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The fine folks over at Cowboys Ride For Free were kind enough to ask for our opinions on tonight's game. We decided to return the favor and gain some key insight into the game in Stillwater, where Oklahoma State stashes their secret weapon, and much more!
Shout out to CRFF's JoshPoteet_CRFF for the great answers to our curious Q's.
WRNL: Travis Ford was seemingly on the hot seat before the year started. Has the fanbase eased up on him at all as the year has progressed, or is the final verdict still to be determined?
CRFF: The final verdict is still to be determined most definitely. There is a segment of the fanbase who thinks that assistant coach, James Dickey, is the cause for success this season. I don’t know if Ford’s job is safe but it’s certainly more stable than it was last season. So is the heat still hot? Yes. Is it as hot as it has been? No.
We’ll see how the rest of the season plays out and more importantly how the team plays once Le’Bryan Nash leaves.
WRNL: That mini win streak you guys had over Texas, KU and Baylor was impressive, especially considering two of those were on the road (UT, BU). Then, you let Purple Texas pick up their first non-Red Raider conference victory of the year. What happened in Fort Worth?
CRFF: What game are you talking about? I don’t remember that. Last Saturday doesn’t exist, right?
Seriously though, there isn’t an explanation other than the fact that OSU crapped their pants in that damn high school gym. Nash was awful, Forte was worse. If they play like that tonight then the Pokes will get squashed. But good for Purple Texas, I guess. I can’t justify what happened on Saturday but if I had to I would say that TCU is a much better team than they were last year.
WRNL: Who is the MVP of this year's Cowboys squad? Nash? Forte? More importantly, where in Stillwater do you hide your 5-foot-7 3-point draining white guy cloning machine?
CRFF: The answer to your last question is confidential and the answer is Travis Ford's 11,000 square foot mansion. Seriously, click that link and enlighten yourself on the lavish life of Travis Ford, the most overpaid coach in the country. He probably has a whole room dedicated to cloning small white guys that can shoot.
The MVP of the season as been Anthony Hickey. I think Nash and Forte are the easy answer but Hickey has been the X-Factor for the Pokes all season long. The offense, as dysfunctional as it is, runs through Hickey and when he plays well the team almost always wins. He is the best floor general this team has and as a result is the most valuable.
WRNL: In our first meeting in Ames, you guys did a pretty good job overall slowing down our offensive attack and making it tough for our stars to score. Holding a Fred Hoiberg coached team to 63 points in Hilton Coliseum is very impressive. Dustin Hogue was nearly unstoppable down the stretch in that game... Does the OSU game plan shift to defending him better, or is keeping our other players quiet still the best option?
CRFF: I think you try to stop the Iowa State stars. If I’m Travis Ford I’m not going to get beat by Niang and I’d take my chances with Hogue. At times Hogue has been great but he has also been very poor at times. It’s so tough to win on the road in this league and especially in Stillwater so if Ford can slow down the Cyclone stars then he should be fine.
I expect the game plan to be try and stop Niang and company but allow Hogue to try to be a Cowboy killer once again.
WRNL: It seems like all of the basketball games between the Cyclones and Cowboys have been heart attack inducing over the past few years... Do you see that trend continuing tonight? Also, who you got?
CRFF: This one is so tough because I really want to pick the Pokes but Iowa State is clearly the better team. So give me the Pokes 65-61 in a thriller. The Pokes bounce back after an embarrassing loss and continue to somehow stay relevant.
WRNL: BONUS Q - Do you believe in 3sus of Nazareth?
CRFF: I am a believer. All hail 3sus of Nazareth.