Iowa
Iowa State basketball touches its ceiling in win over Texas Tech | Hines
KANSAS CITY – What would it look like, if you closed your eyes and let your imagination soar, for Iowa State to play its best basketball?
The defense would be electric, connected and furious. Joshua Jefferson would be dictating and dominating offensively. Tamin Lipsey would make every critical play. The bigs would be tough, active and productive. Loose balls and tough plays would both go in the Cyclones’ direction. There would be contributions up and down the rotation.
It would look a lot like what happened at T-Mobile Center on Thursday, March 12.
The seventh-ranked Cyclones unleashed perhaps their best and most complete performance of the season in their 75-53 smackdown of No. 14 Texas Tech to advance to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.
“Against that caliber of opponent,” said Iowa State senior Nate Heise, “that’s probably our best game. That’s always what you want to be able to do at the end of the year and be able to stack it – yesterday to today and hopefully tomorrow.
“It was fun to watch how everyone stepped up today.”
It was fun to watch an excellent team play excellently, truth be told. These Cyclones have touched their ceiling before, but those wins against Kansas and Houston are now nearly a month old. When these Cyclones get going, there are only a handful of teams that can stop them.
The Red Raiders weren’t one of them.
“You can tell,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said, “they had an edge and had the right edge in order to win this basketball game.”
There was lots to love for Iowa State. Between Lipsey’s 20 points (and four made 3s), Heise’s tip dunk, Jamarion Batemon’s timely shooting and the physical, Killyan Toure’s never-say-die hustle and the efficient play of centers Blake Buchanan and Dom Pleta, Iowa State’s play was a symphony.
Most impressive of it all was how Jefferson directed the music.
Iowa State’s All-American was at the absolute height of his powers. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound power forward wasn’t so much playing basketball as he was controlling everything around him. And I mean everything. I’m not ruling out that space and time were under his direction.
His 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal only hint at the extent to which he influenced the game, but Jefferson’s command was exquisite. It seemed, at times, that whatever unfolded on the court was doing so only with his permission and at his instruction.
“I think that was huge,” Jefferson said of his play and feel for the game. “Playing on the fly and playing with freedom and playing with confidence is the biggest thing for us.
“That’s when we’re at our best – when I’m more vocal and leading that way. Sometimes I can fall away from that if I’m not confident in myself. If I’m being confident in myself, that’s going to feed the team.”
And Iowa State ate well.
Iowa State basketball beats Texas Tech, advances to Big 12 semifinals
Iowa State basketball beats Texas Tech, advances to Big 12 semifinals
The Cyclones shot 53.6% from the field and 38.9% from 3-point range. They committed just 10 turnovers and led by as many as 24, which is impressive, sure, but when you consider the Cyclones trailed by 12 after the first six minutes, it’s incredible.
Texas Tech shot 33.9% from the floor, 31% from deep and saw the Cyclones just steamroll right into the semis where a rematch with No. 2 Arizona awaits.
The Wildcats dispatched the Cyclones with ease, 73-57, in Tucson last week, but this looked like a different Iowa State squad playing at an entirely different level than what happened at the McKale Center.
“We all believe it’s sustainable,” Lipsey said. “We’re playing our best basketball of the year. That’s exactly what you want to do this point in the year.
“We can play like this moving forward.”
If they can and if they do, the Cyclones are going to be push right against their ceiling and, maybe, push themselves into the Final Four.
“We played well today,” said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. “Was it our best? I think our best is still in front of us.”
After a day like this one, it’s not hard to imagine what that might look like and where it could take them.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.