AMES – Forget what happened. That is what No. 3 Iowa State is doing after it suffered its first Big 12 loss of the season Saturday against West Virginia.
The Cyclones, who now sit 15-2 overall and 5-1 in the Big 12, have already put the loss to the Mountaineers, who moved up to No. 23 in the AP Top 25 following their win, behind them.
“At the end of the day, we’re in a really good basketball conference,” senior guard Keshon Gilbert said. “Everybody wants to go undefeated, but the reality is it’s not gonna happen.”
WInning on the road in the Big 12 is no easy feat, especially at West Virginia, where Iowa State hasn’t won since 2015.
A big part of the problem for the Cyclones in that game was 3-point shooting. Iowa State had its worst statistical night behind the arc under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, going just 1-for-17.
That lone basket belonged to senior guard Curtis Jones, someone who has proven to make 3’s from just about anywhere.
“How [Jones] shoots in a game, that’s how he shoots in practice,” Gilbert said.
But Jones can’t be the sole contributor in baskets made outside, or sometimes baskets in general. West Virginia held Iowa State to a season low 57 points. It was the first time this season the Cyclones scored below 70, with 74 being the previous low against Baylor.
One player who Otzelberger would like to see step up in made shots is redshirt senior guard Nate Heise. Heise, who played three full seasons at Northern Iowa (UNI), led the Panthers in scoring last season with 431 total points and averaged a career high 13.5 points per game.
“To demand of [Heise] that he does things that he’s already proven to do in his college career seems very logical to me,” Otzelberger said. “We’re gonna continue to demand that he’s an aggressive offensive player. We all see what he does on the defensive end, what he does on the glass and the impact he makes in those ways.”
Heise’s 3-point percentage was 35.6% at UNI, a bit higher than his current at Iowa State, which is 25%. Granted, he is averaging 10 minutes less per game than as a Panther.
This season, Heise has not attempted more than three 3-pointers in a game, and hasn’t hit one since the Morgan State game on Dec. 22.
“Talking to people, they all have confidence in me,” Heise said. “Continuing to shoot with confidence, I think it’ll turn around.”
That may need to change, especially since sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic is not expected to return for about a month.
“You play one way for six, seven months since June, and now you’ve got to adapt a little bit,” Otzelberger said. “But I’m confident in how we practice and the job that our coaches do and the focus our players have that we’ll get it right.”
Heading into Tuesday’s game against UCF, Heise, Jones and the rest of the shooters could be in for a big payday. The Knights allow opponents to shoot over 35% from deep and nearly over 45% from the floor.
UCF is a team that has been spotty, however. In their last two contests against top-10 teams, the Knights lost to then-No. 7 Kansas by 51 at home and just lost to then-No. 10 Houston by one at home Saturday.
“I think they are a team that, man, when they’re dialed in, they’re really good,” Otzelberger said. “We saw that against Houston in their last game.”
Overall, UCF sits 12-5 on the season and 3-3 in conference games. The Knights started the season hot with a win over then-No. 13 Texas A&M, but have not beat a ranked opponent since then.
UCF has three players that average over 14 points per game, including junior guard Keyshawn Hall and seniors guards Darius Johnson and Jordan Ivy-Curry.
Containing that trio of guards will be critical in terms of the Cyclones ending up with a win or a loss.
“We’ve got a chance to bounce back,” Gilbert said.
No. 3 Iowa State and UCF will tip-off at 7 p.m. Tuesday from Hilton Coliseum. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
