Minutes after Iowa State lost 54-53 to Iowa in what ISU head coach Larry Eustachy called one of the most intense NIT games in the last 10 years, Jake Sullivan was thinking about next season.

With an ice pack on his shooting hand, which took down swelling that was the result of a dislocated finger late in the game, Sullivan said the loss will hurt, but the outcome has its advantages.

“I just try to look at this as good thing for us all summer because it might hurt a lot of guys and really motivate guys for the whole summer,” Sullivan said.

Iowa State returns its entire starting lineup in 2003-2004, including Sullivan, who led the Cyclones with 17.3 points per game. And Tim Barnes, Jackson Vroman and Adam Haluska will have already gone through the rigors of Big 12 basketball once when the campaign begins anew.

Barnes said the team will take this week off and then continue to work out in preparation for what promises to be another grueling season.

“We’ve got experience now,” Sullivan said. “We’re right there where we need to be. We need to commit even more defensively. We need to work all summer because everyone needs to improve their game here and there.”

There was a reason Sullivan wasn’t hanging his head after losing to an in-state rival.

“It was a great ball game and there’s not that much to be disappointed about,” Sullivan said. “Yeah we wish we would have shot a little better and made a play here or there, but that’s the way it goes.”

Eustachy was also optimistic during the postgame press conference. He cracked a smile at one point when he reflected on the season-ending loss.

“We beat Iowa the first time and if it had stopped at that, it would have made for a nice summer tour,” Eustachy said.

— Jeff Raasch