KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Iowa State started its Big 12 Tournament with a 20-point win over Cincinnati on Wednesday. That means the Cyclones will face BYU at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.
The Cougars, who finished 23-8 overall and fourth in the Big 12 at 14-6 in the conference, battled with Iowa State for the double-bye in the conference tournament, which ultimately went to BYU.
This rematch will happen just nine days after the Cougars downed the Cyclones at Hilton Coliseum on Iowa State’s senior night. The game in itself was a wild one that saw the Cyclones claw back from a 21-point deficit, only to fall in double-overtime.
“They smacked us in the mouth,” Iowa State junior forward Joshua Jefferson said.
It’s a fairly quick turnaround between that game and this one, and a second chance against BYU is probably going to give Iowa State some extra motivation.
“They came into our building and did a great job and earned a victory,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said about BYU. “We will prepare just like we prepare for every game and every opponent and every opportunity. We’ll aim to control what we can control and be at our absolute best.”
Against Cincinnati, Iowa State senior guard Keshon Gilbert did not start and did not play at all in the second half. He has been dealing with a groin injury for a while, and Wednesday may just have been a cautionary measure to ensure Gilbert is ready to go against BYU.
“[Gilbert] didn’t play in the second half because he felt like he couldn’t get any push or any explosion,” Otzelberger said. “We’ll stretch him out and do everything we can to get him ready to play.”
On top of that, junior guard Tamin Lipsey exited the game early with what Otzelberger said was also a groin injury.
The hope is that after some evaluation from Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, both will be able to go in some capacity.
Losing both Gilbert and Lipsey for a chunk of the game will not do the Cyclones any favors. BYU’s win over Iowa State was win number seven in the Cougars’ eight-game win streak that is still alive.
That stretch included wins over West Virginia twice, then-No. 23 Kansas, then-No. 19 Arizona, Kansas State, both Arizona schools and in-state rival Utah.
BYU won those eight games at an average score of 85.1-72.3. The Cougars scored over 80 points in six of those games and held their opponents under 70 in four.
It’s no surprise BYU scored that much, considering the Cougars have the No. 2 scoring offense in the Big 12 and hold the highest field goal percentage. Iowa State’s offense isn’t too far behind itself, at fourth and second in those categories, respectively.
But when it comes to defense, the Cyclones hold the advantage there, and after the performance it had against Cincinnati, they could ride that momentum into the BYU game.
For Iowa State, the turnaround will be quick, but it’s nothing the Cyclones aren’t familiar with.
“Last year we played three [games],” Lipsey said. “It was still back-to-back-to-back. This year could possibly be more. Just focused on getting rest and getting right back to it.”
The action begins at 11:30 a.m. CT from the T-Mobile Center in the opening game of the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN 2.
