The only way to score the basketball is if you have it. The only way to move the basketball is by passing or dribbling. Nobody is better at either of those things than fifth-year senior guard Emily Ryan for Iowa State.
Ryan is 11th in all-time assists in NCAA women’s basketball history and is probably the most composed ball-handler or floor general Iowa State has ever seen.
After a big drop in the rankings from preseason No. 8 to eventually falling out of them entirely, there had to be something going at least a little awry for Iowa State.
Now, do I think they may have been ranked too high to begin with? Maybe. But I also think that the lack of experience and faced pressure has hurt Iowa State more than they think.
Outside of Ryan, the Cyclones start three or four sophomores nearly every game, making it a young team that has yet to play in many meaningful games.
Ryan has played in the same system for over four and a half seasons now and knows her role better than just about anyone in the country. She is an elite passer who can get the ball to sophomore center Audi Crooks when others cannot.
Her teammates have given her credit where it’s due, calling her the best point guard or best passer in the country.
Ryan has the third highest assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big 12 and has the fourth most assists in the entire country. Although that stat is important and easier to quantify, her ability to run an offense and handle the ball might be even more important for Iowa State.
Against top teams like then-No. 4 South Carolina and then-No. 4 UConn, Ryan was by far the most composed player the Cyclones could put on the floor. Players like freshmen guards Reagan Wilson and Aili Tanke have never seen anything like that and they looked rattled trying to do anything.
Wilson, who is usually the one to bring the ball up when Ryan is subbed out, hasn’t played against that many Division I defenders, making it a little more challenging, but it is fairly new for her.
Sophomore forward Addy Brown has also been effective in running the offense. In fact, Brown has been averaging one more assist than Ryan in conference play. Brown also plays 10 more minutes per game, which is important to note.
Unfortunately for Iowa State, Ryan has been dealing with some lingering injuries all year and seemed to tweak her ankle in the Cyclones’ win over Cincinnati, limiting how many minutes she can play, which will probably be less than head coach Bill Fennelly would like.
To counter that, though, Iowa State now has a week off, giving it plenty of time to rest and prepare for the next game against Kansas.
Also, with only five games of the regular season left and the Cyclones near the bubble, I think Fennelly will push Ryan to play as much as she can in close games. Three of those games are against bottom-six Big 12 teams, and the other two are against ranked opponents.
As a 10-seed in the latest Bracketology, Iowa State needs to take care of business this final stretch. There is nobody I would trust more with the ball than Ryan, and I think Fennelly feels the same. Although it didn’t go in, Fennelly trusted Ryan with the final shot of regulation against No. 11 Kansas State, so I think he’ll trust her again.
To put all of that together, one thing is for certain: the offense looks more calm, more controlled and more comfortable when Ryan has the ball and is running the offense.
