Top "What could have Been" if

Knownothing

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Nov 22, 2006
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Ahhhh...I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I had recently moved to Minneapolis for a job with my live-in girlfriend. One of my good buddies from college who I attended essentially every home basketball game with in college already lived there.

On the day of this particular game the girlfriend and I decided it was a good idea to have some friends over to watch the game. I of course invited my buddy, she invited some people she met at her new job (non-ISU Alum/Fans). From what I could tell they weren't even sports/basketball fans. They were fairly stiff and I determined fairly quickly into the whole affair that there could be issues.

Back then (and in college) I never sat down when watching a basketball game. If it was a road game and we were watching it at home, well we didn't sit down then either. My buddy and I were famous for pacing around, cheering and of course cussing. Yes I realize this is likely very annoying for bystanders, but hey, it is what it is.

In any case, these new work "friends" my girlfriend invited left very abruptly after Nurse fouled out and uncle Larry got the T's.

Those "friends" never came back to our apartment again and I guess rarely talked to my girlfriend at work after that.


I did this almost exact same thing for another big game one time. I looked like a nut job. Now any big game I have to watch by myself and family members that are as nuts as I am. Normally I watch solo for big out of town games I don't attend. Basically if we win I am the guy that runs outside and starts screaming. If we lose I can deal with my own emotions and not worry about people that don't get sports.
 

jmb

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Apr 12, 2006
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I did this almost exact same thing for another big game one time. I looked like a nut job. Now any big game I have to watch by myself and family members that are as nuts as I am. Normally I watch solo for big out of town games I don't attend. Basically if we win I am the guy that runs outside and starts screaming. If we lose I can deal with my own emotions and not worry about people that don't get sports.
This is almost exactly what I do. I do have one guest typically. He was a navy buddy named Captain Morgan.
 

weR138

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Feb 20, 2008
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For extra level of revisionism in '05, what if ISU didn't fumble near the goal line vs. Baylor, while about to go ahead by two scores? (Not to mention the NU and Mizzou OT losses).
Yeah, '05 could've been a truly special season. It should have been. It was a now or never season that sealed Dan's fate. Win the OT games (don't let them get there) and it's a ten win season and trip to the big 12 championship game.
 
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Knownothing

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What is Stinson and Blalock came back for their senior season and played for McDermott. Or even better if Hoiberg would have been hired instead of McDermott at that point and we had Rashon Clark, Stinson, Blalock in Fred's system. Pretty sure we had a good solid three point shooter also but I can't remember his name.
 

Sigmapolis

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What if Harrison Barnes chose ISU?

McDermott squanders him.

The question becomes -- does McD still bail to Creighton?

If yes, then either...

-- Barnes just goes pro after one season
-- Fred has him for one year... and maybe enough around him to put together a competitive team, so maybe the NCAA tournament streak starts a year earlier

...but long-term, I do not see a huge difference.
 

Al_4_State

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I will never, ever forget the sinking feeling I got when we lost the Mizzou game in '04. Because I got it again in '05 at the KU game.

We win those games and we'd have been in big 12 championship games those years.

What if indeed...

After the Mizzou game in '04, I kinda shrugged it off thinking "these guys are young. They'll be back. We'll make that kick next time." No big deal.

And I was sorta right. 2 outta 3 ain't bad, but it didn't stop me from going to the bottom of a bottle of Black Velvet, getting blacklisted on the Paul Clark ran Cyclone Report, and getting kicked out of the Surf Ballroom the night after the KU game.