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KANSAS CITY – When this city built the Sprint Center nearly 20 years ago, it came with some hope that an NBA team might one day call it home.
That has not come to fruition, but the building, now the T-Mobile Center, on Thursday got about the closest approximation to an NBA game that college basketball could offer.
No. 12 Iowa State basketball and No. 18 BYU both made an assault toward the century scoring mark with a barrage of shot-making usually reserved for the professional ranks in an eventual 96-92 win for the Cougars.
It was a disappointing result for the Cyclones, certainly, but an admirable effort for a team down two starters in guards Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey, both of whom have been afflicted with groin strains.
Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor, with Iowa State converting at 43.3 percent from 3 and BYU at 50 percent. Their combined 31 made 3s was a Big 12 Tournament record.
“The shot-making in this game,” Iowa State’s Curtis Jones said, “was crazy.”
It translated to the Cyclones and Cougars combining for one of the most entertaining games of the year. It had the look of an NBA game with the feel of a Sweet 16 matchup.
It’s encouraging that Iowa State was able to adjust its style and hang with one of the hottest teams in the country – BYU has won nine straight – with both Gilbert and Lipsey on the bench.
“Look, let's call a spade a spade,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “Gilbert is one of the best defenders, and Lipsey. I think Gilbert doesn't get enough credit for how good he is.
“So it was a different level of pressure for sure, but nonetheless our guys executed.”
If Iowa State is going to find a silver lining in the loss, it’s Jones.
The Minneapolis native has been in something of a mild slump – by his high standards – for the last month. But against BYU he had a return to the form that had him looking like an All-American earlier this season, scoring 31 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including 7 of 15 from distance. Over a stretch of just more than 5 minutes, he scored 22 points.
It was like watching a mix of Johnny Flame and Steph Curry on the court.
“Jones was a one-man wrecking crew,” Young said. “He caught fire. It definitely wasn't fun to watch from our seat, but I'm sure from y'all's seat that was pretty spectacular.”
Jones’ breakthrough was in no small part a function of taking greater responsibility in the offense with Gilbert and Lipsey sidelined.
“Especially with who we’ve got out, I felt like I was going to have the ball in my hands a lot more, which is what ended up happening,” Jones said. “If I had anything, I was going to take it.”
So where does Iowa State go from here with Selection Sunday just days away?
First off, I wouldn’t stress too much about a defense that surrendered 96 points to the Cougars. Gilbert and Lipsey being out fundamentally changes Iowa State’s defense – the one that forced 29 BYU turnovers nine days earlier – and BYU is uniquely constructed to topple Iowa State’s no-middle defense.
The Cougars’ ability to space, pass and shoot is among the best in the country, and it’s exactly what you have to have to solve Iowa State’s elite defense.
"They move the ball the most of any team we played,” Joshua Jefferson said.
The biggest issue is the health of Gilbert and Lipsey.
You start with will they play? And then you move to how effective will they be?
Iowa State needs the answers to be “yes” and “very” for the Cyclones to reach their ceiling and, potentially, the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Presumably, the Cyclones could defeat the 13- or 14-seed they’ll likely be matched up against without Gilbert and Lipsey, but the prospect becomes a little dicier against a 5- or 6-seed.
Because if they’re out, Iowa State can’t play the way that made the Cyclones one of the best teams in the country. It requires them to ask more of Jones and Jefferson, the 6-foot-9 forward who initiated offense consistently Thursday. It means less pressure defensively. It means going further down your bench.
It just makes everything a heck of a lot tougher.
More: Hines: Will Iowa State basketball get a chance to be at its best on the biggest stage?
More: Hines: Iowa State basketball finds its level, if not its ceiling, in win vs. K-State
More: Hines: Tyrese Haliburton, Georges Niang and a great night for Iowa State basketball
That just seems to be this team’s destiny, though. Injuries robbed the Cyclones of the chance to win a regular-season Big 12 title and cost them the opportunity to be at their best to defend last year’s Big 12 Tournament championship this week.
Will the team's health issues steal their best chance in 25 years to make a Final Four?
“They'll both get the treatment that they need, they will both put the time in that they need,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said, “and I'm optimistic about what that means for us moving forward this season.”
It’s tough to watch what’s happened to this team as it's dealt with obstacles largely outside its control over the last two months. Now the season comes down to what the Cyclones do in the NCAA Tournament, with injuries looming over their chances there as well.
But if Otzelberger’s Cyclones have done anything in his tenure, it’s respond to bad odds and trying adversity, and Jones’ performance Thursday is the kind that can win a game on its own.
The Cyclones are in a tough spot, but when haven’t they been in the last couple months?
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at [email protected] or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Can Iowa State basketball get right ahead of the NCAA Tournament?
Continue reading...
That has not come to fruition, but the building, now the T-Mobile Center, on Thursday got about the closest approximation to an NBA game that college basketball could offer.
No. 12 Iowa State basketball and No. 18 BYU both made an assault toward the century scoring mark with a barrage of shot-making usually reserved for the professional ranks in an eventual 96-92 win for the Cougars.
It was a disappointing result for the Cyclones, certainly, but an admirable effort for a team down two starters in guards Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey, both of whom have been afflicted with groin strains.
Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor, with Iowa State converting at 43.3 percent from 3 and BYU at 50 percent. Their combined 31 made 3s was a Big 12 Tournament record.
“The shot-making in this game,” Iowa State’s Curtis Jones said, “was crazy.”
It translated to the Cyclones and Cougars combining for one of the most entertaining games of the year. It had the look of an NBA game with the feel of a Sweet 16 matchup.
It’s encouraging that Iowa State was able to adjust its style and hang with one of the hottest teams in the country – BYU has won nine straight – with both Gilbert and Lipsey on the bench.
“Look, let's call a spade a spade,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “Gilbert is one of the best defenders, and Lipsey. I think Gilbert doesn't get enough credit for how good he is.
“So it was a different level of pressure for sure, but nonetheless our guys executed.”
If Iowa State is going to find a silver lining in the loss, it’s Jones.
The Minneapolis native has been in something of a mild slump – by his high standards – for the last month. But against BYU he had a return to the form that had him looking like an All-American earlier this season, scoring 31 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including 7 of 15 from distance. Over a stretch of just more than 5 minutes, he scored 22 points.
It was like watching a mix of Johnny Flame and Steph Curry on the court.
“Jones was a one-man wrecking crew,” Young said. “He caught fire. It definitely wasn't fun to watch from our seat, but I'm sure from y'all's seat that was pretty spectacular.”
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Jones’ breakthrough was in no small part a function of taking greater responsibility in the offense with Gilbert and Lipsey sidelined.
“Especially with who we’ve got out, I felt like I was going to have the ball in my hands a lot more, which is what ended up happening,” Jones said. “If I had anything, I was going to take it.”
So where does Iowa State go from here with Selection Sunday just days away?
First off, I wouldn’t stress too much about a defense that surrendered 96 points to the Cougars. Gilbert and Lipsey being out fundamentally changes Iowa State’s defense – the one that forced 29 BYU turnovers nine days earlier – and BYU is uniquely constructed to topple Iowa State’s no-middle defense.
The Cougars’ ability to space, pass and shoot is among the best in the country, and it’s exactly what you have to have to solve Iowa State’s elite defense.
"They move the ball the most of any team we played,” Joshua Jefferson said.
You must be registered for see images
The biggest issue is the health of Gilbert and Lipsey.
You start with will they play? And then you move to how effective will they be?
Iowa State needs the answers to be “yes” and “very” for the Cyclones to reach their ceiling and, potentially, the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Presumably, the Cyclones could defeat the 13- or 14-seed they’ll likely be matched up against without Gilbert and Lipsey, but the prospect becomes a little dicier against a 5- or 6-seed.
Because if they’re out, Iowa State can’t play the way that made the Cyclones one of the best teams in the country. It requires them to ask more of Jones and Jefferson, the 6-foot-9 forward who initiated offense consistently Thursday. It means less pressure defensively. It means going further down your bench.
It just makes everything a heck of a lot tougher.
More: Hines: Will Iowa State basketball get a chance to be at its best on the biggest stage?
More: Hines: Iowa State basketball finds its level, if not its ceiling, in win vs. K-State
More: Hines: Tyrese Haliburton, Georges Niang and a great night for Iowa State basketball
That just seems to be this team’s destiny, though. Injuries robbed the Cyclones of the chance to win a regular-season Big 12 title and cost them the opportunity to be at their best to defend last year’s Big 12 Tournament championship this week.
Will the team's health issues steal their best chance in 25 years to make a Final Four?
“They'll both get the treatment that they need, they will both put the time in that they need,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said, “and I'm optimistic about what that means for us moving forward this season.”
It’s tough to watch what’s happened to this team as it's dealt with obstacles largely outside its control over the last two months. Now the season comes down to what the Cyclones do in the NCAA Tournament, with injuries looming over their chances there as well.
But if Otzelberger’s Cyclones have done anything in his tenure, it’s respond to bad odds and trying adversity, and Jones’ performance Thursday is the kind that can win a game on its own.
The Cyclones are in a tough spot, but when haven’t they been in the last couple months?
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at [email protected] or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Can Iowa State basketball get right ahead of the NCAA Tournament?
Continue reading...
