Basketball

NOTEBOOK: Foul or defend? What Otz had to say after crushing defeat in Tucson

Jan 27, 2025; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Caleb Love (1) and Iowa State Cyclones guard Keshon Gilbert (10) run toward the ball during the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

TUCSON — It’s difficult to draw up a more heartbreaking way to lose a basketball game than what No. 3 Iowa State (17-3, 7-2) suffered in the McKale Center vs. Arizona late Monday night. 

Absolutely brutal. Arizona won it 86-75 in overtime, but the story revolves around the final 2.9 seconds of regulation. 

Iowa State led by three coming off of a made free throw by Joshua Jefferson. Veteran Caleb Love was 1-of-11 from the field when he heaved an improbable 55-footer that went in, and sent the game into overtime. The extra period was simply a formality. 

“Foul or defend” is a popular debate across the sport of college hoops. Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger explained his thought process to end regulation in his postgame press conference. 

“Depending on the clock and the time, you know like the first scenario presents itself at 20.6, it’s probably too early. We’re not fouling there,” Otzelberger said. “At the end when it’s a couple of seconds, again, it’s easy to look at it now and say, ‘why didn’t you foul in that situation?’ I don’t know what the odds are of that shot going in, but probably not really high. I think the odds say you are far better off not to foul and defend.”

The only other thing Iowa State could have done is have Jefferson – who had missed the first of two free throws – purposely miss the second to allow Arizona to only get off the desperation heave under a more difficult live-ball situation compared to an in-bound. 

Either way, it is an extreme long-shot to lose a game in that scenario. 

“They controlled the game more than we did,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “You try to hang in there and give yourself a chance. A desperation three is probably not the chance you are trying to give yourself, but it made for great theater.”

I’ll say. 

Now Iowa State has to pick itself up off the mat. After this long desert swing, the Cyclones will arrive back in Ames at around 5:30 a.m. central time on Tuesday to start preparation for a pseudo rivalry game against Jerome Tang and Kansas State on Saturday in Hilton Coliseum. 

“We want to be great at doing things that are hard,” Otzelberger said. “This is going to be one of those things. It’s how we practice every day. It’s the habits we have. There are all the cliches about how adversity reveals character and I am confident in the character of the guys on our team and in our locker room. As disappointing as this is, we will bounce right back.”

More reaction from a dramatic night in Tucson

Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd on the Cyclones…

“Crazy respect for Iowa State. One of their best players is injured, so let’s make note of that. That Lipsey kid – I don’t know what he has going on with his right hand – but he plays his ass off. Crazy respect for them. Rest assured, they have something waiting for us when we go to Ames.”

Tamin Lipsey on going to overtime following such a huge moment…

“It’s tough, especially when you are playing in a place like this with such great fans and a great atmosphere. That just brought the life into the arena right after he made that shot. Like coach said, we were trying to bounce back. We won the tip and went down and scored and then just let it get away from us.”

Otzelberger on Arizona holding Curtis Jones to 1-of-11 shooting…

“They had great awareness to him at all times. They communicated well to make sure there was always a body on him and he was accounted for even in transition and on the offensive glass. They did a terrific job. They have bigger, physical guards and they did a great job of keeping a body on him. They didn’t let him play inside the 3-point line and he had to take some difficult, challenged threes.”

@cyclonefanatic