99-00. Won the conference and made it to the elite 8. Won the Big 12 tourney as well for bonus points. This doesn’t even need to be a conversation.
Who was the best modern Iowa State Men's Basketball Team?
- Thread starter BeastCY
- Start date
Outright conference champ, both regular season and Big 12 Tournament. You can't argue for any of the other teams really, simply due to the regular season champ tidbit. I'd argue the '00-'01 team is probably 2nd best in school history for the same reason.
If the 99/00 team played the 13/14 team fizer would score 35+
If the 13-14 and 99-00 teams played Tinsley, Horton and Nurse would have had a whole bunch of fun against that defense.
What's missed is the depth of 99-00. Paul Shirley was a back up 5 with a future NBA career.
What's missed is the depth of 99-00. Paul Shirley was a back up 5 with a future NBA career.
I still cannot comprehend how that team was not a #1 seed and was placed in a bracket where it would face #1 seeded Michigan St. in the Elite 8 if games went according to seed. What a great injustice. I have heard that the NCCA gave the school a choice to be a #1 seed and go out west or be a #2 seed and play in Minneapolis, and ISU chose the latter. However, I question if this is how it really went down. Iowa State was the BEST team in the country that year, despite not making the Final 4.
It feels really odd that I am questioning a team from 23 years ago being considered "modern." Yikes.
That 2015/16 team went against an absolute buzzsaw in the B12 that year. They had to play:
KU with Frank Mason, Wayne Selden, Devonte Graham (went 1-1)
WV with Javon Carter and Devin Williams (went 0-2)
Baylor with Taurean Prince, Rico Gathers, and Johnathan Motley (went 0-2)
Oklahoma with Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, and Spangler (went 1-2)
Put our 15/16 team in a different conference they would have been a 2 seed in the NCAA's.
KU with Frank Mason, Wayne Selden, Devonte Graham (went 1-1)
WV with Javon Carter and Devin Williams (went 0-2)
Baylor with Taurean Prince, Rico Gathers, and Johnathan Motley (went 0-2)
Oklahoma with Buddy Hield, Isaiah Cousins, and Spangler (went 1-2)
Put our 15/16 team in a different conference they would have been a 2 seed in the NCAA's.
I think it was because we didn’t get any national play until after the turn of the year.
I agree, it makes me feel really old, but you could easily define "modern ISU basketball" as beginning with the Hoiberg hire instead of Johnny's retirement
Seems like it is 99-00. This year's team is really interesting though, when they are hitting shots their ceiling is SO high.
Was in college for the '99/'00 team. They are the best team I ever saw play at ISU. They had everything a team needs. If they play MSU anywhere besides Michigan that year they win the national title.
If the rumors about them choosing the 2 to be able to play in Minneapolis over the West #1 are true, its a shame that team deserved to go to the Final Four. I remember seeing their and UCLA's second rounds games in MN. UCLA looked absolutely unstoppable; ISU absolutely dismantled them in the Sweet Sixteen.
They would have beat MSU if not for a really bad call and the absolutely justified melt down CLE had.
I would also like to go on the record that ISU would be the only team in the B12 to win the outright regular season and conference tournament and not be definite #1 seed. The fact it was in question baffled me then as it does now thinking back on it. They dominated the B12 that year, KU was good, and ISU was better. They should have been considered the 2nd or 3rd best team in the country at worst and so how ended up in the same bracket as MSU. Which if that was by ISU choosing so be it, but if it was how the committee drew it up, it is completely wrong.
If the rumors about them choosing the 2 to be able to play in Minneapolis over the West #1 are true, its a shame that team deserved to go to the Final Four. I remember seeing their and UCLA's second rounds games in MN. UCLA looked absolutely unstoppable; ISU absolutely dismantled them in the Sweet Sixteen.
They would have beat MSU if not for a really bad call and the absolutely justified melt down CLE had.
I would also like to go on the record that ISU would be the only team in the B12 to win the outright regular season and conference tournament and not be definite #1 seed. The fact it was in question baffled me then as it does now thinking back on it. They dominated the B12 that year, KU was good, and ISU was better. They should have been considered the 2nd or 3rd best team in the country at worst and so how ended up in the same bracket as MSU. Which if that was by ISU choosing so be it, but if it was how the committee drew it up, it is completely wrong.
99-00 wins easily but I find it hard to call it "recent" at this point given it was over 20 years ago.
Of other options 13-14 is the 2nd place for me, losing Niang in the tournament was huge.
Of other options 13-14 is the 2nd place for me, losing Niang in the tournament was huge.
The current squad has shades of 99-00 in the way they physically dominate other squads. The talent level is not the same obviously. I'm looking forward to seeing what TJ can do with top level talent.
I didn't remember the exact year but came to post this. The Niang breaking his foot year for me too.
Also worth noting Michigan St was the best team that year but Mateen Cleaves missed the first 13 games of the year, and they had several early season losses without him which held them back from being the top overall seed and ending up in the same region as ISU.
I realize everything after regular season blew chunks in 2000-01, but has there been a single mention of it yet in the thread?
Not exactly sure where I'd rank it overall, but it probably should be top 5 ... I wonder how different we'd think about it if we survived you-know-what but then got bounced by 10 GU in round of 32. Even with revisionism I don't think that team was going to make much a run, it had begun to spring leaks even before B12 T.
Not exactly sure where I'd rank it overall, but it probably should be top 5 ... I wonder how different we'd think about it if we survived you-know-what but then got bounced by 10 GU in round of 32. Even with revisionism I don't think that team was going to make much a run, it had begun to spring leaks even before B12 T.
