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AMES – Iowa State basketball did its best to make things decidedly drearier in the Sunflower State this week.
The 18th-ranked Cyclones scored a decisive 79-75 victory over No. 8 Kansas on Saturday afternoon to preserve a perfect week and perfect record inside Hilton Coliseum this season.
It was the second win of the week for Iowa State (16-4, 5-2 Big 12) against its southwesterly neighbors as the Cyclones defeated Kansas State, in a somewhat controversial fashion, on Wednesday.
More:T.J. Otzelberger refutes allegations of Iowa State basketball spying on Kansas State’s huddles
The pair of victories put Iowa State squarely in the Big 12 title race nearly midway through the conference slate, with Texas Tech currently alone in first place with one league loss.
“Our standard is the top of the Big 12,” Cyclone point guard Tamin Lipsey said, “and that’s what we’re competing for every day. That’s what we’ve worked for since this summer. We’ve put in countless hours in the gym and together off the court.
“We expect the most from ourselves and each other as a team. I’m looking for big things out of us continuing on this season. “
After beating the Jayhawks by 15 at Hilton Coliseum a year ago, Saturday marked the first time Iowa State defeated Kansas at home in back-to-back years since 2015 and 2016.
Iowa State was bolstered by one of its best 3-point shooting performances of the season. The Cyclones hit a season-high 14 shots from beyond the arc, besting the 10 they connected on against both Eastern Illinois and Florida A&M in non-conference play.
Cyclone forward Tre King, who came into the game having made 3-of-16 attempts from 3-point range, was 4-of-7 from deep en route to 21 points. Keshon Gilbert added 16 for the Cyclones. Lipsey had eight assists.
Women’s game:Iowa State women’s basketball drops third Big 12 game with loss at West Virginia
Cyclones dial in from distance
Iowa State led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but Kansas cut the lead to two in the final minute.
Fittingly for the day, it was a 3-pointer that provided the Cyclones with the breathing room that would ultimately take them past the finish line.
With Iowa State clinging to a two-point lead and the shot clock going down to its final second, Gilbert delivered a 3-pointer that put the Cyclones up five with 41 seconds to play, and Kansas was unable to threaten the Cyclones’ lead again.
“In the first half we ran the same play, and two (defenders) came to me and I had to kick it out Milan (Momcilovic),” Gilbert said. “They kind of guarded it a little different. I didn’t have nowhere to go so I hit him with a little move and I just shot it.
“I was lucky enough for it to go in.”
Iowa State was 14 of 30 from 3-point range. The Cyclones have been among the worst 3-point shooters in the Big 12 in league play, entering Saturday shooting 27.4% from deep against conference opponents.
“Give them credit,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. “Could we have done better? Yes. A lot of it was they made shots they hadn’t been making statistically this year. We played the percentages, thinking coming up here that would be the smart play and we could eliminate some ball-screen stuff by switching.
“They made us pay for it. They shot it great.”
King was perhaps the most surprising sharpshooter for the Cyclones, though his opportunity was one Iowa State forecasted as a possibility.
“It was one thing we talked about in preparing for this game that a lot of guys were going to help off of me because they didn’t think I could shoot the ball,” King said, “so one thing coach T.J. and coach (Erik) Crawford really talked to me about is if they sag off and it’s the right shot and the right time, take it and make it.”
While Iowa State shot it better than it has all season, Otzelberger didn’t attribute the boost in long-range production to luck.
“Our guys’ ball movement, looking for one another, trust in the work that they do every single day was so important,” he said. “It’s not as much as a fluke shooting effort as much as a bunch of guys who are really hungry to get a win, who play for one another and knock down the shots when the opportunity presented itself.”
Iowa State and Kansas won’t meet again in regular season
One of the casualties of the Big 12’s expansion this season to 14 teams (and next year’s move to 16) is the round-robin schedule that was a hallmark of the league when it was a 10-team conference.
As such, this will be the lone regular-season meeting between the Cyclones and Jayhawks. Iowa State will not play in Lawrence for the first time since 1921. That robs the conference – and the sport – of one of its more entertaining matchups. It also changes the perception of what a regular-season league championship means.
“I could be wrong on this, OK, I think winning the league mindset with players and fans is different than it was when you knew you were playing everybody twice,” Self, who has won a staggering 16 regular-season Big 12 championships, said. “We’re playing Baylor twice. We’re playing Houston twice. We’re playing Oklahoma twice, who’s been in the top-10. We’re playing our rival K-State twice.
“I was in the Big Ten when it was an unbalanced league. A lot of times the favorite in the league is depending on who you get at home and who you get on the road. To me, it’s going to be a fabulous league. Whoever wins the league should be a one-seed. That’s how I see it, regardless.
“But I don’t think it has the same meaning, at least when you go into a locker room and you have the standings up there and it’s uneven and you’re not playing the same people.
“I don’t think it has the same bearing right now as what it’s had in years past.”
Longtime official honored
John Higgins, a longtime referee known for working Final Fours and his shock of blonde hair, was recognized Saturday by Iowa State.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard presented Higgins with a framed picture of Hilton Coliseum before tip-off.
Higgins was often a fixture at Hilton Coliseum as one of the most accomplished officials who routinely worked Big 12 games.
Cyclone fans, who spent plenty of time booing Higgins during his career, cheered during the presentation.
Higgins, who hails from nearby Omaha, retired following last season after 35 years, 29 NCAA Tournaments, nine Final Fours and two national title games during his career. He is now the coordinator of officials for the Western Basketball Officiating Consortium.
Up next
After a grinding week that included two high-intensity games and anonymous allegations of huddle spying by Kansas State, Iowa State now gets a chance for a breather.
The Cyclones will not have their typical mid-week game and instead are off until Saturday when they will travel to face No. 14 Baylor in Waco.
The Bears (14-4, 3-2) have lost back-to-back games, both on the road, heading into their Saturday afternoon home game against TCU. Iowa State swept Baylor in three games last season.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
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