Big 12 Basketball: The Rise of the Cyclones

Similar to most college basketball fans, Iowa State’s rise to the top of the college basketball mountain has flown under the radar. The Cyclones are not your typical blue blood and really haven’t been good for long, but suddenly are one of the nation’s best teams and have been for the past two years.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has completely revitalized the program and has turned Iowa State into a national championship contender.

In his fourth season as the coach for the Cyclones, Otzelberger has Iowa State in a spot it has never been before. The Cyclones are currently No. 2 in the country, the highest ranking in program history.

The depth of this squad makes them a perennial contender for the national championship when March Madness comes around.

The team shows no sign of slowing down with a recent home victory over No. 9 Kansas, highly regarded as one of the deeper teams in the entire country.

However, it was pure domination from the Cyclones en route to a 74-57 victory over the Jayhawks. Iowa State has solidified itself as the top team in the Big 12 and poses a real threat to be No. 1 in the country in upcoming weeks.

Iowa State had four players in double digits with Curtis Jones scoring a game-high 25 points. Jones has been the leading scorer for the Cyclones so far this season and has made himself a strong candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, as well as a potential National Player of the Year Finalist.

Additionally, the defense prevented multiple big-time scorers from Kansas from taking over. Hunter Dickinson only scored six points and was held in check through his 29 minutes of play.

It’s not abnormal for multiple scorers to be in double digits for this Iowa State team. Throughout the season, five players are averaging double digits. There are multiple “go-to” players on the team, despite Jones being the top scorer.

Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey create a guard trio that all can shoot really well from behind the arc.

Both Gilbert and Lipsey are above the 30% mark from three and join Jones’ insane 41 % three-point percentage to give three legit shooting threats.

What adds to the threat of this team is big man Joshua Jefferson. Only standing at 6 feet, 9 inches, as a big man, can definitely cause issues against a team with a taller guy. Still, the physicality Jefferson brings allows him to extend offensive possessions.

Jefferson is averaging just over eight rebounds and has been a force, down low for the Iowa State offense.

Another big question from people who have been critical of the Cyclones is their games against ranked opponents.

They have completely answered those questions and much more during this winning streak. On this 12-game winning streak, they have defeated three ranked opponents including then-No. 5 Marquette.

This streak also included an overtime win against a very good Texas Tech team that will likely be ranked at some point this season. The road victory over the Red Raiders in front of a packed-out white-out crowd will look very good on the resume when there is discussion about a potential No. 1 overall seed.

Iowa State has solidified itself as one of the top teams in the country this season and is a legit national title contender during March Madness.

Andrew Deal is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email asd5765@psu.edu