Iowa State basketball: 'The stakes change, but we stay the same' vs. No. 1 Baylor
AMES — When the Big 12 announced its men’s basketball schedule in September, Iowa State’s opener stood out in a major way.
It still does, just not in the way it was back in September.
Rather than a game that made Cyclone fans wince with defending national champion Baylor coming to Hilton Coliseum to take on a team coming off a 2-22 season, Saturday’s matchup against Baylor is a wholly unpredicted collision between a pair of undefeated, top-10 teams.
“We certainly have a lot of respect for our opponent,” first-year Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said Friday, “but at the same time, we have a lot of confidence in our process and how we’re continuing to build our program and come together as a team and a group.
“It’s exciting, certainly, for fans and media and alums, donors, everybody, to, 'Hey this team’s ranked here and that team’s ranked there and this is a big game,' and I think for our guys, my job is to keep our focus on what’s next and that’s great practice to a great shootaround to just keeping staying with our daily habits.”
Iowa State came into the season as the unanimous pick to finish last in the Big 12, but instead is 12-0 and ranked eighth in the country on the strength of a hellacious defense and the gelling of a roster of seven newcomers.
Baylor’s ascension to the top spot is unsurprising, though still impressive after its losses from last year’s title roster.
Together, it makes Saturday’s game (1 p.m.; ESPNU) a monster game.
“We’re going to have tough games every night,” Iowa State leading scorer Izaiah Brockington said, “but obviously the stakes are raised — two undefeated teams, both in the top 10. We’re just coming out and imposing our will. Coming out and trying to do what got us here.
“The plan doesn’t really change. The stakes change, but we stay the same.”
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While the stakes are significant, Iowa State’s post-game challenge will be not to get swept up in the result.
A win would push expectations and fervor to an even higher level with Iowa State vaulting closer to the top of the polls and establishing themselves as a legitimate Big 12 contender. A loss will undoubtedly produce shouts of "fraud" at an Iowa State team that has played well ahead of expectations.
“Regardless of what the outcome is (Saturday), this is a building process, this is continuing to get better,” Otzelberger said. “Certainly, we want to play our best. We want to come out with a win. We’re competitive. We’re confident in what we do, but I don’t see an outcome of one game defining anything we’ve done to this point or defining anything that comes after this.
“When the game ends (Saturday), we’ll be on to the next game.”
Are there COVID concerns ahead of Iowa State's Saturday game?
As games get cancelled and postponed across the country and across sports with the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic gaining prominence, Brockington said his response was muted.
“It won’t be us,” the fifth-year senior said. “We’re vaccinated, boosted. I feel like we all are aware of what’s at stake and what’s going on out there. I feel like we’re all being smart.”
Iowa State declined to provide vaccination and booster rates for the program.
“Our guys understand what’s at stake, and we’ve taken those things very seriously,” Otzelberger said. “We’ve encouraged our guys what we feel like is in the best interest of their health and safety as well as the program.
“We’ll continue to encourage them to do so.”
Dealing with Baylor’s defense
Coach Scott Drew’s Baylor program has established itself as one of the nation’s premier defensive teams over the last eight seasons, and the Bears rode their defense to a title a year ago.
They might be even better this season.
Baylor ranks fourth nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. Bears opponents are shooting 31.1 percent from 3 and 43.3 percent from inside the arc while turning it over on 26.5 percent of their possessions.
“We’ve got to do a great job of being stubborn with our offensive possessions,” Otzelberger said, “making sure we get the shots and dictate what we want and don’t fall victim to their pressure or their size and get sped up.
“Against a good defense, just getting what you want immediately doesn’t happen as much.”
More: Iowa State basketball's defense keeps the Cyclones perfect with win at Creighton
The Iowa State Cyclones' shooting has exceeded expectations
Iowa State has exceeded expectations as a 3-point shooting team this year as the Cyclones have shot 35.6 percent from distance.
Digging into that number, though, exhibits an interesting split.
Four players with at least 25 attempts from 3 are shooting better than 40 percent. Jaz Kunc converted 53.8 percent of his 26 attempts while Caleb Grill has shot 46 percent on 50 attempts.
But two of Iowa State’s highest volume 3-point shooters, Gabe Kalscheur and Tyrese Hunter, have shot a combined 22.5 percent while shooting more than 40 percent of the Cyclones’ 3s this season.
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Both players have been excellent in other aspects of the game this season and have been major contributors to Iowa State's undefeated start, but the 3-point shooting stats stand out.
“I believe for our guys when we play for each other and the assists we get later in the shot clock when we move the ball, those seem to be the ones we make at the highest rate,” Otzelberger said of the team’s 3-point shooting. “So those are the ones we’re really looking for our guys as we get later in the clock.
“We’ll just continue to put confidence in our guys because we know the work they put outside of practice, the extra shots that they get in and I’m just always going to be a firm believe that that work comes around for you and it evens out over time.”
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 at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State vs. Baylor basketball preview of the top-10 ranked matchup
