AMES – Four games remain for No. 9 Iowa State before the Big 12 Tournament. The Cyclones, who sit fourth in the Big 12, are 11-5 in the conference and 21-6 overall.
This final stretch of the season will be crucial for Iowa State in terms of getting a better seed for the Big 12 Tournament and to boost its resumé ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
One game ahead of Iowa State in the conference standings is No. 22 Arizona, which the Cyclones will face Saturday, and a game behind is No. 25 BYU, the team Iowa State will face a week after Oklahoma State.
But before those important games, the Cyclones cannot overlook the Cowboys. While Oklahoma State is 0-5 against ranked opponents, it will be the home team Tuesday, which could be a bigger advantage than it seems.
In the last 10 games in Stillwater, Iowa State is 6-4, but is 1-3 in the last four. In the previous 10 games in the series as a whole, the Cyclones are 3-7 but won last season’s lone contest in Ames 66-42.
All time, Oklahoma State holds a slim series lead with 72 wins to Iowa State’s 68 wins.
Though this season hasn’t been too kind to Oklahoma State, the Cowboys are still one of the better-performing teams in the Big 12. Oklahoma State ranks No. 11 in offense and No. 15 in defense.
In contrast, Iowa State is fourth in offense and fifth in defense.
The Cowboys’ defense allows opponents to shoot better than anyone in the league, as Oklahoma State ranks last in both opponent field goal and 3-point percentage.
On offense, the leading scorer for the Cowboys is senior guard Bryce Thompson, who averages 12.4 points per game this season. At home, he gets 13.4 points on average.
The past two games for Thompson have been some of his best of the season. He obtained a season-high 25 points against UCF in Oklahoma State’s 104-95 win and followed that up with 21 points in the 96-64 loss to then-No. 23 Kansas.
Given that Thompson was responsible for one-third of the scoring against the Jayhawks, he will be the one the Cyclones need to slow down. If Thompson gets hot, the Cowboys could be contenders.
Two other Oklahoma State players score more than 10 points per game. Those are senior forwards Marchelus Avery and Abou Ousmane, who average 12 and 11.8 points, respectively.
Avery and Ousmane will challenge Iowa State’s frontcourt the most, given that they are the leading rebounders, Avery at 4.6 and Ousmane leading the team with 5.3 per game.
Limiting those two inside on both ends of the floor will have to happen. Players like redshirt senior forward Brandton Chatfield will have to be aggressive on the offensive glass for Iowa State, while junior guard Tamin Lipsey will have his hands full with Thompson.
The Cyclones and Cowboys will take to the court at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
