
What exactly is he lying about?
Out of 5 years now there's been exactly 1 where it looked like we actually improved as the season went along. This is becoming a trend.
They said every season.
And, Jan/Feb.
The trend of the 'fade' has been largely in February (mainly from injuries last year and two first teams that were super limited and evened out after beating a couple decent teams in Nov/Dec. (before you go nuclear, UNC was #1 in '22 when ISU beat them, but didn't make the tourney).
Then people saw the 16-0 without seeing the limitations again so now they lose their ****.
Maybe ISU should start off slow like '23 every season so people can get their melting down out of the way early in case things get better.
They look unlikely
I am not sure this was really best chance either. 16-0 is great but too early. ISU doesnt have athletic advantages or nba lottery pics. Need better schemes and teamwork which is hard to maintain for long season
I do not believe 20 yr olds are tired
I also do not think two loses doom season. Will see how they adjust and respond
The turnovers and horrible free throw shooting has to stop but the skip pass out of our trap to the opposite corner 3 has always been and will always be open against the defense we play. If teams are making that pass successfully and making that 3 we aren't gonna win. It's as simple as that. Maybe against a team like cincy you can still find a way to win but certainly not missing free throws and turning the ball over.
You mean kind of like the "Fran Fade" everyone talked about about a decade ago even though there was one year with Aaron White where they won like 10 out of their last 12 to end the season?
If you are talking about the first Jones/Gilbert year, they finished 11-2 in the non-conference, lost to Viriginia Tech and Texas A&M because Ward was hurt. I guess if you consider 11-2 a slow start then that's a good example.
CFers were finished with the 23/24 team after Feast Week. Ward was out but they were not very sharp.
Dropping a few games due to injury like last year isn't a fade; it's injuries on a basketball team.
I'm not a Hok fan so didn't follow Iowa much but I remember the Fran Fade being mentioned; it was iirc because they weren't that talented.
Someone mentioned the 'trends' of losing January games like it's a sign of terrible news.
So I guess ISU needs to just not lose January or February games and all's fine.
And Creighton and Syracuse have so far not played out as very good teams. St. Johns is still #20 in Kenpom so not bad but not the big win it looked like.
Not having a post that can body up I think affects a lot of things.
Well, people need to quit basing their expectations then off of our November/December schedule. It happens every year where teams are highly ranked then dont even make the tournament(like UNC and Nova).
This year is TBD but we have seen the exact same thing now 3 out of 4 years so I dont blame people for worrying about where this is headed again.
Are you saying other teams dont have injures either? Didn't Houston lose a key starter either last year or the year before? Didn't seem to bother them.
No, I'm not saying other teams don't have injuries. I didn't write that, which means I didn't say that. It's very true and squashed the idiotic narrative that comes up that something must be wrong since ISU has had them, especially with Lipsey who has been injured before even getting to campus.
Houston was very much bothered by the injuries two years ago. It was a big reason why ISU rolled them and then they barely scraped by Texas ATM before just not being able to do much in the Sweet Sixteen loss to Duke.
Broome was hobbled last year at the end of the regular season and Auburn dropped 3/4 before the NCAAs. I watched them in a long stretch without him and they were a shell.
These were teams with way more talent and depth around their stars and they weren't the same. It's not complicated.
Maybe take your own advice and stop basing expectations on what happens in the fall.
Iirc you (correct me if I'm wrong) thought ISU would be down this year and were expecting a 6/7ish seed.
Maybe start there because after Purdue they've largely looked more like what was probably about where they would be on the whole; young, limited on offense and lacking depth in the post.
I think what’s more concerning is they just come out with such soft mentality. It’s like they think they can come out and just win and that doesn’t work in the big 12 like it does against Grand Prairie state teams.
TJ for whatever reasons slides and loses himself opportunities at conference titles, he just can’t get over the hump or maintain momentum in a season unfortunately. Great coach but he hasn’t figured out the next level yet to be an elite program.
TJ for whatever reasons slides and loses himself opportunities at conference titles, he just can’t get over the hump or maintain momentum in a season unfortunately. Great coach but he hasn’t figured out the next level yet to be an elite program.
This is the part i can't get over. TJ is great and*this close* to many hoping he's Cyclone coach for life, but also the above, what you posted here. Getting outcoached by a guy who will be looking for a new job in a couple of months is a horrible look. I do think that Cincinnati team has decent talent, but he's proven he can't get it done there over several years now regardless who his Jimmy and Joes are
Yes, better to adjust expectations now rather than in late February like we had to last year. Still sucks. I was foolish enough to believe this team could be different. A conference contender, a real favorite for a 1 seed in March etc. The reality and new expectation is finish top 6 in conference, and aim for a 3-5 seed in March. It's what it should have been all along, but they overachieved so much in November-December again.
I do think this is top end for TJ teams until he can recruit at the 5 better. Our best season was a couple years ago and we had a true rim protector/rim running big man with high end athleticism in Hassan Ward. We need a guy like that, maybe even a couple of them to reach a higher ceiling. If we can't get them, we need more guards who are better bucket getters. Tj still hasn't had as good of pure consistent bucket getting guards since Brockington, and Gilbert for 2 month stretch.
