Iowa State is the new Press Virginia

[Cyclonscin]

Jess mentioned this in the game last night and I can confirm. You don't truly understand just how intense and elite this defense is until you sit near courtside. I watch most games on TV, but got some really good seats last Saturday against TCU and their defensive effort was UNREAL. It looks great on tv, it looks overwhelming up close in person.

Can confirm.

I only had the chance to sit close at the Feast Week tourney, and we all know they've completely improved since then.

But we have near-courtside tickets for their game at UCF and I'm looking forward to seeing the improvement in person.

Playing against them looks like a miserable and exhausting time.

 

[Malty Flannel]

100%.

This is modified pack line that Kyle brought with him. This isn't 40 Minutes of Hell or Press Virginia.

It's not the press but I would argue it is indeed 40 minutes of hell

 

[Statefan10]

Jess mentioned this in the game last night and I can confirm. You don't truly understand just how intense and elite this defense is until you sit near courtside. I watch most games on TV, but got some really good seats last Saturday against TCU and their defensive effort was UNREAL. It looks great on tv, it looks overwhelming up close in person.

It's honestly like we're playing with 7 defenders out there. Reminds me of Sam Darnold's "seeing ghosts" comment a few years back. Guys will throw a pass to someone open and it gets picked off or sometimes they'll just panick and throw it right to us.

 

[CoachHines3]

Via KenPom back in 2015, 2016, 2017 WVU was 29th, 4th and 6th in AdjD. Then it was off a cliff.

 

[ExCyment]

We are way more UVA than WVU

A UAV that can score

 

[exCYtable]

Can confirm.

I only had the chance to sit close at the Feast Week tourney, and we all know they've completely improved since then.

But we have near-courtside tickets for their game at UCF and I'm looking forward to seeing the improvement in person.

Playing against them looks like a miserable and exhausting time.

They're just so BIG, long, fast, quick, and sound. The bigs, the guards, every one of them. Their trapping ability is elite. When Watson and Ward are on the court together, the length and athleticism is off the charts. Lipsey and Gilbert are both lockdown defenders. I've never seen another defense this good.

 

[Cyclonepride]

It hit me last night listening to Settles. Early in the game he said, regarding what its like to play against us, "Iowa State makes you hate playing basketball" and he meant it as the highest complement. We are the team that everybody absolutely hates to play. Coaches lose their minds every game against us. High major players get flustered against us. Fans constantly complain about us. TJ has made this program into a monster.

The only recent comparable team I could think of was Huggin's Press Virginia squads from a decade or so ago. Obviously our play styles are quite different, but the impact is just about the same.

I used to hate that style of basketball, but TJ has shown me the light lol. Honestly, I don't feel like we are THAT bad on contact. I'd liken us to WV's best teams. Their mediocre teams just grabbed and hacked because they weren't good enough to play straight up against you.

 

[MartyFine]

Reminds me of '94 Arkansas 40 minutes of hell

 

[Pat]

What impresses me most about our defense is how we really aren't handsey at all. Our footwork is so good staying in front of people and just body checking and cutting them off. Huggin's teams just grabbed and held and hand checked you all game.

I’m biased, but this is what I’ve been saying for the last 2 years. It was RICH listening to Jamie Dixon complain about how physical ISU was when TCU does more clutching, grabbing, and pulling - on both offense and defense - than anyone I can remember.

 

[Chitowncy]

We are way more UVA than WVU

Not sure if I agree with that. We love to trap in the half court. WVU loved to trap all over the court. UVA would largely play this "pack line" defense where it wasn't about trapping much at all. We're more like WVU in that we hand check, constantly are in your face in the half court, double-team and trap hard, and get up in your space. We trap, look for tips, deflections, etc. It's more WVU than UVA. I agree that we don't press, obviously, like WVU.

Either way, I love it! To the OP's point, we are totally that team where the other team can go away feeling it was getting mugged and definitely go away feeling it was a rough and tough game.

That said, as I know there will be naysayers, I want to give credit to our defense as well. We also defend and move our feet incredibly well without reaching for the vast majority of the time. I am amazed at Lipsey's lateral quickness. Gilbert does it pretty well, too. These guys move well laterally and anticipate where the offense is going and cut them off. It's not all reaching and hand checking.

 

[Goclones1727]

Our defensive scheme is obviously really good, but the thing we are better than most teams at is anticipation.
We do such an elite job of anticipating where the ball is rotating to next, which direction the ball-handler is going to dribble, whether or not a big will pick or pop, where to help, I can go on and on with various scenarios.
It truly is amazing to watch - especially for those that have played competitive basketball and have an understanding of how difficult that is to do consistently.
Usually a team has 1-2 guys that can do that a high level, it's almost like our entire team is capable.
Even Milan does an amazing job of staying in front of his guy, and a lot of that is due to anticipation because of course he lacks the foot speed.

 

[dafarmer]

Dixon with his snide remarks about our transfers and what it cost. Didn’t mention that all 5 TCU starters were transfers.

 

[Clonefan32]

There was a trap in the corner where I think it was Rob and Tre bounced a guy back and forth like the dance scene from Night at the Roxbury

 

[Cyclonepride]

Reminds me of '94 Arkansas 40 minutes of hell

Probably exactly that, except in the half court

 

[Drew0311]

I would say our defense reminds me of Baylors national champion team. I don't think we have quite as good as offense as that team. However, they won the title with the craziest on ball defense I have ever seen. 40 minutes of hell by Arkansas was more full court press. UNLV defense (The Amoeba Defense) was like a mid court press that went from Turn over to super quick fast break.

I really think we need a name for our defense. Seems like if you name your defense, you can win a national title j/k but a name is always fun. Let's other teams know they are about to be miserable for 40 minutes

 

[nrg4isu]

There was a trap in the corner where I think it was Rob and Tre bounced a guy back and forth like the dance scene from Night at the Roxbury

Did they high-five each other when they were done?

 

[67CY]

How would you like to be the guy that gets trapped in the corner or sideline? I am suprised someone hasn’t started swings

 

[rednrdy]

It hit me last night listening to Settles. Early in the game he said, regarding what its like to play against us, "Iowa State makes you hate playing basketball" and he meant it as the highest complement. We are the team that everybody absolutely hates to play. Coaches lose their minds every game against us. High major players get flustered against us. Fans constantly complain about us. TJ has made this program into a monster.

The only recent comparable team I could think of was Huggin's Press Virginia squads from a decade or so ago. Obviously our play styles are quite different, but the impact is just about the same.

I had the same thought as well Malty. Press Virginia immediately came to mind and then recalling back to TJ's first year when we played Texas Tech in the Big XII Tourney and it was men (Adonis ARMS!!!) against boys, both from a physical standpoint (physiques, age) and basketball IQ.

Ironically, CW and Blum both mentioned this is where TJ wants to get Iowa State. Older, wiser, and stronger...

 

[8bitnes]

Our defensive scheme is obviously really good, but the thing we are better than most teams at is anticipation.
We do such an elite job of anticipating where the ball is rotating to next, which direction the ball-handler is going to dribble, whether or not a big will pick or pop, where to help, I can go on and on with various scenarios.
It truly is amazing to watch - especially for those that have played competitive basketball and have an understanding of how difficult that is to do consistently.
Usually a team has 1-2 guys that can do that a high level, it's almost like our entire team is capable.
Even Milan does an amazing job of staying in front of his guy, and a lot of that is due to anticipation because of course he lacks the foot speed.

It's poetry in action because all five guys on the floor know their role remarkably well and that enables each player to make those next steps of anticipation and movement. They can release to the next spot knowing they are covered.
Early in the season, I can't remember who it was, but he pushed a teammate through the lane to cover a position out on the perimeter bc he either missed his job or was too slow getting there.
These guys know who and where to be at all times

 

[8bitnes]

Dixon with his snide remarks about our transfers and what it cost. Didn’t mention that all 5 TCU starters were transfers.

Dixon is a tool. He has five guys who are power 5 transfers, three from his own conference