Prior to last nights game I listed what I felt were the “must do's” for a win to happen:

The must do's...
1. Play good defense and limit fouls
2. Rebound and don't give second chances
3. Hit your open shots.
4. Make your free throws.

well…IMO the only one they remotely did was #2. Complete overwhelming failure on #’s 3 and 4. #1 was rather suspect…especially in the second half.

Idk if that’s good or bad, hu ******-a he’s worked hard and become a pain in the ass for opponents. I wish the others could get theirs heads straight like big Rob energy.

When is he going to be eligible? So we know the exact game?

Assuming we win our next three cupcake games we will need to pull off 10 conference wins or 9 conference games and beat Missouri late in season to get to 20 regular season wins. Can this team achieve that?

BTW, depending on quality wins rest of the way I think this team could get in the tournament with 18 or 19 wins.

Thanks

Can we share gifs from the rivalry …. Scotty, the kiss, mad Fran with Naz…. Please?

I grabbed Iowa State at +4.5. Public and sharp money really coming in on ISU currently. Some money coming in on the over to, which I took at o138. Not sure I really feel about it though. If Murray doesn't play, I don't know how this is a high scoring affair. I figure Iowa State will top out similar to where they did last year, at 75. Iowa will need at least 64. I could kind of see it playing out like that.

Tournament is this weekend

Dresser will be out there (Ohio) watching some recruits.


3 top kids of interest are

120 lbs - 8 Top 20s​

1 - #1 Jax Forrest, Bishop McCort

2 - #2 Luke Lilledahl, Wyoming Seminary (PA)

3 - #8 Marcus Blaze, Perrysburg

4 - #3 Jordyn Raney, Union County

5 - #12 Kael Lauridsen, Bennington

6 - #13 Leo DeLuca, Blair Academy

7 - HM Ethan Rivera, Lake Highland Prep

8 - #20 Sebastian Degennaro, Jensen Beach

126 lbs - 9 Top 20s​

1 - #2 Benjamin Davino, St. Charles East

2 - #4 Marc-Anthony McGowan, Blair Academy

3 - #3 Mason Gibson, Bishop McCort

4 - #9 Max Gallagher, Bayport Blue Point

5 - #17 Dillon Campbell, Legacy Christian Academy

6 - #11 Jacob Joyce, Ponaganset

7 - #16 JJ McComas, Stillwater

8 - HM Logan Frazier, Crown Point

165 lbs - 4 Top 20s​

1 - #1 Angelo Ferrari, Melissa

2 - #3 Lorenzo Norman, Blair Academy

3 - #4 Daschle Lamer, Crescent Valley

4 - #9 Sam Goin, Crown Point

In no particular order:


Of course, every single win over the Hawkeyes is amazing but these games always stuck with me.

Memorable mentions from each game:

1.December 10, 1985: Johnny's best team ever absolutely dominates the Hawkeyes in Hilton. This Hawkeye team includes several future NBA stars and even makes a run to the Elite 8 the following year.

2. December 19, 1987: The Lafester Rhodes 54-point game won in OT. Rhodes simply could not miss that night. Famous Johnny quote about Rhodes during the game, "Don't take him out of the game. Keep him in there until he dies!"

3. December 14, 1991: Thigpen, Hoiberg and company crush the Hawkeyes in Hilton. Great Hoiberg dunk on Acie Earle.

4 December 12, 2014: It's Iowa's year finally they will win but instead they are run out of their own gym and Naz gives a great pose next to Mad Fran after burying a three.

Looking for the IT network pros who might have a recommendation for the small business I work for. Due to some regulations that will impact them soon, a VPN will be required. Does anyone have any business VPN recommendations? The business will require support and specific configurations. All employees work from home in the US and there are no physical offices. Any experiences positive or negative would be appreciated.

Epic match going to 5th

With improved special teams in 2022 we would have won at least 6 games and been bowling for the 6th year in a row, but that's not what happened and special teams was a disaster for the ISU football team, once again. So, for the hell of it, lets pretend Campbell hires a special teams coordinator this off-season - which I think is a very likely scenario. We have 3 open coaching positions; Strength coach, OL coach and essentially a third opening we can be open to something new with. The strength coach is what it is, the OL coach is what it is - and usually OL coaches aren't also a special teams coordinator, so that leaves us with our third open coaching position. Right now Scheelhouse is the OC/WR/RB coach, so ideally we would hire a special teams coordinator that would also coach WR's or RB's and take one of those positions away from Scheelhouse.

I don't know who all Campbell is connected to so I'm going to toss out some names that I could potentially see being options for us.

1. IMO, my #1 guy would be Brian Haines from App State. He's from WV but had spent a good majority of his career in Ohio so he could be connected to Campbell somehow. He's currently the special teams coordinator and RB's coach at App State.

Named a 2021 candidate for the Broyles Award that goes to the nation’s top assistant, Haines coached a running back group that helped App State extend its FBS-leading streak of consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher to 10 and directed a special teams group that included kicker Chandler Staton, who received first-team All-America recognition, and Jalen Virgil, who had two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

App State ranked 16th nationally in overall special teams based on the Fremeau Efficiency Index (FEI) that combines kickoff return, kickoff, punt return, punt and field goal efficiency into one overall rating.

App State’s two leading backs (Nate Noel, Camerun Peoples) both rushed for more than 900 yards while ranking No. 2 and No. 3 in rushing yards per game in the Sun Belt, and that came a year after the Mountaineers were the only FBS team in the country to have four running backs rush for at least 500 yards.


2. Adam Scheier brings 26 years of collegiate coaching experience into 2022, including the last 22 working with special teams. Prior to coming to Temple, Scheier spent two seasons as Rutgers' special teams coordinator. The Scarlet Knights ranked 7th in the ESPN Special Teams Efficiency Ratings in 2020 and improved to No. 4 in 2021.

This guy has been a stud everywhere he's been and has coached WR's and RB's before but it's been a little while. He most recently has been a ST Coordinator while working with the TE's at Temple.

3. Erik Link - he's a Drake graduate and has been on the ISU staff before. He's currently the Special Teams coordinator and TE's coach at Mizzou and has coached Andrew Mevis's brother (who is an All American Kicker) the last few years. He was also previously at App State where their special teams units were very impressive.

Under Link's guidance, Appalachian State ranked in the nation's top 30 in numerous special teams categories, including a national-best seven blocked kicks (five kicks/two punts), without allowing a single blocked kick or punt. The 2019 Mountaineers also ranked in the following special teams categories: punt return coverage (15th NCAA/1st Sun Belt – 3.65 avg.), kickoff returns (16th NCAA/1st Sun Belt – 24.4 avg.) and kickoff return coverage (28th NCAA/3rd Sun Belt – 18.91 avg.).

It would be in ISU and Campbell's best interest to fill the third coaching position with someone who could not only take a position group away from our first year OC, but also someone who could double as a special teams coordinator because the coaching-special-teams-by-committee approach he's tried, isn't working. Also, not shockingly, the teams with the top 9 special teams units in 2022 all have special teams coordinators. Make the right move, Matt!

To spice things up in our otherwise boring team meetings at work, we have made up deathmatches. These have always been between random animals but I'm spicing things up and throwing in Dwight Shrute. I think a human man fighting a bobcat to the death would be a pretty even match. for this scenario they will be in a 30' cube with all surfaces padded.

If you don't think a bobcat is a fair fight for Dwight, what animal would you recommend?

Edit: I just looked up the record for largest bobcat. 51lbs. Let's assume that the bobcat in question weighs 51lbs.

Match-ups if things go chalk (we know there will be fill-ins to keep guys fresh). I am assuming we will see either Penn St or UNC on day 2.

Rankings: Intermat/FLO/WIN

125: ISU (NR/NR/NR), Oregon St (12/12/10), Cornell (22/20/NR), Penn St (NR/NR/NR), N. Carolina (NR/NR/NR)

133: ISU (21/19/14), Oregon St (16/16/9), Cornell (3/3/3), Penn St (1/1/1), N. Carolina (29/HM/NR)

141: ISU (12/9/6), Oregon St (24/18/NR), Cornell (22/16/20), Penn St (9/4/11), N. Carolina (26/HM/NR)

149: ISU (5/5/8), Oregon St (NR/NR/NR), Cornell (1/1/1), Penn St (17/13/16), N. Carolina (14/13/19)

157: ISU (NR/NR/NR), Oregon St (NR/NR/NR), Cornell (NR/NR/NR), Penn St (NR/HM/NR), N. Carolina (6/7/3)

165: ISU (3/3/3), Oregon St (23/13/12), Cornell (7/8/8), Penn St (15/HM/NR), N. Carolina (NR/NR/NR)

174: ISU (NR/NR/NR), Oregon St (28/HM/NR), Cornell (6/6/8) Penn St (1/1/1), N. Carolina (8/8/5)

184: ISU (4/5/4), Oregon St (13/7/15), Cornell (6/8/7), Penn St (1/1/1), N. Carolina (17/13/16)

197: ISU (2/2/3), Oregon St (11/13/11), Cornell (25/HM/NR), Penn St (5/6/5), N. Carolina (32/HM/NR)

285: ISU (10/9/9), Oregon St (NR/NR/NR), Cornell (15/15/12), Penn St (1/1/1), N. Carolina (NR/NR/NR)

The 133, 174 and 184 slots look real tough for our guys. Really hoping to see Paniro vs Yanni at 149. A couple of tough matches for Casey & David. Looks like a chance for 125 and 157 to get some wins.

Thoughts?

Tickets found. Thanks!!!

vs


Iowa (6-2, 0-0 Big 10)
#20 IOWA STATE (7-1, 0-0 BIG 12)
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8TH 7:00 P.M. CST
Carver-Hawkeye Arena / Iowa City, Iowa


TV: FS1
Talent: Kevin Kugler, pxp Nick Bahe, analyst

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network (Varsity Network)
CRN Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (analyst)

My story from Iowa City tonight. Really like how it came out. This team can be great, but it has to play to its strengths. Let me know what you think.

Everyone who has ever watched an ISU-Iowa game knows these are battles. Throw the records and stats out the window. Lately, Iowa has owned the Sisters with only last year's win at Hilton breaking a five game win streak by the Bluderettes.

This game started off cold cold cold. The sisters were 0-6 with four misses from deep. Iowa edged out 6-0 with three baskets by Czinano. Soares got the first basket with a three and promptly followed it with her first foul. The sisters were just not hitting anything. Five minutes into this one and ISU was 1-10 from the floor. Yet, the defense was keeping things closer than they could be 7-3 Iowa.

The sisters are chucking up three after three and barely drawing iron. In the meantime Iowa is going inside and building a lead. 9-3 after six minutes. Even point blank layups are missing. It’s now 1-15 from the floor. This is ugly.

Ryan finally converted a traditional three to end the misery and Donarski follows with two. On the good news front Jordao is in! Boom a three from Joens and the score was tied at 11 with a min left in the first. This was not a good offensive exhibition by either team. Neither team shooting well with ISU at 22% and 28% for Iowa. Quarter ends tied at 11.

ISU would take the lead on a drive by Donarski. but the offense is still way out of sync. On the plus side, Clark has yet to score. To this point, Ryan is forcing things and that allowed Iowa to retake the lead. We turned the ball over for the 9th time and Ryan is struggling to run the offense which has gone stone cold again. Seems like a theme this year. Four min into the second and we have two points 15-13 Iowa. Clark finally hits her first with 5 min remaining to give Iowa the lead 17-15. A trey after an offensive board and a complete defensive lapse would extend that lead to 20-15.

Weird possession of the game. We hit a three pointer with a foul committed underneath the basket, so we retain possession and then hit another three pointer to take a one point lead. 21-20. Soares followed that with a three and Clark answers right back ending an 11-0 ISU run. It was 26-23 sisters. Czinano picked up her second foul and I wondered if this would be a turning point. It didn't turn out that way. What we did see was Soares missing two free throws. That’s like a turnover in my book. This would be a theme for her tonight.

At halftime it’s 28-23 after a 13-3 ISU run. This is where you should just turn the game off because...

The offense in the third is just fits and stutters again. Soares picked up her third foul and all of a sudden the two on Czinano don't seem so big. Warnock follows two FT by Czinano to pull within two at 30-28. Czinano then picks up her third foul one minute in. Are the posts neutralizing each other? One critical factor is our free throw shooting being so bad at 3-9 to this point. Soares has three misses and it would get worse. What also makes it worse is Clark is warming up and hits a trey to make it a 1 point game again.

Then there is the ISU offense. Ryan’s drives today are just off. Goes up too hard. Is she expecting contact? Players are standing. No screens. When they do get open...misses.

Clark would hit a deep three after a Ryan miss to give Iowa a two point lead 36–34. Then Iowa State promptly turns the ball over and Iowa scores. The wheels were starting to fall off the bus. A perfect example of the ISU dysfunction was a horrible forced shot by Diew that barely hits the backboard. Iowa went on a 9-0 run and built a six point lead. The sisters in the mean time had six points in the quarter and was being outscored 17-6. It only got worse. Our defense was letting us down as well as Iowa continued to find open looks. We fouled. They made their free throws. Another prime example? Clark hits another downtowner and it’s a 43-37 lead for Iowa. What do we do? We follow with a inbounds five second call and boom…it’s 45-37. By the end of three this thing was nearly over. Iowa bombs the Sisters to the tune of 27-8 and has a 50-37 lead. I felt like I was watching the melt-down against North Carolina all over again.

The fourth ended up being a hodge hodge for ISU. The tough part here is that Iowa continues to gain confidence as Iowa State just struggles to even find itself. Didn't matter who shoots. for Iowa as keeps draining buckets and Iowa State keeps missing. Soares picked up her fourth foul as her defense is starting to suffer. With Iowa shooting nearly 50% from deep (and it wasn't just Clark) they would build a 60-44 lead.

Than a spark. On back to back possessions Joens would hit three pointers and all of a sudden it was 60-50. Was there life? Well, whatever life there was was squashed not by Iowa, but by the inexplicable decisions to stop feeding Ashley the ball. We chucked up some very unadvisable shots with Ashley sitting wide open in some cases. When this happened Iowa shut the door by extending the lead to 18. This game was effectively over. Iowa was content to dribble the clock away and force us to foul. They literally could not score every possession if they just dribble clock and we lose


Final 70-57

Observations


At this point we’ve seen the ISU offense disappear in the second half of two big games. Until they figure it out this team is going to struggle. Good teams will make them pay again and again. Just my instant reaction opinion, but this is barely a top 25 team right now. This offensive misfiring is a killer.

Soares - started good (a la North Carolina) and disappeared again. Horrid free throw shooting (0-6). 5 turnovers. Ten points with nearly all in the first half. Four fouls. This should be a real learning moment for her.

Joens - the only reason we were even in this game is her heroics. She had 15 and 7 and tried to put the team on her back, but the team wouldn't let her. Had to be frustrating.

Donarksi - Defense was ok. Clark we know is going to get hers and she eventually did (19), but that didn't beat us. Lexi had ten points and 4 assists.

Ryan - In many ways this was possibly her worst game as a floor general this year. Had 15 points, but couldn’t get the offense going. Not all her fault, but there were some bad moments and choices.

Offense - shooting this horribly will lose ISU lots of games. The Big 12 is a meat grinder with some very good offensive teams. If this team can't figure it out, what promised to be a once in a lifetime season will look like the 2021 Football team. Yes, they can do it, but they don't have a lot more time to figure it out.

The bench - Not ONE SINGLE POINT. Nada. Four rebounds. Five fouls. The depth I often brag about didn't show up tonight.

If you look at some of the stats things don't look as bad as this game really was. Iowa won the rebound battle by six. Meh. Iowa made one more free throw (but we missed 7 more). OK...that was bad...but most of those misses were on Soares. Three pointers? Man, it seemed like every time we turned around iowa was hitting one. But they made the EXACT same number as we did. Nine. The difference? We missed seven more attempts. Here's a big number. Assists. We had 9 on 20 baskets. Iowa? 18 on 26 baskets. Bingo. They were moving the ball and finding the open player. They were setting screens. We weren't.

This game leaves me with a lot of concerns. Not terrible ones, but we've now seen our offense starting to show a tendency to disappear. It's as if they forget what got them here in the first place. That's very disturbing. With games against tough Drake and Villanova squads coming up, ISU had better watch out. The defense still needs work. There were too many break downs in the second half. But the offense. Woof. That's two of the last three games where we couldn't find a bucket if a string were tied to the ball and it was run through the hoop. Soul searching time ladies. Soul searching time.

I won them through work and can't use them now. You'll have to pick up in Iowa City. I'll tell you where. DM me if you want them.

I don't know the seat locations but I'm assuming they are decent.

Selling our tickets for the next three games here before Xmas. Seats are lower level corner, Section 138, Row 9. We have four seats, can split into pairs if desirable. $80 per pair or $150 for the set of 4. Comes with B1 parking pass if able to meet between Ames and Fort Dodge in advance of game to get that from me. Games available:

Sunday, December 11th (McNeese State)
Sunday, December 18th (Western Michigan)
Wednesday, December 21st (Omaha)

PM me if interested.

You can't make this stuff up ....

I have one adult ticket and two youth tickets to the ISU vs. Iowa men’s basketball game in Iowa City tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 8). They are together in Section L, Row 36. Youth tickets are for anyone ages 18 and under.

Was going to take my boys but now we can’t make it. Hoping to sell to ISU fans.

Asking $80 (face value) for the set. 7 pm tip in Iowa City. I can transfer electronically.

I am in need of a parking pass for 12/31 against Baylor. Is anyone selling? Thanks!