Next Up: Baylor (12-3, 2-0)

[cyclones500]

IMO the Baylor game is absolutely critical. With road games at OSU and at Mizzou coming up, this game is huge. Lose at home to Baylor and the bottom could fall out at Mizzou. Our guys are logging major minutes and have got be exhausted. 0-4 going into Mizzou with a tired team, playing against their style could be bad, really bad.

Beat Baylor!

I agree this is one the team needs to win. Would've been nice to get at least one of the first two Big 12 games, considering both were within reach — but going into the season, I wasn't expecting better than 1-2 in the first three, so a Baylor win would be fine with me.

A win against OSU or Mizzou isn't unthinkable, but I'd feel more confident if those were at home. Winning in Stillwater is ... well, yeah. And as you said, Missouri's style of play could cause problems in the depth department.

 

[CycloneYoda]

Crucial game if we want to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. I hope there's a good crowd at Hilton for it.

And I think we win in a fairly close game.

FIXED

 

[isuno1fan]

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I like your enthusiasm, but this team is very unlikely to be dancing in March.

 

[isuno1fan]

Gonna be tough as I expect tired legs. Hopefully the crowd shows up and gets behind the guys.

Expect a close game. Not sure who I think will win.

 

[CycloneYoda]

I like your enthusiasm, but this team is very unlikely to be dancing in March.

Until I see the number 7 indicating how many conference losses ISU has, I will continue to remain overly optimistic.

 

[CycloneYoda]

I find it surprising that in Baylor's 3 losses, they attempted a combined 94 free-throws. In all of those games, they couldn't find their shot, but were still able to create contact regularly. Maybe knock them to the floor early and see if we can take them out of any rhythm on offense.

 

[Cydkar]

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NIT will be an accomplishment. NCAA won't happen.

 

[CycloneYoda]

NIT will be an accomplishment. NCAA won't happen.

We shall disagree. The NIT is never an accomplishment. It is where teams go when they just couldn't get the job done. The only benefit from the NIT is the extra practices. As much as I enjoyed the Cyclone NIT run a few years ago, in the end it was still just a NIT run.

 

[Wesley]

The zone will be a non-issue if we drive to collapse the zone and kick out or get some ball movement around the outside instead of trying to iso against it.

That is the rub, if DG at times starts to kick the ball out we will be better offensively. We need to remain unpredictable.

 

[Wesley]

We shall disagree. The NIT is never an accomplishment. It is where teams go when they just couldn't get the job done. The only benefit from the NIT is the extra practices. As much as I enjoyed the Cyclone NIT run a few years ago, in the end it was still just a NIT run.

There are lesser tournaments than the NIT. Besides, in the NIT, you can win two or three games whereas in the NCAA, youmay lose right off the bat.

 

[CycloneYoda]

There are lesser tournaments than the NIT. Besides, in the NIT, you can win two or three games whereas in the NCAA, youmay lose right off the bat.

Those lesser "tournaments" need to be eliminated. This will only occur when schools turn down bids to such foolish jokes. And as a purist, I would rather bow out of a hard 1st-round NCAA game than win an NIT title anytime.

 

[Wesley]

Those lesser "tournaments" need to be eliminated. This will only occur when schools turn down bids to such foolish jokes. And as a purist, I would rather bow out of a hard 1st-round NCAA game than win an NIT title anytime.

Then you would rather sit at home? The chances of making the NCAA this year is little or none after the first two conference losses. At the best, we will be a bubble team. Therefore, playing in the NIT will be our best opportunity to keep playing. Frankly the NCAA is overrated if you always lose the first round game. All you did was prove that you had a team that could not beat the first opponent. That is why the UNI and Butler run last year was so special.

Usually teams that make final four in NIT are also NCAA teams the following year. We will do the best we can, but we might have to do even better to make the NCAA. That said, we do have the chance to win one or two Big 12 tournament games this year.

For us to do better than where we are headed, we will need Jake and Bubu to shoot better from outside, we need Scotty swelling in his elbow to subside, we need McKnight to contribute off the bench, we need more Railey jumpshots, we need more assists from DG, we need more zone defense, we need better closing shots and plays, and we need Hilton magic. Other than that we will target 17-19 wins which is better than stuck on 15. Hope DeMarcus, Ham, Dendy and others are enjoying themselves whereever they are.

 

[jbhtexas]

The NIT is never an accomplishment.

For a first year coach picking up the pieces of a shattered team, with a limited roster, playing in a conference where the team will be out-manned in nearly every conference game, making the NIT is an accomplishment. To suggest otherwise is ignorant.

 

[flander1649]

Let's hope Baylor is looking past us just a bit they have KU at home on Monday night.

 

[CycloneYoda]

Then you would rather sit at home? The chances of making the NCAA this year is little or none after the first two conference losses. At the best, we will be a bubble team. Therefore, playing in the NIT will be our best opportunity to keep playing. Frankly the NCAA is overrated if you always lose the first round game. All you did was prove that you had a team that could not beat the first opponent. That is why the UNI and Butler run last year was so special.

Usually teams that make final four in NIT are also NCAA teams the following year. We will do the best we can, but we might have to do even better to make the NCAA. That said, we do have the chance to win one or two Big 12 tournament games this year.

For us to do better than where we are headed, we will need Jake and Bubu to shoot better from outside, we need Scotty swelling in his elbow to subside, we need McKnight to contribute off the bench, we need more Railey jumpshots, we need more assists from DG, we need more zone defense, we need better closing shots and plays, and we need Hilton magic. Other than that we will target 17-19 wins which is better than stuck on 15. Hope DeMarcus, Ham, Dendy and others are enjoying themselves whereever they are.

Minus the extra practice time, I would rather sit at home than care about the NIT. See, if ISU would to get in the NCAA tournament and lose in the 1st round, it would mean that despite the early exit, they accomplished a ton during the season. As for starting out 0-2, that isn't end game. Our last NCAA tournament team started 0-5 in conference play.

 

[CycloneYoda]

For a first year coach picking up the pieces of a shattered team, with a limited roster, playing in a conference where the team will be out-manned in nearly every conference game, making the NIT is an accomplishment. To suggest otherwise is ignorant.

Next you are going to tell me that the Fight Hunger Bowl is a legitimate bowl game that should be looked at as an accomplishment for the teams that get such a lucrative invite.

If I were to see the NIT as an accomplishment, then I should start accepting all mediocracy as acceptable acomplishments. Ain't gonna happen.

 

[MNCyGuy]

Next you are going to tell me that the Fight Hunger Bowl is a legitimate bowl game that should be looked at as an accomplishment for the teams that get such a lucrative invite.

If I were to see the NIT as an accomplishment, then I should start accepting all mediocracy as acceptable acomplishments. Ain't gonna happen.

You've got to keep it in perspective. This year it would be an accomplishment, relative to the talent and expectations. That's not to say that moving forward it woudn't be a big disappointment.

You're telling me that you wouldn't have viewed a Fight Hunger Bowl as an accomplishment for the football team this year, just because it's not a BCS game?

 

[jbhtexas]

Next you are going to tell me that the Fight Hunger Bowl is a legitimate bowl game that should be looked at as an accomplishment for the teams that get such a lucrative invite.

That depends. It wouldn't be an accomplishment for Auburn or Oregon if that's where they ended up next year. But for a team with a low athletic budget playing in a non-AQ conference with few-to-none automatic bowl tie-ins, making that bowl might very well be an accomplishment.

If I were to see the NIT as an accomplishment, then I should start accepting all mediocracy as acceptable acomplishments.

Why? Just because the NIT would be an accomplishment this year doesn't mean that it has to be considered an accomplishment every year.

You seem to be suggesting that circumstances are irrelevant in regards to determining what is and what isn't an accomplishment. That makes no sense.

 

[CycloneYoda]

You've got to keep it in perspective. This year it would be an accomplishment, relative to the talent and expectations. That's not to say that moving forward it woudn't be a big disappointment.

You're telling me that you wouldn't have viewed a Fight Hunger Bowl as an accomplishment for the football team this year, just because it's not a BCS game?

No, I'm telling you that I wouldn't view the FG Bowl for the football team as an accomplishment due to the sole fact that this particular bowl game shouldn't even exist.

 

[MNCyGuy]

No, I'm telling you that I wouldn't view the FG Bowl for the football team as an accomplishment due to the sole fact that this particular bowl game shouldn't even exist.

Debatable. That doesn't mean it can't stand as an indicator of progress for a building program.