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10 Thoughts: Iowa State

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Photo Attribution: US Presswire

Photo Attribution: US Presswire

Oklahoma State won a thriller tonight in GIA. Only five guys scored (all in double figures) but this was the first game I watched this year that made me say “wow, these guys (both teams) look phenomenal.” They ran sets, they hit shots, they did non-B1G football things(scored)! The entire game was just fantastic college basketball — like old Big 8 hoops — and Smart is just a killer. 10 more thoughts on the game…

BOX SCORE

1. Serious question: who’s going to win Big 12 freshman of the year/Big 12 player of the year? And will Smart be the best player ever to not win frosh of the year after McLemore gets it? 21-6-7-4 against ISU and it was routine. He’s now in second place all-time for steals by a freshman (53) at OSU and fifth all-time in assists (88) — and he had some gems in that category tonight. He’s so complete it almost feels like he’s underappreciated.

Also, here’s a better angle of his half court shot…

2. I thought Cobbins played like a man tonight. 10 points, six boards (three offensive), an assist — and he was really the only big guy who played (Jurick and Murph got eight minutes combined). His numbers weren’t off the charts but he and Nash did a lot of dirty work down low and it showed.

3. I have to say, Iowa State’s “five guys standing outside the three point line waiting to cut to the hoop” offense kinda turns me on.

4. Confession time: I only saw bits and pieces of this game (shout out to @nolancox for keeping the tweets going on @pistolsguy tonight!) live. I read a bunch of stuff after, looked at the box score, then re-watched it. As I was looking at the box score my first thought was “we only won by two?!” Seriously, look at the numbers — we out offensive rebounded them, forced twice as many turnovers, and had half as many fouls. Then I saw that they shot 54% both from the field and from three point range. That is absurd!

Their FG% was the third highest it’s been all season and their 3P% was the second best…and all this against one of the 10 best defenses in the nation. A great win indeed for the Pokes.

5. Like Bedlam football…but exactly the opposite!

6. Forte is such a valuable weapon. Obviously he’s lights out, but how about the play we ran on his four-point play in the first half?

Gardner was at the top of the key where Nash screened his guy. Nash then ran to the baseline and set a screen for Forte who popped out and buried it. It was a beautiful play but the great thing is that people are going to start going over the top of those screens and doubling on Forte which means that anybody with an aptitude for passing between oh…say…John Potter and Doug Gottlieb will be able to hit Nash down low going to the hoop.

Like I said, Forte is a weapon.

7. Why OKC Dave is the man (and two other great tweets)…Dave is right too — you have Forte run to the ball and if he’s not open the other option is just heave it as far as you can to three dudes standing at the other end?? And if that really IS the plan, why not just tell them not to touch anyone no matter what happens so Iowa State has to hit a Marcus Smart-like bomb for the win.

https://twitter.com/okc_dave/status/296837191676616704

Anyway, here are two other great tweets.

8. Ford high fiving the student section after the game was awesome. Sure, he’s just releasing some “I might have bought myself another few months of work” energy, but still awesome.

9. There are really no amount of game winners that can make up for November 2011.

10. Bryndan Manzer said it during the broadcast but Nash going to the hoop from 15 feet and in is money. Nash going away from the hoop at any point or anything he does from outside of 15 feet is the opposite of money.

11. (bonus!) WUT?!

And just for funsies, this is surely what Smart did after the game…

smartdance

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