OSU postgame overreaction thread

[Statefan10]

Amazing how everything can now be totally broken when just last Saturday everyone was engaged and they, despite being shorthanded, went blow for blow with a top 5 team at their house.

Things are never as good as they seem; things are never as bad as they seem.
---Marcel Marceau

Yeah nothing happened in the last three days that made the bench seem unengaged. There were pockets of moments throughout the game where the bench was energetic. When you’re turning the ball over left and right and can’t chew gum and walk at the same time, the bench isn’t going to be that excited.

 

[heitclone]

As much as we don't like the narrative that we've manipulated the metrics with a light schedule, it really does appear to be true this year. Look at our non con, other than one half vs Auburn, we really weren't that impressive with a weak schedule.

Dayton and Iowa aren't good but we were really ugly against them. Marquette is ok but nothing special, they outplayed us for 30 minutes.

Even in the big 12, we only have one impressive win at Tech. Big wins at home against Baylor and KU don't look at good a month later.

We're a good team, probably in the 12-15 range but probably never top 3

 

[MJ271]

As much as we don't like the narrative that we've manipulated the metrics with a light schedule, it really does appear to be true this year. Look at our non con, other than one half vs Auburn, we really weren't that impressive with a weak schedule.

Dayton and Iowa aren't good but we were really ugly against them. Marquette is ok but nothing special, they outplayed us for 30 minutes.

Even in the big 12, we only have one impressive win at Tech. Big wins at home against Baylor and KU don't look at good a month later.

We're a good team, probably in the 12-15 range but probably never top 3

I'll agree that the non-conference schedule has ended up lighter than we might have thought in pre-season, but I'll quibble at least on Marquette.

They were rightfully ranked in the top 5 when we played them because they had been playing really well. They already had wins over Maryland, Purdue, and Georgia, including beating Purdue by 21 points. And the game after losing in Ames, they beat Wisconsin by 14.

Maybe more notably, I'm not sure where you're getting that Marquette outplayed us for 30 minutes? Iowa State had a 5+ point lead for most of the game (Barttorvik had the average lead at 7.2) and Marquette had a single 3-minute stretch in the second half where they made a run to tie it, before quickly falling back again.

 

[Billups06]

As much as we don't like the narrative that we've manipulated the metrics with a light schedule, it really does appear to be true this year. Look at our non con, other than one half vs Auburn, we really weren't that impressive with a weak schedule.

Dayton and Iowa aren't good but we were really ugly against them. Marquette is ok but nothing special, they outplayed us for 30 minutes.

Even in the big 12, we only have one impressive win at Tech. Big wins at home against Baylor and KU don't look at good a month later.

We're a good team, probably in the 12-15 range but probably never top 3

Agree with your overall point, and that we haven't beaten a tournament team since KU, I believe.

However, I'm arguing your point vs Marquette; we handled them pretty easily. They had 2.5 min stretch in the 2nd half where they outplayed us, but we had them at arms length virtually the entire game. One of our more complete games.

 

[Cloned4Life]

As much as we don't like the narrative that we've manipulated the metrics with a light schedule, it really does appear to be true this year. Look at our non con, other than one half vs Auburn, we really weren't that impressive with a weak schedule.

Dayton and Iowa aren't good but we were really ugly against them. Marquette is ok but nothing special, they outplayed us for 30 minutes.

Even in the big 12, we only have one impressive win at Tech. Big wins at home against Baylor and KU don't look at good a month later.

We're a good team, probably in the 12-15 range but probably never top 3

Marquette game? We led literally the entire game, much of it by nearly double digits. They made 1 run middle of the second half to tie it, then we instantly went back up 10 points.

Outplayed us for 30 minutes?

 

[NENick]

Amazing how everything can now be totally broken when just last Saturday everyone was engaged and they, despite being shorthanded, went blow for blow with a top 5 team at their house.

Things are never as good as they seem; things are never as bad as they seem.
---Marcel Marceau

I'm worried that we are at the facial expression/bench energy evaluation stage.

 

[Klubber]

It's BRE's fault x 1000. Thought I'd throw that overreaction in there since last season some fans blamed him after every loss.

 

[Klubber]

I'm worried that we are at the facial expression/bench energy evaluation stage.

I did see TJ applying copious amounts of Chapstick a la Prohm. So you may be on to something.

Seriously though. SP used to give his lip balm of choice a serious freaking workout on the sidelines.

 

[harimad]

For as fun as this winter season was supposed to be, it’s kind of turned into a dud with women’s basketball not meeting expectations, wrestling dealing with all the injuries, and the men’s team faltering badly in the last few weeks

We are Iowa State. /shrug

 

[Frak]

I'm not sure what you consider a buy game, but I would say it would be the 6 Non-con Q4 games and not include Maui games, a ranked Marquette team and Iowa at Iowa.

Here are the average minutes of our '6 starters' in the buy games:
KG 28.6
CJ 27.0
TL 26.7
MM 26.5
JJ 22.7
DJ 19.3

Not a single player anywhere near 33 or even 30 minutes with only one player just barely into the bottom of the minutes range you used.

I think that the fatal flaw here was not letting Fish go in exchange for a combo guard in the portal. When you look at this team, they pretty much need to have 2 of Lipsey/Gilbert/Jones in at all times. Yeah, Heise can play guard, but he's more of a 3 than a 2. Lipsey is consistently dinged up. Gilbert has been too and is now out. Jones was asked to do way more than he should and tailed off because of it. You just can't go into the season with only 3 true guards.

That said, I have consistently been critical of how TJ distributes minutes in the noncon. I'm sorry, but if you are up 30 in the 2nd half, you need to be rotating in your bench and if you are up 30 with 5 to go, it should be the deep bench. Not only does that give your starters more rest, it gives your bench more experience.

 

[Sigmapolis]

I think that the fatal flaw here was not letting Fish go in exchange for a combo guard in the portal. When you look at this team, they pretty much need to have 2 of Lipsey/Gilbert/Jones in at all times. Yeah, Heise can play guard, but he's more of a 3 than a 2. Lipsey is consistently dinged up. Gilbert has been too and is now out. Jones was asked to do way more than he should and tailed off because of it. You just can't go into the season with only 3 true guards.

That said, I have consistently been critical of how TJ distributes minutes in the noncon. I'm sorry, but if you are up 30 in the 2nd half, you need to be rotating in your bench and if you are up 30 with 5 to go, it should be the deep bench. Not only does that give your starters more rest, it gives your bench more experience.

Bringing Fish back was the upshot of Louisville nabbing J'Vonne Hadley from us at the last second. A 6'6" 215 SG/wing would pretty much describe what you say we're "missing" there.

He's been ballin' out lately for the Cardinals --

https://www.barttorvik.com/playerstat.php?t=Louisville&year=2025&p=J'Vonne+Hadley

 

[1TwistedCyclone]

Not sure what to say about the offense, sorta late in the season to be adding significant wrinkles. However, on D, I wonder if we are holding some looks back for later on. I know this comment sounds more applicable for football, but it makes some sense for a team expecting to make a solid run in the tournament.

 

[CycloneErik]

Either a Big 12 Season championship or a Final Four. I know many here are satisfied with occasional Sweet-16. But, after all the hype, many other (like myself) expect to eventually make the next step forward.

It just isn't going to happen this year. Something is broken on the team other than just injuries. Don't know what it is, but TJ isn't able to fix it for whatever reason.

3 years out of 4 wouldn't be occasional. That's a growing tradition.

 

[dahliaclone]

3 years out of 4 wouldn't be occasional. That's a growing tradition.

3 out of 4 after going 2-22. I swear to god some fans are spoiled as ****.

 

[madguy30]

3 years out of 4 wouldn't be occasional. That's a growing tradition.

3 out of 4 after going 2-22. I swear to god some fans are spoiled as ****.

I'd love for ISU to have 'that year' but so far they've had one of those 'that year's in 99/00.
However, is going to a Sweet 16 2/3 years for the first time ever not a form of going to a different level?

If things go as 'should' in the NCAA tourney Duke and KU would have a lot more championships.

 

[NoCreativity]

I think that the fatal flaw here was not letting Fish go in exchange for a combo guard in the portal. When you look at this team, they pretty much need to have 2 of Lipsey/Gilbert/Jones in at all times. Yeah, Heise can play guard, but he's more of a 3 than a 2. Lipsey is consistently dinged up. Gilbert has been too and is now out. Jones was asked to do way more than he should and tailed off because of it. You just can't go into the season with only 3 true guards.

That said, I have consistently been critical of how TJ distributes minutes in the noncon. I'm sorry, but if you are up 30 in the 2nd half, you need to be rotating in your bench and if you are up 30 with 5 to go, it should be the deep bench. Not only does that give your starters more rest, it gives your bench more experience.

Would Jelani Hamilton have been able to play the 2 or was be more of a 3? I noticed he's getting significant minutes for Georgia State this year.

 

[CycloneErik]

3 out of 4 after going 2-22. I swear to god some fans are spoiled as ****.

And it would or will be 3 of a total of about 7 for the school. That's not occasional or disappointing.
Sure, when a loss happens in the tournament is disappointing, but not a bad year.
Naturally, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that this team might not lose at all.

 

[Statefan10]

3 years out of 4 wouldn't be occasional. That's a growing tradition.

I’ll start out by saying I very much so want to see Iowa State make an Elite 8 or go further, but some people are on here are not only acting like TJ has been here for 10 years and is stalling, but they’re also acting like this season is over already.

 

[OscarBerkshire]

I mean with the way the season has gone, I'd be happy if we make the tournament and win our first game. Anything above that is overblown expectations and complete gravy.

 

[NoCreativity]

I mean with the way the season has gone, I'd be happy if we make the tournament and win our first game. Anything above that is overblown expectations and complete gravy.

Is this a serious post? You know it will be March and we still have only lost 1 game the entire season with our entire team right?

We've been hovering around the Top 10 all year, went toe to toe with Auburn, should have won at Arizona who rarely loses at home, and still one of only 9 teams that have top 30 offensive and defensive metrics . All that being said, you're totally fine with just beating some Horizon team in the 1st round and calling it good?