****Official Post Game Thread****

DSM4Cy

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My first Cyclone memory is of a Johnny Orr-coached team led by Fred Hoiberg. That was my first game, at 4 years old. I grew up watching Willoughby, Cato, Holloway, Bankhead, and Pratt win us the last ever Big 8 Tournament. I got to see Fizer, Tinsley, Nurse, Horton, Shirley, Rancik, and company become the best Cyclone team ever, one that should have played in the national championship that year. I saw Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock put moves on the court that were just plain sick. The reason I am at Iowa State University as a student now probably has a lot to do with the fact that from a very young age, I was hooked on the Cyclones. We had passionate fans, passionate players, and passionate coaches, and even if we didn't win, we were going to give every team the fight of our lives. And, most importantly, NO ONE ever came into Hilton with a W already written on their schedule.

I like Greg McDermott. Went to school with a couple of his nieces while he was still at UNI, and couldn't help cheering for the guy. Great man, decent, humble...and yet, not passionate enough about his players. At a school like Iowa State, we don't end up with the most talented players. We don't have the best facilities in the country, our weather is really crappy for about half the year, and we've never won a national championship. And yet, I firmly believe that we have the best, and more importantly, most loyal fans in the whole country. We get kicked in the gut almost weekly, it seems, but we keep coming back for more, because we believe in our teams. I think Paul Rhoads really understands this; beating Nebraska this year was truly remarkable, but his reaction after the game spoke to me. It said to me, "I am a Cyclone, and I will do anything for my guys. We will win, and we will never stop believing."

Greg McDermott does not have the confidence of the fanbase, at least temporarily. Now, we're extremists in a way (up and down very quickly). But still, this isn't the first time we've been here in the last 4 years. So, what is it about Coach Mac that just isn't gelling? I think it's very simple: he does not go into each game believing that we will win, and he does not possess the killer instinct that says "we must win, for our fans, for my guys, for our school and our pride." At a school like ISU, we have to have that quality in a coach. Our guys can't just go out and execute without extra effort, and come away with W's every night. We're not that talented, even this year. We've got to have some fight in us, some toughness, and like so many have written tonight, we don't have that...at all.

Now, Coach Mac may still take this team to the tournament. Who knows? And, of course, I, like any true Cyclone fan, want him to. But, I just don't feel like his heart is in the Iowa State men's basketball head coaching job. He doesn't want it enough. It doesn't hurt him as much as it hurts us. And, if it does, then he is still failing not only the fans, who really don't matter as much, but he is hurting his team by not showing it. We have no fire. We have no desire to massacre teams on a nightly basis. We wonder why Roy Williams ends up with Hinrich, Collison, HB, and national titles? Remember a game, ISU vs. UNC, 2005 NCAA tourney? Remember how he continued to let his players run up the score at the end of the game? Roy Williams is a...well, I can't say that here. But, I can say that he is a winner. Good or bad, he wins, and his teams never give in. We need that in a coach, and I, along with a lot of other people (it seems), do not have confidence that Greg is that guy for our program.
 
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Spence91

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And I have been one of the biggest critics of Mac on this board until a couple of weeks ago, when I stated that I retired........and now this. He is making it very difficult for me not to come out of retirement. This group tonight did not look like they wanted to be out there. It reminded me of last year's South Dakota State game. Why? The last three games are a mirror image of the last three years. Why? I thought the run and gun was the way we were going to go........and yet the last three games, the opponent has dictated the pace. Why? Should it matter who the opponent is......RUN! If you lose....you lose. But this trying to micomanage the quarter horses you have recruited isn't going to work. You did what you had to do when you were playing walk ons........but these guys aren't walk ons. Let them go! And I can tell you right now.......we play a game in the 50's or 60's against Iowa......we lose! That's their game. I expected them to come out breathing fire after that game against NW.....instead, they p***** down their legs....at home! Why? We may put a good fight against Cal..and maybe even pull an upset. I sure hope so. Because folks......if what we saw tonight is to be expected when we play a tough opponent this year......there will be no post season.

MAC only decided to go up tempo to try and convince Barnes to come to ISU, now no Barnes he may be going back to his old ways of running an offense that stands around instead of pushing the ball?
 

ISUAlum2002

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I suppose we could have had it worse. Clemson, who is ranked 24th, blew a 23 point lead in the second half, at home, against Illinois and lost. Illinois just lost against Bradley at home last week.

Just some perspective. Doesn't make me feel much better about tonight, though.
 

kilgore_trout

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Did anyone ever think we could come back and win once UNI hit that last three?


not me. there's no precedent for it. the team lacked leadership tonight. on the floor and from the bench. coach needs to stop being mr. nice guy leading a team of nice guys.

might be great team if and or when they develop a killer instinct.

Craig, use the force, already!!!!!
 

Skyh13

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I suppose we could have had it worse. Clemson, who is ranked 24th, blew a 23 point lead in the second half, at home, against Illinois and lost. Illinois just lost against Bradley at home last week.

Just some perspective. Doesn't make me feel much better about tonight, though.

I would think about perspective if our team didn't look clueless the past two games. It'd be one thing if UNI played out of their minds, but they didn't. It was a very systematic beating of a team that is not very good. Us.

Watching this team, and watching teams like Northwestern and UNI.. you wonder what the hell our guys even do during practice..
 

BryceC

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Unless he goes Mangino, he's not in danger of losing his job this year.

He is in grave danger of losing the fanbase though and that is simply the beginning of the end.

I'm not giving up on this team, I've never given up on a cyclone team. But unless we pull off a huge upset at Cal, I do think the expectations for this season will be greatly diminished.

They already are, or should be.
 

riceville98

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Where's the high tempo offense we were supposed to have? Seriously we had absolutely no fast break points.

But, that is because UNI committed 2 or 3 people to stoping our transition game. MAC said that in his postgame radio.

We'll be fine, Just got to learn to play smart at the end of games
 

bawbie

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Where's the high tempo offense we were supposed to have? Seriously we had absolutely no fast break points.

But, that is because UNI committed 2 or 3 people to stoping our transition game. MAC said that in his postgame radio.

We'll be fine, Just got to learn to play smart at the end of games

The thing is that you can only "rebound and run" when you get the rebound. When we give up 15 offensive rebounds, it greatly limits the running opportunities.


That is my #1 problem that needs to be addressed, we need to crash all 5 guys to the defensive boards, and then we can think about running once we get the rebound.
 

WalkingCY

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We are soft. SOFT! Like a bunch of marshmallows.
Uninspired D. No effort on the boards.
And our offense. It is boring to watch, easy to defend, and flat out stinks.
You cannot run a post up isolation (like they do in the pros) for Brackins. There are no illegal defense calls in the college game, so there is all kinds of help other players can provide to deny him the ball. You have to get him moving more. Like Coach Knight says, the best way to get open is to set a screen yourself. All I ever see is one cross screen on one diagonal screen - wait, scratch that. We most see pick and roll ball screens with only 2 guys involved in the play, and it usually goes no where.
Our front court got whooped tonight. Whooped.
Everyone likes to look at the stat line, but the best stat line is to look at the guy you guarded to determine how you played.


totally agree here. The offensive scheme is horrible. **** this coach. No fire, no guts.....he doesn't have the gusto to disagree with the refs......no half time adjustments....what-so-ever. He sucks. This is YEAR 4 ***.
 

WalkingCY

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Against Cal on Saturday:

If we don't see our guys playing with passion - or just crazy mad...diving for loose balls- getting jump balls...I am just going to lose it.

Also, if our coach doesn't make halftime adjustments...show some fire himself....yell at his team when necessary....yell at the refs when necessary.......( set an offense that goes toward the glass....not the perimiter..... I will freak out and call for his head all year.)
 

bawbie

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Against Cal on Saturday:

If we don't see our guys playing with passion - or just crazy mad...diving for loose balls- getting jump balls...I am just going to lose it.

Also, if our coach doesn't make halftime adjustments...show some fire himself....yell at his team when necessary....yell at the refs when necessary.......( set an offense that goes toward the glass....not the perimiter..... I will freak out and call for his head all year.)

that ship has clearly already sailed.
 

Tedcyclone

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i still cannot understand how brackins cannot post

up. how can he not score around the basket? he has a good jumper, that is it. why does he turn his shoulder to the hoop once he gets there and fade away? its easy to block his shot that way... square up if your going to fade away so they cant block it.
 

ISUFan22

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This is all I'm going to say about the game last night....

UNI is stronger than us, I get that. However, we are far more athletic and while I did expect UNI to rebound well, giving them 15 offensive rebounds was pathetic. We gave them way too many 2nd and 3rd chances (and once or twice, a 4th chance). Can't do that and expect to win.

I'm tired of our team playing against decent teams and letting them dictate everything about the game. I felt that UNI would slow us down some, but I didn't think we'd allow it, again. I'm livid at the fact that we routinely allow and seem completely ok with opposing teams treat us like their game tempo prison *****. Best and most accurate analogy I could come up with, sorry.

I'm exasperatedly upset/disappointed with our entire team, from Greg down to every single player. The talent is absolutely there to win this game and play in the NCAA tournament...we are simply not playing like it. I'm sick of the damn excuses, would someone on the team/staff just get mad and demand this won't be tolerated anymore?

Way too many in the postgame interviews said the "right" things, but not a one showed me any emotion after the game. I don't need anyone to go Dennis Green on us, but at least make it sound like you feel you should have won that game and allowed UNI to *****-slap you on your home court!
 
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