There was a decent chance we were going to lose a handful of games in the non-conference even at full strength. Now, that seems even more likely. We’ll see if they hit December running and with better depth than otherwise, or if it’s more of a McDermott type situation.
Expectations for 2018-2019
- Thread starter CloneGuy8
- Start date
We may lose one or two that we otherwise would have won, but as long as those guys have it worked out and return with the right attitudes, we'll be fine. I still think we're a tournament team when it's all said and done.
Tend to agree. Not being at full strength for Missou and the Hawaii tourney is an issue and makes the wins against UM and UA (possibly Gonzaga/Duke) more toss ups if we had Lard. That said, Missou lost Porter for the full year and UA with the NCAA scandal lost a ton of talent that they would have had playing against ISU in round 1 due to decommitments.
It is unfortunate and a surprise that Lard/Talley won't be available but it could be worse and our opponents have similar big time losses (for the year) that we have.
Assuming no other injuries, suspensions, etc come up in the following 3 months.
Roster composition suggests this is a local peak year, so making the tournament is critical.
My expectations have not changed since yesterday.
Jacobson looks good. He might not quite have the productivity of a Lard, but I think he is going to be an adequate replacement for at least the next month.
His defense/rebounding first style of play might actually be a better complement to our four-guard typical lineup. With a starting backcourt of Wigginton, Shayok, and Weiler-Babb, we are going to be able to compete with anybody in the nation. Those guys can score and handle the ball. The 5 man in such a lineup needs to play defense and rebound. Mike can do that.
Shayok is clearly going to be a beast, and we all know what Nick and Lindell can do. The question is if they will do it every night and all game situations.
The four freshmen and Lewis are all going to be in the rotation from Day One. They are going to have to grow up quickly, but I think they can do it.
-- THT is already starting and we known can score
-- Haliburton looked very ready/was our best guard last night
-- you would hope Griffin and Lewis could give you equal productivity to Talley
-- Conditt is still skinny but did not look lost out there
I know the level of competition we were facing last night, but the freshmen and sophomores honestly looked better than the old men of the program.
We have the pieces to weather this storm.
I think our bench now, even if young, still looks better and has better talent than last year.
Reinforcements are coming.
Inject the Kool-Aid into my veins.
Jacobson looks good. He might not quite have the productivity of a Lard, but I think he is going to be an adequate replacement for at least the next month.
His defense/rebounding first style of play might actually be a better complement to our four-guard typical lineup. With a starting backcourt of Wigginton, Shayok, and Weiler-Babb, we are going to be able to compete with anybody in the nation. Those guys can score and handle the ball. The 5 man in such a lineup needs to play defense and rebound. Mike can do that.
Shayok is clearly going to be a beast, and we all know what Nick and Lindell can do. The question is if they will do it every night and all game situations.
The four freshmen and Lewis are all going to be in the rotation from Day One. They are going to have to grow up quickly, but I think they can do it.
-- THT is already starting and we known can score
-- Haliburton looked very ready/was our best guard last night
-- you would hope Griffin and Lewis could give you equal productivity to Talley
-- Conditt is still skinny but did not look lost out there
I know the level of competition we were facing last night, but the freshmen and sophomores honestly looked better than the old men of the program.
We have the pieces to weather this storm.
I think our bench now, even if young, still looks better and has better talent than last year.
Reinforcements are coming.
Inject the Kool-Aid into my veins.
Last edited:
Oh, definitely. I was impressed with everyone that hit the floor. Some bugs and nerves to work out, but a whole lot of positives to take from that.
After the first half last night it was crazy to me to see that kids who hadn't ever played a college game of basketball in their lives were going to do more for this team than Beverly and Brase did last year. I appreciate those two for being Cyclones last year, but they just didn't have it.
I appreciate them both coming to Ames.
Beverly was not a Big 12 player, much less a starter.
Brase was never healthy. I applaud him giving it one more try.
Lewis was hilariously over-matched to start the season.
The bench we have now is miles better than that.
I do not hear anybody really concerned about our starters, either.
Not sure who is saying that, but I'll applaud optimism over pessimism every single day of the week.
I think about a coin flip is fair right now given what we know of the program. We still have a ton of talent, but not much experience, and so much new.
Our returners to the rotation are Nick and Lindell. That is it right now.
The remainder are all transfers in or freshmen.
That is, oh, 65%+ of the playing time going to new Cyclones.
Our returners to the rotation are Nick and Lindell. That is it right now.
The remainder are all transfers in or freshmen.
That is, oh, 65%+ of the playing time going to new Cyclones.
Oh, but you know people that are saying we’ve disbanded the team?
Optimism and pessimism are both silly when they’re intentional.
Still favored in everything scheduled (i.e., no Gonzaga) except Iowa here coming up...
One thing I don't get is why people think Haliburton is too skinny for the Big 12. He isn't a big. Look how effective Monte was when he was a freshman. He has already put on a lot of muscle. I think he is going to have a great freshman year. I loved him as a recruit.
I can already tell he is going to be the spokesman for the team, even as a freshman.
Seems right,,, other than Iowa
.
I assume KenPalm is factoring CYHAWK game in it is in EIU. Unfortunately for Iowa, Carver isn't a home court advantage and I expect a 5 pt win after my personal adjustment. ;-)
These rating systems give home courts the advantage they statistically deserve.
I know we like to poke fun at Iowa, but these projection systems kind of like them. Their defense is going to suck, but that roster has scoring potential.
