So, is the Cyclone season still a success?

[bagdropper]

I wonder if we will consider this season a success if Iowa loses today.

 

[Hawk87]

Failure! One and done for a 3 seed is just plain bad. Iowa state had an opportunity to make some real noise. Pretty sad outcome!!
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[100yearscounting]

Of course isu's season is a success. They won their Super Bowl back in December.

 

[BeepBeepInMyJeep]

Originally posted by Lone Clone:
I think there are several standards being used here, and all of them are legitimate -- except for the obvious ISUphobes, of course.

What will we remember most about this season? Obviously, screwing the pooch against UAB. No question about it. But what do we remember most about the 2000 season? The Michigan State game in the Elite Eight, that's what. Cyclones won 32 games, including both the regular season and tournament titles in the conference. Was that a successful season? Uh, yeah, I think so. But the memory of that year is UNQUESTIONABLY the loss to Sparty.

The next year, ISU won the regular season conference again, but was upset by Hampton in the first round. Successful season? Again, yes. But Hampton is the first thing anybody thinks about when the 2001 season is mentioned.

How about Kansas this year? They won the regular season conference, got a #2 seed, lost the conference tournament. If they are eliminated early from the NCAA, would anybody call their season unsuccessful?

Hell, look at Kentucky this year. If they finish 39-1, will the Wildcats have had a successful season? Some on this board will say no, which proves some on this board are nuts.

I can only speak for myself. I was never among those who thought this ISU team was a world-beater. For heaven's sake, we lost two first-team all-conference players from last year, one of whom was the Player of the Year and the other was the best point guard in the league. We were picked fifth in the Big XII. Moreover, this team proved, over and over again, that it was capable of playing really good or really bad basketball. The losses to Maryland, South Carolina, Texas Tech and Kansas State should have removed any thoughts about this being a great basketball team. They were tremendous fun to watch and capable of beating anybody, but they also could stink up the joint.

Next year, I expect more from the team. We don't lose much and we have a couple of highly touted newbies ready to join the team. If we don't win the league next year and make an early NCAA exit, I will be open to saying the season is unsuccessful.

Finally, somebody talked about giving Fred a free pass on this one. I don't know anybody who's doing that.

You had me until Kentucky. There is not a Kentucky fan alive that will view this season as anything more than a total failure if they do not win a national championship. If they lose to...perhaps anyone besides Duke in a tightly contested final, they will be up there with UNLV and Houston...that is, simply notorious for all time because of their single loss. Is it fair? Absolutely not.

After sleeping on it, I can more or less give Fred a pass, because as you said, the expectations really were not there for this year, and we know they'll bring it next year (I still think Niang might POSSIBLY go to the draft, however). Just about every college team struggles with inconsistency. If you have a program that goes to the NCAA tournament every year and gets a high seed, once in a while, you're bound to lose in an upset. After all, if you're not a really high seed to begin with, you can't lose an opening game to a heavy underdog in the first place. It's happened to Coach K, it's happened to Bob Knight, it's happened to Boeheim, Self, Izzo, Roy Williams, and Bo Ryan, because they finish with a high seed damn near every year. When it comes to a game against Texas Tech or South Carolina where the team doesn't get after it, yea, I can see blaming the coach. But this was an NCAA tournament game and you had nobody but McKay playing physical in your face ball and being tenacious. Had ISU pulled it out, he would have been the MVP of that game. For a tournament game, the coach shouldn't have to do anything to motivate the players. He's got his work cut out for him to get the team prepared in 72 hours to face a completely foreign opponent that is playing really good ball right now.

 

[Lone Clone]

Originally posted by BeepBeepInMyJeep:
You had me until Kentucky. There is not a Kentucky fan alive that will view this season as anything more than a total failure if they do not win a national championship. If they lose to...perhaps anyone besides Duke in a tightly contested final, they will be up there with UNLV and Houston...that is, simply notorious for all time because of their single loss. Is it fair? Absolutely not.

After sleeping on it, I can more or less give Fred a pass, because as you said, the expectations really were not there for this year, and we know they'll bring it next year (I still think Niang might POSSIBLY go to the draft, however). Just about every college team struggles with inconsistency. If you have a program that goes to the NCAA tournament every year and gets a high seed, once in a while, you're bound to lose in an upset. After all, if you're not a really high seed to begin with, you can't lose an opening game to a heavy underdog in the first place. It's happened to Coach K, it's happened to Bob Knight, it's happened to Boeheim, Self, Izzo, Roy Williams, and Bo Ryan, because they finish with a high seed damn near every year. When it comes to a game against Texas Tech or South Carolina where the team doesn't get after it, yea, I can see blaming the coach. But this was an NCAA tournament game and you had nobody but McKay playing physical in your face ball and being tenacious. Had ISU pulled it out, he would have been the MVP of that game. For a tournament game, the coach shouldn't have to do anything to motivate the players. He's got his work cut out for him to get the team prepared in 72 hours to face a completely foreign opponent that is playing really good ball right now.

You probably are correct that I was wrong to include Kentucky in my response. That's a very special case this season.

The criticism of Fred is that he has 2 timeouts he hasn't called yet, and that despite getting killed on the boards, he never put Edozie into the game and he only played BDJ -- one of our best rebounders -- for three or four minutes, all in the first half.

I'm hearing rumors of problems in the locker room at halftime, which would explain why BDJ rode the pines the entire second half. But I would not be among those criticizing Fred if this was why BDJ didn't play. The game was huge, but not bigger than the team concept and discipline -- IF that was an issue.

But virtually all the big-time successful coaches have suffered at least one loss like ISU had yesterday. Coach K has had more than one.

Agree about McKay....except that I'll bet he fumbled four or five balls that were fed to him inside. His hands were made of stone yesterday. The team just sucked. Shit, they were missing layups!

 

[OnceAhawk]

Originally posted by bagdropper:

I wonder if we will consider this season a success if Iowa loses today.

i dont think so; i think we need to take the next step of winning an NCAA tournament game

 

[Lone Clone]

Originally posted by hawks127:

Originally posted by Lone Clone:
I think there are several standards being used here, and all of them are legitimate -- except for the obvious ISUphobes, of course.

What will we remember most about this season? Obviously, screwing the pooch against UAB. No question about it. But what do we remember most about the 2000 season? The Michigan State game in the Elite Eight, that's what. Cyclones won 32 games, including both the regular season and tournament titles in the conference. Was that a successful season? Uh, yeah, I think so. But the memory of that year is UNQUESTIONABLY the loss to Sparty.

The next year, ISU won the regular season conference again, but was upset by Hampton in the first round. Successful season? Again, yes. But Hampton is the first thing anybody thinks about when the 2001 season is mentioned.

How about Kansas this year? They won the regular season conference, got a #2 seed, lost the conference tournament. If they are eliminated early from the NCAA, would anybody call their season unsuccessful?

Hell, look at Kentucky this year. If they finish 39-1, will the Wildcats have had a successful season? Some on this board will say no, which proves some on this board are nuts.

I can only speak for myself. I was never among those who thought this ISU team was a world-beater. For heaven's sake, we lost two first-team all-conference players from last year, one of whom was the Player of the Year and the other was the best point guard in the league. We were picked fifth in the Big XII. Moreover, this team proved, over and over again, that it was capable of playing really good or really bad basketball. The losses to Maryland, South Carolina, Texas Tech and Kansas State should have removed any thoughts about this being a great basketball team. They were tremendous fun to watch and capable of beating anybody, but they also could stink up the joint.

Next year, I expect more from the team. We don't lose much and we have a couple of highly touted newbies ready to join the team. If we don't win the league next year and make an early NCAA exit, I will be open to saying the season is unsuccessful.

Finally, somebody talked about giving Fred a free pass on this one. I don't know anybody who's doing that.

Win the league next year? You realize Kansas could (SHOULD) have all 5 starters back. This what was your year to win and you lost to Texas Tech. But go on being a Cubs fan! "Next year is our year"

Your comment that this was ISU's to win the league confirms you have too little knowledge of the subject to comment intelligently.

As for next year, Kansas will be good whether everybody is back or not. Alexander wasn't all that great a player for them this year, and they'll have some MDAAs. I think there's a good chance ISU will be better. ISU certainly should be better next year than it was this year.

And although I'm not counting on it, KU might not be eligible for the conference championship next year. Hell, ISU may end up being this year's champion. Depends on what the NCAA eventually does. Trivia note: More than half of KU's 11 straight titles have come in years when the Jayhawks were either on NCAA probation or were committing acts that subsequently resulted in NCAA probation.

 

[HRiscool]

Originally posted by bagdropper:

I wonder if we will consider this season a success if Iowa loses today.

Get your smack talk on! We won! It was fun! Create a pun! Hug your son! Tell your wife her hair should be down instead of in a bun!