I’m honestly lost for words. I would’ve never thought that this Iowa State team would have such a fall from grace as it had this past week.

What is going on?

Nobody looks like they want to shoot the ball, and they try to force unnecessary passes, resulting in sloppy turnovers that turn into points on the other end.

The Cyclones look like they’re just out there because they have to be. It took head coach T.J. Otzelberger nearly blowing a gasket for Iowa State to find some semblance of life against Kansas State.

Granted, the Cyclones started the game with a 13-4 run but lost everything from that point on.

I believe this stems back to one play that set in motion the cliff falling for Iowa State, and it was the half-court shot from Arizona guard Caleb Love.

Now I know that missing sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic is another reason for the Cyclones’ struggles, as he was able to space the floor with his size and outside shooting abilities. 

That one shot from the former North Carolina guard might’ve single-handedly cost Iowa State a potential one-seed in the Big 12 tournament and also in March for the NCAA Tournament.

Heading into that moment, it looked like the Cyclones would sneak away with a win against a tough Arizona team in its own home.

While Iowa State did struggle to shoot well in the first half, they still found a way to put the pressure on Arizona and successfully did so until the tying basket was put into the net.

And, of course, the one guy who made the crazy shot was the one who struggled mightily all game to hit anything from deep.

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a rant about Love and his shot, I think he is a great player and just happened to make the right shot at the right time.

It just so happens that all the momentum from that shot flipped in favor of Arizona, and that just happened to cause the Cyclones not only to lose that game, but go on to lose the next two to the Kansas schools.

I honestly expected Iowa State to lose at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Monday, not only because the Cyclones took down the Jayhawks in Hilton Coliseum, but because Kansas head coach Bill Self never loses on Big Mondays. Also, putting up a season-low 52 points is less than ideal.

The one loss that bugs me the most and truly showed the funk that the Cyclones are in was the 80-61 loss to Kansas State in Hilton Coliseum.

Heading into Saturday’s matchup, Kansas State, needless to say, was having an underwhelming season. It came in with an overall record of 9-11 and, at one point, lost six straight conference games before taking down then-No. 23 West Virginia and Oklahoma State in Manhattan.

Kansas State had not won a single true road game all season, so theoretically speaking, after knowing that Iowa State had won 29 straight home games, this game would be a shoo-in for the Cyclones to rebound off a tough loss.

Well, now I know nothing is ever a sure thing anymore, because even with a packed white-out crowd, Iowa State couldn’t find a way to get out of its own way.

I’m not sure when this now-three-game losing streak will end, but hopefully, with the longer break to rest and recuperate, along with hoping that Momcilovic can potentially play against TCU on Saturday, this streak can end and a new one can begin in a more positive light.

Maybe College Gameday coming to town can turn the Cyclones’ luck around.



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