*** Official #6 IOWA STATE vs #2 Houston Game(Day) Thread ***

[fsanford]

I thought the fatigue showed. It is a lot to ask a team to play a huge game on Saturday and then go on the road and play a team of Houston caliber on short turn around. Have a little more rest, then maybe we don’t get quite as many fouls and can cause a few more turnovers. The guys gave it their all.

Look at all the points scored the 2nd half. Sampson said it during his post game. You have 2 teams going that hard at each other, on a short turn around, they are going to get tired.

Actually ISU shot the 3 pretty well especially in the 2nd half, so they still had some legs left.

 

[Chitowncy]

I'm not sure how shed fits on an nba team. He should stay as long as possible. Skill wise he's not close yet to the nba. Great college player, but nowhere near an nba guard.

Respectfully disagree with that. "Nowhere near" is way off base. At worst, he'll get a shot and may only get a cup of coffee in the NBA. At best, he'll play 10 to 15 years. He has an unbelievable pull-up game from mid range shots, finishes and takes contact in the lane very good, great defensive presence, heady, very good three point from deep and he drives and distributes super well. He creates shots for others. I can't tell you how many shots he created for their other guards like Cryer and Sharp last night. Shead may not have the size the "measurables" obsessed NBA would like to see, but he's a winner, locker room positive and a smart team will find a place for him.

Another decent comp is Kemba Walker or maybe Marquis Nowell. Walker's only like 6 foot 1 or so and Nowell is smaller than that. Both have made it and there was a short time Walker was considered a top 15 player in the league. He also reminds me a lot of Chris Paul. That's saying a lot and I'm not saying he's going to get to that level, but if he continues to improve his distribution, he might be able to get there. He has that mid-range game and great decision-making head that Paul has.

I just think "nowhere near an nba guard" is way off.

 

[Chitowncy]

Non ISU you fans say the same thing about ISU, they hand check, they push, they shove.

Read any board of a team that plays ISU, ISU fouls on every possesion.

Fans seem to never see the fouls that are missed, by their team, but have laser vision when they see a missed call against their team. It's uncanny..

I agree completely. The lack of objectivity is always a weakness and there's some not all or maybe even most who seem to think the refs are always out to get us.

Anyway, back to the game, it was a drag out, tough game. Nothing lost with the loss except for the driver's seat to an outright conference crown. Still in the running though for the Big XII Championship though. Lots of hand-checking, bodying by both sides, but also lots of stellar non-fouling defensive plays. I am so impressed and amazed with how strong our guys are (just like Houston), and how well we move our feet. Watching Gilbert, Lipsey, C. Jones and Pav on the perimeter anticipate their opponent's moves and move laterally to stay in front and cut them off is a thing of beauty. Our defense is just tough.

Anything can happen in March and they can make a special run. So much fun watching this team play so hard.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Points off turnovers: ISU 9, Houston 20

Needed to flip that script, but with that said, I love the team's physicality. ISU outrebounded one of the best rebounding teams 39-30. I didn't see anything from this game that would concern me for the rest of the season. Tip your hat to Houston and move on to the next game

Definitely, turnovers and free throws were the difference. I actually feel better about the remaining schedule and into the tournament. These guys are playing at a high level and no moment has been too big for them.

There is something about stepping up and hitting big shot after big shot that becomes ingrained in a player, and starts to allow them to shoot with a totally different level of confidence.

 

[Chitowncy]

Definitely, turnovers and free throws were the difference. I actually feel better about the remaining schedule and into the tournament. These guys are playing at a high level and no moment has been too big for them.

There is something about stepping up and hitting big shot after big shot that becomes ingrained in a player, and starts to allow them to shoot with a totally different level of confidence.

Yep. Want the ball, hunger for it, step up, and keep letting it fly.

 

[ABECyguy]

Non ISU you fans say the same thing about ISU, they hand check, they push, they shove.

Read any board of a team that plays ISU, ISU fouls on every possesion.

Fans seem to never see the fouls that are missed, by their team, but have laser vision when they see a missed call against their team. It's uncanny..

I disagree with part of that, especially in regards to last night. Houston plays much more physical defense than the cyclones and Houston uses their hands much more. TJ coaches the guys to get their hands out once a guy starts to drive. While yes, what we experienced last night is what most teams feel coming into Hilton, last night Houston was much more physical yet there were many more foul calls against the cyclones

 

[AuH2O]

Non ISU you fans say the same thing about ISU, they hand check, they push, they shove.

Read any board of a team that plays ISU, ISU fouls on every possesion.

Fans seem to never see the fouls that are missed, by their team, but have laser vision when they see a missed call against their team. It's uncanny..

I’d put Otzball only behind Frank Martin Murderball, Huggins’ hack fest and this years Houston team in terms of All-Time Big 12 most physical teams that foul the most.

Our guys are good at not fouling shooters and drivers much. But our guys foul the **** out of the other teams with body contact on double teams. They just do. I think it's great strategy, and brings incredible intensity and excitement to the game. But these are often fouls that go uncalled. I don't remember if it was last year or this year in one of the crap buy games where the crew was calling every foul, and it was horrible.

Houston probably should have more fouls than every other team. They would've had we not been fouling at the end. Was it still some home-friendly whistles? Of course.

It's easy to say "just call it evenly" but good luck in a game like last night. You can either call it by the book, which in a game like last night would've been an absolute disaster, or officials are going to get influenced heavily by the crowd and coaches when they decide they're going to finally try to get the contact under control. Or maybe like last night the officials know the game is a hackfest, see the discrepancy in the first half and work to even it out.

As long as the "they can't call every foul" approach works, it's going to keep happening, and the officiating is going to be all over the place.

 

[Cloned4Life]

I disagree with part of that, especially in regards to last night. Houston plays much more physical defense than the cyclones and Houston uses their hands much more. TJ coaches the guys to get their hands out once a guy starts to drive. While yes, what we experienced last night is what most teams feel coming into Hilton, last night Houston was much more physical yet there were many more foul calls against the cyclones

I would agree that we were physical last night and Houston was even more physical.

We certainly get away with a lot of fouls, and we did last night too. Houston got away with more.

 

[AuH2O]

I disagree with part of that, especially in regards to last night. Houston plays much more physical defense than the cyclones and Houston uses their hands much more. TJ coaches the guys to get their hands out once a guy starts to drive. While yes, what we experienced last night is what most teams feel coming into Hilton, last night Houston was much more physical yet there were many more foul calls against the cyclones

Except there weren't. We fouled what, 3-4 times to extend the game at the end and ended up with 3 more fouls.

So ISU actually didn't get called for more fouls outside of fouling intentionally to put Houston on the line. I think Houston DID commit more fouls, but that difference in allowance of play is pretty typical home cooking.

 

[bawbie]

I would agree that we were physical last night and Houston was even more physical.

We certainly get away with a lot of fouls, and we did last night too. Houston got away with more.

It's the inconsistency that bothers me more. Where Lipsey gets hacked in the lane on one end, and then Cryer loses the ball with almost no contact and gets the call. I have no problem allowing a physical game if they could call it consistently.

 

[Clonefan32]

It's not hard to call obvious fouls. You just do it. If you don't want players to foul out, tell them not to foul.

Oh please. We are the benefactors of this as well. We are as physical of team as there is in the nation. I can garuntee you TJ is totally fine with officiating where touch fouls aren't called. If a game is called the way you are suggested, we'd have about 6 guys not make it to halftime.

In that game you'd call 100 fouls if you called all the contact. The refs have an impossible job, and sure they miss some. But that's sports.

 

[Cyclonepride]

By the way, if we play at 90% of what we played like last night, we win out.

 

[CascadeClone]

I know we get a favorable whistle at home too but it's no wonder Houston is undefeated at home if that's how they are allowed to play. Never seen a team with such a long leash on pushing, shoving, bodying, and hand-checking.

Never?

 

[Clonefan32]

It's the inconsistency that bothers me more. Where Lipsey gets hacked in the lane on one end, and then Cryer loses the ball with almost no contact and gets the call. I have no problem allowing a physical game if they could call it consistently.

I would note that Lipsey has a tendency to embellish a little bit. Guy is tough as nails, but he's also not afraid to sell contact, and that may make him a little harder to officiate.

 

[JRE1975]

You know we are tough when there was a play in the second half where Shead was going down the baseline and Gilbert came from the back side to help and he got a gut punch by Shead's shoulder and it knocked him to the ground, of course with no foul called. I was worried Gilbert wasn't going to get up.

On the ensuing out of bounds play Gilbert calmly drained a 3 point shot from in front of our bench. Tough as nails!

Play like we have for the last 3 weeks and we should end up 14-4 in the conference and I am glad I'm going to KC for the tournament this year!

 

[CycloneErik]

By the way, if we play at 90% of what we played like last night, we win out.

And our guys are pretty consistent. I'd expect to win out.

 

[3TrueFans]

You know we are tough when there was a play in the second half where Shead was going down the baseline and Gilbert came from the back side to help and he got a gut punch by Shead's shoulder and it knocked him to the ground, of course with no foul called. I was worried Gilbert wasn't going to get up.

On the ensuing out of bounds play Gilbert calmly drained a 3 point shot from in front of our bench. Tough as nails!

Play like we have for the last 3 weeks and we should end up 14-4 in the conference and I am glad I'm going to KC for the tournament this year!

Just for the record that's not at all how that play happened, for one thing in the second half we were playing offense on the side of the court our bench was on, it was Gilbert driving, and it was Cryer guarding Gilbert, and they did call a foul.

 

[fsanford]

I disagree with part of that, especially in regards to last night. Houston plays much more physical defense than the cyclones and Houston uses their hands much more. TJ coaches the guys to get their hands out once a guy starts to drive. While yes, what we experienced last night is what most teams feel coming into Hilton, last night Houston was much more physical yet there were many more foul calls against the cyclones

You are not wrong they are a rough bunch.


But if we are being honest ISU is the master of using hips/body to bump guys off the lanes and paths. ISU obstructs very well.



The hockey term hip or body check comes to mind.

ISU is really good at. And I think it's great. But it is on the edge of fouling, if not an actual foul.

So not going to complain, if another physical team gets some calls at home.. As long as ISU continues gets same benefits in Hilton which they normally do.

Also several fouls were on plays made after turnovers trying to recover. Don't turn the ball over your foul count, drops

Now in the tourney because ISU is bit more subtle with their approach, they might get a way with more physical play vs what Houston might get

 

[bosco]

You are not wrong they are a rough bunch.


But if we are being honest ISU is the master of using hips/body to bump guys off the lanes and paths. ISU obstructs very well.



The hockey term hip or body check comes to mind.

ISU is really good at. And I think it's great. But it is on the edge of fouling, if not an actual foul.

So not going to complain, if another physical team gets some calls at home.. As long as ISU continues gets same benefits in Hilton which they normally do.

Now in the tourney because ISU is bit more subtle with their approach, they might get a way with more physical play vs what Houston might get

You can see it bother the other teams in the first half. Then they adjust and get physical on the second half. This team is like

 

[CascadeClone]

I would agree that we were physical last night and Houston was even more physical.

We certainly get away with a lot of fouls, and we did last night too. Houston got away with more.

And generally I am OK with that. The foul discrepancy was not out of the ordinary at all playing on the road (and a lot of it was last 2 minute fouls). What p!ssed me off me was that UH had a handful of borderline dirty plays that weren't called. e.g.-

• The leaning screen on Tamin where the guy just blasted him with his shoulder and dropped him.
• The forearm shiver from Shead to Tamin where Tamin went to the deck and Shead went in for a layup.

It seemed to me like UH made a conscious decision to go after Tamin physically. And I get it, he is critical for ISU and has been banged up. So hit him a few times and put him off his game. And it worked.

Physical is one thing. Handsy fouls in another thing. But cheap shots are on an entirely different level.