Audi Crooks is on a heater, and Kansas just got smoked because of it. The Iowa State center went off for 41 points on Sunday and made it look easy while doing it. That performance pushes her to 148 points over her last four games, which feels like something out of a video game, not Big 12 basketball. Crooks is putting up numbers right now that nobody else in the league is even sniffing.
She didn’t waste any time getting going. Iowa State got her the ball early and often, and she just kept going to work. Kansas had no real answer for her inside. They threw bodies at her, tried to front her, tried to collapse late, and none of it mattered. She kept scoring. Most of her work came right at the rim, but it wasn’t just bully ball. She’s got a good touch and knows how to use her size without forcing things. The ball doesn’t stick with her either. She makes quick reads and knows when it’s her time to take over. Today, it was all her time.
Crooks has always had this potential, but what she’s doing right now is on a different level. These last four games haven’t just been good. They’ve been dominant. She’s not racking up points in garbage time or coasting on a couple of hot quarters. She’s controlling games from the start and turning Iowa State into a team that can punish you if you don’t have a post presence. That’s a big deal in this league.
The Cyclones are starting to hit their stride, and Crooks is the reason why. Everything runs through her now. Defenses are collapsing to try and stop her, which opens up shooters on the outside. It’s simple basketball, and it’s working because Crooks is doing her job at a high level.
Teams know what’s coming, and it still doesn’t matter. Crooks is still getting hers. If she keeps playing like this, she’s going to keep putting Iowa State in position to win, and a lot more people outside the Big 12 are going to start paying attention.
