1. Oh no.
There are a lot of thoughts to put here. How likely is it that ISU goes 0-18 in the Big 12? How desperate did Cyclones look last night? How many threes can this team miss? How many turnovers can this team yield? How did Solomon Young only end up taking six shots against a front line that banged up?
It was the easiest chance at a win in conference play, and they missed it. So maybe the biggest thought is, how bad is this going to get?
2. What progress can be made in the short term?
It’s not pretty looking forward, but there’s a lot of season to be played. We’re only four games into this thing, which could be viewed as either a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, after a terrifying trip to Morgantown, ISU gets to try some things out back in Ames against Jackson State and Chicago State before resuming Big 12 play. There’s plenty of time, and the possibility’s there that the team will come together, figure things out, all that jazz. On the other hand…after West Virginia, ISU’s next three conference games are against Baylor, Texas, and Texas Tech. Between the Chicago State game and the trip to Starkville at the end of January, Iowa State only plays one team that isn’t projected to comfortably make the NCAA Tournament. That team is Kansas State, and that game is in Manhattan.
3. Are long term steps coming?
Steve Prohm’s tenure has not been successful. This will be the third year out of his six in Ames in which the Cyclones won’t be a factor for even the NIT. All three of those have come in the last four seasons, with the fourth a team that landed at only .500 in the Big 12 before going on that run in Kansas City. Prohm’s signed through 2025, and one would guess he isn’t on the hot seat yet, and that he won’t be on the hot seat even if the season continues down this path (I wonder how much the football program’s success shields him from dissatisfaction). But that’s not a guaranteed bet. And we’re at the point now where it’s at least on the radar.
