Offense > Defense
- Thread starter ClonesFTW
- Start date
Their defense was much better than I had been led to believe
I think this is a significant issue that the ISU coaching staff needs to work on. This problem has also surfaced in regular season games. And its not just a slow start, it is more like total discombobulation at times for the first 10-15 minutes.
BYU isn't a great team.........but anywhere but Hilton I wouldn't put my money on ISU. Sometimes you play a team that may not be great.......but is a bad matchup. I think that's what we saw last night.
When I saw the brackets I thought that is a yellow brick road to the elite eight. Because I had seen WSU and Illinois play during the season and never came away impressed. But Underwood is not a bad coach, and regardless of not having a true point.....they have some talent. So nothing to be PO'd about, because sometimes that's just the way it is.
When I saw the brackets I thought that is a yellow brick road to the elite eight. Because I had seen WSU and Illinois play during the season and never came away impressed. But Underwood is not a bad coach, and regardless of not having a true point.....they have some talent. So nothing to be PO'd about, because sometimes that's just the way it is.
If your standard is national champions, you are never going to be happy with anything.
I felt the same way about Illinois, but they've definitely kicked it up a couple notches from the regular season. I thought it was a great matchup for us when I saw the bracket. In any case, we managed to be right there with a chance to win it, even with playing really poorly to start and missing a lot of shots that we usually make in the second half.
The last two games are about the only times ISU got jumped on this season that I can remember.
And that was with two teams coming out of the gates hitting everything.
It was more of a trend last season for sure.
So, what would the OP be saying if we make one more easy shot near the basket and they miss one more?
The story is really about us having a slightly less than normal offensive game and them having a slightly better than normal defensive game, particularly with them contesting shots near the rim that we altered and missed.
The story is really about us having a slightly less than normal offensive game and them having a slightly better than normal defensive game, particularly with them contesting shots near the rim that we altered and missed.
KU most years, Baylor (historically), TTU (under beard and Adam’s), WSU, and even UCF this year.
Iowa State has never been an overwhelmingly long team and have always struggled against squads that are all 6’6” across the board.
Orebs, passing lane disruption, blocking shots. Those all impacted how the guys played last night. Credit to them and their dog in em. They lost by three when that could’ve easily been a runaway.
Ill was spotted 13 in the first 10 mins. But they kept at it. Milan with a bit more seasoning and getting anything to drop and that’s a different outcome.
Beyond pleased with the guys and their season. Obv would’ve loved to get a deeper run, but the draw wasn’t set up great. Still would’ve loved to see what would’ve happened with a roll against UCONN.
Not a fan of the grumpy entitlement but to each their own. This squad and this staff have been nothing short of phenomenal incredibly entertaining and a blast to cheer for and have delivered. Not a whole lot else you can ask.
Iowa State has never been an overwhelmingly long team and have always struggled against squads that are all 6’6” across the board.
Orebs, passing lane disruption, blocking shots. Those all impacted how the guys played last night. Credit to them and their dog in em. They lost by three when that could’ve easily been a runaway.
Ill was spotted 13 in the first 10 mins. But they kept at it. Milan with a bit more seasoning and getting anything to drop and that’s a different outcome.
Beyond pleased with the guys and their season. Obv would’ve loved to get a deeper run, but the draw wasn’t set up great. Still would’ve loved to see what would’ve happened with a roll against UCONN.
Not a fan of the grumpy entitlement but to each their own. This squad and this staff have been nothing short of phenomenal incredibly entertaining and a blast to cheer for and have delivered. Not a whole lot else you can ask.
This is onky partially true, you need both. All of eventual national champions are Top 20 in both. Yeah, it's possible to get to a Final 4 with a team like Miami last year without a defense, but to win it all you need both.
The last 3 years we've been eliminated by the 93rd, 123rd, and 98th ranked ADJDE coming into the tournament. We absolutely need to figure out why our offense isn't working against bad defenses like that in crunch time.
Years 1 and 2 we got to the tourney with spare parts and 1-2 streaky shooters. This year we had competent offensive players.
Hard for me to critique the staff, and I don’t have the answers, but there’s been stretches where it seems like the team doesn’t know what it’s trying to accomplish. First 10mins of 1H last night was one of those.
Not a fan of Pearl but he confirmed it at one of the commentaries. “I’m not sure what Iowa State is trying to do on offense”. It’s accurate. And overcoming stretches of that with grit isn’t enough against top flight competition.
Offensive stagnation needs to be identified and adjusted to 2-4 mins sooner. It seems like the solutions and talent are there. But we let it come to us and adjust a bit too organically.
I'm hoping this is something that the ISU coaching staff can address. The difficulty to score around the hoop isn't just a one-time thing that happened last night. To me, it seems that there is often hesitancy and uncertianty in how to finish off moves around the hoop. Apart from dunks, those close shots often look more "hopeful" than "confident".
Just realized our game last night is almost a mirror of our first matchup against Houston in Hilton. With us being Houston.
I think we were really troubled, distracted, intimidated (or whatever term you want to use by their length. Think of the shot selection and the missed bunnies
Both ends of the court did enough to give the team a chance to win. Defense was fine, but they miss 6 FTs that they make if they shoot their season average. Still, giving up even 78 to Illinois gives you a chance to win, though maybe not when you are a mediocre offensive team and absolutely hang your hat on defense.
To the OP point, there is a limitation where elite defense doesn't have the advantage. It doesn't matter how good your D is, if a team has elite offensive skill and patience, it's really hard to stop. I think this will always be a defense-oriented team, but if they can become more consistent and efficient on offense, the sky's the limit.
But I think we have to see how this program has evolved in terms of offensive output, approach and pace. TJ has adjusted as the skill level of the team has changed.
