His team clinging to two point lead with just under one minute left, Steve Prohm gave a middle finger to adversity and led his team to one of the most unique wins in Iowa State history. After ignoring the numerous pleas from the nearest official, the head coach held his ground, stomped his foot and yelled “MY TEAM....IS ON THE FLOOR!”. Undermanned and literally outnumbered, the Cyclones closed out their win over the Horned Frogs with the four jubilant players still standing, celebrating at mid court with thousands of their closest Cyclone fans.

This isn’t your typical preview, because this isn’t your typical game. There will be no postseason berth hanging in the balance, there will be no bunker talk from Joe Lunardi, and there will be no Nick Weiler-Babb or Solomon Young. The two starters will be out for this game, and most likely the rest of the year.

So, then there were eight. Not just eight scholarship players, but eight players in uniform. That number could dwindle if Hans Brase sits out once again as he has in the last four games. That would shrink Steve Prohm’s roster down to seven. Woof.

A season that started with reckless anticipation has humbled even the most die-hard of fans. While it’s tough to find reasons for optimism as the clock winds down on this season, all hope has not been lost. That wouldn’t be the Iowa State Way.

With one eye on the present and two eyes (yes humans have three eyes now) on the future, Cyclone fans have enjoyed watching the league’s best two freshmen turn into budding superstars. Forced into a more prominent role due to injury, graduate transfer Zoran Talley has been the talk of the Clone Cone line for his positive production as of late. After hitting some of the biggest shots of an incredible season just one year ago, Donovan Jackson is climbing the single season record books for his three point shooting prowess.

Point being, there is still a lot to play for. There is still a lot to cheer for.

Most importantly, the players on the floor still expect to win.

As fans, we have just a couple of weeks left of Cyclone basketball, something that for many of us is a welcome distraction to the dog days of winter. Sure, the future looks bright, but the present has given us plenty to be proud of too.

For Iowa State fans, the best has come when the deck was stacked against our Cyclones. Whether it was beating Oklahoma on the road with a “third-string” quarterback, or overcoming a 15 point deficit inside Allen Fieldhouse, adversity has proven it is no match for the Iowa State Cyclones.

On Wednesday evening, the Cyclones may start the game with just eight players. If the fouls pile up, they may finish the game literally outnumbered. The odds are not with the Cyclones. This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last. Dealing with adversity is a way of life for the student athletes in Ames.

What I do know is Steve Prohm gives zero fucks what people will say or expect to happen. White flag be damned, his team is on the floor.

Let’s get weird.

Iowa State- 78 TCU- 74

Game Notes

Game Time: Wednesday, February 21st, 7 PM

Line: TCU (-6.5) O/U (156)

TV: Cyclones.Tv