Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) shoots the ball over the ball as Utah Utes forward Ezra Ausar (2) and Utah Utes center Lawson Lovering (34) defend during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Jan. 7, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — The louder the arena, the better.
Bonus points if there’s a bit of clever taunting mixed in.
So as the catcalls come, Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson’s smile broadens.
He’s determined to turn that raucous noise into demoralized silence — every road game, whatever the venue.
“Just trash-talking from the other fans, I don’t really engage with it, I just laugh,” the versatile 6-8 St. Mary’s transfer said as the No. 3 Cyclones prepared for Saturday’s 1 p.m. Big 12 road matchup with Texas Tech (11-3, 2-1) in Lubbock. “It’s just fun to hear what they have to say.”
ISU (13-1, 3-0) hasn’t had much fun at United Supermarkets Arena, which is always at or near its 15,000-seat capacity for Red Raiders men’s games. Texas Tech owns a four-game home win streak over the Cyclones — and outside of last season’s 80-77 overtime nail-biter — those recent outcomes haven’t been close.
“They have a great home court,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team has won 10 straight games, which is the second-longest streak in the country. “Their fans come out and support it. It’s a rowdy environment. They crank the noise way up, and then you’re gotta have a good team — and they have a good team. All of those things factor into it, making it a great home court advantage.”
The “good team” part of that equation stands paramount for Otzelberger, whose team overcame slow starts to win previous road games at Iowa and Colorado. The Cyclones can’t afford another bad beginning against the Red Raiders, who rank third in the country in effective field goal percentage (59.1) according to KenPom, and are equally skilled in scoring at the rim and outside of the 3-point line.
“They do a great job of spacing you offensively,” Otzelberger said. “Playing (to their) advantages.”
Texas Tech suffered a shocking 87-83 home loss to UCT to start conference play, but has registered back-to-back road wins at Utah and BYU to steady itself. Four Red Raiders average double figures in scoring, and four of their top rotational players shot 35 percent or better from 3-point range. Guard Chance McMillan’s drained 50 percent of his long-range attempts, and backcourt mate Elijah Dawkins has hit 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
“They’ve got some shooters, they’ve got some big guys and they play well, and they’re well-coached,” key ISU reserve and UNI transfer Nate Heise said.
But Texas Tech’s not a finesse team. Forward JT Toppin’s averaging a team-best 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks despite being hobbled by injury, and fellow big men Darrion Williams and Federiko Federiko provided scoring punch and stern interior defense, as well.
“They stretch the floor out with really good shooters around the floor, and they do a good job with their (forwards), putting them in a lot of actions,” said Jefferson, who averages 11.6 points and a team-high 7.9 rebounds for the Cyclones. “So just containing their good players is how we’re gonna come out and win.”
That’s the plan, anyway. ISU will continue to play its game, which centers on its skilled guards driving the basketball to collapse opposing defenses. Curtis Jones, Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey are all shooting 46 percent or better from the field, and one of them has led the Cyclones in scoring in all but one game this season.
“We’ve got bigger, stronger guards that like to get downhill in the paint and at the rim,” Otzelberger said. “Finding ways to get those guys there is gonna be the important part. They’re a team that’s really gap-conscious defensively and their activity velocity of their five men makes it not real easy to just get in the paint.”
Throw in Tech’s noisy and creative fans. along with prime TV placement on ESPN, and the recipe for a tightly-contested and challenging game is chockfull of key ingredients — just as Jefferson likes it.
“Some fanbases are a little too into the game,” he said. “But it’s healthy.”
