AMES — With No. 8 Iowa State in the midst of a three-game losing streak, where each loss has cut deeper than the last, it’s hard to find a clear answer to why they are struggling as of late.
There could be a multitude of reasons for it, such as the recent shooting struggles of senior guard Curtis Jones, who has gone 3-for-21 from 3-point range in the past three games after setting a career high prior to this stretch, or with sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic still being out with his injured hand.
But perhaps the biggest reasoning of them all is the level of competition that the Cyclones have faced thus far.
To start, being a member of one of, if not the most competitive basketball conferences in the country is challenging enough for Iowa State, despite being highly ranked.
Each game in the Big 12 has an opportunity to cause some sort of chaos that can have a team at the bottom of the standings beat a team within the top five on any given night.
As of Feb. 6, the standings are as follows:
- Houston (18-4, 10-1 Big 12)
- Arizona (16-6, 10-1)
- Texas Tech (18-4, 9-2)
- Iowa State (17-5, 7-4)
- Kansas (16-6, 7-4)
- BYU (15-7, 6-5)
- Baylor (14-8, 6-5)
- West Virginia (14-8, 5-6)
- Utah (13-9, 5-6)
- TCU (12-10, 5-6)
- Kansas State (11-11, 5-6)
- UCF (13-9, 4-7)
- Cincinnati (13-9, 3-8)
- Arizona State (12-10, 3-8)
- Oklahoma State (11-11, 3-8)
- Colorado (9-13, 0-11)
While Colorado has had a rough start to its re-entry back into the Big 12, every other team has been able to take down at least three other conference foes.
Whether at home or on the road, every Big 12 team has the opportunity to come out with a big win, regardless of conference standings.
But playing at home does have a slight advantage for the team hosting, as the entire conference is 50-38 when playing at home.
However, for a team to be considered a ‘contender,’ they must be able to face adversity by winning those tough games on the road, as well as taking care of their home court.
In Iowa State’s case, three of its four losses in conference play came on the road in tough environments, with the lone home loss to Kansas State, a team that is emerging from the depths of the bottom of the conference.
“It’s really tough,” junior guard Demarion Watson said. “Every game is a hard game. Every team is really good and can come out with a win every night.”
“The Big 12 is deep,” junior guard Tamin Lipsey said. “It’s tough from top to bottom, even when some team’s records aren’t as good. I feel like teams improve throughout the whole year, especially when you start competing against each other.”
For head coach T.J. Otzelberger, the one thing that makes the Big 12 competitive is its focus on the defensive side of the ball, as well as playing physical against one another.
“I think the physicality in the Big 12, on the glass and defensively, stands out,” Otzelberger said. “Even when you play great teams outside the league, I still think there’s a defensive intent and physicality that teams play within this league, that all of a sudden when they get into league play even when they played those great teams, the scoring numbers go down.”
Otzelberger’s focus on playing physical and having a strong defensive presence has made the Cyclones among the best in the conference, and that is the case for the teams above them in Houston, Arizona and Texas Tech.
Looking ahead, Iowa State is entering the single digits with nine conference games remaining before heading to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament.
Luckily for them, five out of the remaining nine, and three of the next four games are at Hilton Coliseum, so the Cyclones will be looking to return to their winning ways before heading into tournament play.
“It’s huge,” Watson said. “We don’t want to lose at home. Just continuing to get back to how it was and having the best mindset going into it.”
“Playing at home is awesome,” Lipsey said. “Especially when we are struggling right now, we would love to play every game at home just to get that feeling of excitement and energy back to get back on the winning train.”
