Personally I think preseason predictions are silly.
We know we will have talent but we have no clue how they will mesh together as a team.
We have been ranked No 1 before and it turned out to be worthless…nothing but a huge target on your back.
The Big 12 will be improved so the winner should be well groomed to make a run.
I’m just trusting Sampson to get the best out of the kids.
Can’t wait for the season to start
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Preseason polls by definition are not real. What I like most is who is leading our program.
They matter because it shapes the narrative to start the season - which shouldn’t matter but it totally influences where things end.
The Big 12 needs to do better this years OOC. The conference poor OOC cost West Virginia a bid in the tourney because the narrative allowed it. To me it looked like the conference almost universally underperformed OOC last season.
It’s great for the conference to have Houston #1 to start. Of course some teams mesh and some don’t have the talent come together.
We all saw Kansas last season. Still, it’s better to earn top team consideration. The odds seem much higher of finishing as a top team.
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I hear you, but I don’t remember a Sampson team that didn’t mesh.
I think the only one you could say is the 2019-20 team
I remember Coach saying he didn’t want Dejon back after his Junior yr, if he didn’t change his attitude
You look back on that season & we were relying heavily on Caleb Mills when you have upperclassmen
*Fabian White
*Dejon Jarreau
*Nate Hinton
Who probably should’ve carried more of the load.
But, under Sampson our teams usually mesh well.
They got off to slow start that season but had really come together after the first of January. Kelvin felt they were poised to make a run at the AAC tourney, as well as the NCAAs
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My GIF response was just flagged and removed. Weeeak
Hope I don’t end up in CF jail over this! 
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Now I want to see what GIF you posted!!
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3-3 record in final 6 games.
22nd in offensive efficiency, 21st in Defensive efficiency that yr. Maybe a Sweet 16 type team if they got a good draw
True but love the positive press and national respect.
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Good points the sec had 14 members and some were not justified. We/a BIG12 team has to win it all and place regularly in the Final Four.
An elite basketball conference like Yormark wants us is much harder to ignore.
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Two words meant to illustrate a narrative is untrue (no profanity lol)
It was benign, I assure you. I’m certainly no message board criminal!
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Yoooooooo!!!
I actually liked your reply back. 
But Bart Torvik projects yall to be
40th in offensive efficiency. Hows that Final Four material?
Ill hang up and listen
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For anyone interested in real and relavent insider info about the landscape of NIL and the transition to pay for play, I can’t recommend this enough.
The title is kind of clickbait, but I promise Blum (NIL director) gets into the heart of the bigger picture very quickly. Lots of good info in here and easy to follow.
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Don’t think Nate was an upperclassman when Caleb was on the team.
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Nate was a SOPH when Caleb was a redshirt FR
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Magic, my friend!.. Hilton Magic, baby!
But no seriously…both you and pesik make good and fair points. No offense taken whatsoever. Final Four? Man, that’s the tallest of tall orders, so I’m not gonna speculate on that, ever. There’s always a big “magic” or luck component to that. That’s always the elephant in the room. Houston was a machine and a team of destiny, but even they had a few breaks their way at times. No shame in that, it’s always a part of the final four sauce, so to speak.
But in terms of the roster additions specifically, there is a big “magic” component for us, and it’s 100% fair not to see it or believe in it. But I do, because I see it time and time again. So with that in mind, feel free and even encouraged to completely disregard everything I’m about to say:
To your excellent point about replacing Gilbert and Jones… those two guys might as well been named Yuck and Who when they transfered in. Especially Jones. Nobody knew who they were, nobody wanted them. I remember trying to tell people I liked Gilbert and thought he might be really good. It kind of went nowhere. I like this group’s film considerably more FWIW.
Evaluation, fit, and hollistic roster construction is just what we do. ISU’s staff is uniquely built to shine in these exact situations w/ these exact questionable solutions. If Otz Green Blount Schmidt Byers bring you in, you have been annointed and delivered from purgatory amongst the huddled masses. Peak moneyball Billy Beane type stuff. This is what they do. They will mesh and overachieve in Cardinal and Gold.
I could say more about each addition specifically, including the freshmen. But this post is long and drag-worthy enough lol. There will be some minor tweaks, but ISU will be about as good as last year. And I like those odds. Bring it on!
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True but then again I can’t remember a Sampson team that relied on three freshmen.
Then again we do know coach will squeeze as much out of this team as possible!
Go Coogs
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Relied is a strong word. Cenac is the only guaranteed starter among our freshman.
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