*** Official IOWA STATE vs #11 Oklahoma Game(Day) Thread ***

[HFCS]

This game was pretty much what I expected. Glad we competed but expected a close loss on the road. Other than the first 4 minutes the game was basically played dead even the whole way.

Tuesday is the real opportunity, I know Houston is for real and has a real defense, but this is not an AAC road game.

Glad we get OU at Hilton and the first time we lose one of these road games with no second chance at an opponent it's going to really be annoying.

 

[CycloneMBB]

Agree. Watson for sure should get more minutes in conference play.

This was one of the keys I watched in the no-con … why didn’t he play big minutes to get ready for conference play? Never made sense to me because I was guessing he’d be needed playing Big XII teams.

 

[cyatheart]

I hope the staff can wean themselves off the excessive double-teaming. I think a good number of the Big-12 teams are going to make ISU pay for it, like OU did.

Lot of really bizarre double teams tonight, agree.

 

[werdnamanhill]

This team still can't shoot 3s. Help, the italics are on and they won't turn off.

 

[Clones2023]

These guys better wake up really fast… this league is brutal

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

This team still can't shoot 3s. Help, the italics are on and they won't turn off.

Do you want no italics in this post?

 

[GTO]

I felt like he was on a pretty short leash tonight. He needed more minutes IMO.

Agreed, but not just him. I think throughout the season we've kept lineups out there longer on the floor. Today it felt like lineup changes were too frequent and too crazy and did not allow our guys to get into any offensive flow. Some of those lineups I had not seen all season.

 

[GTO]

This team still can't shoot 3s. Help, the italics are on and they won't turn off.

I didn't know you were Italian.

 

[Big_Sill]

OU got any look they wanted from 3. This was our problem. They made enough to win.

 

[NorthCyd]

This team still can't shoot 3s. Help, the italics are on and they won't turn off.

It's one game. Even against bad teams we couldn't hit the 3 last year. This team is way better.

 

[MJ271]

Not a bad loss, but disappointing that it was just out of reach. On the shooting, I don't think it's as simple as the team being unable to shoot threes. I don't think the shot quality has been tremendously worse in the bad shooting games (VCU, VT, A&M, OU) than in the rest of non-conference, but obviously they haven't fallen. I'm curious if it's home vs. away/neutral, fatigue, a mental block, or if it's just plain coincidence.

Defensively, giving up a lot of threes isn't just a recent thing. Both this year and last, the defense gave up one of the highest three point attempt rates in the country. The good thing is that a lot of teams can't make them consistently enough to overcome the turnovers that get forced on the double teams and help defense. Obviously there are pros and cons to both, but sometimes I do wish that they could play a bit more straight up and not rely so heavily on double teams and rotations.

For a positive, big props to Watson for his contributions when needed. The yo-yoing of his minutes is weird, but his maybe his playing style (hustle, rebounding, and defense) lends itself well to playing at a moment's notice depending on specific matchups.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

It's one game. Even against bad teams we couldn't hit the 3 last year. This team is way better.

So far the only teams ISU seems way better than are the bad teams. The jury is still out on the OU's and A@M's of the world.

 

[NorthCyd]

So far the only teams ISU seems way better than are the bad teams. The jury is still out on the OU's and A@M's of the world.

My comment was about 3 point shooting, not who we are better than.

 

[Drew0311]

Watson is not a great offensive threat but he totally threw OU offense into the gutter. His defense causes huge problems. I want to see him get more minutes

 

[cydnote]

I'll bet that Providence, Ole Miss, BYU, FAU, Colo St and Marquette wish they would have played tougher non-cons so they wouldn't have lost today. (jimlad, sorta). I agree with Chris's reaction pod for the most part, but I still think too much blame is assessed to the non-con schedule. Was Lipsey's performance today a result of the non-con? Did it affect Watson?
Yes, we could have pulled it out so it's disappointing but sometimes you gotta tip your cap to your opponent. I'm not into moral victories, but we had them worried till the end even though things didn't go the way we would have liked throughout much of the game. I'm still all in on TJ and this team. Lets get Houston!

 

[t-noah]

You're saying this ain't your weiner dog?

View attachment 121745

Damn, next thing you'll be telling us that your real name is not Thelonius Noah.

My faith in humanity has been shaken.

Now...back to the thread...

NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OF, CYCLONES.

Duh, it didn't even occur to me that you were referring to my avatar. No not mine, but we have one that looks like this pic, 'cept she is old now and pretty invalid .

And if my name was this cool, and if I could play piano like the Monk, well...

 

[Gunnerclone]

3-16. Only numbers that matter after this game. Just not good enough for 3.

Ward had an amazing play. Pav struggled big time. That weird time in the 2nd half when Tamin and Gilbert got on the bench together and OU went on a mini-run was the worst coaching mistake. Would have won if we shot the 3 better and such is basketball right now.

 

[t-noah]

Are the sudents back yet? On Monday?

16th

I wish

Next two home games w/o students? I hope they can get the seats filled somehow and the fans can really support this team.

They are going to need a lift against Houston and OkieState. Need to get on a roll., and hold home court.

 

[cayin]

Road life in college basketball. These guys will be fine. We don’t win a lot at OU even with some of our better teams. Winning down there last year I would have been shocked had we got this one, as history says we wouldn’t. Had a chance which makes me feel better about them. I thought there was a chance we wouldn’t be very competitive because of the non-con schedule.

I know it’s going to happen but please try to not get so high and so low in a college hoops season. Especially on the road.

Marquette lost at Seton Hall and FAU lost at Charlotte today. Let that sink in.

good points, but I think the fans feel each conference game is extremely important this year as our margin for error is less this time around. In prior years we were going round robin in a 10 team league that didn't really have a bottom. Last year for example, 8-10 was going to get us a bid. This year that won't be the case, since we do not have any quality non-con wins, it's probably going to take 1-8 to get a bid. So, fans probably will feel a higher level of frustration and pain with a loss, especially in a game where we had a chance down the stretch.

 

[I-stateTheTruth]

Well, since I can't sleep, I might as well write a few bullet points:

* OU made more shots tonight but, in general, created better ones. ISU didn't play badly - only 8 turnovers, for example - and the Clones played with tenacity. They hung tough and had a 2nd-half lead, which bodes well for pulling some of these out.
* The first 10 minutes felt like those rock fights that we've endured the last couple seasons. From an aesthetic standpoint, I'm glad it loosened up.
* I saw OU's McCollum in person last year (in Siena's conference semi final) and told my son early on that he'd be in the transfer portal as soon as the season ended, and I was right (for once). I felt like his speed made him the best guy on the court in that one.
* Teams with good guards play and/or bigs with some vision and passing can pass out of our traps and reverse the ball for good looks. The main reason they out-shot us from 3 tonight probaby was due to creating more open shots.
* Momcilovic has been growing up before our eyes. I noticed him moving well while face-guarding and he is getting used to the faster pace of the game. I wish he were a bit quicker Georges wasn't exactly a speed merchant.
* 9 guys contributed real minutes. That's going to be significant in the conference. Good performance by Watson; I was glad the pxp guy pointed that out.
* I now love the combo of Jones and Ward at the 5. I've said it before but I'll take Big Rob on my team anytime and Ward was way more impactful than I thought he'd be early in the B12 season (I guess if someone's going to miss both FTs, a put-back dunk on the 2nd is a pretty good consolation). Think of how much both have improved since transfering; if Conditt had improved that much under Prohm, he'd have been all conference.
* I don't think OU is really the 11th best team in the NCAA but they'll be abe to compete for some Top 25 wins.
* Lipsey will bounce back, of course. But a game in which both Gilbert and he are in single digits probably won't lead to a W.