Wednesday, January 30th, 2019

BBRRRR... Today was a frigid winter day in Iowa.  There was some damn thing called a polar vortex, which as I understand it is a low pressure system of cold air that normally sits over the North Pole, and it somehow moved this far south to give us some extreme cold temperatures.  In Ames, we had a new record low for January 30th, as it reached 22 degrees below zero.  For a while this morning it was actually colder in Ames than it was in Antarctica (it was only -11 degrees there this AM). 

So that terribly cold air made for an especially brisk walk to and from Hilton Coliseum tonight.  I did manage to brave the elements to watch the 20th-ranked Cyclones dispose of West Virginia, 93-68.  Iowa State dominated for the majority of the game, as they led by 17 points at halftime.  Lindell Wigginton was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led all scorers with 28 points.  He was joined in double figures by teammates Marial Shayok (18) and Nick Weiler-Babb (14).  One memorable moment from this game was late in the second half when West Virginia's coach Bob Huggins was given two technical fouls in a row and ejected for arguing with the referees.  He was so mad and just screaming at the refs, and it was enjoyable to watch him get thrown out.

Tonight marks the 4th time that I have attended an ISU-WVU basketball game.  The Cyclones won in 2018 and 2013, while West Virginia won the 2017 match-up. 

Tip-off between the Cyclones and Mountaineers.

Saturday, January 19th, 2019

What a difference a week can make.  Last Saturday, Iowa State had just lost it's second conference game in a row by falling at home to Kansas State, 57-58.  It seemed that any hopes of challenging for the Big 12 conference title were gone.  However, after a big win on the road at #8 Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Cyclones were able to come back home tonight and defeat Oklahoma State, 72-59.  All of a sudden, the Cyclones find themselves tied for 1st place in the conference and squarely "in contention" again. 

I would say that the player of the game for Iowa State was Marial Shayok.  He led the team in scoring with 20 points, and he connected on 4 of 8 from three point range.  He was joined in double figures scoring by Lindell Wigginton (14), Cameron Lard (12), and Nick Weiler-Babb (10).  It feels nice to be mentioning Lard, who had missed the previous couple of games due to an ankle sprain.

Tonight was the 6th time that I have seen Iowa State and Oklahoma State play.  The Cowboys won last year, while the Cyclones were victorious in all of the other contests (2017, 2015, 2014, 2013). 

GO STATE!

Saturday, January 12th, 2019

This morning I took Maxwell over to Hilton Coliseum for an 11:00 tip-off to watch the Cyclones play Kansas State.  Unfortunately, the Wildcats ended up making more plays down the stretch and beat Iowa State, 58-57.  Iowa State came into the game ranked #20 in the country, thanks in part to their big win last weekend over Kansas.  The game in general was a low-scoring defensive battle, which seemed to favor Kansas State.  They are known as one of the better defensive teams in the country this year.  But really, this was a game that Iowa State should have won.  Iowa State was leading 55-48 with 5 minutes remaining, but they just couldn't take advantage of opportunities in the end.  In the final minute, Weiler-Babb missed a wide open 3 from the corner.  Lindell Wigginton missed on the front end of a one-and-one when Kansas State was forced to foul.  Then Barry Brown made a driving layup with 6 seconds left to give KSU the lead for good.  Ugh.  Nick Weiler-Babb was the only Cyclone that scored in double figures today (he had 11 points). 

I believe that this was Maxwell's 10th basketball game that he has attended.  This was also the 6th Big 12 conference game that he has been to.  That includes wins vs West Virginia in 2018, TCU in 2017, and Baylor in 2017.  He has also seen losses to Oklahoma State in 2018, Texas in 2018, and then vs Kansas State today.  One funny thing about Maxwell today is that he slept through almost all of the game.  I bought a popcorn to share with him, which he ended up eating 90% of.  He must have felt sleepy with a full tummy, because around 11:30 he crawled onto my lap and passed out, and he didn't wake up until we got up to leave when the game finished at 1:00. 

As for myself, today was the sixth time that I have been to an ISU-KSU basketball game.  The Cyclones are 5-1 in those contests (I witnessed ISU win in 2017, 2016, 2013, 2012, and back in 2003). 

Saturday, January 5th, 2019

WAY TO GO CYCLONES!!!

This afternoon I had an awesome time with my dad, as we attended Iowa State's huge win over 5th-ranked Kansas, 77-60.  One thing worth mentioning that made this day even better was the unusually warm weather that we've had recently.  It was 55 degrees outside when we walked from my car to Hilton for the 4:00 tip-off.  This time of year, that walk is usually super cold, like 5 degrees. 

Anyways, the game itself was awesome to watch.  Throughout the first half the game was really close, but the Cyclones managed to take a 36-32 lead after Tyrese Haliburton swished a deep 3 right before halftime.  Midway through the second half, Iowa State took over.  They led by as many as 20 points!  Against a "Top 5 team"!  I had to use quotation marks there, because KU looked very over-rated.  I believe that Kansas had 24 turnovers for the game. 

Marial Shayok was the player of the game for Iowa State, as he led all scorers with 24 points (including a 5-5 effort from 3 point range).  He was joined in double figures for ISU by Tyrese Haliburton (14) and Nick Weiler-Babb (12).  Haliburton played very well on both ends of the court, as he made some big steals when Kansas was in transition, and his long arms interrupted passing lanes all night. 

Tonight marks the 5th time that I have attended an ISU-KU basketball game.  I also watched ISU win back in 2015, while the Jayhawks have won in 2018, 2017, and in 2013.  So now I have witnessed at least 2 wins against every Big 12 team.

The #5 ranking that Kansas entered the game with marks the 2nd highest ranking of a team that I have seen ISU defeat in basketball.  Overall, I believe that this is the 6th time that I have seen ISU defeat a top-10 team in the country.  The previous times were vs #8 Texas Tech last year,  #9 Baylor in 2017, #1 Oklahoma in 2016, #9 Kansas in 2015, and #7 Michigan in 2013.  I'm guessing that Iowa State will probably jump into the top-25 rankings soon after their dominant win today.

Go State!