Mar 8, 2025; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) is guarded by Kansas State Wildcats forward David N’Guessan (1) and forward Coleman Hawkins (33) during the first half at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
The plus and minus number that appears in college basketball box scores can deceive as often as it illuminates.
And that mercurial measure did the latter for No. 10 Iowa State’s wire-to-wire regular-season closing 73-57 win Saturday at Kansas State — and the player with the best number for the Cyclones proved to be Nate Heise at plus-16.
“Coach (T.J. Otzelberger) just mentioned over and over that this was a pride game,” Heise said on the Cyclone Radio Network after the game. “So if we won or lost it wasn’t gonna affect our seed in the (Big 12) Tournament. So we were just playing for pride, playing for the name on the front of the jersey and the back of the jersey, and I think we just played hard regardless.”
Heise started in place of Keshon Gilbert, who has missed three of ISU’s past four games with a muscle strain. Heise scored seven points and led the backcourt with six rebounds, while tying center Dishon Jackson with a game-high three steals as the Cyclones (23-8, 13-7) avenged an 80-61 loss to the Wildcats (15-6, 9-11) five weeks ago at Hilton Coliseum.
Curtis Jones led ISU with 24 points on 11-for-12 free-throw shooting, Joshua Jefferson added 14 points in 21 minutes while battling foul trouble, and Jackson chipped in 11 points on 4-for-5 field goal shooting.
“I thought (Jackson) had a great impact,” said Otzelberger, whose fifth-seeded team opens Big 12 Tournament play at 11:30 a.m.. Wednesday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. “The finish in traffic, the dunk late, was a big basket, and we need all those points, and I think those guys, they did a good job.”
The Cyclones outscored Kansas State 22-to-six in points off turnovers and led by double-digits most of the second half. They also snapped a two-game skid at Bramlage Coliseum while spoiling the Wildcats’ senior day.
“We talk all the time about our daily habits and how much we compete, fight in practice and we don’t want to come out and go easy on the opponent after we’ve put in all that work and all that time on the practice court,” Otzelberger said. “It is good that they guys (got) the validation of getting a win, especially on the road, avenging a loss we didn’t feel great about at home.”
So this “pride” game came at the perfect time — particularly for Heise, who’s excelled in his occasionally expanded role lately. He’s scored in double figures in four of the past six games and shot 61.8 percent from the field in that span. He’s also notched multiple steals in those games while continuing to be one of the Cyclones’ most dogged on-ball defenders.
“Defensive intent, toughness, chasing down loose basketballs, getting steals, getting assists,” Otzelberger said of Heise. “He’s got a toughness and a grit to him that really impacted our other guys, as well, today.”
Gilbert’s impact on winning for ISU has been considerable during both of his two seasons, and Otzelberger said the former UNLV transfer and the Cyclones’ assists leader should be fully available for next week’s Big 12 Tournament and the bigger one that follows.
ISU will take a day off on Sunday then dive headlong into another intense practice on Monday.
“It’s gonna be spirited and fired up and energetic and enthusiastic — and Keshon Gilbert’s gonna be out there, and we’re all gonna be out there,” Otzelberger said. “And we’re all gonna earn it together.”
