By Chris Williams, CycloneFanatic.com PublisherFollow Chris on Twitter @ChrisMWilliams
What a relaxing weekend…NOT.
So you want to discuss realignment? Feel free to join in on this 2,000 (and counting) post thread here at the always wonderful CycloneFanatic.com.
I’m not going to flood you with realignment/expansion thoughts in today’s musings. I will however direct you to THIS RUNNING BLOG that I will continue to update throughout this round of realignment.
For now, here are a few thoughts, just because it is the hot topic in the world of sports.
ON REALIGNMENT…
— Don’t read anything into yesterday’s report that the SEC has no plans to add Texas A&M to its league. Unless something political goes down tomorrow, conventional wisdom says that the Aggies are as good as gone. So what’s next?
— The Big 12 has to know the above right? There’s no way that all of those smart people (numbskulls don’t get into these positions folks) are twiddling their thumbs right now, waiting for Texas A&M to make a move. No way at all.
— Best case scenario going forward for Iowa State? I think is to get back to a 12-team league, assuming that these new schools will bring enough to the table financially of course. Think about if A&M leaves and the Big 12 adds say, BYU, Air Force and Houston (remember that this is pure speculation). The league would go back to two divisions and I assume that Iowa State would be joined in the north by Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Air Force and BYU. That gives Iowa State a heck of a lot better chance to be competitive than being forced to play Texas and Oklahoma annually. Plus, I can only assume that schools would get a non-conference game back.
— Having said all of that, I’ll be surprised if the Big 12 goes back to 12 teams. Why? Because then the Big 12 would likely go back to having a championship game correct? Any why has Oklahoma been so against a move to the SEC? Because the current setup of the Big 12 gives them the best chance to play for national championships. My money says that the Big 12 will only add one, but who knows?
— At the end of the day, it’s sounding more and more like the Big 12’s television partners will have just as much say in expansion as the league itself. That’s not a bad thing either. Why? Because….
— Realignment brings out the worst in journalism.
ON IOWA STATE BASKETBALL…
— The Iowa State men’s basketball team has outscored its first two opponents in Italy by a combined total of 200 to 101. That’s nasty. Who in the world are these guys playing over there? Keeping that in mind, I do have a few thoughts on the box scores that I’ve seen from those two contests.
*** It’s good to see that Royce White’s fascination with passing the basketball didn’t disappear after the Capital City League. White totaled 13 assists in his first two games in Italy. He notably led the Cyclones in scoring in game two with 15 points, while going 7-of-10 from the field.
*** In game one, Tyrus McGee went 1-for-10 from the field, totaling a measly two points. In game two, the junior went 6-of-11, recording 14 points. Point is, McGee did what I was hoping he’d do. After an atrocious first game, he came out and kept shooting in game two. Well done.
*** If you attended the YMCA Capital City League at all this summer, you saw Anthony Booker fire off threes like he was Steve Kerr. According to box scores, Booker has not attempted one long ball in Italy.
*** Chris Babb has been the most consistent scorer on the team so far, averaging 14 points (16 and 12) in two games. I’ve written this before – I don’t think that fans pay enough attention to Babb. He’s not flashy, but is a very solid basketball player who will surprise a lot of you this season.
The Cyclones will play again tomorrow in Rome. We’ll keep you updated here on CF.
LAUGH OF THE WEEK
— I never thought I’d live to see a day where the Voice of the Cyclones, John Walters’ face shows up on Comedy Central’s "Colbert Report." My friends, this day has come. CLICK HERE for a good laugh.
RANDOMS…
— Only one for today…
After attending the 2011 Big Country Bash, I felt like I had wasted a day of my life and that I had been severely ripped off. After attending Friday night’s Jason Aldean concert at the Iowa State Fair, I felt like tipping everybody involved. That was without a doubt, one of the best shows I’ve ever been to in 27-years of life. As far as I could see, the sold out grandstand didn’t sit down once. The place was hopping. Aldean was great. Props to all.
