It wasn't a great win, but it was one we needed.

Our offense looked like it was running the best it had all year, but it didn't make a whole lot of difference in the first half, as the opposite was true with the defense. Alex Thompson getting in early foul trouble crippled the post defense, leading to UNI players drawing fouls down low.

But, Craig Brackins came through with one of the best games of his career with 32 points and 16 rebounds. UNI, for some reason, refused to double team Brackins until overtime, leaving him to shoot at will.

The offense wasn't hitting shots at a great rate tonight, but it was providing the looks that it was meant to. The dribble-drive, as well as the two man game, were working virtually at will. 

Brackins and Diante Garrett provided 49 of the 71 points tonight, showing once again that these two sophomores will have to be the ones carrying our team this season. No one else could get it in gear on offense. Lucca Staiger just can't seem to get it going, while Sean Haluska seems to have reverted into a fouling, brick laying machine. Ideally, Jamie Vanderbeken will increase his scoring output, or Alex Thompson will just start to score, period.

Greg McDermott's willingness to switch to the zone at time also contributed to the win. Colossal fatass Jordan Eglseder was held to just seven points while UNI chucked up 32 threes....just six of which fell. ISU was 2-14. So maybe the zone isn't totally evil.

This game was a needed stepping stone in the season. Next up comes Oregon State on Saturday. A 6-1 start would be a boon for this program.

Can we do it? Can we finally beat UNI? We're 6.5 point dogs to a less than impressive MVC school.....so.....maybe.

The awards are out, and yes, Iowa State has some All-Big 12 performers. Sure, we're the only school without any First or Second Team players, but hey, we've got some guys that were mentioned in an honorable sense.

Mike Brandtner, P; Leonard Johnson, DB/KR/PR; Rashawn Parker, DL; James Smith, DB; Jesse Smith, LB; Reggie Stephens, OL; Kurtis Taylor, DL

Brandtner and Johnson could have probably made second team (heck, Brandtner might be our team MVP). 

Do you guys see any snubs? Or any guys that shouldn't have been nominated?

In what can only be deemed a bit surprising, Coach Chizik has reshuffled his coaching staff by letting go of QB coach Tony Petersen, secondary coach Shawn Raney, demoting DC Wayne Bolt to LB coach, and demoting OC Robert MacFarland to OL coach.

It's surprising that Chizik felt a need to make the moves now, especially as the offense was showing some signs of life late in the year. Now begins a fun search for two new coordinators. Early names already out there include Major Applewhite, Gus Malzhan, Greg Robinson and Paul Rhoads. Smart money says none of those guys get hired.

.....and the rumor mill is already ramping up, including Major Applewhite (again). When Chizik first took the job, he was mentioned as a possible choice as an assistant. We now have an open spot for an OC/QB's coach, and he is one name that has come up for consideration.

Now, Wikipedia has his compensation at $250k, whereas our former OC Robert McFarland, was making $275k.....so there's a possibility of a raise.

I feel we'll strongly go after the Tulsa OC, but Applewhite will probably be under consideration.

Greg Robinson is also popping up on the DC radar, as is Auburn DC Paul Rhoads.

I doubt there's much of a chance we would get Applewhite (though, the Applewhite fan deep inside of me would get a kick out of it), I thought the same thing about Chizik. Now that Muschamp is the crown prince of UT football, maybe Applewhite will look for a position that will get him closer to a head coaching position. Who knows, but just something to be aware of.

Tonight is a golden opportunity for the Cyclone women to make a serious statement and a serious move in the polls. Unfortunately, with the game in Hawai'i, this game will not be on TV, but it may be on the radio dial for some of you. Stanford will be missing it's starting point guard.

ISU struggled with Creighton, and was less than stellar against Prairie View A&M, but there's no denying that this team is certainly good enough to knock off the Cardinal.