After a nail-biting win against TCU, the Cyclones are back at home for a pair of opportunities to defend home court against tough Kansas teams.
The first team in Iowa State’s way is Kansas State on Wednesday. Although the Wildcats are unranked, they are playing the part of a top-20 team.
After that, the Cyclones do not get a break as they welcome Kansas back to Ames. However, that is just the Big 12 in a nutshell.
“I mean it’s a gauntlet. I feel like it’s always been a gauntlet,” Tre King said.
That gauntlet at Hilton starts with Kansas State. However, despite the upset win over TCU on the road, Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger has kept the team’s focus on the job at hand.
With every game being a challenge in the conference widely regarded as the best in the nation, Kansas State is primed to push the Cyclones. The Cyclones are ready for the challenge.
“Every game in this league is really challenging. You gotta take one game at a time,” Otzelberger said.
Another reason Wednesday night could be even more of a challenge for the Cyclones is Tamin Lipsey’s uncertain availability. After suffering a shoulder sprain against BYU, Lipsey missed Iowa State’s win against TCU.
Although the team won, there were minutes on the court that the Cyclones could have used his leadership and offensive prowess. At the moment, Otzelberger is hopeful Lipsey can be available Wednesday, but he does not want to push him to come back too early.
“If [Lipsey] can play—and it’s in his best interest to play—then it’s best for our team to play him. If he’s not, then we wanna do what’s best for him,” Otzelberger said.
With Lipsey’s status being up in the air, the Cyclones are staying focused on the job at hand. They cannot get distracted, as the Big 12 does not allow any room for errors.
“For us, all we do is just focus on the next game no matter what,” Otzelberger said.
The main idea Otzelberger has preached to his team is that they have to treat every game as the only thing that matters.
If the Cyclones are not at their best Wednesday night, Kansas State could easily come out on top.
“It’s important that our guys look at it as it’s a one-game season,” Otzelberger said. “There’s one opportunity in front of us. All that matters is that we’re at our best [Wednesday] night.”
The Wildcats started the Big 12 season as good as it gets. They are sitting atop the conference with a 4-1 record while coming off a week that saw them upset Baylor and take care of business against Oklahoma State.
Along with the Big 12 success, Kansas State is coming off an Elite Eight appearance a season prior. Although Kansas State is full of fresh faces, the winning mentality stays the same.
The Wildcats brought in a pair of transfers that have had meaningful impact in their success. Along with that, Otzelberger shouted out freshman Dai Dai Ames, who has seen significant minutes as a freshman.
All the players that entered Kansas State over the offseason came from winning programs and used that to fuel a hot start to Big 12 play.
“As a coach, when you see guys that have won and done things well at previous stops, it gives you confidence that they can continue doing it at your place. That’s certainly been the case,” Otzelberger said.
Overall, Kansas State has looked the part in every game it has played in the Big 12 season. The Wildcats rank near the top in most defensive stats while also knocking down threes at a high clip.
The only real knock against Kansas State is the level of competition faced, although the Wildcats have only dropped one game to a ranked Texas Tech team. Of the Wildcats’ road games, they split against West Virginia and Texas Tech.
Hilton will be the toughest place Kansas State has played throughout Big 12 play, which could bode well for a potentially Lipsey-less Iowa State team.
“There’s no off nights,” King said. “I feel like every game really comes down to one or two key possessions. You really have to be on at all times, because there’s no gimme games.”
Iowa State takes on Kansas State at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Hilton Coliseum. The game will be aired live on ESPN2.
