Only three days after Kansas State, No. 5 in the Big 12, took the sole No. 1 spot as the Wildcats fell to No. 12, 80-76, becoming the only team to top the standings of the hottest conference in the nation. The run as a team has come to an end. Iowa. Jaren Holmes led the Cyclones with his 23 points, including his two frees his throws in the final seconds that helped cement the result.
The win moves Iowa State (15-4, 6-2 Big 12) into a three-way tie for first place in the Big 12 after the Longhorns handled Oklahoma State at home on Tuesday, giving K State and Texas a win. continued. The Cyclones remained undefeated at home with his four players scoring in double digits and wiped out the bad taste of Saturday’s game against Oklahoma State in which he trailed by 16 points.
Kansas State also had four players in double figures, but the Wildcats struggled defensively in the second half. The Wildcats (17-3, 6-2) scored his 23 points from his guard Mark Kissnowell, including his 18 in the second half. rice field.
K-State is dropped from the projected No. 1 seed line in the projected NCAA tournament field of CBS sports bracket science expert Jerry Palm due to a loss. The Wildcats remain one of the best stories in college basketball after finishing bottom of the Big 12 under first-year coach Jerome Tung, but Tuesday’s Big It was a reminder of how harsh life can be at 12.
Arrival in Iowa
The win marks Iowa State’s first victory over a top-five opponent since the 2015-16 season, when the Cyclones beat No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 4 Kansas in a row. His current head coach, T.J. Otzelberger, was an assistant to that team, and in the AP polls he climbed to fourth place, and in the NCAA Tournament he reached the Sweet 16 as the fourth seed.
Those heights seemed distant in the 2020-21 season, when the Cyclones struggled to a 2-22 (0-18) record. But then the ISU hired Otzelberger from his UNLV and its fortunes quickly turned around. The Cyclones reached the Suite 16 in their first year under Otzelberger last season as he finished 22-13, following their worst season in program history. The 2022-23 team proves last season was no fluke.
In fact, this Iowa team looks even better than last season’s team, with leading scorer Isaiah Brockington graduating and Texas-moved second scorer Tyrese Hunter. lost. The Cyclones are currently 6-4 in Quad 1 games and 2-0 on aggregate against Kansas State and Texas, who share the top spot in the conference.
Kansas Grind
Tuesday night’s action only underscored how brutal the Big 12 have been this season. Far behind the trio of 6-2 teams are the longtime powerhouses of Baylor and Kansas at 5-3. Also No.11 TCU with 5-3. All six teams within the groups of 6-2 and 5-3 teams seem to have a legitimate chance of winning the conference. Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Texas Tech University’s bottom-four schools are also among the top 75 in the NET rankings.
The Big 12 will struggle, but the good news for the Wildcats is that Tan is well aware of this reality. After 19 seasons as Baylor’s assistant, Tan knows the Big 12 better than anyone. After his team lost to the Big 12 for the first time in his TCU on January 14th, K-State rebounded with a victory over Kansas on the next outing.
There are plenty of defensive issues for the Wildcats to address from Tuesday’s game footage, but there’s no reason to be concerned about the Iowa State loss. The Hilton Coliseum is a very difficult place for an opponent, and K-State delivered enough offense in that environment to emerge victorious. Ultimately, the Wildcats defense let the team down.
