What needs to happen to make the NCAA's next year?

[Jonecy]

3 primary things I think we need to work on this off-season as a team:
1. Improved FG% (creating good shot opportunities & knocking them down)
2. Rebounding & 2nd shot opportunities
3. Untimely turnovers (good passing & ballhandling)

I've also stated before that I honestly think we have some really good players that can compete in the Big XII; unfortunately, there was an apparent lack of confidence and determination at certain times last year (particularly on the offensive side) that lost us ball games. Hopefully this can be corrected with a little more experience and leadership coming back.

I'm not one for getting my hopes up too high prematurely, but I would expect next year's team to make the big dance with CB coming back.....and this should really be our coaches & players expectations as well.

[kucyclone]

If I had to pick just one thing that would be the most important, it would be a consistent jumper from Diante Garrett. If he can hit 3s at a 35-40% rate, defenders would have to respect that shot, giving him more chances to get in the lane, and also opening up passing lanes.

I really hope he's in the gym, making about 500 shots a day. It's the most important thing that could happen for this team to have success next season.

[CycloneErik]

If I had to pick just one thing that would be the most important, it would be a consistent jumper from Diante Garrett. If he can hit 3s at a 35-40% rate, defenders would have to respect that shot, giving him more chances to get in the lane, and also opening up passing lanes.

I really hope he's in the gym, making about 500 shots a day. It's the most important thing that could happen for this team to have success next season.

I agree. If he can hit a % like that, he becomes a deadly player, and opens up the whole offense.

[cyismydog]

Im sorry and i dont want to be a debbie downer BUT we arnt making the ncaa tourny next year... hopefully i am proven wrong but heres why.
Kansas- everyone returns. just got the addition of both the henry boys (xavier henry is the 3rd best shooting guard in the country) right there thats 2 losses.
texas- with only abrams leaving texas brings in the number 1 shooting guard in the nation in avery bradly. and they add anther 5 star recruit and a 4 star recruit. thats 1 loss
Kansas state- K-state returns EVERYONE with a 5 star power forward in wally judge and a 4 star shooting guard. with clemente and pullen this team will be top 4 in the conference next year. right there 2 losses
missouri- they will be tough to beat as well but i predict we lose away thats 1 loss
oklahoma-...... ??? yea right thats 1 loss
baylor- if we played them in ames it would be a win but right there thats 1 loss
texas tech- again we play them away and they will be pretty good next year thats another loss
colorado away- another loss (lets face the facts we have only won in boulder what like 1 time in the last however many years?)

Right there thats 10 losses. I know im gonna get picked on for this post but im just trying to keep it real. i predict we go 6-10 in conference next year and thats winning at nebraska for our only away conference win of the season. Brackins helps that he is staying but it all depends on the new players coming in and how they will contribute. heck when brackins came in he wasnt dominate for being a top 25 recruit so i dont know why people think the new recruits will just be all-stars right away. hopefully we get some more conference wins than just six but i just cant see it, brackins is only one man.

A) Kansas State's frontcourt is terrible, and their recruiting class is vastly overrated
B) Mizzou will have a joke of a frontcourt next year, CB should go to town
C) Baylor will never be very good, next year they'll be talented, but full of ball hogs and not strong enough inside.
D) what makes you think Tech will be good?
E) There's no way we lose once to Colorado next year
F) Who on NU is going to guard Brackins with Dagundoro gone?
G) You don't know what you're talking about.

[swarthmoreCY]

there was an apparent lack of confidence and determination at certain times last year (particularly on the offensive side) that lost us ball games. Hopefully this can be corrected with a little more experience and leadership coming back.

I think this is due to the fact most of our players were so 1-D last year on offense.
Peterson- what was he going to do? he can't penetrate, create his own shot, etc.
Lucca-see Peterson
DG- can drive, but can't finish, thus hindering his confidence to drive, and can't shoot
JVB-spot up shooter only.

Hopefully for next year:
DG can improve his shooting and finishing.
JVB can get stronger.
Colvin>Peterson
Buck can come in and be a younger version of Bryan Eaton (lol)
MG is what we think/hope he is (cue Dennis Green)
Scotty is a Horton like player.

[j4state]

This is somewhat in response to the other thread, but what do people think needs to happen to make the tourney next year? It is great that Brackins is back but he had one of the best statistical years in the modern era of Cyclone basketball and we still finished 10th. Our RPI 167, so we'll realistically need to leapfrog about 125 teams to put ourselves in a position for an at-large. It comes down to a few things for me:

1. Diante has to improve enough to be a consistent offensive threat. Regardless of how people feel about him, even if he doesn't start he's our most experienced guard and he will be playing a lot and likely playing the majority of the minutes at the point. A floater or a respectable 12 footer would do wonders for his game.

2. Gilstrap has to be the real deal. I don't expect much more than 12 and 6 from him and if we know we're getting that I'd feel great about it.

3. At least one other guard has to step up. At this point we're working with a lot of unprovens - I like what I've heard about Christopherson and Colvin, Buckley showed some flashes, etc. But those guys will have to produce. This could be Lucca as well but I think we'll see him camping the perimeter again as I don't know if his game is as well rounded as we need it to be.

A+ post.

DG and Gilstrap are the two keys to the season. If they meet or exceed development expectations it could be a great year. If they fall short, NIT will be the ceiling.

JVB will be a solid contributor, I have no doubt. Ham needs to bring some toughness and crash the boards and he will play a great role as well.

If one of Buckley or Colvin is a solid force by conference play, this could get really exciting.

Lucca I don't expect a lot from. He was so far from being a solid player in this league I don't see in happening in '09-'10 for him. By all means prove me wrong, Lucca.

It's a lot to expect for this many players to produce, especially given recent history. The potential seems to be there for an NCAA bid, but I would be more confident predicting NIT at this point.

[swarthmoreCY]

A) Kansas State's frontcourt is terrible, and their recruiting class is vastly overrated
B) Mizzou will have a joke of a frontcourt next year, CB should go to town
C) Baylor will never be very good, next year they'll be talented, but full of ball hogs and not strong enough inside.
D) what makes you think Tech will be good?
E) There's no way we lose once to Colorado next year
F) Who on NU is going to guard Brackins with Dagundoro gone?
G) You don't know what you're talking about.

I disagree on D and E. Tech looked to have pretty good young players last year, and it is on the road. Any team that destroyed KU like that has some talent. Hopefully Colvin will be able to contain their pg.
We always struggle at CU. No Cyclone fan should mark that as a W until prove otherwise.
Good point on Baylor. Sure they will have highly ranked, "talented" players, but how is that different than year past.

[cyismydog]

I disagree on D and E. Tech looked to have pretty good young players last year, and it is on the road. Any team that destroyed KU like that has some talent. Hopefully Colvin will be able to contain their pg.
We always struggle at CU. No Cyclone fan should mark that as a W until prove otherwise.
Good point on Baylor. Sure they will have highly ranked, "talented" players, but how is that different than year past.

Tech has Roberson, and that's about it, they lose Voskuil, who is the only reason they beat up on KU.
Also, I expect to see the game @ KU be a lot like this year's game at Hilton, Colorado doesn't have the size or athleticism to defend Gilstrap or Brackins, and even if we play terrible, we should be able to win by quite a bit.

[swarthmoreCY]

The TT game was close at home this past year. Voskuil was a non-factor, yet we still almost lost. Okorie, Singletary, and Robertson all looked good against our D. Not too mention Lewandowski looked like a very promising Frosh, who coach McD wanted, and any talented players they are bringing in. I would be quite happy, if not surprised, to see us win at TT.

[womensbball4022]

A) Kansas State's frontcourt is terrible, and their recruiting class is vastly overrated
B) Mizzou will have a joke of a frontcourt next year, CB should go to town
C) Baylor will never be very good, next year they'll be talented, but full of ball hogs and not strong enough inside.
D) what makes you think Tech will be good?
E) There's no way we lose once to Colorado next year
F) Who on NU is going to guard Brackins with Dagundoro gone?
G) You don't know what you're talking about.

O mister hot shot.. if you think that kansas states recrtuiting class is overatted with the # 20 best shooting guard, #7 best power forward and the # 21 best point guard in the nation then do you konw what your talking about? Also i gave us a win vs missouri and i said that SINCE the game is at baylor we probably wont win. I dont think tech will be that great but again its away we probably wont win. I have told my self every year that we will not lose at colorado ever since i can remember and we have only one like 2 time there since i can remember haha so again thats probably a loss. And didnt i say that we will beat nebraska twice? It takes mentally tough players to go into places and win games you saw last year that we didnt have those type of players. Its one thing to be "good" at every position (which im not sure thats the case yet but you think we are probably afinal 4 team this year) but to go into places and win on their home court is a different story.

I didnt hear you say anything about kansas, oklahoma and texas? was i right on those? thats 5 losses right there . we will probably go 11-5 according to you right? win all the other games on the road and the rest at home isnt that probabaly right? We are going to beat k-state, missouri, baylor, tech, nebraska and colorado all on the road is that honestly what you think?

[womensbball4022]

If your point is that it won't be easy, then yes, right on. However, to say it won't happen is using too much of a reliance on reading high-school press clippings. Have you watched college basketball? You don't have to play 7-game series. Think about last years team, and how close we were in some of those games. A year of maturation, plus some newcomers that are more talented than the seniors/transfers, and you don't think some of those can fall our way?

Yes i do watch college basketball. Im just giving my opinions. And top 10 to 15 recruits usually ALWAYS come in and contribute right away with big numbers. Also i have seen plenty of juco basketball games where gilstrap is coming from and to tell you the honest truth elementary school kids play harder than jucos do watch some highlights sometime of juco games and you will understand. Not saying gilstrap doesnt have talent but wait till he gets some big 12 bodies guarding him. also laron dendy didnt even start for indian hills, yes i know indian hills is pretty good but heck to come to the big 12 without starting in juco is questionable. hopefully colvin is the truth BUT hes only going to be a freshmen next year. So i based my opinions off of some of those facts. And i didnt even mention that we have lost on the road in conference play for 2 straight years now.......

[isufan]

Don't be complaing about what cyismydog posts. He provides more reliable information on here than about anyone else.

These are the key things we need to do to make the NCAA tourney:
1. Offensive Rebounding- hopefully becoming more athletic will help
2. Key defensive stops- We couldn't stop anyone in the last 5 min (Oklahoma, Drake for examples)
3. Play of the Shooting Guard- Either Cristopherson, Lucca, or Boozer needs to step up- We don't need 15 points per game from one of these, we just need 15 points a game, some outside shooting, and some defense from this position
4. Development of Diante- like others have said, he just needs to make a few outside shots and handle the ball well CONSISTENTLY
5. Production from the other post players (Hamilton, Pomlee, Dendy, and JVB)- Defense, Offensive Rebounding, and Toughness, A few baskets to take some pressure off Craig would be helpful as well

Obviously, we need everyone to stay healthy. We also need Craig to do his thing and Gilstrap to be an athletic presence that can put the ball in the basket.

[jahfg]

Those are actually some really good points. To answer the question - if we're going to make the NCAA Tournament next year we're going to have to win some of those games you're automatically marking as losses. Our non-conference schedule is just too weak to get in with a losing conference record.

First thing we can do is defend our own home court. If somehow Hilton Magic returns and we go undefeated at home in-conference, that's wins over Kansas, K-State, Missouri, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, aTm, and OSU. That gives us an 8-8 record in-conference. Suppose we go 13-2 in the pre-season - that gives us a 21-10 record overall. That in itself likely won't be enough to get us into the dance, either, as we'll likely be looking at a high RPI at the end of the season due to a weak non-con record.

Quite honestly, we're practically going to have to sweep the non-con, post a winning record in the conference, and do some damage in the Big XII tourney in order to get to the NCAA tournament. Not impossible, but if our performance on the road has been any indication over the last several years, the odds are going to be stacked against us.

Where are you getting your info on the non-conference schedule? From what we've heard, there is going to be a significant upgrade in terms of competition including going to Cal and playing in a tourney that includes some other BCS schools.

[swarthmoreCY]

Yes i do watch college basketball. Im just giving my opinions. And top 10 to 15 recruits usually ALWAYS come in and contribute right away with big numbers. Also i have seen plenty of juco basketball games where gilstrap is coming from and to tell you the honest truth elementary school kids play harder than jucos do watch some highlights sometime of juco games and you will understand. Not saying gilstrap doesnt have talent but wait till he gets some big 12 bodies guarding him. also laron dendy didnt even start for indian hills, yes i know indian hills is pretty good but heck to come to the big 12 without starting in juco is questionable. hopefully colvin is the truth BUT hes only going to be a freshmen next year. So i based my opinions off of some of those facts. And i didnt even mention that we have lost on the road in conference play for 2 straight years now.......

Since you claim to watch, I am sure you are familar with the results of Baylor vs ISU last year. Or Missouri reaching the Elite Eight. Tech beating KU. Another thing. fortunately there is only one ball and so many minutes, so for teams like KU, and Texas the marginal improvement by adding some of these players is not much, where at ISU their impact will be much greater.

[womensbball4022]

Since you claim to watch, I am sure you are familar with the results of Baylor vs ISU last year. Or Missouri reaching the Elite Eight. Tech beating KU. Another thing. fortunately there is only one ball and so many minutes, so for teams like KU, and Texas the marginal improvement by adding some of these players is not much, where at ISU their impact will be much greater.

haha this has nothing to do with what i was saying. and i am familiar with the isu beating baylor last year... doest this look familiar to you 4-12?? Also i HIGHLY disagree with you look at teams like kansas, north carolina, michigan state, duke what do they do? o just bring in great recruits year after year to stay on top of everyone else. It would be nice to be able to get a top 10 player that these teams get coming in and be able to use him off the bench. So thats a bad point to make.