The difference between listless and winning Cyclone basketball appears to be little things: the tempo of ball movement, anticipating defensive rotations, trapping at unexpected moments, hands in passing lanes, and finishing at the rim.
A triple-double from Mr. Jefferson always helps. What a talent.
Good to have the winning formula back. Onward.
The August power rankings of the B12, and the end of year finish:
Kansas State - Tech
Arizona State - Utah
Iowa State - BYU
BYU - TCU
TCU - Iowa State
Baylor - Arizona
Tech - Houston
Utah - Arizona State
Colorado - Kansas State
Kansas - Cincy
Cincy - Kansas
UCF - Baylor
WVU - UCF
OSU - WVU
Houston - Colorado
Arizona - OSU
While we ISU fans were disappointed in the four game losing streak (the loss in Boulder was the worst B12 loss of the Campbell era) KSU may have been the biggest drop-off from August expectations. Baylor and Colorado have arguments, but they retained their coaches for next year.
Tech achieved their potential, Arizona made a big jump up, and Houston is on a solid trajectory.
The league remains difficult to project from season to season. Don't bet on spots, kids.
A moment to admire the play of Josh Jefferson.
Iowa State would have probably found a way to best WVU without Jefferson on the floor, but his 10 point, 10 rebound, 10 assist triple-double made the win a lot easier.
Jefferson's play, especially his passing skill from the high post, really drives the Iowa State offense. They are a very different offensive team when he is on the bench.
Enjoy Jefferson while we have him. His skills are both high level and rare.
Cyclone fans just exited the most dramatic 72 hours of their fandom.
Wednesday rumors of Penn State interest in Campbell accelerated on Thursday, then when nuclear on Friday as Matt and his staff went into radio silence. By Friday night it was done, and a successor named before CMC had even left the building, literally.
It was a rapid spin from "Why would he want that job?" to "Crap, he took that job."
A gathering we attended Friday night was a wake while awaiting the time of death. The introduction of Jimmy was a green shoot among the sadness.
Basketball brought joy to the somber fan base. The second half demolition of #1 Purdue at Mackey Arena was amazing to watch: A 4 point halftime lead was converted into a 46-27 blowout half. 59% from the field, 7-12 from 3. Winning most of the 50/50 balls, out-rebounding taller, beefier players. Defense that kept Purdue from ever finding a rhythm.
The basketball ceiling is unlimited with that level of defense and shooting. Hopefully the Cyclones can catch some breaks to balance the near term football prospects, which will be a rebuild at best.
Celebrate every win, as you don't knwo how long the good times are going to last.
A cool, windy day in Stillwater. An opponent that is on a 17 game B12 losing streak. Less than 15K semi-interested fans in the stands. But the OSU QB was finding some success throwing the ball, and led a 14-play TD drive just before halftime. A 10-7 lead for Iowa State coming out of halftime.
What does the defense do? Give up 2 field goals and give the offense time to gel. Which is what they do in the second half almost every week.
OSU's second half:
3-8 punt
6-17 punt
4-3 FG (stated at the ISU 14!)
5-20 INT
3-5 punt
9-33 FG
Up 17-7, ISU turned up the heat and got three key sacks that blew up possessions. Closers.
If you are playing the percentages, the Heacock defense is a safe bet.
Three solid wins in Vegas for different reasons.
Outworked a physical St. John's team to win by one. They shots fell when they needed to fall.
Disrupted a Creighton team that can shoot the ball, but still misses some pieces.
Then came the 60 point second half that discombobulated Syracuse. The defense won the game, but every shot went in for a long stretch. It was amazing basketball to watch.
This team has the horses to win multiple ways. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Carried the ball 50 times for 221 yards.
9 of 16 on third down, and 4 of 5 on 4th down.
Two touchdowns on 4th down plays.
462 total yards vs. 323.
No turnovers, and an interception to seal the game.
Only one punt.
ISU reached the red zone five times, and scored five TDs.
Kansas reached the red zone four times, but only scored 14 points.
The best overall game since late September. Win.
It was lovely seeing a Cyclone team in gold pants again, even if it was on the road. Apparently a bit of Gold Pant Magic was the slump-buster the program needed.
Passing the ball remains an inconsistent challenge, but the offense found enough connections down the stretch to churn out first downs. A win despite a 160-yard deficit it hard to do, as is the kind of game that ISU is often on the losing end.
Our goals for Cyclone teams has always been the same: get games into the fourth quarter, and win more than half of the games from there. The last three losses all fit this bill, and the win in Fort Worth did two. Sometimes your grinding pays off.
Just keep grinding.
