The Cyclones’ 71-64 win against West Virginia on Saturday bolstered their reputation as a team that can survive on a day when they do not play their best basketball, thanks to multiple players stepping up late.
Runs from the Mountaineers in each half put Iowa State on upset alert and its hopes of making a run in March into question. The Cyclones picked themselves up multiple times, and in past years, when they would let slow starts get the best of them, they proved what makes this season different.
A valuable performance
Heading into Saturday’s game, the Cyclones were projected to blow out the Mountaineers, and the result, although underwhelming, should still be seen as a positive for Iowa State. While they got the win, we saw a type of adversity the Cyclones had not faced before.
The Cyclones had to respond to two separate punches from West Virginia, one in the opening four minutes when they trailed 11-2 and in the second half when they lost the lead after being outscored 21-10 after the first 10 minutes. They responded with knockout throws each time with a 38-19 run to end the first half and a 21-13 stretch to end the game.
Iowa State has had to respond to runs in the past, but not like this.
Whereas in games against Baylor and Houston the Cyclones could not finish the job, they did so against West Virginia. They went back to what worked for them, forcing turnovers and turning them into points.
Looking at this game from Iowa State’s perspective, it has to be relieved that a performance like this is out of the way and ended up in its favor. Letting up a pair of frightful runs against any other team down the stretch will get you beat, now they can focus on what went wrong and how to get back to what has worked rather than relying on a late run.
Strong finish silences doubt
If not for a 14-0 run over a five-minute span in the second half, Iowa State could have very well been staring at one of the biggest upsets it has faced at home in a long time. Those 14 points though, did not come from sharp shooting from the Cyclones, they got back to playing smart and took advantage of the turnovers West Virginia was coughing up.
The big men, Hason Ward, Robert Jones and Tre King were the ones that stepped up late. The trio of forwards scored 14 of Iowa State’s 31 second-half points and adjusted well defensively to keep the Mountaineers from making another run.
During the second-half surge, Iowa State also saw solid minutes from Jackson Paveletzke, who needed to be big for the team as Keshon Gilbert was tagged with his fourth foul right when the Mountaineers were coming back. Paveletzke’s four points in the second half do not say enough about how key his presence was for the Cyclones to retake the lead and hold on.
For anyone that thought Iowa State could not find a way to win after having a terrible start to the second half, the final 10 minutes served as a reminder of why the Cyclones are a top-10 team. The Cyclones will find a way to win, especially against an inferior opponent like West Virginia.
Lipsey’s return to form
Even though point guard Tamin Lipsey has not turned in a necessarily bad performance since his injury earlier in conference play, he has not looked the same. In prior games, Gilbert has made up for Lipsey’s decreased efficiency, but with his aforementioned foul trouble in the second half, the hometown kid needed to show out.
Lipsey turned in his most consistent game in weeks against the Mountaineers and lived up to the floor general label he earned since joining the Cyclones. He finished with 14 points and six assists in 31 minutes, the first time he has had 12+ points and more than five assists since non-conference play.
With Gilbert’s stock continuing to trend up and Lipsey now playing back at the level he started the season at, there is no telling just how good this duo can be moving forward. They have both shown the ability to take over games offensively, charge inside and set their teammates up for success.
The road ahead
After a scare against West Virginia, it is time to evaluate Iowa State’s final four opponents heading into the Big 12 Tournament.
Two games on the road and two at home, with only one coming against a top-25 team in BYU who will likely drop out after its loss to Kansas State. The Cyclones are looking to avenge road losses earlier this season to Oklahoma and BYU when both teams make the trip to Ames.
A Big 12 regular season title is still possible, but they will need some help. They still sit one game behind Houston in the standings, who will also only face one final ranked opponent, No. 9 Kansas, in its last game of conference play.
Even if the Cyclones do not finish with a regular season title, they are still on pace for something arguably more valuable: a top-four seed in both the Big 12 Tournament and March Madness.
The former is all but locked up. Although TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech all sit at 8-6 in the conference fighting for the fourth spot, it is likely that Iowa State will still finish higher in the top four.
An automatic bid into the quarterfinals would go a long way for Iowa State which is hoping to snag its first Big 12 Championship since 2019, and it has the pieces to do so.
