*** Official #10 Illinois vs #4 IOWA STATE Game(Day) Thread ***

[exCYtable]

I will say that Illinois is going to be a MASSIVE step up from the first three teams UConn played, ISU would have been too.

We struggled to rebound against Illinois. UConn would have murdered us on the boards.

 

[Die4Cy]

Well UFL kicks off on Sunday I think.

 

[quasistellar]

You just can't bury yourself in the first half and expect to come back every game.

On one hand you can argue we were terrible at layups, but their uncharacteristic FT shooting kind of offsets that in a way.

Milan simply has to provide more on offense.

If ISU had won that game, they'd have stolen it. Never deserved the win at any point in that game.

I feel like Milan goes as his shot goes, and I don't mean that in a shooting sense. I feel like if his shot doesn't land, he becomes a liability due to lack of confidence. His game, other than that fadeaway shot, just isn't developed enough. I think it'll come, though.

 

[ClubCy]

I will go to my grave believing that if we simply take the lead once during one of the 2nd half runs we would have pulled away and won.

 

[Clonefan94]

I mean, you ALWAYS want to win in the tournament…but a consolation prize of not having to play UConn a couple hours away from their campus isn’t terrible. That team is something else.

With the ISU seasons usually end. I’m convinced UConn lays an egg Saturday and Illinois skips into the Championship game.

 

[scyclonekid]

Came up short, great season, safe travels home.

 

[cyfan92]

Need to get more length and skill on the wing and in the post..

@brentblum do your thing

 

[jctisu]

So many plays and sequences cost us but aside from the two point blank layups, to me the sequence late where Shannon hit a three when he came back in and then their guy double clutched and nailed a three off our lazy trap.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Do we have to do this? I thought reffing was pretty equitable. Did you see how we played? Way more to do with outcome than the officiating.

Didn’t have a real problem with the refs tonight. Consistently poor for both sides is about all we can ask for in this era of CBB

 

[CloniesForLife]

I’m so sick of getting down big early in the sweet 16. Has happened each of the last 4 times. Avoid that start and make the damn layups and we win this game running away.

Yeah feels like we always dig ourselves a hole in these games. I'd love to rewatch this game but Gilbert hits that wide open layup and we see what happens

 

[Jer]

IL was clearly the better team tonight. I think we probably win that game 7 out of 10 times, it just wasn’t tonight. People will say it was effort, coaching, or refs, but shots just wouldn’t drop.

We missed 13 layups and or dunks tonight. If those fall, we win easily. If one more guy had a decent night, we win. It just wasn’t in the cards tonight.

Proud of the guys and coaches, still a monumental achievement compared to coming into the season.

 

[CycloneWarrior]

UConn will house them. Our post players need an upgrade if we’re gonna make a deeper run. Fortunately, Dishon Jackson looks to be a legit upgrade to rob jones…need Omaha to show up.

 

[ClonerJams]

Sports are dumb. I hate that I get this emotionally invested in something I have no control over.

 

[SEIOWA CLONE]

Overall we had a great season, finished second during the regular season and won the conference tournament.

To win and advance from here on out we were going to have to shoot the ball at a high clip, and we could not buy a basket most of the first half. Illinois size bothered us and forced us to over think, and we blew plenty of easy baskets that would have been the difference.

Seem like we really played very tight the first half, while Illinois came out very lose and got the ball to Shannon who just killed us. I thought on this run, we would go as far as Milan would take us, he was the wildcard, and tonight he was crap. He is one of those players that needs to hit a couple of shots early in the game and get it going, he couldn't do that tonight.
We also did a horrible job rebounding their misses and given them 2nd and 3rd chances after we would play solid defense for most of the 30 seconds.

ISU should be better next season, Illinois loses everyone worth a damn. Keep your head up and keep moving forward.

 

[1TwistedCyclone]

The real winners are the Illinois boosters who are covering the legal bills for Shannon. Excellent work big city Chicago lawyers! Scum bucket piece of **** state.

 

[CyNews]

R Jones and Ward were a complete no show on offense.
Momcilovich had his worst game of the year. Keshon was horrible in the first half. That's ball game.

Still excited for next season. But I was thinking Elite 8 this year, still a successful season.

Might want to check your box score.

 

[Nococy]

Thank you for a enjoyable season Cyclones!!

 

[trevn]

With the ISU seasons usually end. I’m convinced UConn lays an egg Saturday and Illinois skips into the Championship game.

I doubt that. UConn is repeating barring some major turn of events.

 

[Cymark86]

Eh I really don’t think Illinois played that well truthfully. Early on yes but for almost 3/4 of that game I don’t think they did much that was anything crazy.

Agree. That first 10 minutes was the difference . We were tentative. They were not. Wish we had been more aggressive early.

 

[CycloneBamaFan]

ISU didn't have to be a whole lot better to win this one. It was frustrating they couldn't get the three or four more plays they needed over the course of the game when they've done it so often.

Agree. When it was 52 - 49, I thought we had a great chance.