Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) rebounds the ball around Utah Utes forward Ezra Ausar (2) during the second 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 — Nate Heise anticipated the question, then preempted it.
“Keep shooting it,” one of Iowa State’s key contributors off the bench said in reference to his recent long-range shooting struggles. “Because I’ve played four years and (I’ve been) pretty consistent through those four years, so it’s bound to turn here.”
That’s the message the former Northern Iowa transfer’s been hearing from his coaches and teammates alike entering Tuesday’s 7 p.m. matchup between the No. 3 Cyclones (15-2, 5-1 Big 12) and UCF (12-5, 3-3) at Hilton Coliseum.
Heise’s missed all 10 of his 3-point attempts in conference play, but he shot 36 percent from beyond the arc last season — so as he noted, his track record speaks for itself.
“To demand of Nate to do things that he’s already proven to do in his college career seems very logical to me,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose entire team labored to connect from 3-point range on Saturday, going an icy 1-for-17 from long distance in a 64-57 loss at No. 23 West Virginia. “So we’re gonna continue to demand that he’s an aggressive offensive player. We all see what does on the defensive end, what he does on the glass, and the impact that me makes in those ways. We need him to hunt the rhythm 3, and he will do that. We need him to attack closeouts, and he will do that. And we need him to help make plays against the press and pressure and in transition, (and) we know he can do (that).”
Dismal 3-point shooting numbers only tell part of the story in the Cyclones’ first loss in their past 13 games. ISU only got to the free-throw line seven times against the Mountaineers — 11 trips below its previous low for attempts there this season. The Cyclones allowed West Virginia to strike for 14 steals, which accounted for all of their turnovers. And the basketball stuck at times in Saturday’s setback, which led to over-dribbling, poor spacing and clogged passing lanes. Add all of that up and a recipe for defeat fully emerges — but ISU still had a chance to win until the closing moments of the game.
“We’ve been in that spot before (on the road) and been able to get a couple stops and a couple scores, now all of a sudden we win by seven, eight, nine,” Otzelberger said. “So (West Virginia) deserves a lot of credit. They were locked in and certainly (there were) things we could have done better and learned from, and we’ll be better for it moving forward.”
They’ll definitely need to be better in those areas immediately, as the Knights are coming off a one-point home loss to league leading Houston on Saturday. UCF plays fast and features several physically-imposing playmakers, led by 6-7 guard Keyshawn Hall (16.9 points per game, 6.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists).
“They’ve got tremendous physicality in the interior and length in the front court,” Otzelberger said. “They score the ball well. You’ve got to be ready for different presses, traps. They work really hard to turn you over.”
The Knights also struggle to defend consistently in the halfcourt, which could help the Cyclones get back on track from the 3-point line. They’ve held opponents to under 70 points just once in Big 12 play — Saturday’s 69-68 setback to the No. 7 Cougars — and are prone to live ball turnovers, which ISU will seek to produce regularly.
“We’ve got a chance to bounce back,” said ISU guard Keshon Gilbert, who dishes out a team-high 4.7 assists per game. “We’ve done forgot about the West Virginia game. It is what it is. It happened. We know we’ve gotta get better, so we just focus on (that).”
Just like Heise, who’s continued to be a major factor in the Cyclones’ success despite his shooting slump.
“I know being the competitor he is and the winner that he is that he understands that is how you show your competitiveness, that is how you show you’re the winner that you are — is doing it in those situations,” Otzelberger said. “I’m totally confident as we move forward, he’s gonna do that job.”