The Iowa State Cyclones are brewing something special at the right time.
On Saturday, Associated Press. No. 5 Iowa State (22-3, 9-3 in Big 12) notched arguably its biggest statement win of the season, defeating the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks, 74-56. The result showed why the Cyclones could go on a deep March Madness run.
No. 5 Iowa State proves its a national title contender with blowout win over No. 9 Kansas
Iowa State held Kansas (19-6, 9-3 in Big 12) to a tie in its season-low in points. The Jayhawks previously were held to 56 points in a five-point loss to the No. 6 Connecticut Huskies (23-2, 13-1 Big East) in early December.
The Cyclones, No. 5 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, did an excellent job of containing star Kansas freshman guard Darryn Peterson, who finished with 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Overall, Iowa State had six steals and three blocks as its defensive activity became too much for Kansas to overcome.
Coupled with timely three-point shooting, the Cyclones have a recipe that will make them tough to topple during the NCAA Tournament.
Junior forward Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State with 18 points on Saturday, shooting 7-of-13, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. This season, he’s shooting a remarkable 51.6 percent from beyond the arc, which leads Division I. Momcilovic has made at least two threes in all but two games, which are also the only two he’s made less than 30 percent of his long-range attempts.
Jamarion Batemon (39.8 percent) and Joshua Jefferson (39.4 percent) give the Cyclones extra security on the perimeter, while Tamin Lipsey is a defensive lynchpin, leading the Big 12 in steals (2.3 per game).
Iowa State is battle-tested as well, already securing non-conference wins over No. 17 St. John’s (NY) Red Storm (20-5, 13-1 in Big East), No. 13 Purdue Boilermakers (20-4, 10-3 in Big Ten) and the Iowa Hawkeyes (18-6, 8-5 in Big Ten). With remaining conference games against the No. 3 Houston Cougars (22-2, 10-1 in Big 12), No. 22 BYU Cougars (18-6, 6-5 in Big 12), No. 16 Texas Tech Red Raiders (18-6, 8-3 in Big 12) and No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (23-1, 10-1 in Big 12), the Cyclones, currently a No. 2 seed in ESPN men’s college basketball bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s projected 68-team field, has opportunities to climb to the 1-line.
Based on how well Iowa State played against Kansas, it will be tough to beat the rest of the way. In that regard, Saturday should serve as a warning to the rest of college basketball. A storm is coming.