Should we be worried

[Kinch]

One game at a time.

 

[JM4CY]

Tenn Tech is gonna destroy us

 

[pourcyne]

Just remember that jinxes aren’t real and rest easy.

People who missed out on Huckleberry Hound...I feel sorry for y'all.

 

[MeanDean]

Many “experts” have ISU as being a Final Four team, beating all other teams in the MidWest Regional. Is that going to be a jinx, I know they are good enough, but I remember the screw job against MSU and Big George’s injury. Hey CW, you need to merch ISU nut cups!

If we make the Elite 8 it just means we have played to our seed. Which is not automatic by any means, but is sort of expected.

That just means to get to the final four, assuming the above comes true, is win a game against Michigan - which is a minor upset.

OR: Beat another lower seeded team if Michigan gets upset along the way.

It's by no means a crazy pick. At all.

(That said, I'm always worried. Always. I will say the game again Tennessee State is the least worried I've been since one of those December tomato cans)

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

Just remember that jinxes aren’t real and rest easy.

Except frosted tips...

 

[madguy30]

Exactly my thoughts. When we come out of the gate slow and get down double digits we spend a lot of energy trying to chip away at the hole we dug ourselves and a lot of times it doesn't end well. We also have this tendency to let of the gas a bit when we are up double digits at times and then have to bite our nails that it doesn't become a FT contest late in the game. When we are playing at our best we hit them from the start and make the other team be the one that plays rattled down double digits. Our defense can frustrate teams more than anyone in the country but it's not as effective when we are the ones playing from behind for long stretches of the game as we start to press on offense and have stupid turnovers of our own.

Just feels like there are times we play down to the level of our competition while we usually are much more focused and sharper when we are playing a high level team. Hopefully this team has learned from those mistakes and have the same focus and intensity from here on out regardless of the name on the front of the other team's jersey.

Lots of games are like your first part. Teams go on runs, then the other one does.

It will happen Friday.

Worried, no, otoh I don't bet but I wouldn't touch the 24.5 spread or whatever it is.

 

[danvillecyclone]

To counter that, now ISU is a popular pick to be upset as a 2.

With our range of possible outcomes, I agree with both!

I was more pissed when Love hit the shot last season than when Bradley hit the shot this season.

Our best is as good as anyone else’s, so I’m fine as long as we play with intensity.

 

[jcf817]

No. We're going to defeat Kentucky, Virginia, Arizona, and Michigan St. on our revenge tour to the championship.

 

[Jakester]

I'm always nervous, I have an ISU nutcup hanging on the wall FFS. BUT, I think back to all those tournaments where ISU was a "dark horse" to make a deep run or a Final Four and that didn't work either. So, give me the talking heads and the expectations.

 

[nfrine]

Many “experts” have ISU as being a Final Four team, beating all other teams in the MidWest Regional. Is that going to be a jinx, I know they are good enough, but I remember the screw job against MSU and Big George’s injury. Hey CW, you need to merch ISU nut cups!

Ask me in three weeks.

 

[Cyched]

Yes. Disconnect your internet and electronics. Stockpile a month’s supply of water and dehydrated food. Don’t come out until April 7th.

 

[fsanford]

We are a skiddish fan base aren't we.

Sports PTSD I guess

 

[Pope]

This but also outside of Michigan the path ahead for ISU is extremely easy with some very good matchups for ISU. The team isn’t just good, it has the best path forward of any of the 2 seeds.

I wouldn't describe beating Kentucky and Virginia as "extremely easy". Very doable for this team, but not extremely easy.

All of this prognostication crap doesn't mean squat. I know I'm just a fan, but I like adopting our players' perspective - ignore all the outside noise.

 

[harimad]

Many “experts” have ISU as being a Final Four team, beating all other teams in the MidWest Regional. Is that going to be a jinx, I know they are good enough, but I remember the screw job against MSU and Big George’s injury. Hey CW, you need to merch ISU nut cups!

Yes, it’s rat poison. That said, it’s the players that have to perform. Our job as fans is just to overreact and we’ve been splendid this season when it’s needed.

 

[CascadeClone]

It does worry me some. Pride goeth before a fall. And it does seem like the annonuncer jinx.

But the talking heads are kind of an echo chamber anyway, and they all want to look smart echoing something someone else said. So it gets overblown too.

 

[FriendlySpartan]

I wouldn't describe beating Kentucky and Virginia as "extremely easy". Very doable for this team, but not extremely easy.

All of this prognostication crap doesn't mean squat. I know I'm just a fan, but I like adopting our players' perspective - ignore all the outside noise.

I would describe beating “this” Kentucky team as extremely easy, and Virginia is just probably easy as you match up with them extremely well and they are overrated due to the trash that is the ACC this year

 

[Marcelason78]

This but also outside of Michigan the path ahead for ISU is extremely easy with some very good matchups for ISU. The team isn’t just good, it has the best path forward of any of the 2 seeds.

I guess I didn’t look at the board and think our path to the EE ‘is extremely easy’ either, but I’ll take it.

 

[1SEIACLONE]

As long as we can play our game, get defensive stops and turn them over we will be fine. We get into trouble when we miss our free throws and struggle shooting the ball. Make 8 to 10 3 pointers and we will be fine. Play it one game at a time, and see what happens, but for the first time in what seems forever, we are healthy and playing with a chip on our shoulder.

 

[Cyched]

It does worry me some. Pride goeth before a fall. And it does seem like the annonuncer jinx.

But the talking heads are kind of an echo chamber anyway, and they all want to look smart echoing something someone else said. So it gets overblown too.

One thing that helps is knowing we have a coach in TJ that is good at keeping his guys grounded and focused on what they can control.

If we lose it’ll be because we had a bad game or the other team was on a heater and simply beat us. Not worried about big heads or a lack of preparation.

 

[Kettes]

If you've been a Cyclone fan for any length of time, you know to always wear your nutcup.