AMES — The No. 8 Cyclones will look to extend their winning streak to four games Tuesday, as they will try to do so against a familiar opponent in the Colorado Buffaloes.
Iowa State and Colorado have met twice already this season, with the first matchup taking place at the Maui Invitational. The Cyclones won that meeting 99-71 and were dominant for the majority of the game.
The second matchup went a bit differently. Iowa State made the trip to Boulder, Colorado, to face the Buffaloes and were on the ropes for a lot of that game.
Colorado led by as much as five points midway through the second half and were giving the Cyclones all they could handle until they eventually came back and pulled away to win the game 79-69.
“We’ve been fortunate, I thought we played one of our best games in Maui when we played them the first time,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “And we were down the majority of the game in Boulder and made some big plays and had some runs late to bring us back.”
It’s been a while since the teams last met and things have not been going great for Colorado since that Dec. 30 game in Boulder.
That was Colorado’s first game back in the Big 12 since rejoining the conference this year, as well as the first of 13 straight Big 12 losses that Colorado would suffer over the coming weeks.
During its 13-game losing streak, Colorado lost by 10 points or more nine times and broke the 70-point scoring mark just three times.
During conference play, Colorado has had the 14th-ranked offense, 13th-ranked defense and has the second-to-worst scoring differential in the Big 12.
That being said, Colorado did snap its losing streak in its last game against UCF in a 76-63 victory. The Cyclones know that despite the disappointing season that the Buffaloes have had, they can’t take any game lightly.
“Yeah, I mean, look, they’re coming off a win against Central Florida,” Otzelberger said. “I think they’re certainly a coach and a program that I respect. I feel like they’re the best version of themself that they have been in this season right now, and for us, what do I expect? They’re gonna come in and compete, and they’re gonna come in and play hard.”
“It was a good game down there [Boulder], so they’re probably going to have some confidence coming in here, so our job is to take that confidence away,” senior guard Keshon Gilbert said.
One thing to look for in this game could be Iowa State’s effort on the boards. During the Cyclones’ losing streak rebounding was a big issue, but as their rebounding has improved, so has their record.
Most notably, in Iowa State’s last game, it may have had its most dominant rebounding performance of conference play, outrebounding Cincinnati 37-19 overall and 12-5 on the offensive glass.
This was maybe the biggest factor in the Cyclones’ victory over Cincinnati, and they are continuing to emphasize it going into Tuesday night.
“I think our commitment on the glass, our rededication and understanding of how important that is to our success in winning and playing well,” Otzelberger said. “And our guys have done a great job. Particularly in the second half of the last two games, we were dominating. It’s something that we need to set out to do right away.”
If Iowa State comes into Tuesday respecting its opponent and attacking the glass, the game should go in its favor. If they don’t, Colorado is more than capable of giving the Cyclones a run for their money.
The Cyclones and Buffaloes will tip off at 7 p.m. Tuesday from Hilton Coliseum. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
