Feb 15, 2022; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Aljaz Kunc (5) and guard Caleb Grill (2) celebrate after the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Iowa State men’s basketball has stopped the bleeding — at least for now.
The Cyclones snapped a four-game losing streak on Tuesday by going on the road and walking away with a crucial 54-51 win over TCU in Fort Worth. It was Iowa State’s first win at TCU since 2016.
Iowa State will enter its final five-game stretch of the regular season 17-9 overall and 4-9 in Big 12 play.
Much like the first game between these two programs last month, there was nothing pretty about it on either side.
Iowa State shot 38.9 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. TCU countered with 35.7 percent shooting and 16.7 percent from deep.
TCU averaged 0.895 points per possession while the Cyclones posted 0.931 points per possession. Each of those numbers would barely scratch into the top-300 nationally if stretched across the entire season.
So, yeah, it wasn’t pretty, BUT Iowa State won, and that’s all that matters to a team that was desperately in need of a win to stem the tide and add another piece to its NCAA Tournament resume.
This win gives Iowa State eight victories over Quad One teams, which ties for the second-highest total in all of college basketball.
As it often does, Iowa State clawing out a win required another fantastic effort from Izaiah Brockington. The former Penn State transfer poured in 20 points on 7-of-19 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from behind the arc while tallying seven rebounds, three steals and two assists in 37 minutes of action.
Freshman point guard Tyrese Hunter scored 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting with five rebounds and three assists. Iowa State also got nine points from Gabe Kalscheur, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:13 left to play that gave the Cyclones the lead for good.
Now, Iowa State will set its sites on a five-game period that includes three contests to be played inside the friendly confines of Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones will likely need to win at least two (but probably three) games during this stretch to lock themselves into their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2019.
That stretch will begin on Saturday when Oklahoma — which lost to Texas, 80-78, in overtime on Tuesday in Norman — visits Ames for a 1 p.m. tip.
