Let's Talk Iowa State...

[Rico444]

Iowa State fan here. Not here to flame or get in pissing matches. Just want to talk basketball

Ejim- Is the type of player that lulls you. Most of his games you wonder where he is then you look at his stat line and see he has 18 and 9. He can shoot the three and cleans up around the boards. Extremely athletic. He usually plays the 4 and hen he has a four guarding him can get to the hoop with quickness and athleticism

Kane- Is a beast. Big strong, deceivingly quick. good defender when he wants and he has improved his three point shooting from 27% at Marshall to 40%. He can get frustrated and out of control at times.

Hogue- The type of player you LOVE on your team but hate hen you play against him. He can jump through the roof and do it quickly. Total energy player that can crash and come up with loose balls. Can step out and hit the three as well. Can be dirty sometimes and will get in player's heads

Morris- Leads the country in assist to turnover ratio. Shattered the record as a TFrosh. Our best on ball defender and can shut guys down. He kept Paige in check when he was in the game and is usually assigned to the opponents best scoring guard. Has picked up his game offensively but is sliight of build and wears down a little and can miss some bunnies.

Edozie- Plays defense and rebounds. Not much else. He is there to give breathers and pick up garbage buckets. Big strong body and solid player

Naz Long- Kid can flat out shoot the three and plays solid defense. shooting 41% on the season and is hot right now. Kid has ice in his veins and is clutch. Has shot ISU back into four games late. A game winner and a three to force OT. Shot ISU back into the UNC game. He can also play solid defense

Thomas- Fresh shooting guard. Can hit the three but has confidence issues this year. If he gets hot look out.

1. 
   [ ]ISU shot a ton of threes against UNC but that isn't this team's reputation. They shot them because they were making them and the short turn around with Niang being out.
   [ ]This team is tight and it shows on the court. They are the top in the country in assists/game. The assists come from everyone. They will move the ball, dribble penetrate and kick and all our bigs(use that lightly) will dish in the lane.
   [ ]Don't judge points per game as a reflection of our defense. We simply play up tempo so there are more possessions and more points. While we don't play great defense we did have 0.982 points per possession prior to UNC. We have never been deep on the bench and tend to play softer defense in the first half and tighten things up in the second half. This keeps guys out of foul trouble and fresh. UNC scored at will in the paint in the second half, not because we played poor defense but because Hogue and Kane had foul trouble.
   [ ]ISU has played and beaten long and tall teams. BYU, Iowa, KU, Baylor, Texas, etc. They simply know how to attack the height. Every game Cyclone fans wonder how ISU will beat the other team's length and every game they find a way.
   [ ]Don't read too much into the West Virgina game. ISU did not show up and West Virgina was amazing at home. Fred has that NBA coaching metality and consider that a throw away game.
   [ ]ISU will travel but there is no doubt this will be a home game for UConn.
   [ ]This team is clutch. They simply know and feel they will win. I think they have had 9 games(maybe 10) where they have come back from double digit deficits. Fred instills confidence inthe players, gives them freedom and they believe.

This should be a great game to watch. Will love seeing Kane and Napier on the court at the same time. I would expect Morris to defend Napier unless Boatwright gets hot. Other than that, who knows what ISU will do with 5 days to prepare and Niang out.

As for ISU fans....they do not have a feeling of entitlement. They do hate the Jayhawks and I am guessing that is why the poster stated that as he/she lives in Kansas. Don't take one poster's comments and paint a whole fanbase. ISU knows who UConn is and what they have done. Most ISU fans are very knowledgable when it comes to basketball and they respect UConn. We are on a fun ride right now so there is a lot of excitement

Nice writeup, thanks. How tall is Morris? Long guards that can defend tend to give Shabazz issues sometimes. I still think he'll have a good game, but he may settle more for jump shots.

As for Long shooting 40% from 3, at last check at the end of the regular season we had 4 guys who were above 40%. So having a guy who can hit at that clip doesn't scare us

 

[storrsroars]

Cripes. This is bad mojo.
http://time.com/36955/iowa-senate-candidate-says-castration-gives-her-conservative-cred/

Do not let Senhor read this!

 

[August_West]

Cripes. This is bad mojo.
http://time.com/36955/iowa-senate-candidate-says-castration-gives-her-conservative-cred/

Do not let Senhor read this!

Actually I think it is good mojo from a revenge factor point of view. Senhor has obviously already been removed from his natural partner "the twig", and will want retribution against anyone else who facilitates that action.

 

[tazclone]

Nice writeup, thanks. How tall is Morris? Long guards that can defend tend to give Shabazz issues sometimes. I still think he'll have a good game, but he may settle more for jump shots.

As for Long shooting 40% from 3, at last check at the end of the regular season we had 4 guys who were above 40%. So having a guy who can hit at that clip doesn't scare us

Morris is only 6'2" but is long. Long was shooting 50%+ prior to conference then went in a slump for a while. Thomas replaced him but Long is shooting 67% since the start of the Big 12 tourney. The kid just loves pressure.

It will be interesting to see who Fred puts on Shabazz. Kane is a much bigger body both in height and mass. Morris is a little quicker but slight of build. I would expect Kane on Shabazz and Morris on Boatwright but who knows. Fred will let teams have the midrange jumper all day long and refers to take away the three. He has been quoted many times saying metrics tell you to give up that mid range jumper. I can guarantee, that we will play soft defense inthe first half trying to stay out of foul trouble but will tighten things up in the second half.

Seriously worry about a three point shooting contest or Kane getting in foul trouble. We don't win that game.

 

[tazclone]

Nice writeup, thanks. How tall is Morris? Long guards that can defend tend to give Shabazz issues sometimes. I still think he'll have a good game, but he may settle more for jump shots.

As for Long shooting 40% from 3, at last check at the end of the regular season we had 4 guys who were above 40%. So having a guy who can hit at that clip doesn't scare us

Looking at stats I only see 2 guys (Giffey, Daniels) that shoot over 40% from three. I know Shabazz and Boatwright can as well. Looks like Kromah can shoot them as well. How often are all four of those guys on the floor together? Napier is a known force. Is Boatwright consistent? Can Daniels and Giffey pentrate? Giffey looks like most of his shots are 3s but Daniels looks like he can do both.

I honestly don't know much about UConn this year which is why I am here.

 

[pj]

Looking at stats I only see 2 guys (Giffey, Daniels) that shoot over 40% from three. I know Shabazz and Boatwright can as well. Looks like Kromah can shoot them as well. How often are all four of those guys on the floor together? Napier is a known force. Is Boatwright consistent? Can Daniels and Giffey pentrate? Giffey looks like most of his shots are 3s but Daniels looks like he can do both.

I honestly don't know much about UConn this year which is why I am here.

Generally speaking, Boatright, Giffey, and Daniels will only attempt threes when they are uncovered. Boatright went into a long-range shooting slump for most of the year but he's seemed to break out of it the last few games. Napier will attempt 3s at any time and has moves to get the separation he needs. When we absolutely need a 3, he will be the one to take it. Our 3 point shooting got better when Boatright began to focus on penetrating and dishing, at that point defenses would commonly collapse on him leaving Giffey and Daniels open. Kromah is the 6th man and a versatile player, not a great shooter but capable and again will take the open shot. We have been helped also by our 7-foot freshman center Brimah developing a little more confidence around the basket so on penetration he is a threat to receive a pass and score from 2-3 feet.

Overall, if UConn is taking too many 3s, we're probably going to lose, but if we're penetrating and breaking down the defense to generate open perimeter shooters and sharing the ball, we can hit a high percentage. In that sense we're a dangerous 3 point shooting team.

 

[Rico444]

Looking at stats I only see 2 guys (Giffey, Daniels) that shoot over 40% from three. I know Shabazz and Boatwright can as well. Looks like Kromah can shoot them as well. How often are all four of those guys on the floor together? Napier is a known force. Is Boatwright consistent? Can Daniels and Giffey pentrate? Giffey looks like most of his shots are 3s but Daniels looks like he can do both.

I honestly don't know much about UConn this year which is why I am here.

Like I said I haven't checked in a few weeks but for most of the season, Shabazz and Boatright were above 40%; they're still pretty close to that number. I know Giffey and Daniels are well above 40% still; in fact, Giffey is above 50%. He's the one guy you don't want to leave open, but they can all shoot it pretty well.

 

[tazclone]

Generally speaking, Boatright, Giffey, and Daniels will only attempt threes when they are uncovered. Boatright went into a long-range shooting slump for most of the year but he's seemed to break out of it the last few games. Napier will attempt 3s at any time and has moves to get the separation he needs. When we absolutely need a 3, he will be the one to take it. Our 3 point shooting got better when Boatright began to focus on penetrating and dishing, at that point defenses would commonly collapse on him leaving Giffey and Daniels open. Kromah is the 6th man and a versatile player, not a great shooter but capable and again will take the open shot. We have been helped also by our 7-foot freshman center Brimah developing a little more confidence around the basket so on penetration he is a threat to receive a pass and score from 2-3 feet.

Overall, if UConn is taking too many 3s, we're probably going to lose, but if we're penetrating and breaking down the defense to generate open perimeter shooters and sharing the ball, we can hit a high percentage. In that sense we're a dangerous 3 point shooting team.

This sounds a lot like OU except Brimah is bigger than anyone they have. We tend to struggle with teams that matchu up with our size and speed. Can they pound the ball inside to Brimah or does he need the penetration and assist to score.

 

[tazclone]

Like I said I haven't checked in a few weeks but for most of the season, Shabazz and Boatright were above 40%; they're still pretty close to that number. I know Giffey and Daniels are well above 40% still; in fact, Giffey is above 50%. He's the one guy you don't want to leave open, but they can all shoot it pretty well.

Do Daniels and Giffey move without the ball and take screens to get open or is it more dribble penetrate and dish to them?

 

[Rico444]

This sounds a lot like OU except Brimah is bigger than anyone they have. We tend to struggle with teams that matchu up with our size and speed. Can they pound the ball inside to Brimah or does he need the penetration and assist to score.

Brimah's got one good go-to move, a little hook shot with his right hand. But we mostly get him his points on alleyoops/dunks and putbacks.

 

[Rico444]

Do Daniels and Giffey move without the ball and take screens to get open or is it more dribble penetrate and dish to them?

Giffey has plays run for him to get him open. Daniels pretty much gets his 3s off of the pick and pop, and both like to sit on the 3 point line for the kickout from Napier/Boatright/Kromah. Neither is a great shooter with a hand in his face, but Daniels has the quickness to take PFs off the dribble if they try to get a hand in his face when he catches a pass outside the arc.

 

[caw]

Maybe just my opinion on UConns shooters.

Giffey: is an elite shooter. He gets most of his looks two ways. Pick and pop with Napier or drive and dish from Boat or Napier. He is getting very good at side stepping to an open spot when the defender looks away. They do run him on curl action but usually it's a double of some sort where the ball goes to the other side and Napier or Boatright. When he is open off the curl he will only take the shot when open. He has started to pump an drive selectively.

Daniels: nearly as good a shooter as Giffey, taking out Daniels first three games. His shots come from pick and pops also. He will sometimes face up the defender an decide to pull the trigger if the defender has his hands down. He does drive and when he goes strong he's pretty successful. He also has a decent post fadeaway and good midrange game.

Shabazz will pull up for three from anywhere within 27 feet. If he thinks the defender has his hands down, is looking away or has a step out of place he can and will fire. That said he also gets a lot of looks as the two guard off of off the ball screens. Bazz is probably the only one who takes really bad shots, but he also makes a good amount. He sometimes has issues finishing at the rim but not recently.

Boat usually gets his threes when his man doubles Napier, off of off the ball screens or on occasion when he breaks his man down. He is a poor mans Napier, right now, but he's played better recently.

The above four start.

Kromah pretty much only takes open corner threes. Usually on kick outs.

Samuel doesn't shoot threes, though he has made some toe-on the-line shots.

Olander has shot threes but nobody really wants him to.

If Tolksdorf plays he will shoot, but if he plays the game is out of reach one way or the other.

Seriously though, another potential shooter is Calhoun. He's had a horrible year, but he does shoot and has a quick release. He just hasn't made many this year. I think he started something like 9-17 and has only made a handful since. His confidence has been shot but he's from NYC so maybe if he gets in MSG will work some magic.

 

[tazclone]

Maybe just my opinion on UConns shooters.

Giffey: is an elite shooter. He gets most of his looks two ways. Pick and pop with Napier or drive and dish from Boat or Napier. He is getting very good at side stepping to an open spot when the defender looks away. They do run him on curl action but usually it's a double of some sort where the ball goes to the other side and Napier or Boatright. When he is open off the curl he will only take the shot when open. He has started to pump an drive selectively.

Daniels: nearly as good a shooter as Giffey, taking out Daniels first three games. His shots come from pick and pops also. He will sometimes face up the defender an decide to pull the trigger if the defender has his hands down. He does drive and when he goes strong he's pretty successful. He also has a decent post fadeaway and good midrange game.

Shabazz will pull up for three from anywhere within 27 feet. If he thinks the defender has his hands down, is looking away or has a step out of place he can and will fire. That said he also gets a lot of looks as the two guard off of off the ball screens. Bazz is probably the only one who takes really bad shots, but he also makes a good amount. He sometimes has issues finishing at the rim but not recently.

Boat usually gets his threes when his man doubles Napier, off of off the ball screens or on occasion when he breaks his man down. He is a poor mans Napier, right now, but he's played better recently.

The above four start.

Kromah pretty much only takes open corner threes. Usually on kick outs.

Samuel doesn't shoot threes, though he has made some toe-on the-line shots.

Olander has shot threes but nobody really wants him to.

If Tolksdorf plays he will shoot, but if he plays the game is out of reach one way or the other.

Seriously though, another potential shooter is Calhoun. He's had a horrible year, but he does shoot and has a quick release. He just hasn't made many this year. I think he started something like 9-17 and has only made a handful since. His confidence has been shot but he's from NYC so maybe if he gets in MSG will work some magic.

Inteersting. ISU does pretty good defending the three unless they have to double down low on a big guy. Unfortunately they have had to double down low a lot this year as thye are just undersized. I am guessing ISU will not double Brimah down low and will start out defending the perimeter. I would expect a lot of switches on ball screens as Long, Kane and Morris can defend most people equally. ISU usually takes away one side of the court and gives up the other side forcing the play to go where help is available. This also keeps the kick out to where they want/who they want to defend. Teams that make the extra pass will burn ISU for some good looks.

The more you talk, the more it sounds like OU with a better point guard. Should be a damn good game

 

[ASweet3781]

2 things we can't do:

1. Have another slow start where we fall down 8-10 points.

2. If we are lucky to have a 6-8 pt lead with 2 to go do the silly things we do to put the lead in jeopardy. We seem to always help the team playing catch up by giving up a 3, committing a foul, or a turnover. ISU was down 8 with 4 to go and with a blink of the eye had the lead. They finish strong.

 

[tazclone]

2 things we can't do:

1. Have another slow start where we fall down 8-10 points.

2. If we are lucky to have a 6-8 pt lead with 2 to go do the silly things we do to put the lead in jeopardy. We seem to always help the team playing catch up by giving up a 3, committing a foul, or a turnover. ISU was down 8 with 4 to go and with a blink of the eye had the lead. They finish strong.

Better yet, we were down 4 with 8.9 seconds left against OSU and forced OT and then got the win.

 

[intlzncster]

2 things we can't do:

1. Have another slow start where we fall down 8-10 points.

2. If we are lucky to have a 6-8 pt lead with 2 to go do the silly things we do to put the lead in jeopardy. We seem to always help the team playing catch up by giving up a 3, committing a foul, or a turnover. ISU was down 8 with 4 to go and with a blink of the eye had the lead. They finish strong.

It will help not giving up a flagrant foul to start off the festivities. I feel like we spot teams 5-10 points every game. Probably in my head, but I almost expect it.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

UConn's biggest weakness is on the boards, but UConn has such a huge height advantage inside with virtually any lineup I do not see that being a problem. I think the loss of one of ISU's 3 best players is going to hurt a lot. I don't know any college team that could afford to lose their third best player and stay anywhere near the same level. UConn would drop a lot if Daniels got hurt.

ISU is disciplined, passes very well, and takes good shots. All indications of a well coached team. In general, you can see which teams are well coached by how they play offense. ISU will score. If UConn has good shot selection and works for its shots instead of Boat and Bazz chucking and ducking, UConn should be OK.

 

[ColoradoUCFan]

Ejim 6-6 220 18.1-8.5. Very good player, can shoot the ball decently but is a very good rebounder. likely Daniels or Giffey would start on him.

Kane 6-4, 200 17-6-7. Very good all around player. Much like Bazz there is little he can't do. Maybe not as nifty with the ball as Bazz but taller an stronger and a better leaper. He's their PG but Boat and Bazz will have trouble defending him.

Hogue 6-6 215, 11-9. Similar to Ejim less prolific from three but still very good. I imagine Giffey or Daniels on him.

Morris 6-2, 170 freshman who is good but I like this matchup with either Bazz or Boat.

Edozie 6-8 245. Basically started against UNC because Niang was out. Kind of a meh player. Dunno if he will start against UConn.



Long 6-4, 205. Good shooter. Not their biggest threat but may see more shots with Niang out. Off the bench Answer to Kromah.

That's the main team.

If Bazz or Boat covers Morris, who will the other one cover? Seems that size would demand that either Bazz or Boat cover Kane assuming they're both playing at the same time. Am I wrong or is there a bad matchup issue?

 

[ophion1031]

2 things we can't do:

1. Have another slow start where we fall down 8-10 points.

2. If we are lucky to have a 6-8 pt lead with 2 to go do the silly things we do to put the lead in jeopardy. We seem to always help the team playing catch up by giving up a 3, committing a foul, or a turnover. ISU was down 8 with 4 to go and with a blink of the eye had the lead. They finish strong.

Slow starts? Sounds very familiar! So I would assume that we can expect a very exciting second half

 

[tazclone]

UConn's biggest weakness is on the boards, but UConn has such a huge height advantage inside with virtually any lineup I do not see that being a problem. I think the loss of one of ISU's 3 best players is going to hurt a lot. I don't know any college team that could afford to lose their third best player and stay anywhere near the same level. UConn would drop a lot if Daniels got hurt.

ISU is disciplined, passes very well, and takes good shots. All indications of a well coached team. In general, you can see which teams are well coached by how they play offense. ISU will score. If UConn has good shot selection and works for its shots instead of Boat and Bazz chucking and ducking, UConn should be OK.

Don't under estimate ISU's size when it comes to rebounding. ISU is 23rd in the country in rebounding. Very few teams outrebounded the Clones. Even teams with a huge height advantage likeUNC, KU, Baylor, Michigan, Texas, etc. Ejim and Hogue were 2nd and 3rd in the Big 12 in rebounding and Ejim led the league last year. Even with the size advantage and no Niang, UNC only outrebounded ISU by 1. I worry more about UConn's defense than anything

 

[HuskyHawk]

I can't imagine Facey will be called upon to contribute meaningful minutes. I agree with your lineup for spots when they can have LK guard Kane for spells.

I see limited minutes for Nolan, we either go small for long stretches or Brimah plays the 5.

I really think Boatright will have his minutes cut in favor of Samuel, mostly for defense. They will post against Boat all day long. I suspect you will see Boat in the game with Brimah, to ensure there is some coverage for the rim.

 

[tzznandrew]

Don't under estimate ISU's size when it comes to rebounding. ISU is 23rd in the country in rebounding.

Pace-adjusted? Because, I would guess, with the amount of shots you guys get up, you'd get more total rebounds.

If it's 23rd pace-adjusted, then it's really impressive. Did Niang rebound a lot?

 

[caw]

Don't under estimate ISU's size when it comes to rebounding. ISU is 23rd in the country in rebounding. Very few teams outrebounded the Clones. Even teams with a huge height advantage likeUNC, KU, Baylor, Michigan, Texas, etc. Ejim and Hogue were 2nd and 3rd in the Big 12 in rebounding and Ejim led the league last year. Even with the size advantage and no Niang, UNC only outrebounded ISU by 1. I worry more about UConn's defense than anything

I think it's more like UConn fans are resigned to losing the rebounding battle most nights so we don't worry about it. It's rarely been the reason UConn has lost a game. Certainly a factor but not the biggest IMO.

Btw what are ISUs rebounding percentage numbers? ranking? Total rebounds, like total assists or total points can be largely influenced by pace. ISU plays at a fast pace relative to UConn. Not that UConn is slow as a team. Just more on the deliberate side of things.

 

[Walker11]

I really think Boatright will have his minutes cut in favor of Samuel, mostly for defense. They will post against Boat all day long. I suspect you will see Boat in the game with Brimah, to ensure there is some coverage for the rim.

It sounds like we are going to see a lot of Kane as the 3rd guard, alongside 2 of Morris/Long/Thomas. Kane is the only one who should scare us as a post up threat.

We will likely be running Boat and Bazz, with Kromah/Samuel, Giffey and DD. Kromah will spend a lot of time on Kane. This is also by far our best offensive lineup. It will be interesting to see how early and often we downsize to match up with them.

 

[tazclone]

Pace-adjusted? Because, I would guess, with the amount of shots you guys get up, you'd get more total rebounds.

If it's 23rd pace-adjusted, then it's really impressive. Did Niang rebound a lot?

Niang averaged about 5-6 per game. I think. Edozie is a better rebounder than Niang. Niang has a 1" vert. That is not pace adjusted. I believe we were 4th in the Big 12 in rebounding margin. Behind Texas, KU and KSU. All of which we outrebounded or matched head to head. We had poor rebounding games against iowa, OU and West Virginia this year. Otherwise we outrebounded our opponents or lost it by 1-2. Not what you expect from a team whose tallest player is 6'8" Ejim and Hogue are energy guys, board crashers and garbage guys. More like Dennis Rodman(not saying they are him) than your typical big body box out guy. They simply love to rebound