With a shot at a massive upset against No. 2 Houston, the Cyclones plan to take what they learned in the loss to No.11 Oklahoma to snatch a Big 12 win in favorable territory.
Iowa State was one of seven Big 12 teams to drop its first conference game of the season after losing against the Sooners on Saturday and face an even taller challenge as it hosts the undefeated Cougars on Tuesday.
For head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his squad to respond, the emphasis is not on adjusting their efforts to defeat Houston, but instead on taking advantage of the opportunity to play them at home.
“What we do control is that we have nine league games at Hilton,” Otzelberger said. “One at a time we need to come with great focus, great intent, competitive spirit and get the job done.”
The addition of the four new teams to the Big 12 means not every school gets the chance to play each team at home, and the ones they do, especially against the top-tier teams, must be appreciated.
Throughout the Cyclones’ 71-63 loss against Oklahoma, Iowa State could not consistently get into its offense the way it had been doing against non-conference opponents.
“You got to have a short memory,” guard Curtis Jones said. “Learn from the good and the bad [against Oklahoma] and just move on to the next game as another opportunity to win.”
But the road is not set to be any smoother for the Cyclones in their conference home opener.
They now will take on a team that is averaging the fewest points allowed per game in the nation (49.8) and has allowed over 60 points twice in the first 14 games. Houston’s ability to force opponents into tough shots, along with averaging almost 18 forced turnovers per game, has allowed it to cruise over teams with an average margin of victory of 27.1 points.
For the Cyclones to ignite their offensive presence of spreading the ball around, they will need to account for the Cougars’ ability to blow up plays and force sloppy passes.
“Every time you set a ball screen, they immediately take the roller away so they make you continue to pass it, it is almost like hot potato,” Otzelberger said.
Houston’s’ 14-0 start to the season has been led by its veteran guards L.J. Cryer, Damian Dunn and Jamal Shead, who all spend significant time on the court.
Senior forward Hason Ward will play a vital role in containing the Cougar offense. Ward has jumped right back into his defensive-oriented role in the Cyclones’ last two games after missing over a month of play due to a foot injury.
“We all see the difference that [Ward] has made,” Otzelberger said. “He’s better than what he played on Saturday, he just has to keep getting back into that shape. The only way you do that is put in the work every single day and he has continued to do that.”
Ward has snagged 13 combined rebounds over the course of his last two games and led the Cyclones’ scoring efforts against the Sooners on Saturday with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
But for Iowa State to pull off its first top-25 win of the season, everyone will need to show up. Falling behind 0-2 in Big 12 play would put the Cyclones in an even tougher position, and with two of their next three games after Houston being on the road, taking advantage of homecourt becomes even more crucial.
“I think everyone knows what is at stake and the expectation that we are going to do nothing less,” forward Tre King said.
Iowa State will tip-off against Houston at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
