Again, last year's team didn't accomplish anything that this year's team isn't on pace to do except play an even easier non-con schedule. They haven't lost ground. Last year wasn't able to beat KU in Hilton, this year's team did. The only thing this year's team did that was a step back was lose @Texas Tech and over the course of a 30+ game season that's a nothing. The only mistake made was assuming that this year's team would continue on the same continuous rise of the previous two seasons with no dips down when the reality of losing Kane and Ejim made that a very formidable task. No team in the sport continues on a straight line trajectory up year after year after year. It's a two or three steps forwards, one step back process that many appear to be too impatient to handle. Overall, ISU has made progress forward this year by showing themselves that they can beat Kansas. With many pieces returning and no major roster losses heading into next year, ISU should be poised to continue their rise next year with more steps forwards than backwards. Be patient.
The Painful Cyclone Realization
- Thread starter connorferg9
- Start date
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
It's some of that. Also, some of the most passionate f-word defenders are very aggressive in their complaints about basketball.
Overall, just a lot of people choosing not to notice that we're having a very good season, poised to make the NCAAs for the history-making 4th straight time, and looking like about a 3 seed in the process. Things are excellent, but people aren't seeing it (as opposed to the f-word sport).
What roller coaster play? Outside of Tech and South Carolina (SC loss was meaningless), we have lost to the #2, #12, #14, and #15 RPI teams. All of them away from home (3 on the road, 1 neutral).
So starting last year 14-0 followed by losing 4 of 5 followed by winning 7 of 8 followed by losing back to back followed by winning the Big 12 tourney and making the Sweet Sixteen isn't considered roller coaster play?
Nah, that was in the lunch room when their 2 crowds had to cross paths to get to where they were going to sit. It was ugly, corn dogs and fruit cocktail everywhere.
As a KU fan, does not your fan base have this problem every year. Your expectations are so high and losses to Temple and UK probably caused a few rants. How do your fans react?
Jacktronic
MONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAY
this is what i was trying to get people to do, the age of the users on CF have obviously seen more terrible seasons than I have.
I take it you didn't start watching last season until the Big 12 tournament? There was plenty of drama about how we had to come back to win so many games that should have been blowouts, plenty of drama when we dropped 3 in a row, plenty of drama when we lost to KU twice during the regular season.
I guess it's nice that everyone expects us to be Kentuckyesque now in our play, but come on. Let me repost something I posted earlier. ISU has made the NCAA tournament a Whopping 16 times, we made it to the final four once, when there were 8 total teams in the tournament and if we get there this year, this will be the first time ever that we've made it into the tournament four years in a row.
Can we please start enjoying the ride to the top as opposed to assuming we are already there and ******** when things don't go 100% how you expect?
Not to this severity. Every fan base has their "I want it now, I want it every year and no loss is acceptable" goofballs. Most KU fans have seen enough examples of seasons that have worked out in the end to not lose their minds. KU started the 2003 season 3-3 and still played in the ncaa title game. They won the title in '88 as a #6 seed. They managed to extend the Big 12 streak in '13 despite losing on the road @TCU in a game where they looked like they had never played the game of basketball in their lives. then to balance it out they've had teams that looked unstoppable lose early in the tourney. They're simply no rhyme or reason to it sometimes. We've been riding this roller coaster as a fan base for 25+ straight years so we're probably more numb to it now. Maybe some ISU people thought that life as an upper tier basketball program would be smoother and less erratic with less bumps and peaks but it really isn't. It's actually worse because you think your team is capable of great things. There won't be this same volume of overreacting freakouts if ISU makes the tourney every year for the next decade+. People get used to even the craziest roller coasters if they stay on it long enough.
Most NBA teams don't consistently perform to their level of talent, let alone college teams. And most fans don't have a truly realistic assessment of exactly how talented a roster really is. Is this year's ISU team really so much more talented than last year's that they should be expected to perform better significantly than last year?
No. But I also don't expect guys to stand around and watch when a shot goes up, or to slack off on defense, while getting outscored by 28 in a 20 minute stretch...no shame in losing in Norman, but it was embarrassing how it happened.
Yeah, bad thing is you don't have to follow that person. Lot of times I see guys responding to players or sports writers begging for them to talk about more about out team. Or they rant bc we beat this team or that team. Even if nothing is relavent I've seen people bring up ISU making themselves and the school look like jack wagons.
Although I didn't agree with the article, I want to congratulate you on pursuing your interest in writing. Also good job in taking the criticism in stride (or at least it appears you have). You gotta have thick skin to make it in the arts. Keep pluggin away..
Using myself as an example am a DIE HARD CYCLONE an since CPR and CFH came on board there was plenty of hope that our teams have turned the corner, coaches that want to be here and let the hype begin. We were teased with Okie State win and then the losses started piling up in football. The basketball program has been much more successful due to CFH and his recruiting not to mention his love for Ames and ISU and the media that seems to want Iowa State to do well. Well, all of a sudden we believe we should win the Big 12, and on to the final 4. And then road losses start piling up and the frustration starts to build - here we go again. We have a great fan base, have paid our dues and deserve to bring some kind of championship home. More patience I guess. My 2 cents.
I'm a year older and actually go to school with this kid, and perfectly remember McDermott and Wayne. He's not a hawk troll, but he IS a fairweather fan that starting paying attention once they "actually were worth watching" and thinks just because he started a Cyclone Nation twitter account with several thousand followers, it makes him the single best source for Iowa State everything. He's got good intentions, but just doesn't know what he's talking about at all.
If you ever to to Hilton, take a look at the banners. We have won some championships. I assume wrestling counts as "some kind".
And I'm over here thinking this has been one of the top 10 seasons in ISU basketball history to date.
If you're butthurt about their performance just wait till you see us go on the road to Texas and Okie St next week. We'll be lucky to get one of those.
If you're butthurt about their performance just wait till you see us go on the road to Texas and Okie St next week. We'll be lucky to get one of those.
Well said and a lot of truth in what you've said. All teams have their ups and downs within a game and throughout the season, it doesn't mean players aren't trying or are necessarily slacking off. And I think some of our fans are so fearful of returning to the GMac years that any loss scares the h out of them.
