Just over a couple of weeks ago, when Iowa State fell to 3-9 in the Big 12 Conference, an NCAA Tournament berth looked unlikely.
Four consecutive wins later, the Cyclones appear to be back in good shape to reach the tournament. They would take another step in that direction Wednesday night with a win over Oklahoma State in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State (20-9, 7-9) earned a 74-73 win Saturday at Kansas State behind six 3-pointers and 18 points from reserve Caleb Grill, plus two free throws from Aljaz Kunc that gave the Cyclones a four-point lead with 2.9 seconds left.
Coming off a 2-22 record last season that resulted in the firing of coach Steve Prohm, the Cyclones have authored a dramatic turnaround under first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger.
By starting conference play ranked in the Top 10 nationally the Cyclones built a resume to weather their midseason swoon, and with nine Quad 1 wins (third most in the country), it’s hard to envision a scenario in which they are left out of the NCAA field.
“Hopefully, we still finish the season out with some wins, but I think we should for sure be in the tournament now,” Grill told the Des Moines Register.
Penn State transfer Izaiah Brockington has led Iowa State in scoring and rebounding most of the season; he’s averaging 17.9 points and 7.4 rebounds a game now. He added 17 points against Kansas State.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma State (13-15, 6-10) is finishing the last week of a season that won’t include the Big 12 Tournament, thanks to the NCAA banning the program from postseason play in 2021-22 after a bribery scandal.
The Cowboys are coming off a 66-62 overtime loss at Oklahoma on Saturday, their second straight defeat in extra time. They fell 66-64 on Feb. 21 to then-No. 10 Baylor.
On Saturday, Oklahoma State got a game-high 25 points from Avery Anderson, plus 12 points and 10 rebounds from Moussa Cisse.
Anderson is the team’s leading scorer at 12.3 points a game, while Bryce Thompson is next at 11.0.
Iowa State is aiming for a season sweep after capturing an 84-81 overtime win on Jan. 26 in Stillwater.
–Field Level Media
