Iowa State Cyclones women's basketball had an unusual season before beginning their March Madness campaign, but Cyclones center Audi Crooks still believes that the team is more capable than what the records show.

Iowa State kicked off the year in flying colors with a 14-game winning streak, which got many viewing them as one of the top contenders. However, their form soon went downhill as they lost the next five matches in a row. The team then won seven out of their next eight matches and ended the regular season with another three-game slide out of four.

Nevertheless, Crooks refused to lose faith in her team despite their volatile form in the current year. She spoke to USA Today before the beginning of their March Madness campaign on March 21 and said, "Our record doesn't necessarily reflect the talent that we have. When we're on, we're a really dangerous team.

She further mentioned, "And you know, being without two of our pieces in the starting lineup hurt us for a little while, but now that we kind of have everybody back and healthy, we're able to look to the future for some more wins.”

And truly, a closer look at their record shows Iowa State is tough to beat when key players like Arianna Jackson and Addy Brown are both on the floor, going 16-4 with three of those losses coming by single digits.

Simply put, the Cyclones play better together, something that lines up with the team chemistry also seen in NIL partnerships involving Crooks and Jada Williams.

On top of that, they’re also powered by Audi Crooks’ elite scoring, as the 6-foot-3 junior is putting up 25.5 points per game while shooting 64.7% from the field and leading the nation in two-pointers made.

She even topped 40 points for the third time this season in a win over Kansas State, becoming the fastest Big 12 player to reach 2,000 career points.

“I would say the mindset of the team is really the reason that those things are able to happen. We're all focused on a common goal,” Crooks said.

However, Crooks' confidence regarding the Iowa State Cyclones took a dent in their very first March Madness game.

Audi Crooks and the Iowa State Cyclones Begun March Madness With a Defeat

Crooks may have delivered a praiseworthy performance in their first March Madness match against Syracuse, but she failed to steer her side to a victory, losing the match 72-63. Even her 37-point performance on March 21, couldn't fetch her side the W.

Crooks kept the focus on her teammates after their loss. She said, "We're still processing everything. Just being there for each other right now is the priority... making sure everyone is mentally okay through this tough time."

A look at the games's box scores reveal that the Cyclones forward suffered from a lack of sufficent support from her teammates. Besides Crooks and Williams (14 points) none of the Cyclones players could cross the 10-point mark.

However, Crooks' trust in her team and stablemates say that they can certainly bounce back in their next outing against Kentucky on March 22.

So, do you think Crooks' and Co. will be able to return to the winning column in their next game?

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Written by

Sauramita Debbarma

Edited by

Souvik Roy