Due to a pair of Big 12 wins, headlined by a classic T.J. Otzelberger top-10 upset, the Cyclones snuck into the AP top-25 for the first time this season at No. 24. Iowa State’s newly acquired respect by the national media will be put to test in its next two matchups, as the team will be without a common denominator which has fueled them all season.
The Cyclones will be on the road for matchups against No. 20 BYU and No. 19 TCU, who, much like Iowa State, are 13-3. These pair of matchups each own their respective weights, but what they share is a chance for Iowa State to prove it can win conference games on the road.
While it is hard to avoid riding the high of knocking off No. 2 Houston, who slid down to No. 5 after losses to Iowa State and TCU last week, let us remember how the Cyclones looked in their last conference road game against Oklahoma.
Iowa State had its second-lowest scoring game in its 71-63 loss to the Sooners, and outside of tying the game up multiple times in the second half, the Cyclones failed to fully take control of the game.
Now I do not mean to discredit the upset win over Houston at all, but to come off of an out-of-sync loss in Norman, Oklahoma, and then go back to Hilton where they have not lost yet this season, does them a priceless favor.
Even when looking at how the Cyclones have played in other spots outside of Hilton before conference play, the resume is not promising.
Including the Oklahoma loss, Iowa State is 2-3 in road or neutral location games. In losses to Virginia Tech and Texas A&M at the ESPN Invitational, the Cyclones had good moments that kept each game close, but the overall poor play was too much to overcome.
The wins outside of Hilton also do not say too much either. Iowa State overcame a 10-point second half deficit against VCU and pulled ahead in the final 90 seconds to win 68-64 in the first round of the ESPN Invitational. In their only true road win against DePaul, the Cyclones only held a four-point lead at halftime before blowing out the Blue Demons in the second half.
Now I know what you are thinking, ‘A team is at their best when they are at home, what a shock.’ But considering how Iowa State has looked away from Hilton, these next two games will either label them as a team capable of winning games on the road in the Big 12 or one that relies on playing at home.
The most crucial aspect of Iowa State’s game it will need to translate in its road matchups is its defense, which was a major factor in its win against Houston.
The Cyclones allowed 53 points, the fewest the Cougars have scored all season. Despite having to rely on a fadeaway from Milan Momcilovic to win the game, Iowa State’s ability to hold Houston to 38% from the field and force 16 turnovers was the reason it even had a chance at winning.
Both TCU and BYU have proven themselves as offensively driven teams in the Big 12, with the Cougars averaging the second most points per game (85.6) and the Horned Frogs just behind them averaging 84 points per game while also averaging the fourth-highest field goal percentage (48.9).
If Iowa State’s road defense can look more like it does at home, which has fed its offense and kept opposing teams fighting from behind, it can write its own narrative as one of the most complete and threatening teams in the Big 12.
The Big 12 is the most competitive conference in the nation, and it should be no surprise that eight of the 14 teams find themselves in the top 25. But if you can’t win on the road in this league, you can’t be taken seriously come tournament time.
