Coming off of an encouraging upset win over TCU, the No. 23 Cyclones are still unsure about the injury status of Tamin Lipsey and may be forced to attempt to recreate his presence again.
Iowa State’s 73-72 win over the Horned Frogs was the first game the Cyclones played without their star guard on the court, with Lipsey dealing with a shoulder injury, which remains day-to-day, according to head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
While the Cyclones get ready for Wednesday’s matchup with Kansas State, Lipsey’s status still remains up in the air despite him making strides to making his return.
“We had him in on some of our non-contact and shooting things [Tuesday],” Otzelberger said. “I want to make sure that if he plays [Wednesday] that he feels up to it, totally not that we are just looking at it as how important he is to our team.”
Despite not being a participant in any contact activities yet, Otzelberger is hopeful for Lipsey to play against the Wildcats. Otzelberger assured that they do not want to rush anything in order to avoid a serious injury, and the focus is on securing another win in the Big 12.
“We have to do what is best for him regardless of what is coming at us, but for now our focus is on what we have [Wednesday] night,” Otzelberger said.
Before the game against TCU, the odds were stacked against Iowa State even without having Lipsey on the court. Up until that point, the Cyclones’ only true road win was against DePaul on Dec. 1.
Heading into Fort Worth, Texas, shorthanded and coming off of a depleting loss on the road against BYU four days prior, the Cyclones were being counted out before they could even lace up their shoes.
“We took it personally. We took it as a statement game that we can play at a high level anywhere,” Tre King said.
Having Lipsey out meant someone off the bench would need to step up, and thankfully for the Cyclones, Curtis Jones did just that. In his first career start for the Cyclones, the Buffalo transfer scored 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, stepping right into Lipsey’s shoes.
Jones was not the only one to step up for the Cyclones, as Jackson Paveletzke and Demarion Watson both saw increased time on the floor. In Watson’s career-high 25 minutes off the bench, he flew around the court and helped make up for the defensive pressure that Lipsey typically offers.
“We had three or four guys play their best games as a Cyclone to date, and that is a great sign for our program. I think with [Lipsey] out they really wanted to uphold that standard,” Otzelberger said.
If the Cyclones are without Lipsey for extended periods of time, their win against TCU proved that they can rally together and make up for his lost presence. The 27 forced turnovers by Iowa State, 17 of which came by way of steals, showed that the team can still find success without Lipsey, who has been a leader defensively.
“One thing that I have always said with [Lipsey] is that it starts with you,” King said. “He just brings a calming presence. He is not a guy who says a lot, but his actions is really what speaks volumes.”
