ISU men's hoops rewind: Looking back at the Cyclones' season with quotes from media day

Remember when the Iowa State's men's basketball team was picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 Conference by coaches?

That was 113 days, 22 wins, and a third-place finish ago.

Here's a look back at what Cyclone coach Fred Hoiberg and select players said that day.

ISU begins conference tournament play at 8:30 p.m. Thursday against sixth-seeded Texas at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.

Hoiberg (co-Big 12 coach of the year, selected by coaches): “I'll challenge those guys to go out there because it's a battle. Every time you suit up and go out and play against a Big 12 opponent, guess what? They're coming after you. They're going to hit you in the back of the head and they're not going to care about it. OK? And if you don't block them out, you're going to be on SportsCenter being dunked on. So rebounding is going to be a huge key. If we want to play fast, nothing slows down a break more than an offensive rebound.”

Royce White (6-8 sophomore forward, coaches' selection for Big 12 preseason and postseason newcomer of the year, first-team all-Big 12): “I think that anything we set our minds to and buy into as a collective group we can achieve.”

Chris Babb (6-4, junior guard): “Coach told us last year that it was going to seem like no time before we were playing and we really didn't believe him. We felt like, ‘Man, is this ever going to end?' And here we are.”

Chris Allen (6-4, senior guard, honorable mention all-Big 12): “I've never been on a team like this where every guy is a jokester. Any given day, if you asked me who's the joker on the team, take your pick. Me sometimes. Anybody at any given point. That's what makes our team great. All the guys on the team are very humble.”

Tyrus McGee (6-2, junior guard): “It's showing up every day. No letdown. We've got to give 110 percent every day - that's what I believe in, 110 not 100. And it's got to be constant, consistent.”

Scott Christopherson (6-3, senior guard, third team all-Big 12): “I think we have a chance to be a team that can score in bunches. I'm really excited about it.”

Last word ... coach Hoiberg: “I understand how certain people have questions about this team. I still have questions about this team. One thing I would love to see with this group is how we handle a tight situation. If adversity jumps up and hits us - which it will, it will hit us pretty quickly, I can promise you that - how are we going to handle that?