Iowa State quickly moving past Kansas win in preparation for Texas
February 6, 2017
Iowa State coach Steve Prohm accomplished something on Saturday that has only been done nine other times over the past 12 years: he earned a win at Allen Fieldhouse.
Sure, the Cyclones’ 92-89 overtime win against No. 3 Kansas on Saturday was impressive and garnered national attention — as it should have. But that was on Saturday. Now, just three days later, Iowa State (14-8, 6-4 Big 12) travels to Austin, Texas, to take on Texas (9-14, 3-7 Big 12) at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
With the short turnaround, guard Naz Mitrou-Long said there isn’t time to celebrate the weekend’s win.
“We’ve definitely moved on,” he said. “We watched the game tape after the game. Came in yesterday [and] again watch some of the game, the positives, the negatives. And then we got right to Texas.
“Since then, coaches have been texting us about Texas. It’s been nothing but that. We’ve got to go on the road and beat a Texas team that’s kind of rolling right now. I feel like they’ve found the chemistry as far as guys knowing their roles, so it’s a big game.”
Against Kansas, Iowa State seemingly lived by the 3-point shot. It went 18-of-34 from behind the arc and was led by seven 3s from foward Deonte Burton.
While 34 3-point attempts is a lot — significantly more than the Cyclones usually put up — Prohm wasn’t concerned. He didn’t see many bad shots from that range.
“I didn’t think we shot a lot of bad shots. It’s just kind of where we get shots from because of the way we play and the personnel that we have,” Prohm said. “Obviously it took a great effort to win in that environment up there. If they’re good shots, we need to shoot them because that’s the strength of our team. How many it’s going to be each night, I don’t know.
“But when this team is making shots, they’re very, very good.”
Even though the Longhorns are sitting in ninth place in the conference standings — and Iowa State beat them back on Jan. 7 — Prohm isn’t overlooking Texas.
His biggest focus while scouting the Longhorns has been their home performance recently. They’ve only lost two conference games on their home floor, which were lost by a combined five points.
“I think [coach Shaka Smart’s] team is growing,” Prohm said. “I think those younger guys are getting better. I think those sophomores are important … to their success. Jarrett Allen is obviously a tremendous talent, but those young freshman guys are really, really good. So I think those guys when you watch them on TV … they have an edge to it at home, and they play with a great passion. We have to be ready.”
While Texas is near the bottom of the league standings, the Big 12 as a whole has clearly asserted itself as one of the top leagues in the country. It has two teams inside the AP Top 10, eight teams with a record better than .500, and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projected on Monday that seven teams from the league would make the NCAA Tournament.
And on Saturday, three Big 12 teams ranked in the AP Top 10 fell to unranked opponents all on their home floor.
While Iowa State has definitely felt the wrath of a tough Big 12 schedule so far this season, the Cyclones have a chance to make a run over the next two weeks. In their next five games, the Cyclones will face teams they currently sit ahead of in the Big 12 standings, and Iowa State has already beat four of the next five opponents once this season.
It’s a chance for Iowa State to make a run in conference play — one that could prove to be impressive following Saturday’s notable win at Allen Fieldhouse. However, should the Cyclones fall in Austin, Mitrou-Long said their win at Kansas won’t seem as impressive.
“In this league, it’s the best league in the country. There’s no denying it. Everybody sees it,” Mitrou-Long said. “We beat up on each other all year, that’s why no game is a gimme. So coming into there it’s huge [to get a win]. If we go to Texas and lose, I think it takes a lot away from Saturday. You know you have to keep it rolling, use what we did Saturday, and really use it to boost us and get rolling.”