The Iowa State Cyclones are tumbling fast. Audi Crooks and company have now dropped four straight, and the alarms are blaring for a team that once had its sights set on a Big 12 regular-season title. At 2–4 in conference play, that goal already feels distant. And if this slide continues, they could find themselves fighting just to make the Big Dance.

Iowa State entered conference play unbeaten at 12–0, and early wins over Houston and Kansas only reinforced the belief that this team was built for the moment. When they fell to No. 18 Baylor, most of us assumed it was just a one-off, a bad night, nothing more. Turns out it was the start of a full-blown crisis.

In the latest loss to Colorado, Audi Crooks was held to a season-low 17 points, all while her workload keeps rising. She started the new year at roughly 26 minutes per game, but according to stats on X, she’s now up to 34.5 minutes over her last seven outings. More minutes and less production is never what a coach wants to see.

As you’d expect, fans weren’t thrilled with what they were seeing. We’re talking about the nation’s top scorer being held to just 17 points against an unranked opponent; that’s not something you see often. These are the kind of headlines that spark chaos, and social media quickly filled with plenty of hot takes. Here are some of the reactions that stood out.

Frustration in the Air for Audi Crooks and Iowa State Fans

One fan summed up the mood perfectly: “I’m sad to announce Audi Crooks and Iowa State women’s basketball team has lost 4 straight games after starting the season 14-0 against Colorado. In the words of Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On'”. Another fan highlighted the numbers, writing: “Iowa State star Audi Crooks, the nation’s leading scorer at 28.3 ppg, was held to a season-low 17 points tonight by the Buffs. Four of those points came in the last 11 seconds #cubuffs.”

It’s not that Audi Crooks suddenly stopped performing once Big 12 play began… far from it, actually. The real issue for Iowa State is that they’ve lost not one, but two starters, and it’s crushed their rhythm. Addy Brown was the team’s second-leading scorer and top rebounder, and losing her alone was massive. On top of that, they also lost Ariana Jackson, and that combination has hurt the Cyclones in a big way.

Against Colorado, the Cyclones were bullied in the paint. The Buffaloes outrebounded Iowa State 46–33 and finished with 30 points in the paint compared to just 18 for ISU. That almost never happens, and it shows exactly what losing two starters does to a team’s interior presence.

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Both are expected to return at some point this season, but there’s legitimate concern within the community that Iowa State simply doesn’t have the depth to weather losses of this magnitude. And if things don’t change, we could be looking at another disappointing college season for Audi Crooks, which feels unfair given how good she’s been.

The frustration was loud on social media. One fan posted, “Audi Crooks, you can kiss that NPOY award goodbye sis. 4 game losing streak is WILD af.” Another added, “Iowa State losing to Colorado is crazy man if they’re unranked after this there goes Audi Crooks All-American and NPOTY contention.”

Going into the Colorado matchup, Crooks led the nation in total points (453) and made field goals (187), redefining what paint dominance looks like in modern college hoops. She’s posted six 30-point games this season, and while this recent stretch has shown that Crooks alone can’t carry the Cyclones to wins, it doesn’t take away from just how good she has been all season.

“Audi Crooks needs to transfer 😭,” one fan wrote, suggesting Crooks should join a different program to experience a Final Four run. But we’ve heard this storyline before. People said the same about Caitlin Clark once upon a time, and remember, she didn’t reach an Elite Eight in either of her first two seasons, bowing out in the Sweet 16 as a freshman and the second round as a sophomore.

While Clark never did win a national title, she still led Iowa to back-to-back championship games. And who’s to say Audi Crooks can’t write a similar story someday? Yes, right now the Cyclones don’t look like the kind of team that can make that kind of run…

But hey, who doesn’t love a Cinderella run?