KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Unbelievable. Simply beyond belief, what Iowa State basketball did to the nation’s No. 1 college basketball team Saturday night.
Amazing.
I cannot imagine the Cyclones playing better than they played in winning the school’s sixth Big 12 Conference tournament title.
The trademark defense was so good, that Iowa State had Houston in a 40-minute state of confusion. They had no clue from where the double-team was coming. They shot late in the shot clock, and not by design. Coach Kelvin Sampson’s team was stumped.
More: Iowa State basketball wins Big 12 Tournament championship by throttling No. 1 Houston
Yeah, this 69-41 Iowa State beatdown of a very good team was the best game of the many this season, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
The NCAA Tournament, you know, is next. Otzelberger’s third straight as many seasons in one of the best rejuvenation jobs ever seen in college basketball.
Yeah, I said that. How else can you describe what he’s done since taking over a 2-22 program? A Sweet 16 in Season No. 1. NCAA Tournament in Season No. 2, and this season?
Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger hoists the Big 12 tournament championship trophy after the Cyclones defeated top-ranked Houston on Saturday.
“We have another goal in mind,” Milan Momcilovic said after having his best game as a college player. “It’s the national championship.”
Otzelberger has constructed one of the finest teams in Iowa State history, if not the best ever. There’s still the possibility of six more games to determine that.
But what his gritty guys did against the nation’s top-ranked team in the championship game – well, it was as impressive as it comes. A 28-point win against one of the top teams in the country, and get this:
Iowa State dealt Houston half its four losses.
“The last regular season game felt like we weren’t as focused as we needed to be in a lot of aspects,” Otzelberger said of the loss at Kansas State.
More: Peterson: Baylor’s Scott Drew says Iowa State basketball could be in for a long NCAA Tournament run
Man, what a difference a week made.
The defense was as locked down and as locked in as it has ever been. Ever. Shooting was outstanding – from everyone. Passes were as on-target and crisp as they’ve been this season.
This team, if this kind of play continues, can make a deep NCAA Tournament run. Even one of the nation’s most prominent college basketball authorities believes Otzelberger’s team has a very good chance of going places.
That’d be ESPN college hoops analyst Fran Fraschilla, who has seen the Cyclones’ improvement since attending practices in October to calling Saturday night’s championship game.
“I think it’s a team that can go to a Final Four, given the right circumstances,” Fraschilla said Saturday. “What’s surprised me most is that the improvement of (Curtis) Jones and (Keshon) Gilbert on the offensive end. The defense will travel, and all of a sudden they have enough scoring that they can go deep in the tournament.”
Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey makes a field goal during the Cyclones’ Big 12 championship
Scoring? How about Momcilovic’s 18 points, on a dandy shooting that included making four 3-pointers.
And how about Gilbert’s 16 points? And Hason Ward with 13 of the bench.
“They were unbelievable,” Sampson said. “They played hard. They played connected. They shot the ball extremely well from the three, especially Momcilovic. When we were defending him tough, he still made it. That’s what good players do. Hats off to Iowa State.”
National championship, anyone? Baylor coach Scott Drew used those words and “Cyclones” in the same sentence after losing against Otzelberger’s determined bunch in Friday’s semifinal.
Now Fraschilla.
“They punched Houston right in the nose on Jan. 9,” Fraschilla said of the Cyclones’ 57-53 victory over Houston in Ames. “Houston was stunned by the fact that Iowa State did to them what they usually do to teams.”
Iowa State punched ‘em in the nose again, before another huge throng of Iowa State fans at the T-Mobile Center.
Sampson even called timeout just 100 seconds into the second half. Iowa State quickly scored seven points in a row. The timeout? It worked just as well as the Cougars’ offense worked Saturday – it didn’t.
Seven Cyclones points in a row for a 10-point lead during the second half’s first 100 seconds.
Sampson had no answers – especially for the 6-foot-8 Momcilovic, who repeatedly hustled down the floor to swish one long transition 3-pointer after another.
“I can’t tell you how impressed I was with Iowa State,” Sampson said. “Don’t think for a minute that I’m poor-mouthing us and taking anything away from them. They’re great. They’re a team, they can go a long way. They can get to the Final Four. They’re that good.”
Momcilovic’s play was so impressive that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, seated next to us courtside, was impressed. He shook his head each time the freshman made one of those impressive shots. He smiled. He said something to someone seated next to him, and both nodded in agreement.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 16: Shaquille O’Neal watches the first half of the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Houston Cougars at T-Mobile Center on March 16, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)
“I’m so happy for Milan,” Curtis Jones said. “In the biggest game of our year, so far, he showed up.”
Big time, the big fella showed up.
“It’s a given that what you’re seeing, is a team that will play like their life depended on it,” Fraschilla said.
What message was sent Saturday night?
“We don’t really care what the outside world thinks of us,” Tamin Lipsey said. “We just put our heads down and went to work. We’ve been working since June. The outside world can take whatever they want from this game.”
Will the nation notice what Iowa State did to the nation’s top-ranked team?
“I hope so,” Rob Jones said. “If they don’t, they’re a fool.”
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 52nd year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected], on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Peterson: Iowa State basketball turned heads at Big 12 Tournament
