Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) and Arizona Wildcats guard KJ Lewis (5) battle for a loose ball during the second half in the Big-12 men’s basketball showdown at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday March 1, 2025 in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — Milan Momcilovic found himself one-handed and banished to the bench.
The talented Iowa State sophomore forward missed nearly a month with an injury to his non-shooting hand — and the tenth-ranked Cyclones went 3-4 while he healed and sat out.
But Momcilovic didn’t fret. He used that untimely journey to the sidelines to examine the game more closely in his mind’s eye, and he’s applied those spectator-based lessons since returning to the starting lineup.
“I think I’m still getting better at moving without the ball,” said Momcilovic, who hopes to help ISU (22-7, 12-6) notch its second straight win over a ranked foe in Tuesday’s 8 p.m. matchup (ESPN2) with No. 25 BYU (21-8, 12-6) at Hilton Coliseum. “(I’m) trying to be more like, for example, just like Steph Curry — obviously not as good, but (I) try to move that much. You can see how much he moves throughout the game and how much he impacts winning.”
So the 6-8 sharpshooter focused on angles and activity, where the best opportunities for quick cuts and strong screens revealed themselves. He dissected the defensive end of the floor in a similar way, where his improved physicality and on-ball defense could yield favorable results.
Nobody puts more into their game than Milan does,” said Cyclone head coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team could potentially lock up a double bye in the Big 12 Tournament with a win over the dangerous Cougars. “The work that he puts in, the time that he puts in — I mean, he loves basketball. He loves to work on his game. He’s a competitor. I think when you sit out, you get to see things and the game slows down for you. And then you probably have some self-dialogue and say, ‘When I get back out there, these are gonna be the things I do, and how I do them.’”
It’s no secret how Momcilovic’s presence on the floor enhances ISU’s spacing, which leads to more opportunities to attack the paint, while also creating prime kick-out opportunities. But now that he’s running the floor aggressively and relentlessly, instead of merely being a skilled spot-up shooter, the Cyclones can fire on all cylinders on the offensive end of the floor. ISU is 5-2 since Momcilovic returned to the rotation — and both losses came with one or more fellow starters out and on the road.
“(Otzelberger) always says when I do physical things I play better,” said Momcilovic, who’s shooting a career-best 41 percent from 3-point range and has drained four or more shots from beyond the arc six times this season. “Just playing defense, fouling, hacking someone, just doing those physical things — he really likes that, and it reflects on the offensive end. When I do that, shots go in.”
The Cyclones will need to see lots of shots descend through the net against BYU, which has won six games in a row and ranks fourth nationally in effective field goal percentage at 57.4 percent, according to KenPom. The Cougars’ leading scorer, Richie Saunders, is shooting 44 percent from 3-point range and spearheads an offense that’s ranked 12th nationally in adjusted efficiency.
“One thing with them that you have to factor into the equation is how well they shoot the basketball,” Otzelberger said. “They’ve got older guys, they’ve got experienced, veteran guys (who) know how to find ways to win. You don’t win six games in a row in this league without having that type of experience.”
The similarly-experience Cyclones have crafted four- and five-game winning streaks in conference play — and Tuesday will be senior night for three starters (Keshon Gilbert, Dishon Jackson, Curtis Jones), as well as key reserves Brandton Chatfield, Nate Heise and “chief energy officer” Conrad Hawley.
So Tuesday’s game is not only pivotal for postseason positioning, it will also be emotional for some of those seniors who don’t retain another year of eligibility.
“It’s unbelievable,” said the 6-10 Chatfield, who’s showcased his grit off the bench. “I’m so happy to be here.”
So is Momcilovic, who has developed his own brand of toughness on both ends of the floor.
“That was a big weakness in my game,” he said. “And T.J. and his staff has done a great job getting me (to be) more physical.”
