KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State had already emerged from the wilderness.
Once more-to-back NCAA Occasion berths and a Sweet 16 repaired a variety of the hurt inflicted by the worst season in program historic previous that proceeded it. Cyclone basketball’s reputation was restored.
Iowa State hadn’t, though, pretty returned to the earlier glory of the earlier decade, when the Cyclones had been a nationwide contender, profitable titles and possessing precise Final 4 aspirations.
The Cyclones had been an outstanding story beneath head coach T.J. Otzelberger, nonetheless not somewhat extra all through the nationwide panorama.
That changed Saturday evening time when Iowa State emphatically and triumphantly launched itself as undoubtedly one among many nation’s best teams.
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The No. 8 Cyclones totally dismantled Houston, the nation’s top-ranked workers and regular-season conference champion, in a 69-41 victory to say the Big 12 Occasion championship.
“The ceiling is the simplest workers inside the nation,” stage guard Tamin Lipsey acknowledged of the Cyclones. “Clearly, we merely took down Houston, who was the sooner No. 1 inside the nation. Clearly, our objective is a nationwide championship.
“Everyone knows that there’s way more to go in March.”
Iowa State had three avid gamers finish in double figures, led by Milan Momcilovic’s 18 elements. Keshon Gilbert added 16 elements whereas Hason Ward posted 13.
Gilbert was named the occasion’s Most Wonderful Participant.
The Cyclones shot 50% from the bottom on the evening time and 41% from previous the arc on 9-for-22 taking footage. Otzelberger’s crew held a potent Houston offense to easily 27% taking footage from the bottom and a measly 18% (4-for-22) from prolonged fluctuate.
The victory makes the 2-22 workers Otzelberger inherited appear to be a nasty dream from method again. It is an echo of the simplest stretch of Iowa State basketball in historic previous, when the Cyclones went to seven NCAA Tournaments in eight years, made two Sweet 16s and obtained 4 Big 12 Tournaments.
This workers, by beating a Houston squad that spent the ultimate two months steamrolling the Big 12, has the potential to do what none of those might, nonetheless.
Go even extra inside the NCAA Occasion.
“We put a number of folks on uncover,” senior Tre King acknowledged.
The Cyclones had been sturdy, further bodily and better defensively than the Cougars, who had obtained 11 straight video video games and their ultimate three by a imply of twenty-two elements. That pushes Iowa State to the forefront of the nationwide dialog on the exact correct time.
Iowa State is Final 4 good.
“We carried out to our identification,” Otzelberger acknowledged. “We defended. We rebounded. We shared the basketball.
“That’s what we’ll proceed to do.”
Now, the world is watching. And it must know what the Cyclones are in a position to attaining.
“I hope so,” senior Robert Jones acknowledged, “and within the occasion that they don’t (know what ISU is ready to), they’re a fool.”
Up subsequent
Iowa State will examine its NCAA Occasion particulars in decrease than 24 hours.
The Cyclones are anticipated to land as a No. 2 seed on the Omaha website online by most bracket pundits, nonetheless it obtained’t be official until the Alternative Current on CBS at 5 p.m. Sunday.
This will likely mark the third straight season Iowa State has made the NCAA Occasion in Otzelberger’s three seasons. The Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 in 2022, and they also had been upset inside the first spherical ultimate season.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State Faculty sports activities actions for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at [email protected] or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.