Mar 23, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Curtis Jones (5) guards the ball against the Washington State Cougars during the second half of the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
AMES — One Hason Ward free throw.
That’s the only shot No. 4 Iowa State saw go through the hoop in the first six minutes of Saturday’s second-round NCAA Tournament 67-56 win over Washington State.
Then super-sub guard Curtis Jones entered the fray and finally drained a 3-pointer to serve as an offensive stabilizer of sorts, as usual.
“And then we were stuck on four (points) for a while, so it was crazy,” said Jones, who finished with 14 points as the second-seeded Cyclones advanced to Thursday’s 9:09 p.m. Sweet 16 matchup with No. 3-seed Illinois at the TD Garden in Boston. “But I don’t feel like we ever panicked. Like, the coaching staff in the media timeouts, they were just trying to give us solutions and what to look for. We were taking a lot of mid-range, kind of in the middle shots, which is what Washington State wanted us to do — and they told us that at shoot-around, but it was so open, some of us, I think, thought, ‘I have to take this shot,’ but that’s exactly what they wanted us to do.”
ISU (29-7) eventually flipped the script by ramping up its disruptive defense, which is ranked No. 1 nationally according to KenPom. Then Ward skied for one of his patented alley-pop dunks to help set up a high-level, late-night confrontation with the Terrence Shannon Jr.-led Illini.
“We will absolutely be very mindful of that opportunity, and at the same time, my messaging to our guys is going to be to continue to focus on us, being the best team that we can be,” Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger said after guiding his team to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons. “We’ve had a great focus that way, and I feel really confident in our group as we do that.”
Otzelberger’s faith is warranted, given how ISU’s weathered shooting slumps and stretches of lackluster play multiple times late in the season. The Cyclones almost always find a way to win — even when they start 1-for-14 from the field like they did against Washington State.
“Just sticking to our plan,” said Lipsey, who scored a team-high 15 points in Saturday’s victory. “We felt like we had good looks early in the game. They just weren’t falling, so we just had to stick to being aggressive.”
Ward has proven to be a wild card in that scheme by largely avoiding foul trouble in the postseason and providing ISU with a spark off the bench on both ends of the floor. The 6-9, 230-pound senior is shooting a torrid 18-for-21 from the field (85.7%) since the regular season ended and has notched two six-plus rebound games in that span. He’s a mismatch problem who has also blocked at least one shot in eight of the last nine games despite playing between seven and 24 minutes per game during that span.
“I’m happy to be here,” Ward said. “It’s a surreal feeling. I never thought I’d be in this moment, man, but I’m here, so just trying to keep it going.”
So is Jones, whose college basketball journey wound through Indian Hills Community College and Buffalo before he became a Cyclone last summer.
“These games, I don’t even feel too nervous going into them,” said Jones, who’s scored in double figures off the bench in 15 of the past 17 games. “I think the Big 12 schedule prepared us for that. So many big games throughout the season, so just treat every game like another game. Know the stakes are a little higher, but I think we all rise to the occasion.”
