Reality check?

[acoustimac]

Go back to the beginning of this season. What were your expectations for this team? Hoping for a half dozen wins and looking improved?

The Cyclone faithful have enjoyed a nice early season run that has re-energized the fan base in relation to men's basketball. The ratings reflected what the team accomplished at the time and it has been fun. I also think it put undue pressure and a target on the back of this team. We always knew the offense was a major liability and hoped the bad offense would only show up periodically. Now that it appears to be a fixture we need to remember where we started. This team still can pull off some upsets before the season ends. It was picked to finish last in the Big 12 and while that is possible, I don’t expect it. Mid pack somewhere would be just fine. Right now I’m hoping for any post season play whether it’s NIT or the big dance. If the team accomplishes that it’s a major accomplishment after the disaster of last year. Even if they don’t make it we know the program is headed in the right direction.

 

[Dr.bannedman]

yes. they sucked last year.

they can be good but i think bball everywhere is down this year. make the tourney and idc

 

[madguy30]

Expectations or hopes:
-play hard and together.
-have an identity.
-have some days where they pull off wins over ranked teams in Hilton.

Yesterday was lackluster in playing well at home so that's a bummer, but if ISU were like .500 going in to the Texas win that would have looked like a great day.

They looked sluggish yesterday like they just couldn't get the legs to work so hopefully they can figure out how to get that back and win a few more. I think they match up pretty well with KU and OU so have a good chance against them.

 

[CyCloned]

The reality is that this team has very little scoring potential. They generally play good defense, but their offense is very limited. Other teams have seen what ISU is doing on offense and made some adjustments. The big thing is that ISU is terrible in the half court, and teams are working really hard at getting back to take away transition baskets. Just need to get a lot better in the half court, somehow.

 

[HFCS]

yes. they sucked last year.

they can be good but i think bball everywhere is down this year. make the tourney and idc

seems like it’s down everywhere but the big 12

 

[CycloneVet]

seems like it’s down everywhere but the big 12

I agree and if we get to the dance nobody wil want us in the first round

 

[Cyinthenorth]

seems like it’s down everywhere but the big 12

Cbb has been down for several years now, as more of the elite talent is going pro earlier and earlier. There is a reason Luka Garza was able to win the Wooden Award last year and finish 2nd the year prior. A decade a go that wouldn't have happened

 

[WalkingCY]

seems like it’s down everywhere but the big 12

Tough year to play in easily the best league in America. The losses are going to add up. The guys just need to find a way to get to 7 wins and they’ll automatically be in the dance.

Good thing ISU’s non con was incredible. As was the rest of the league. Big 12 is the best and it’s really not a contest considering everyone’s record in the non con.

 

[cyclones500]

“Go back to the beginning of this season. What were your expectations for this team? Hoping for a half dozen wins and looking improved?”

Based on what I posted in “season predictions” thread ... My guess was:

(Regular season only) 13-18 (5-13 Big 12 … 9th)

ISU surpassed my overall W, including 6 games I had projected as L's: Oregon State, Xavier, (Memphis/VT), Creighton, Iowa, Texas.

Only W I projected that's a loss, so far: TCU.

No guarantee we'll meet or surpass my conference guess, although I hope we could at least reach that threshold.

After starting 12-0, of course my hope was elevated substantially ... I thought we'd take a couple of months to gel, then hit a better groove in February/March. The past two games make me feel like it's going in the opposite direction ... but hopefully, that’s an anomaly and we've endured the ickiest week of the season.

Losses are going to happen, but those were two ugly, ugly games.

 

[CyCloned]

“Go back to the beginning of this season. What were your expectations for this team? Hoping for a half dozen wins and looking improved?”

Based on what I posted in “season predictions” thread ... My guess was:

(Regular season only) 13-18 (5-13 Big 12 … 9th)

ISU surpassed my overall W, including 6 games I had projected as L's: Oregon State, Xavier, (Memphis/VT), Creighton, Iowa, Texas.

Only W I projected that's a loss, so far: TCU.

No guarantee we'll meet or surpass my conference guess, although I hope we could at least reach that threshold.

After starting 12-0, of course my hope was elevated substantially ... I thought we'd take a couple of months to gel, then hit a better groove in February/March. The past two games make me feel like it's going in the opposite direction ... but hopefully, that’s an anomaly and we've endured the ickiest week of the season.

Losses are going to happen, but those were two ugly, ugly games.

TJ needs to change some things up. Maybe he needs to press more, get some cheap baskets.

 

[cyclones500]

TJ needs to change some things up. Maybe he needs to press more, get some cheap baskets.

Definitely needs to add a wrinkle or two. Hopefully they've been scheming some things but just haven't been ready to incorporate it. (My most optimistic take, vs. not examining options or incapable of trying something).

 

[cmjh10]

Wondering how much we just flat suck compared to being tired.

 

[Cyched]

Wondering how much we just flat suck compared to being tired.

A team that sucks doesn't rack up the wins we've gotten.

It's a combo of a brutal conference, limited roster, new coaching staff and scheme, and punching above our weight early on. Still plenty of opportunities ahead of this team.

 

[Wally86]

Current Conf win percentage suggests 3 more wins in conference. If you add MU to the win column the record is 18-13 before KC. That suggests a win will be needed at KC to get to the big dance. I want to believe an easier remaining Conf schedule leads to four more wins in conference. 19 wins would be awesome compared to my preseason hope of 12-15 wins.

 

[motorcy90]

We have way out preformed most expectations already this season, we are a bubble team at worst currently in the toughest conference..

 

[CyCloned]

Definitely needs to add a wrinkle or two. Hopefully they've been scheming some things but just haven't been ready to incorporate it. (My most optimistic take, vs. not examining options or incapable of trying something).

Clearly TJ spent most of his time before the season working on defense. Maybe he has a few offensive tricks up his sleeve.

 

[Pat]

Cbb has been down for several years now, as more of the elite talent is going pro earlier and earlier. There is a reason Luka Garza was able to win the Wooden Award last year and finish 2nd the year prior. A decade a go that wouldn't have happened

Add another few decades. NBA consistently drafted high school players from 96-05. Jimmer Freaking Fredette won the Wooden award in 2011.

 

[CYdTracked]

This team has far exceeded my expectations coming into the season as I did not see postseason play let alone a top 10 ranking possible. That being said we know we are one of the best defenses in the country and you should not lose a game in Hilton when you hold an opponent under 60. We are in a major funk offensively that I hope we try to fix some things and become more of a team that is aggressive attacking the basket than settling for 3's and tough jump shots. More points off turnovers is 1 way we should be scoring more but we don't seem to push hard enough after a steal to give us more fast break opportunities. More ball movement and more motion on offense as too many times we see that ball get stuck at the FT in Conditt or Jones hands and they panic looking for a cutter or someone to come off a screen to pass it to. We aren't going to beat teams shooting the 3 as evidence in our conference losses

3-26 vs TCU
5-26 vs TT
6-18 vs KU
8-17 vs OU (actually shot it well this night but OU was hot and shot .617 from the field)
1-14 vs Baylor

That's 23-101 for .228 for 3 in our conference losses. Outside of the OU game where Grill was 4-8 from 3 he is 4-24 (.167) in the rest of the Big 12 games. He's probably considered our best 3 point shooter so that is not a good stat. I think we have the talent on this roster to re-invent who we are on offense with more emphasis on driving to the rim or more ball movement to find an open cutter instead of settling for jumpers or tough 1 on 1 isolations.

 

[CYdTracked]

Cbb has been down for several years now, as more of the elite talent is going pro earlier and earlier. There is a reason Luka Garza was able to win the Wooden Award last year and finish 2nd the year prior. A decade a go that wouldn't have happened

If Garza played in the same era that Fizer did he probably would have been a top 10 pick in the NBA draft and not come back for his senior year as the NBA valued big guys like him in that era. Fizer is probably the most dominant player to ever wear a Cyclone jersey but in today's style of game I'm not sure he would be viewed the same as he was back then as the game has changed a lot in the past 20 years. Maybe it's just another cycle and 10 years from now we see a trend where we have a round of talented big guys dominating near the basket again and some coach wins a championship with a couple big guys that just dominate and every team reacts by finding guys like that?

 

[Cyclonepride]

Conference play is brutal, and there will be losses, but we're not an easy out. I still think we'll get enough, but I'm enjoying the ride either way.