AMES – No. 10 Iowa State will search for its third win in a row when the Cincinnati Bearcats come to town Saturday. With just a handful of games left before the Big 12 Tournament, each game is considered a must-win.
“Every one of these games has such a magnitude to it,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “This game is so important on Saturday.”
The slew of losses is in the rearview mirror now that sophomore forward Milan Momcilovic is back. In the two games since his return, the Cyclones are 2-0 and Momcilovic has shot 5-for-12 from beyond the arc.
“It’s been great having [Momcilovic] back,” senior guard Nate Heise said. “I’m glad that we’ve kind of picked up where we left off.”
With the offense clicking again and the defense playing like it always does with its high intensity, Iowa State will match up with a sneaky Bearcats squad.
Cincinnati has struggled in Big 12 play this season, sitting at a mere 5-8 in the conference and 15-9 overall. But the past three games have been anything but bad for the Bearcats, who have rattled off three wins in a row.
Both teams enter Saturday’s contest with a winning streak, with Cincinnati having won its past three games and Iowa State’s past two. One of those wins for both teams came on the road against UCF, which the Cyclones beat by 12 in their most recent game, while the Bearcats’ win streak started in Orlando via a 10-point victory.
Last season, Iowa State and Cincinnati met once, just like this season. The Bearcats hosted the two school’s first game as Big 12 opponents, but the Cyclones grabbed a 68-59 road win just over a year ago.
Cincinnati has four players who average over 10 points per game, but none average over 12. On the other hand, Iowa State has five scorers who average more than 10 per game and three over 12.
The leading scorer for the Cyclones, senior guard Curtis Jones, has found his rhythm once again with Momcilovic back.
“There’s not a more consistent player out there,” Otzelberger said. “Every single day he does the same thing. So whether he starts, comes off the bench, whatever’s thrown at him, that consistency shows up for [Jones] every single time that he takes the floor.”
Leading Cincinnati in scoring is sophomore guard Jizzle James, who has been on a roll recently. After he was held scoreless against West Virginia on Feb. 2, James got things rolling again.
A 15-point performance against UCF started the win streak for the Bearcats, and James followed it up with a season-high 24 points against BYU. That momentum carried over into their game against Utah, where James once again topped his season-high and tied his career-high with 25 points.
“You got to do a good job guarding him at the point, whether it’s point of the screen or on penetration, because he’s getting those spots and his confidence is extremely high,” Otzelberger said.
“There’s a couple guards in the conference that are like NBA players,” Iowa State senior center Dishon Jackson said.
A statement road win against a ranked team could be the resume booster the Bearcats need in hopes of sneaking into the NCAA Tournament.
The Cyclones and Bearcats will tip-off at 3 p.m. Saturday from Hilton Coliseum. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN 2.
