how was the season?

[cyborgg]

ISU's season has been a huge disappointment so I am now adopting NDSU as my new team for the rest of the year. ISU had its best player returning and it got worse. NDSU lost its best player but still won a respectable number of games and still has a chance in the tournament so I'm jumping on the bandwagon.

[TheBisonator]

Four starters graduated from last year's team.

Three more players off the active roster this year alone. (One kicked off team, two injured)

We've been playing with a roster of 9 active players most of the season.

I don't care if you're frickin' Kansas, if that happens to you, you're gonna suck. Luckily, we were able to finish the regular season looking at least mediocre and inconsistent, rather than all-out awful. 11-17 with an 8-10 record in conference. We have many many players, both injured, redshirted and new, coming on board next year. I expect us to be over .500 again in 2010-11. If we can get Jay Harris, expect us to be the 2012 or 2013 version of this year's Northern Iowa team.

It will only get better from here.

[cyborgg]

No need to defend your team at all, I was complimenting NDSU for overcoming many of those challenges this year while ISU has not. In the end, it's really all about winning the tournament and getting a bid, so 18-0 or 0-18 are both the same unless you win when it counts.

[TheBisonator]

No need to defend your team at all, I was complimenting NDSU for overcoming many of those challenges this year while ISU has not. In the end, it's really all about winning the tournament and getting a bid, so 18-0 or 0-18 are both the same unless you win when it counts.

I suppose. Three wins this weekend and we're NCAA bound. The thing about Mid-Majors is knowing that March Madness really starts at the first game of your conference tournament. Doesn't matter if you're 11-17 overall and 8-10 in your conference, if you have made it to Sioux Falls, there's a shot for you.

[EndZoneQB]

No need to defend your team at all, I was complimenting NDSU for overcoming many of those challenges this year while ISU has not. In the end, it's really all about winning the tournament and getting a bid, so 18-0 or 0-18 are both the same unless you win when it counts.


Werd. Unfortunately it would only put us in the "play-in" game...but it is better than nothing. We do have an uphill climb, but all it takes is one upset of the 1/2 seeds and our chances get better.

BTW, since it's so few and far between, I have to say you've been a great non-Bison fan to the board. Your comments are always constructive, if not complimentary. It's fresh, especially coming from a bigger school!

[TheDoctor]

Four starters graduated from last year's team.

Three more players off the active roster this year alone. (One kicked off team, two injured)

We've been playing with a roster of 9 active players most of the season.

I don't care if you're frickin' Kansas, if that happens to you, you're gonna suck.

Maybe Kansas, but that would NEVER happen to a quality program, like say....North Carolina! :D ;)

[NDSUFan_Sav]

Four starters graduated from last year's team.

Three more players off the active roster this year alone. (One kicked off team, two injured)

We've been playing with a roster of 9 active players most of the season.

I don't care if you're frickin' Kansas, if that happens to you, you're gonna suck. Luckily, we were able to finish the regular season looking at least mediocre and inconsistent, rather than all-out awful. 11-17 with an 8-10 record in conference. We have many many players, both injured, redshirted and new, coming on board next year. I expect us to be over .500 again in 2010-11. If we can get Jay Harris, expect us to be the 2012 or 2013 version of this year's Northern Iowa team.

It will only get better from here.

I beg to differ about Kansas, 2008 National Champs after the season they lost 8 players: So. Darrell Arthur, Jr. Mario Chalmers, Jr. Brandon Rush, Sr. Rod Stewart, Sr. Jeremy Case (barely played), Sr Russel Robinson who started every game, Sr. Sausha Kaun, and Sr. Darnell Jackson. for 2008-2009 season they bring in 7 players 6 freshmen and 1 transfer and went 25-6 in Regular Season and ended the season 27-8 making the Sweet 16 and losing 67-62 to Michigan St. not sure how that's bad by how you're saying how they would be if they lost the # of players NDSU lost.

We all knew it would be a struggle this season and up and down season, we also didn't expect to lose 2 players to injury and 1 to getting kicked off the team. The thing is though the season isn't over we still have the Summit Tourney!

[NDSUstudent]

I don't know, Kansas did bring Collins back and a great point guard can be the kind of leader that can make a young team work.

We lost our floor general in Woodside, we are still trying to develop that position, I just hope Zastrow or somebody else can step up next year. With solid play from the point this team could be dangerous.

[NDSUFan_Sav]

I don't know, Kansas did bring Collins back and a great point guard can be the kind of leader that can make a young team work.

We lost our floor general in Woodside, we are still trying to develop that position, I just hope Zastrow or somebody else can step up next year. With solid play from the point this team could be dangerous.

most those players didn't even get much playing time if i remember right Cole i think avg'd like 6 mins a game or something small.

Imo it's the coach that brought that group together. Collins is a great leader and he's grown tremendously as a person and was a key to that team. But losing 8 guys and getting 7 new guys is pretty impressive for what they did.

Personally, ya we lost 5 guys, then coming into the season we lost 1 and 2 throughout the season that hurt a lot too, I think that made a difference in a couple games. It's also harder for NDSU to rebuild like KU, Cuse, Duke etc.

[dannygunner]

I think our record this season was as expected, but the fact that we were in every game this year was surprising. You look at the schedule, NDSU was in every conference game this year. I thought for sure we were going to be blown out of plenty of conference games this year, but we had some players really excel their games this year.

Freshman: Jordan Aaberg. He needs to bulk up and work on fundamentals, but the talent is there. His athleticism and length will make him very dangerous around the rim both offensively and defensively when he gets some footwork down.

Nate Zastrow: When this kid bulks up, look out. He doesn't lack confidence and proved he can hit the big shot. He's an excellent shooter and has so much speed. Being a freshman, his decision making is getting better, but he still needs to improve in that aspect. I look for him to be big for NDSU this weekend in Sioux Falls.

Mike Felt: We didn't get to see much of him which was unfortunate. The kid has a beautiful stroke and didn't start to get comfortable at the college level until IUPUI when he went 3 for 7 shooting, all threes. (Of course that was the last game he played this year.) God bless him not playing enough games this season to lose his redshirt, so we still have four years ahead with Felt. I think he will be better than SDSU's freshman Wolters. Especially at making free throws late in games.

Have no idea what Taylor Braun will give us next year, but he looks very athletic. Same with Nagel.

Sophomores: Eric Carlson improved his footwork around the basket this off-season and its showed. He's looking like the talent we recruited to come in here and play big minutes. Nothing but upside with this kid.

Drew Lundberg: I think he was solid at times this year, but he made some critical mistakes at important times in the game. Chalk it up to inexperience. Next year he improves and will be an important part to this team's success.

Juniors: Michael Tveidt will have play the way he did in the closing minutes against Western Illinois the entire game against ORU for NDSU to have any chance. If you watch him play throughout an entire game, no one tries harder to get a shot. He comes off double screens with about eight dudes grabbing his jersey to make sure he doesn't have any open look. He sees any daylight he's knocking down a shot. I believe we got exactly what we thought we would out of this guy.

Seniors: Austin Pennick has no offense, but he makes sure that the guy he defends doesn't either. Awesome one-on-one defender. As the season went on, he became more important to the team.

Sam Sussenguth: Great post defender and has showed that he can score when he needs to. Solid rebounder and knows the only reason we start Aaberg in front of him is so we have a shot to win the tip. He is our 6th man of the year.

Josh Vaughan: His shooting cooled off as the season went on, but that was to be expected. Teams started to realize "Damn, this guy could shoot us out of the gym." He demanded as much attention as Tveidt on offense. He also is Mr. Clutch, with the three in SDSU to send it to double OT and the three free throws against WIU.

All in all, going into Sunday's game against ORU, the Bison have the best chance of any of the lower seeds moving on. They're going to need the big three to have solid games, but Zastrow is really going to need to show up offensively. Seeing how his best game was in this state, he might have it in him. Win or lose, I think this season showed us that we have a lot to look forward to next season.

[Old Titan]

Four starters graduated from last year's team.

Three more players off the active roster this year alone. (One kicked off team, two injured)

We've been playing with a roster of 9 active players most of the season.

I don't care if you're frickin' Kansas, if that happens to you, you're gonna suck.

Really?

How about losing four seniors from last year, three of them starters?
Three players transferring over the summer, another this past semester?
Losing your starting point guard AND his back-up to season-ending knee injuries in November?
Losing a 6'-10" post player with an ACL in November?
Playing the entire season with seven scholarship players and two walk-ons?
How about 19-12 in the regular season?
13-5 in conference play (3rd place)?
Wins over #10 New Mexico, Big XII #3 Missouri, and at Stanford?

No guarantee you have to "suck" just because you suffer some adversity - it happens.

[Bison bison]

Sure does, just like ORU getting sent home before the conference championship game.

[cyborgg]

Werd. Unfortunately it would only put us in the "play-in" game...but it is better than nothing. We do have an uphill climb, but all it takes is one upset of the 1/2 seeds and our chances get better.

BTW, since it's so few and far between, I have to say you've been a great non-Bison fan to the board. Your comments are always constructive, if not complimentary. It's fresh, especially coming from a bigger school!

I think Werd means you agree, at first I thought you meant weird but I figured it out. The other good thing about the tournament is even if you don't win, you get one last chance to ruin the season for somebody else!

Thanks for the nice words, I like it here because there aren't too many crazy posters and you can actually discuss things. Unless you're trying to discuss with CaBison that is, then normal rules of logic don't apply.

[EndZoneQB]

I think Werd means you agree, at first I thought you meant weird but I figured it out. The other good thing about the tournament is even if you don't win, you get one last chance to ruin the season for somebody else!

Thanks for the nice words, I like it here because there aren't too many crazy posters and you can actually discuss things. Unless you're trying to discuss with CaBison that is, then normal rules of logic don't apply.

Yeah, sorry, I use the term "werd/word" quite often. It's more of a friend type of word, but since I use it so frequently with them, it finds it's way into posts.

And Amen on ruining someones season, hopefully Oral Roberts! I almost think the spoiler is a more fun role anyway.

[ndsubison1]

I think if we can just get past ORU that will raise our confidence level immensely. We get past ORU and into that semi-final game anything can happen.

[cyborgg]

Yeah, sorry, I use the term "werd/word" quite often. It's more of a friend type of word, but since I use it so frequently with them, it finds it's way into posts.

And Amen on ruining someones season, hopefully Oral Roberts! I almost think the spoiler is a more fun role anyway.

I didn't see the game but it looks like it was a good one. At least Oral Roberts didn't win it all.