When Does Nc State Play Again
Kansas City, Mo. –— Someone messaged me during Iowa State's 71-42 loss confronting Texas Tech on Thursday dark. The jail cell phone dinged during the second half of the Cyclones' Big 12 tournament'due south quarterfinal circular. Information technology came when the eventual winner wasn't in incertitude.
Information technology looks like someone itch toward the finish line of a marathon, the comment read.
Sure, Thursday wasn't the Cyclones' greatest 40 minutes of ball, only that's all right. Iowa Land still is in the NCAA Tournament, despite three losses in a row. It's solidly in the Large Trip the light fantastic for the first time since 2019, and that, folks, is one huge deal.
More:Peterson: The NCAA Tournament awaits Iowa Land, despite Thursday's blowout Big 12 loss
Don't forget this program was 2-22 last season. Don't forget this program lost all 18 regular-flavor Big 12 games. This programme lost 19 games overall against conference opponents.
Regardless of what happened Th nighttime at the T-Mobile Center, Iowa State men's basketball is a large deal once again, and information technology's a large deal what awaits next week.
"I'one thousand really really proud of the team right now," Otzelberger said belatedly Thursday. "Last yr this same time, our team had two wins. This year, nosotros have 20. I call back if memory serves me correctly, that's probably the biggest turnaround in college basketball game, so our guys have a lot to be proud of. They have had a very expert season based on our strengths. There is no concern.
"At that place is a sense of pride in what nosotros're building, what nosotros have done, and how these guys have embraced habits. Anybody that would look at information technology equally a concern would have a warped view on what these guys have accomplished this year."
There'south absolutely no concern for the over Country of the Program. Business organisation about the sloppy play at times Th night? Perhaps. Business organisation going into the NCAA Tournament after three losses in a row? I don't know, possibly.
"Every bit a point baby-sit, leader of the squad, I think it starts with me," Tyrese Hunter said. "Make sure everybody is positive, because we're not done playing basketball game.
"Nosotros could plow this around. Information technology'south a quick turnaround. Get this behind us, and I'll make sure everybody is positive and make sure everybody'due south head is up."
Folks, that'southward a true freshman saying those words. He's the team's leader and recently its most consistent player, running the floor show for a squad that's brought N-C-A-A back to the Iowa State men's basketball plan.
"I think everything that they have washed is restore pride to Iowa State," Otzelberger said. "They have showed work ethic, they accept showed habits, character, and based on where we were one year agone — these guys deserve a lot of credit."
So practise Otzelberger and the staff. They recruited the players. They worked with them since June, education a defence that ordinarily is the best any Iowa Land team has played.
Then, back to possible NCAA Tournament ramifications:
More than:Iowa State loses to Texas Tech, goes one-and-done in the Big 12 Tournament for a 3rd-straight twelvemonth
The Cyclones are in. For Iowa State fans, the 5 p.yard. Pick Sunday Television receiver show on CBS is required viewing. The team possibly dropped a seed line later Thursday's lopsided loss.
The Cyclones entered Friday at No. 47 on the NCAA's NET ratings, a fall of eight positions. They left the arena with 8 Quad-1 wins, but woke upward with nine once more after Kansas State showed upwardly with a Internet ranking of 75.
They woke upwardly Fri to a nine-seed on ESPN's bracketology, facing Due north Carolina in San Diego, where Arizona is the No. 1. CBS predicted a No. viii seed against Marquette in in Greenville, S.C., where Auburn is No. ane.
The dreaded eight-nine game? That's OK. They're in the NCAA Tournament, and that'south all that matters.
Otzelberger called Thursday'southward game and "unacceptable effort." Just all is not lost. Shoot meliorate, protect the ball better, become more out of your best scorer, suffocate an opponent with defense. Practise those things and Iowa State is capable of some March Madness.
What really matters is that sometime adjacent week, Iowa Land will play its first NCAA Tournament game since 2019. That ways a lot. They're in by virtue of the cracking start to Otzelberger's Iowa State coaching regime.
A dozen victories in a row, including against Memphis, Creighton, Xavier and Iowa. A victory confronting Texas Tech at Hilton Coliseum. A home win confronting Texas, and a route win at TCU.
"We have to focus on whoever," Jaz Kunc said. "It doesn't matter who we play the adjacent game, nosotros accept to prepare for them better than we did this game and come out like coach said — as an aggressor, don't allow them to become going, get back in transition, and protect the pigment.
"We have to get back to Ames and the practice facility and get ready to play."
In the NCAA Tournament. That'due south the important matter.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete.
Source: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/sports/2022/03/11/after-going-2-22-iowa-state-basketball-returns-big-dance-big-12-ncaa-tournament-bracketology-isu/6997309001/
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