Iowa State basketball wins the Cy-Hawk matchup.
Iowa State basketball took down Iowa 73-53 to become 9-0. The Hawkeyes had a lot of miscues and the solid play of the Cyclones was too much to be overcome. The Cyclones caused 12 turnovers against a team that averages just under eight per game. Beyond that, Iowa basketball could not find a shooting rhythm. Coach T.J Otzelberger and his team must have felt disrespected this year being picked to finish last in the Big 12 as they look ready to wreak some havoc in the conference.
America is running out of adjectives for T.J. Otzelberger. Iowa State was picked last in the Big 12, but Cyclones are now 9-0 after a 20-point decimation of Iowa. Hilton Magic is back.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 10, 2021
Takeaway #1: Cyclones are ball hungry
After getting a snub in the rankings until this week, Iowa State basketball came to play. The Cyclones came in hot, grabbing 28 rebounds in the first half, 13 offensive rebounds to Iowa’s ten total rebounds. Iowa State limited the Hawkeyes to a single shot more often than not. The Cyclones’ intensity caused Iowa to have four turnovers in the first half. Iowa had to fight for every bucket, and it showed as the team struggled shooting in the first half, going 28.6% from the field and 25% from the 3-point range.
In the second half, Otzelberger somehow managed to keep Iowa State’s intensity on defense. At one point, Keegan Murray had a breakaway dunk, but the Cyclones ran back in transition defense on a play where many would have just laid off of. Iowa State basketball had limited defensive breakdowns, outrebounded the Hawkeyes 50-32, and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds in the process. They clogged up lanes, made passes difficult, and had a great help defense that menaced Iowa all night.
Takeaway #2: Iowa basketball has a fighting spirit
Takeaway #3: Iowa State basketball moves with and without the ball
Iowa State wore out Iowa’s players. The constant movement is not only on offense with and without the ball. The Cyclones worked the ball in, out, side-to-side and rarely had to fight for a shot. Izaiah Brockington’s shot-making ability was a thing of beauty. He started the game going 9-of-9 from the field. Iowa State basketball’s unselfish play led to 18 assists, often opening looks and hitting hot cuts. While the Cyclones had a solid shooting night, the team was the most effective off-ball screens and had some great pick and rolls when a team can move the ball so effectively, scoring easy as the cyclones were 27-of-62 from the floor for 43.5%.
[…] last year is 10-0 with a ton of quality wins. They did it again this week when they cruised to a 20 point victory against a good Iowa team, and they are slowly silencing the doubters who think that despite the […]