I’m delighted with Iowa State’s 73-60 win at TCU on Saturday.
For real – had someone told me beforehand that the Cyclones would get off to a slow start, turn the basketball over 23 times and still cover Vegas’ spread of 10 points, I wouldn’t have believed it for a second.
Is TCU Oklahoma? Absolutely not. Heck, Trent Johnson’s Horned Frogs might be the worst team in the entire Big 12.
But this is the same TCU team that has already beaten Texas this season and only lost by seven at Kansas just last weekend.
Most importantly, this Iowa State team proved something to me with a somewhat (it wasn’t perfect by any means) convincing win. When things were going well (coming off of two straight wins including one over the No. 1 team in America), the Cyclones still showed up and played with focus and intensity on the defensive end of the floor.
Nobody took a day off on this Saturday.
This game wasn’t a Miss Universe competition, but it worked. It was a business trip.
As Steve Prohm likes to say, the Cyclones “won the day.”
Iowa State has lost games like this in the past, so I’m thrilled with the W.
Lace up your boots, boys. There’s a big one on Monday night.