Iowa State Cyclones forward Robert Jones (12) goes for a shot as Houston Cougars guard Damian Dunn (11) defends and during the first half in the Big-12 conference showdown of an NCAA college basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
No. 6 Iowa State (20-5, 9-3) travels to Texas for a Big Monday matchup with No. 2 Houston (22-3, 9-3) inside the Fertitta Center (8:00 p.m., ESPN).
The Cyclones took care of business on Saturday with an 82-74 win over Texas Tech. The team forced 16 turnovers and scored 28 points off those mistakes.
The Cougars secured a dominate 82-61 win over the Texas Longhorns on
Saturday. With both programs tied for first in conference play at 9-3, it sets up for one of the biggest college basketball games of the year between the two top teams in the Big 12 conference.
About the Cougars
It’s hard to tell that this is Houston’s first season in the Big 12. Coach Kelvin
Sampson and his team are tied for first place in the league with a chance to take the outright lead with a win on Monday night.
The Cougars have been one of the most impressive teams in college basketball this season and it has a lot to do with their style of play. Like Iowa State, Houston plays terrific, hard-nosed defense. They have only given up more than 70 points one time this season.
On offense, Houston’s strength is scoring in the paint. It is due to their ability to collect offensive rebounds so well. In some cases, their best offense is putting up a shot and scoring on the offensive board.
In the latest Bracketology report by ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, Houston is projected as a No. 1 seed in the South region. The Cyclones recently jumped to the top No. 3 seed spot, and have a chance to jump a seed line with a win against the Cougars.
Sampson has a pair of guards that are up there with some of the country’s best. L.J. Cryer is the leader on the offensive end, averaging 15.3 points per game on 40.6 percent from the floor and 38.5 percent from three-point range. Cryer is the most dangerous 3-point shooter on the Cougars roster and can get hot in a hurry.
The other star guard for the Cougars is Jamal Shead. He’s been the glue for his team this season, coming in as the squad’s second leading scorer at 12.8 points per game and the leader in both assists (5.8) and steals (2.3) per game.
Along with Tamin Lipsey, Shead is one of the best point guards in the Big 12. The battle of point guards will be a key matchup throughout the game.
Red-shirt sophomore Emanuel Sharp is a sharpshooter for Sampson’s
squad. He is scoring 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on 37.6 percent
shooting from the field and 35.4 percent from behind the arc. In the first meeting with the Cyclones, Sharp scored 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds
on 6-12 shooting from the floor and 5-10 from behind the arc. Iowa State’s guards will need to race him off the three-point line and force him into contested mid-range jump-shots.
In the frontcourt, the Cougars have some of the most physical players in the
country. J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis hold down the paint for Houston.
Roberts, a 6-foot-7 forward, scores 9.1 points per game and grabs a team-high 7.1 rebounds. Francis, who’s 6-foot-8, only scores 6.0 points per game, but he averages 5.4 rebounds and a team-high 1.4 blocks per game. Iowa State will need to emphasize holding Houston to one possession and limiting second-chance opportunities on the offensive end.
How does ISU pull off the road upset?
T.J. Otzelberger and his team have a great opportunity on Monday night to
solidify themselves as the premier team in the conference.
In the first meeting between the schools, the Cyclones forced 16 turnovers, most of which were in the first half while they jumped out to a 14-0 lead. In the second half, the Cougars only turned the ball over three times and climbed back into the game to eventually take a late lead. Iowa State must force the Houston guards into tough situations where they force passes that aren’t there.
Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert will be key in converting those turnovers into points. The Cyclones have done that all year and will have to do it again to give themselves a chance on the road.
Early on this season, the Cyclones struggled with converting free-throw
opportunities. In the last few games, however, that’s been cleaned up. When going on the road to play a top 5 team, the best way to score easy points is to get to the free- throw line. Iowa State is the second-best team in the conference at getting to the free-throw line, and Houston is the No.1 team in the league in personal fouls accessed per game with 18.0. If Iowa State can get to the line 15 to 20 times, it may be advantageous in keeping itself in the game.
Huge opportunity for the Cyclones
Many people have considered Monday night to be one of the biggest regular season games in program history for quite some time. The Cyclones have the chance to take the outright Big 12 conference lead with five games to go, which would be monumental for a program four years removed from a 2-22 season.
Iowa State has shown that they can beat the Cougars and play their style of
basketball. The Cyclone program has not won an outright Big 12 regular season title since the 1999-2000 team. They have a great chance on Monday night to take another step closer to that goal.
