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No. 7 Iowa State assuredly clinched a top-eight berth in the NCAA tournament with a 69-41 victory over No. 1 Houston to win the Big 12 tournament on Saturday night.
The Cyclones pulled away from the Cougars early in the second half after taking a 30-23 lead into halftime. Keshon Gilbert hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half as Iowa State extended its lead to 20 with an 18-5 run to start the half.
After suffocating opponents all season with their defense, Houston felt what it was like for opponents to play the Cougars all season. Houston shot just 26% from the field as Iowa State, the Big 12’s second-best defensive team behind Houston, harassed Houston all over the court.
Iowa State should be no lower than second place when the NCAA men’s tournament field is revealed on Sunday and will be a popular Final Four selection. The Cyclones enter the NCAA tournament as one of the hottest teams in the country. After losing by two points at Baylor on Feb. 3, Iowa State has won 11 of its last 13 games in what is considered the toughest conference in the country.
Gilbert finished with 16 points while Milan Momcilovic scored 18 points and hit four 3-pointers.
Concern for Houston?
The Cougars entered the Big 12 tournament deserving of their number one ranking in the AP Top 25. Houston won the Big 12 by two games and had won 11 straight games before losing to the Cyclones. Saturday’s loss was the Cougars’ biggest of the season and came in Kansas City, the same place where Houston’s NCAA Tournament run ended against Miami in the Sweet 16 a season ago.
Even if Houston isn’t the No. 1 seed overall on Sunday, the Cougars are safe on the No. 1 seed and will enter the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. However, there is a bit of concern for Houston heading into the tournament.
The Cougars will be without Joseph Tugler for the rest of the season after he underwent foot surgery and J’Wan Roberts missed the second half of Saturday’s game due to a shin bruise suffered in the win. Friday night over Texas Tech. Without Tugler and Roberts, Houston is pretty small. Ja’Vier Francis is the only other forward seeing significant playing time.
If Roberts’ absence Saturday night was more than a precaution, Houston could be in a precarious situation if it faces a significantly larger opponent in its region. Especially if he has another bad night throwing the ball.
The Big 12 should have 9 teams in the tournament
The Big 12 will be well represented on Selection Sunday. The conference should include nine of its 14 teams in the NCAA tournament and could have become the first conference since the Big East in 2011 to have 10 or more teams in the conference if Cincinnati or Kansas State had advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament.
In addition to Houston and Iowa State, Baylor and Kansas could be in the top four in their respective regions, and BYU and Texas Tech should also earn high rankings.