The '97 Sweet 16 game where KU lost to AZ still completely surprises me when I really think about it.
Collison and Hinrich's senior year where they basically (mathematically) lost because their free throws didn't drop is still baffling too.
The Painful Cyclone Realization
- Thread starter connorferg9
- Start date
The '97 Sweet 16 game where KU lost to AZ still completely surprises me when I really think about it.
Collison and Hinrich's senior year where they basically (mathematically) lost because their free throws didn't drop is still baffling too.
I can certainly understand the point you are trying to make, but it just seems whiny. People deserve a lot of things, but a championship isn't given on a basis of merit. Just because we are a top 15 team with a good coach and a talented roster does not mean we are automatically going to win a championship. People tend to forget how difficult it actually is to be the outright champion at something. That is why it is so impressive that Kansas has done it for 10 years straight. That is why it is so valuable...
And to say "here we go again" seems to suggest that our basketball team is on track to have the same downfall that our football team had after the OSU game. I am not one to speak in absolutes, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that ISU will always be competitive in BB so long as Fred is at the helm. The way this fanbase reacts makes me think we are 10-10. My god people. We have a GREAT basketball program going on right now. ******* enjoy it.
OP must be new to Cyclone hoops
A painful realization would be Fred is going to the NBA and McDermott coming back.
A few losses on the road, um no.
A painful realization would be Fred is going to the NBA and McDermott coming back.
A few losses on the road, um no.
A painful Cyclone realization is knowing that the only teams you can consistently beat are Nebraska and Colorado. Another realization that hurt was knowing that every MVC school scheduled knew your offense better than your guys. It is equally frustrating coming here and seeing all the "trust, Wayne was as bad as an NCAA death penalty, ISU isn't really a basketball school, Johnny wasn't that great when he started, even coach K struggled at Duke threads by the coaches mind numbed supporters every stinking season to excuse the shoddy product being put on the floor. Last and probably the most painful realization was seeing how empty Hilton was during conference season and knowing how many young fans we were losing every single season that type of crappy basketball was offered. Those were all very painful Cyclone realizations.
Wayne was as bad as an NCAA death penalty? I guess if that includes winning seasons, post season wins, and winning at Kansas (should have been twice if not for the gift 3 pointer between Homan's free throws). Seriously, look up Wayne's accomplishments at ISU on wickipedia and you'll see his 3 years rank him among ISU's best coaches. Time to give up on the Wayne bashing.
I'd say we had some drama.
How many years are softened up by a non-con sweep? Not many.
You have a right to your opinion but the facts say otherwise. He had good, not great talent, but his first 3 years were near the top for any coach in ISU basketball history. He was able to win at KU (#5 at the time I think) without a player that made it in the NBA. LE had two.
He had one of the best guard duo's in the country and had it fight to get into the tourney their Soph year. The first year he was coach he had 3 pretty good guards, and 2 good bigs yet they only made a nice run in the NIT. He had some huge losses as coach also. I will always remember sitting in Hilton watching Maric from Nebraska put up 41 points with ease.
Yes, he recruited Stinson and Blaylock, but the fact is they did get into the NCAA and won a game there before bowing out to North Carolina, who won it all. That's an excellent year by ISU basketball history standards. The NIT year was his first year, and LE had lost at home in the first round of the NIT the year before, so Morgan certainly improved on that using two true freshman for guards. Even Fred has had some bad games (remember WVU last year and T-Tech this year, plus a few worse than that in his first year). LE had Hampton, it happens to all coaches. Besides the tourney wins, Morgan's winning percentage puts him #3 or #4 in ISU history behind LE, Floyd and possibly Fred for coaches in their first 3 years. Not saying he was as good as those coaches, but it puts him in pretty good company. There's not many 3 year periods in ISU basketball history better than Morgan's first 3 when you consider winning percentage and tournament wins. Yet some continue to try to bash him. I just don't get it.
I think it's because all the talent seemed to be there, yet we couldn't seem to put it together regularly. We won @ Kansas (Blalock and Stinson's soph year?) but also lost some dumb games. I know that happens with every coach, but it's different... You mentioned Eustachy and Hampton. That was pretty bad but he had taken us to an Elite Eight and two Big 12 championships. Morgan had some dumb losses and his team was never really a top 25 team. Same with McDermott. When you're a great coach consistently, you can afford those dumb losses (Self to TCU, Hoiberg to Tech, etc.)
I can agree with a lot of what you said, and I've never claimed Wayne was a great coach, but certainly better than some on the board will give him credit for. And I had a chance to look it up and Wayne was #4 in winning percentage behind Fred at #3. Wayne was 55-39 in his first 3 and only years while Fred was 62-39
I have to concur CYKO. Morgan was not nearly as bad as some people thought at the time or in the revisionist history of today. I think a huge part of the problem was that he followed both Floyd and Eustachy, who had elevated the profile of Cyclone basketball pretty substantially. His NCAA season was also a truly roller coaster ride if there ever was one; there was a horrific six game losing streak followed by a seven game win streak in conference. That team definitely learned how to win in the second half of the season.
This kid wasn't the only one freaking out after those games. I'd say that a good majority of the board was losing their minds.
I'll say that the things I've liked about the West Virginia, Oklahoma State, and Texas games is that we didn't have those huge lulls that we had been having in a lot of games. Even if we had lost against Oklahoma State, it was a fairly solid effort all night.
tbf to the kid I think we were only like 16-5 and ranked #15 at the time...there was certainly cause for concern.
