NCAA Tournament an Expectation for ISU?
- Thread starter ChrisMWilliams
- Start date
I still feel the same way. We have the most talent that GMac has had in his four years here, and I don't expect to have a more talented team here in the next year or two than we do now.
That said, I don't think we are going to make the NCAA tourney. And I'm starting to wonder if we will even make the NIT. If we go through 4 years without post season play of any kind, I think you really need to take a step back and look at the direction of this program and decide what to do about it. I know at the start of this, Pollard said he considered this a 5 year process, but right now year 4 isn't looking that great and I have no reason to believe that year 5 will get any better.
That said, I don't think we are going to make the NCAA tourney. And I'm starting to wonder if we will even make the NIT. If we go through 4 years without post season play of any kind, I think you really need to take a step back and look at the direction of this program and decide what to do about it. I know at the start of this, Pollard said he considered this a 5 year process, but right now year 4 isn't looking that great and I have no reason to believe that year 5 will get any better.
I think the tournament is still plausible, but the guys are going to have to come to terms with their issues, and quickly.
OK, I hear over and over again that this years team is just LOADED WITH TALENT.
Sorry but I don't see it being displayed on a consistent level during games.
Is it possible to have a team LOADED WITH TALENT and at the same time not show it while playing in games? Maybe just maybe this team is NOT LOADED WITH TALENT.
If this LOADED WITH TALENT team does not improve, it will struggle for an NIT bid.
Sorry but I don't see it being displayed on a consistent level during games.
Is it possible to have a team LOADED WITH TALENT and at the same time not show it while playing in games? Maybe just maybe this team is NOT LOADED WITH TALENT.
If this LOADED WITH TALENT team does not improve, it will struggle for an NIT bid.
Uh, yes it is possible to have a team loaded with talent and not show it during games. Just look at last years Baylor's team.
I do believe that this team is loaded with talent, it is athletic talent and not basketball IQ talent.
When watching this team, I am sometimes amazed that this team can get a shot off and then turn around and put a 23ft shot up with more than 25 seconds on the clock and no under the basket to rebound.
When watching this team, I am sometimes amazed that this team can get a shot off and then turn around and put a 23ft shot up with more than 25 seconds on the clock and no under the basket to rebound.
I think this team is LOADED WITH TALENT compared to the other ISU teams McD has had since he's been here. No, compared to other Big 12 schools I think our talent is still subpar. We have no Big 12 caliber guards. Is anyone else amazed that in 4 years McD still has not brought a good guard into the program (other than Mike Taylor)?
Diante is a Big 12 caliber guard, and Chris Colvin certainly will be. But you can go ahead and go with none if you'd like.
Diante is a good talent, no doubt. But IN MY OPINION, he's not, never was, and never will be a true "Point Guard." He has the handles but I think he lacks the natural point guard instincts and I do not think he's a very good or heady passer. I realize this is NOT all his fault, but our offense a lot of times has trouble getting initiated...instead of making it happen, he dribbles for 20 seconds out by half court. And he's almost no threat from the outside. That kills us. I know it isn't easy. PG is a difficult position to play and sometimes takes a couple years to "get it." I just have never thought DG had the right "stuff" to be a great PG. And just don't see him being the general that makes things go. That's not a bad thing. I'm not dissing him. Doesn't mean he can't be a leader. I think he has a lot talent as a basketball player. But his ceiling as a point guard just isn't very high, IMO. And yes I am well aware of his assist numbers, A/TO ratio, etc.
Colvin's ceiling as a PG is higher but I don't know how what's going on with him mentally right now so I won't even comment.
SC is a do-it-all guard but probably just isn't quite athletic enough to be compared to some of the guards we've faced and will face in the Big 12 this season.
Lucca, as much as I hate to say it, can shot and uh...that's about it.
Boozer has grit and heart and he hustles, so we should all appreciate his effort. But in terms of basketball skills, he's lacking. He's a spotty shooter at best and his handles are sub-par for an off-guard.
And Buckley...we'll see more of him in the coming weeks but I won't get my hopes up that he's the X factor we've been looking for. I like his stroke from 3 but I worry about his decision making and ball handling...
I said this before, but this team seems to embody the opposite of synergy. The sum of the parts is greater than the whole.
I really hoped to see a big step forward for this team during the semester break. That, however, has not been the case.
I will continue to hope that things can get turned around, but it seems unlikely at this stage.
I really hoped to see a big step forward for this team during the semester break. That, however, has not been the case.
I will continue to hope that things can get turned around, but it seems unlikely at this stage.
This is one of the best posts I've seen on here in a while. IMO coming into this season, for us to be a really good team, worthy of ncaa consideration Colvin was going to have to step up big time and be the main ball handler that makes our offense go.
I don't think thats all Colvin's fault...personally I think this set offense we run takes away from the creativity of our players. Knowing that makes me wonder if any really good guards would want to come to ISU where there true talents will not shine. As C4L said, DG takes entirely to long to get us into our offense, which reduces the chance that we will find a good shot. Add to that, alot of opposing defenses like to press us, knowing we aren't good at breaking the press, which further delays us getting into our offense. I'd like to see the % of times that after 20 seconds of possessing the ball, we've basically accomplished nothing. That stat would tell you alot right there about our offense!
Garrett and Colvin are the only good ballhandlers and yet neither of them are good outside shooters so that makes ISU pretty easy to defend. Put a Sherron Collins on our team and I think we win 23 games. Even Tinsley could hit the 3 if you left him wide open.
No, the Big Dance is not a realistic expectation this year. The team lacks team chemistry and consistency in the back court. Brackins is NOT a lottery pick. He is a great one on one offensive player that suffers in a patterned set offense. His production on defense and on the boards leaves much to be desired. That said, his flaws can be overcome. It will take hard work and another year in college.
