No. 9 Iowa State would like nothing more than to string together another long set of victories.
The Cyclones (17-2, 4-2 Big 12 Conference) will go for back-to-back wins when they tip off against Oklahoma State (14-5, 2-4) on Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla.
Iowa State won its first 16 games of the season before enduring back-to-back road losses at Kansas and Cincinnati. The Cyclones recovered with an 87-57 home win over UCF on Tuesday night, reminding fans that it can dominate on both ends of the court.
Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger consistently has emphasized defense as the key for his team’s success. He praised his players for limiting UCF to 57 points after allowing an average of 81.5 points in the previous two losses.
Joshua Jefferson played a vital role in the defensive improvement, Otzelberger said. It is something he hopes to see continue when the Cyclones take on Oklahoma State.
“I’d say, defensively, he had an edge to how he played,” Otzelberger said. “He was really helping pressure and getting turnovers, and then for him, we’ve got to do the best job we can trying to (get into the) open court. But when he can get a dunk in transition, and he can get a finish where the whole defense isn’t loaded up, that’s going to build his confidence. I think he earned that on the defensive end.
“And then he took a leadership position in terms of, we’re going to move the ball, we’re going to share the ball, we’re going to keep it on the move. And to have 12 assists and no turnovers, I mean, that’s ridiculous. Not to mention the rebounds and the points. So, I’m just proud of his ability mentally to lock in on the things that are important for us to be successful, and now we’ve just got to work together and maintain that every night out.”
Milan Momcilovic is Iowa State’s top scorer with 18.2 points per game on 54.4 percent shooting, including 54.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Jefferson is next with 17.3 points per game to go along with a team-high 7.9 rebounds per game, and Tamin Lipsey also is scoring in double digits with 13.2 points per game.
Oklahoma State has lost four of its past six games, including a 68-65 loss at TCU on Tuesday night. The Cowboys already played Iowa State on Jan. 10, losing 83-71 on the road, and they will look to improve upon their 1-2 record against ranked opponents.
Anthony Roy leads Oklahoma State with 17.6 points per game. Three other players are scoring in double digits including Parsa Fallah (14.4 points per game), Vyctorius Miller (13.9) and Jaylen Curry (10.5).
Cowboys coach Steve Lutz knows that his team is in for a challenge on its home court.
“The league is so darn good, there’s going to be carnage along the way,” Lutz said. “… I think last year we started off 2-7 in the league, and it was really hard to recover from that. It’s very important that we don’t repeat that performance.”
–Field Level Media
