Thinking

If you choose to play defense like it's a street fight, you shouldn't complain when the other team shoots lots of free throws.

Experiments

Clearly, the Fred Experiment isn't working out. There's a reason you don't bring in a cast of refugees from other teams and make a team. The Land of Misfit Toys doesn't work well together.

But lacking a clear alternative, and without the cash for a buyout, we'll soldier on.

The above is sarcasm folks. Fred's great- the good times are back.

Big Ending

Looking ahead, ISU needs to build up wins while it can. The B12 schedule ends at K State, at Mizzou, home to Baylor.

Wow.

Upside

After thumping two inferior teams- on the road- it's clear Fred's boys are finding a rhythm. They are challenging the great teams and taking care of business when they need too.

While they are susceptible to taking teams lightly (cough- Okie State- cough) when focused and on task they run the gameplan, find the open man, and win. I think this team can be as good as it wants to be.

While two games with Baylor and one each with KU and Mizzou remain- This could be fun.

Finishing

The most impressive part of the win over a$m wasn't the first half scoring spree- it was finishing the dang game. Up 19 at half, they Cyclones never let it get closer than 15 in the entire second half, and ended up winning by 24. They increased their margin even after bringing in subs. Awesome.

It was fun watching a team continue to run its stuff the whole way, playing aggressive defense, making the extra pass, doing all of the same things that built the big lead. If ISU backed off on anything it was giving up easy shots after offensive rebounds- no point in adding a free throw and giving the Aggies a bit of momentum.

So now ISU sits at 2-0 with a road win. They two best teams in the league are next week, but given their play against UT and a$m at least you can say "Why the heck not?"

Charts

Click on over to Black Heart Gold Pants for this epicly awesome chart. Inspired work, fellas.

It's always interesting to read the view of a game from the other side. They bring stats, too.

Hammer

It was delicious fun watching the Cyclones positively hammer the over-matched Hawkeyes (or GoBlas for you old- timers) in a game that was over well before halftime. For those of us who hadn't seen much of the season so far (thanks, Mediacom) we now understand what the fuss has been about. When these guys are on they can play.

The down side is that there is no team in the Big 12 as bad as Iowa- although Tech is close. That kind of effort will be needed every night to even approach .500. Something that approaches a point guard would help, too, as they Cyclones looked like lost children when Iowa broke out the half-court trap. Good teams don't give up 10+ points in the last 2:00 minutes.

But Friday gave us a peek at what could be- and that peek was damn fun.

Nails

They didn't finish the job against the Wildcats, but I will follow a Cyclone team that gives their opponent everything they want. That's all I ask- be the team nobody wants to play.

And now we get to play Rutgers in Yankee Stadium. A Rutgers team that got crushed by the UCONN club that ISU beat back in September. Sure beats Shreveport.

This is Iowa State's chance not to just win, but to make a statement.