KANSAS CITY — Following Thursday’s 78-72 quarterfinal win over Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament, here are my current thoughts on the status of Iowa State basketball in quick-hit form.
5 — Looking back….
None of the guys in the locker room have anything bad to say about Caleb Grill. So I don’t want to make this resurgence by the team about that young man.
But … in hindsight, making the move that he did at the time that he did took some massive grapefruits by T.J. Otzelberger.
Nobody can prove that it is indeed why the Cyclones have snapped out of that late-season coma, but it is an awfully strong coincidence.
This is as connected as we have seen Iowa State play all season long.
4 — Iowa State out-toughs Baylor, again
Scott Drew’s team is considerably more talented than Iowa State. We all know this. But looking back at Iowa State’s three wins over the Bears this season – one constant stands out. The Cyclones have been the much tougher team. It was never more evident than with Thursday’s astounding 41-17 rebounding advantage by the Cyclones. Iowa State had more offensive rebounds (21) than Baylor had in total!
Insanity!
The Bears do not like pressure and while they have the talent to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, I am not sure this team is cohesive enough to be a real threat to win the national championship.
Stay tuned.
3 — I’ll get to the stars in a minute, but what about …
… The end of the bench guys who are contributing solid minutes to Iowa State down the stretch? Guys like Demarion Watson and Hason Ward come to mind.
Watson had a career-high with three blocks with four rebounds in 15 minutes of play.
Ward had four important rebounds with two points in 11 minutes.
It is more difficult than most fans can imagine going through the season playing a smaller role than you’d generally like.
Shout out to these guys – specifically the senior Ward – for fighting through it and really impacting this team down the stretch.
2 — That’s especially important for this reason …
I’m not saying that Otzelberger has anybody on a pitch count but I don’t think it is crazy to want to save some of your legs for the NCAA Tournament.
When Grill got dismissed, we all immediately got concerned about depth heading into March. These guys picking up the slack will help tremendously in tournament play.
1 — BIG. ROB. ENERGY
Started great. Hit a wall. He’s back.
Rob’s impact on this team goes well beyond the box score in terms of leadership. I’m not sure Iowa State is in this good of a spot mentally without his presence behind the scenes.
Bonus: Finally, the studs …
Elite stuff from Gabe Kalsheur. He is hitting shots again while continuing to be a menace on defense.
Jaren Holmes’ tough buckets continue to be the difference maker for this team when points are hard to come by.
Tamin Lipsey notched a career-high 11 rebounds to go with 13 points and five assists.
I’m writing a long-form profile on Tre King for next week. Stay tuned.
A lot of good stuff for Iowa State right now. The last two games, perhaps, were the best this team has played all season long.
The Cyclones are peaking at the perfect time.
Cheers to Hilton South.
