We continue down the path of dissapointment. Not that I expected ISU to win prior to the game, but KU only looked impressive at times, and other times they looked very unimpressive.
In the first half, we got off to too slow of a start, as we got in an early 13-2 hole. You simply cannot do this on the road. Fortunately KU started giving the game away. We ended the 1st half somewhat strong and got ourselves back into the game, down by only 9 after being down by 17 with 9:19 left in the first half.
In the 2nd half, we came out the gates strong, which has been unlike ISU in many games to be honest. In the end, we couldn't get closer to KU than 6 points, and KU just had too much firepower for ISU to try to overcome.
Here are some stats from the game:
- FG%: ISU 18 of 57 (31.6%), KU 28 of 55 (50.9%)
- 3pt%: ISU 10 of 29 (34.5%), KU 8 of 18 (44.4%)
- Rebounds: ISU 26 (9 off), KU 36 (8 off)
- Free Throws: ISU 9 of 14 (64.3%), KU 8 of 8 (100%)
- Turnovers: ISU 15, KU 18
- Points in the Paint: ISU 8, KU 24
- Points off of Turnovers: ISU 10, KU 8
- Fast Break Points: ISU 6, KU 8
- Bench Points: ISU 20, KU 11
So what do the above stats mean? It tells me that we didn't play good enough defense, as a lot of KU's turnovers were unforced anyways. KU shot for too high of a percentage. Also, ISU doesn't have a good offensive starting 5. Our bench outscored theirs, but I have NO idea why Vanderbeken isn't starting as he put up 15 points with significant minutes on the floor (27 minutes)
Noteable Players:
- Craig Brackins - 20 points, 11 Rebounds, 1 Steal. He was forced to take some bad shots though, as he went 7 of 21 from the field.
- Jamie Vanderbeken - Had a career high 15 points along with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and 1 steal. All of his points came from 5 of 9 shooting from 3
- Bryan Peterson - 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
- Sherron Collins - 22 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists on 9 of 17 shooting including 4 of 6 from 3
- Cole Aldrich - 22 points, 11 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal. He went 9 of 12 from the field, including quite a few mid range jumpers. He has an UGLY shot, but it was going in today
Final Thoughts:
LIke CrossCyed said in the game thread, KU was just better. ISU would have to play a good game and fire on all cylinders in order to have a chance. ISU already got a gift in that KU started to take themselves out of the game, but KU made big plays when they had to.
I personally am frustrated with this offense. What bothers me more than just missing shots is how so many of our guys just stand around when they don't have the ball. I'm not sure if this is a limitation of our players, or if it's part of the coaching offense. All I know is that the team has to rely on mid range and long range jumpers and it has been failing. We put ourselves in a position where we have to make a ton of 3s to have a chance, and we simply aren't a good 3 point shooting team. We have some players who can shoot it well at times, but they don't do it consistently.
If you're going to hang your hat on being a good defensive team and a good shooting team, you better play good D and shoot the ball well. It seems like we do 1 or the other, or neither. Don't be fooled by that home CU game. Those 9 points we allowed in the first half were a result of them missing WIDE-OPEN 3s, as opposed to us playing staunch D.
EDIT: Ever since CrossCyed posted this sheet a couple games ago, I've really liked looking at these. As you will see below, the initial lead in the first half was killer. Also, the 5 minute mark in the game was make or break time, and KU "made" and ISU "broke"...
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