Huh? I thought Cyclone teams were supposed to peak with their Super Bowl early to mid December.
Seems like something special is happening with the MBB team.
- Thread starter Mesaclone1
- Start date
Huh? I thought Cyclone teams were supposed to peak with their Super Bowl early to mid December.
No offense to any of the players but to me its about Fred, he's basically had to reinvent his team each of his 3 seasons. He's brought in a lot of talent via transfer, and that's worked great but in a way he was sort of making the best of what he has to work with, rather than a group of guys who were all recruited by him to play in his system. Each year he's gotten closer to what he'd like personnel-wise and that's made it easier for him to mold them into his type of team. I think you can see a lot of Fred's NBA influence in the way his teams have developed, the last 2 years the non conference has almost looked like preseason, we've shown different lineups, and strategies and never looked quite "in sync" but as big 12 play drew closer things solidified, the rotation got more established and all the sudden we see what we've got. Turns out we've got a pretty solid team again...and a great coach.
I think it is just how basketball works if you have some talent and a good coach. Up to Christmas the games really don't mean much. Yeah a good win or a bad loss there can help or hurt you a bit, but the real hay is made in the conference season for the power conferences. Teams get better as the year goes on. In Janauary you look completley different than you did in November, and in March you look completely different than you did in Janaury. It is a long year, and it takes time to figure out where everyone fits. Some teams never figure it out. This particular team seems like they were behind plan around Christmas, then improved greatly with the time off and figured some things out, now I actually feel like this team is ahead of where I thought they would be at this time.
Freddy changed quite a few things between Iowa and KU games and like a good coach he kept tinkering until he found where to put everyone, what roles everyone was going to play....etc. A big jump was made, they now have a nice base to work off of, and they can get better from here. Really excited to see how this year pans out.
Freddy changed quite a few things between Iowa and KU games and like a good coach he kept tinkering until he found where to put everyone, what roles everyone was going to play....etc. A big jump was made, they now have a nice base to work off of, and they can get better from here. Really excited to see how this year pans out.
If it was our Super Bowl we surely would have won it. We win all the Super Bowls.
Well that settles it once and for all. Someone tell the Hoks that it wasn't our superbowl and then they'll finally stop using that lame-a55 response.
Or not.
laugh:
[video=youtube;blxNPHEO51Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blxNPHEO51Y[/video]
Anyway, I'll definitely agree with "the something special is going on" if we end out "0-for-in-the-state-of-Oklahoma during the Big 12 era" this year.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
We won at Oklahoma last year, 77-70, the game where Royce chose not to score but dominated anyway.
Need to find a way to get Booker more looks from beyond the arc. Gotta set some screens to get him open.
What a difference a week makes. One week ago people were expecting a 40 point blowout to KU and not making the dance.
...and IF we lose another game in conference, people will say the train has gone off the tracks. You're just gonna have those people.
Of course then you have the kool-aid drinkers like me...hey, someone has to balance out the Debbie Downers!
Last year I felt like the team really started winning games when everyone found their role on the team. That team looked lost so often in the pre-conference games. Then during conference play, it was like a light switch was flipped. Everyone knew what they needed to do.
I think this team is ahead of the curve on figuring out their roles and refining the teams chemistry.
Saw some people on here saying that games before Christmas don't matter. That is so so wrong. If you want to get hype and 25 rankings you need to play in some highly visable match ups and then win those match ups. ISU will turn the corner when they do not have to come from the bottom all the time to get noticed. Need that praise right off the bat.
Other note about this years team. That loss to KU was a major kick in the nuts and to rebound the way they did shows a great mental toughness. That will be key for the team down the road.
Other note about this years team. That loss to KU was a major kick in the nuts and to rebound the way they did shows a great mental toughness. That will be key for the team down the road.
I really like the way that Hoiberg has let this team play its way into its identity. Many of us would have benched Lucious for his numerous bonehead plays early in the season, but Hoiberg let him settle down and want to help the team rather than be the guy. He slowly brought Niang into the starting lineup and let his success keep him there. Booker went to the bench and just can't seem to not foul when he comes in, but when he gets his act together, he will have a better role with the team. Ejim made himself indispensable with his superb rebounding early in the season. Of course, Babb and McGee are doing what we expected based on last year. Still waiting for Clyburn to hit his stride. By the end of the season, I think he will be our go-to guy in big games and crucial moments.
