Who do you want to avoid in the first two rounds?

[Dingus]

Don't want Gonzaga or Vanderbilt, who Lunardi's projects as 11's.

Don't know much or much care between Lunardi's current 12's (Sdsu, Akron, Yale, Ark-LR), though everyone says Ark-LR is good.

None of the other 4/5's scream good matchup for ISU, but I'm not looking past the first game anyways. Just win the first and see what happens.

 

[WastedTalent]

We beat Colorado on a neutral court and Cincy at their place. Two tournament teams

Yes, I forgot about the Cincy win, it was legit, but that Colorado game might as well be last season, for both teams.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Yes, I forgot about the Cincy win, it was legit, but that Colorado game might as well be last season, for both teams.

But it was this season lol.

 

[LetsPlay2]

I am just looking forward to playing a team that is not in the Big 12! Other than that there aren't many teams that are really going to scare me in the first 2 rounds since we wont be playing a 1 or 2 seed in those rounds.

 

[coolerifyoudid]

Omitting Big 12 opponents, I'd like to avoid blue bloods Michigan State and NC (talented plus good at offensive rebounding). For other Power 5 teams, I'd like to stay away from Purdue, California and Gonzaga, due to their size and rebounding.

For lower seeds, I'd hate to play Colorado and UNI due to familiarity and the fact that both of them seem to be hitting their stride.

In the end, bring on whoever! I still maintain that we are capable of beating anyone in this tournament. If McKay, Burton and Nader can just play aggressive, we can send anyone home.

 

[aeroclone]

I want to avoid a 4/5 seed in the round of 32. For once I would like to see a Baylor bracket fall in our lap where we can get to the elite 8 playing nothing but double digit seeds. Because honestly, I don't see us beating a 4/5 seed in the second round. Say what you will about this team playing well right now, but the fact remains that all we have to show for it is home wins over bottom feeders and moral victories. We haven't shown much ability to close out the tough ones this year, especially away from Hilton. And from here on out, everything is away from Hilton and moral victories next weekend get you a plane ticket home.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I want to avoid a 4/5 seed in the round of 32. For once I would like to see a Baylor bracket fall in our lap where we can get to the elite 8 playing nothing but double digit seeds. Because honestly, I don't see us beating a 4/5 seed in the second round. Say what you will about this team playing well right now, but the fact remains that all we have to show for it is home wins over bottom feeders and moral victories. We haven't shown much ability to close out the tough ones this year, especially away from Hilton. And from here on out, everything is away from Hilton and moral victories next weekend get you a plane ticket home.

CF BREAKING NEWS: KU IS A "BOTTOMFEEDER". Lol.

 

[Cyclonepride]

CF BREAKING NEWS: KU IS A "BOTTOMFEEDER". Lol.

The #1 team in the country also was apparently.

 

[madguy30]

I can't decide who I'd like to see ISU avoid...I suppose anyone with size and quality depth. Either way it's going to take good games from guys like Burton and Nader both to get through a game or two.

I was thinking how crazy it was last night that a quarterfinal game felt like a championship game, with the margin between seeds 1-6 being so small.

 

[madguy30]

Omitting Big 12 opponents, I'd like to avoid blue bloods Michigan State and NC (talented plus good at offensive rebounding). For other Power 5 teams, I'd like to stay away from Purdue, California and Gonzaga, due to their size and rebounding.

For lower seeds, I'd hate to play Colorado and UNI due to familiarity and the fact that both of them seem to be hitting their stride.

In the end, bring on whoever! I still maintain that we are capable of beating anyone in this tournament. If McKay, Burton and Nader can just play aggressive, we can send anyone home.

I'm not sure if 'aggressive' is a term I'd like to see from Burton or Nader. They're plenty aggressive...they're attack just isn't very well thought out.

McKay getting blocked by Hield last night was one where I totally expected him to go up and kill the rim. Instead it looked soft and the result was another Hield highlight.

 

[dahliaclone]

I think we're gonna be a 4/5 seed playing a team like Akron or Arkansas Little Rock. We win that game and the other 4/5 seed we are pitted against is a Purdue/Arizona/Maryland team...none of which I want to face. But it's all for not because they get beat in the first round against a team like Chattanooga or Stony Brook or Yale. So we will face a 12/13 seed to go to Sweet Sixteen and win.

 

[Cycl1]

Big 12 or maybe a tall athletic team. We can beat anyone.

 

[Cyclonepride]

Arizona doesn't particularly scare me. The name makes them sound tougher than they are. This isn't an elite Arizona team.

 

[CyJack13]

I think we're gonna be a 4/5 seed playing a team like Akron or Arkansas Little Rock. We win that game and the other 4/5 seed we are pitted against is a Purdue/Arizona/Maryland team...none of which I want to face. But it's all for not because they get beat in the first round against a team like Chattanooga or Stony Brook or Yale. So we will face a 12/13 seed to go to Sweet Sixteen and win.

I would take Maryland in a second, they aren't actually good. Their second best win this year is Iowa...at home.

 

[CoKane]

I would take Maryland in a second, they aren't actually good. Their second best win this year is Iowa...at home.

Maryland is a strange case. In my opinion their starting line up is one of the best in the country. Not sold on mark turgeon as a coach though. They could go to the sweet 16 or lose in the first round

 

[CyJack13]

Maryland is a strange case. In my opinion their starting line up is one of the best in the country. Not sold on mark turgeon as a coach though. They could go to the sweet 16 or lose in the first round

Maryland was just a super lucky team last year and we're overrated coming into this year based on that. It was pretty easy to predict they weren't anywhere close to a top five team, I called that before the season even began. They've actually been on the positive side of the luck factor this year too, they're a top 25-35 team, nothing more than that.

 

[Jacktronic]

It'd be nice to get another shot at Layman, what a punchable face.

 

[CYEATHAWK]

That would basically mean we tied, and I'm pretty sure neither of those games ended in Iowa State having anything other than an additional L in the W/L column. Not dogging on the guys, they lost to superior teams that have more depth and fire power, but all the excuses in the world don't cover all the losses over the past 3 years with this team.

I guess we can say that every loss was because we were tired, didn't really need the W or the giant anti-ISU officiating conspiracy struck again - but those are all excuses that don't hold much credence. Refs haven't been any worse against us as they have every other squad. We haven't played a schedule that we shouldn't have done better with. We lost a couple home games that we should have won. We didn't put teams away when it mattered.

You either didn't understand what I meant or you are trying real hard not to. Until the last few minutes on senior night in Lawrence.......we were every bit as good as the #1 team in the country. Last night a break here or there, just as in Lawrence, it could have easily gone our way. Those are not excuses.......those are facts. This isn't the GMAC years...one in which if I am not mistaken you couldn't get enough of until it was painfully obvious he was a complete failure. Those nauseating years of trust, integrity, doing it the "right way" blaming any and everything possible as to why it wasn't working. This isn't that. This was a year were the guys didn't get the breaks like in previous seasons, be it injuries, last second shots falling, players attitudes and yes.....officiating. It happens. I guarantee Naz doens't go down......we aren't having this conversation. Sometimes being lucky is every bit as important as being good.

 

[cyclones500]

Avoid teams with height, depth and width.

 

[besserheimerphat]

That would basically mean we tied, and I'm pretty sure neither of those games ended in Iowa State having anything other than an additional L in the W/L column. Not dogging on the guys, they lost to superior teams that have more depth and fire power, but all the excuses in the world don't cover all the losses over the past 3 years with this team.

I guess we can say that every loss was because we were tired, didn't really need the W or the giant anti-ISU officiating conspiracy struck again - but those are all excuses that don't hold much credence. Refs haven't been any worse against us as they have every other squad. We haven't played a schedule that we shouldn't have done better with. We lost a couple home games that we should have won. We didn't put teams away when it mattered.

Just so we're clear, you understand you're talking about the winning 3 year stretch of basketball in the modern history of ISU, right? Since 1980, ISU has NEVER won more games in a 3 year span than they have in 2014, 2015 and 2016. That's both for the overall schedule and just the conference schedule. The only three year span in the same realm of productivity includes the 2000 and 2001 seasons, which were bookended with 15-15 and 12-19 seasons. So you're complaining about the best 3 year run of basketball any of us have ever lived through. If you expand it to 4 or 5 seasons, our current run looks even better.