If TJ doesn't top a Sweet 16 he's obviously trending in the wrong direction and should be shown the door
Are we even a tournament team?
- Thread starter ISUCyclones2015
- Start date
It’s okay to be critical of certain games, talk about the flaws of the team and still be happy in general with how the season is going and the direction of the program. If you would have told me in October that Iowa State would be 8-7 in conference play on February 22nd I would be thrilled. I’m not thrilled with how we got to 8-7 after starting 4-0 but we’re still in a solid spot so I’ll take it.
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
Sure. I don't think it's worth being critical of last night. Most of us, even the Kool-Aidiest of us all, wrote that one off even back when we were in first. That one was only ever going to be a win on our very, very best night.
Nobody expects a win at Texas but when you’ve lost 8 out of 12 games and get absolutely embarrassed, I think it’s okay to be frustrated.
Stormin‘s obsession with his favorite coach Steve Prohm continues. Don’t take my word for it. Just look at his post history. Lol.
I'm not even critical of us going 4-7 lol.
@ #2 KU - where we miss a three to win at the hardest venue in America
@ OSU - without Grill where we really showed our offensive limitations
@ Tech - this is one of two games where I think we flat out blew it
@ WVU - battled through adversity in a tough environment with EXTREMELY one sided officiating
vs. OSU - this was the second game where we blew it. FTs were the glaring issue. Also shows OSU is a bad matchup for us.
@ #12 KSU - without Grill in a tough environment and guys didn't step up accordingly
@ #8 Texas - without Grill in a tough environment and guys didn't step up accordingly
Like I mentioned in a different thread.. Say the two games we blew didn't happen, we'd currently be in contention for first place still. Obviously that's the goal and by the looks of it, was attainable this year, but the overreacting by some on this board that we now stink or TJ is doing "x" wrong or we shouldn't be a tournament team??? Man people are dumb lol
Can one acknowledge that the team is better than they have a right to be, trending (generally) up and yet be worried that this late season lul will continue into march?
Certainly the good work done early will earn us a good seed, which should help with a good matchup but the exact team we face will matter a lot unless guys get healthy and start playing a bit better.
Certainly the good work done early will earn us a good seed, which should help with a good matchup but the exact team we face will matter a lot unless guys get healthy and start playing a bit better.
once Grill is healthy that completely changes the team. just his presence will help Gabe get out of his funk. If he cam get back 100% and have no unexpected injuries I see no reason why we can’t get back to the same level we were when conference play started. Just hope we can secure a 7 seed or better. If so I like our chances to get back to the Sweet 16.
I'd be interested to see a Talent Composite stat like 247 has for football. I'd bet that this team is very far behind in that metric, so I would agree that we are way overachieving with our squad.
2022 College Football Team Talent Composite
In order to create the most comprehensive Team Recruiting Ranking without any notion of bias, 247Sports Team Recruiting Ranking is solely based on the 247Sports Composite Rating.
247sports.com
Texas played one of the best games they've played all year and we played poorly. I wouldn't read too much into last night's game. Fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter if we lost by 20 or lost by 5, people would ***** and moan about xyz and downplay this team to an extent.
Are you confusing us with the Hawks? I mean their coach spiraled out of control.
Grind of the Big 12. Loss of players to injuries. It is wearing the team down. Our style of play demands physical play. TJ gets the most out of his players talents as well as his Coaching Hall of Fame counterparts. And will only get better. There is a reason he is recruiting such great talent. TJ can coach. No t worried.
What do you expect? Every fan base is going to be critical of their team during a 4-8 stretch of basketball. If ISU went into Texas on a 4 game winning streak and lost like that last night, I 100% agree. Throw the tape away and move on. The problem is last night was part of an ongoing month of pretty rough basketball from ISU. Iowa State has only won 2 games in February. The season isn’t over by any means but people being critical have every right to be critical as long as they can still keep a clear head and know we are a tournament team and can win in the tournament. I know we can win in the tournament, but with how we are playing CURRENTLY and if we don’t get healthy, I know it could be a very quick exit as well.
The matchup will be a huge factor regardless of whether we're hot to end the year. The reality is that the committee very much likes us because they respect the teams we've beaten and the schedule we've played.
We're in a bit of a funk right now but that funk can be figured out pretty easily when you just lay it all out there...
- Our key starter, best shooter, 3rd leading scorer, and 2nd best perimeter defender has been out / playing hurt
- We've played 6 away games and 4 home games since Caleb got hurt
- We're playing in the toughest conference in the nation by far
Absolutely I don't think you're necessarily being too critical FWIW. It was more to others I've seen on here and other social media platforms. I don't agree with your criticism on the wins in February though because we still have two more games left and I think we probably have only lost one game we shouldn't have (OSU). If we win the next two our record to end February would be 4-5. 4 losses on the road and against 3 top 12 teams in the country.
If TJ doesn't top a Sweet 16 he's obviously trending in the wrong direction and should be shown the door
The win or go home nature of March Madness, along with the fact that this team can really struggle to make shots, means it is very possible for the season to come to an abrupt end. If that happens, I'll be disappointed, but I won't freak out about why Rob plays, why Gabe can't make shots, why TJ doesn't accept the wisdom of CF posters, etc.
I'll be happy that Cyclone basketball is back and the future is bright.
It's interesting and entertaining to go over the nuances of a basketball season but the look ahead to spring after March is fun to think about.
Jaz was also out for quite awhile. A “sum of the parts” team losing major parts isn’t an optimal situation.
If TJ doesn't top a Sweet 16 he's obviously trending in the wrong direction and should be shown the door
It’s definitely worth discussing.
-CF ISU “fan”