Tag: Iowa State Basketball

Texas can take pressure off itself with win vs. No. 12 Iowa State

Tuesday’s home matchup against Iowa State is crucial to the Longhorns’ postseason chances.

We are nearing the final stretch of the college basketball season. With the Texas Longhorns (15-7) firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble every game matters.

Tuesday night’s home matchup against the No. 12 Iowa State Cyclones is of added importance. With a remaining schedule that sees Texas facing six ranked opponents, the team will want to get ranked wins out of the way.

The Longhorns face the Cyclones in Austin. It is one of two remaining home games against ranked opponents with the other against No. 23 Oklahoma. The other four ranked matchups involve road trips to face No. 4, Houston, No. 8 Kansas, No. 15 Texas Tech and No. 18 Baylor. Texas would be fortunate to win one of those four road battles.

For a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns need to win five of their final nine games to finish at 9-9 in Big 12 play. An 8-10 conference record could potentially get the team into the Big Dance, but probably in a play-in game.

The game against Iowa State could determine Texas’ NCAA Tournament fate. Tuesday will reveal whether or not the team brings the urgency it brought against TCU.

Iowa State basketball demands respect after win over Houston

The Iowa State Cyclones are now 12-3 on the season with a huge win over Houston on Tuesday, and it is time for college basketball fans to take notice.

Four games into the 2023-24 college basketball season the Iowa State Cyclones were not only 4-0, they had posted margins of victory of 41 points, 55 points, 31 points, and 55 points.

Sure the opponents weren’t exactly college basketball blue bloods – Green Bay, Lindenwood, Idaho State, and Grambling – but computer services like Torvik and KenPom who factor in the margin of victory were giving a lot of love to coach T.J. Otzelberger’s squad.

A four-point win over VCU was then followed by a pair of losses to Virginia Tech and then No. 12 Texas A&M, and even though they rattled off six straight victories after that – including blowouts over DePaul and Iowa – the Cyclones didn’t sniff the Top 25 and were generally cast aside as another good but not great team in a Big 12 conference full of them.

But now, after beating the only undefeated team left in college basketball on Tuesday, the Houston Cougars, this Iowa State team is finally stepping up when needed to truly demand respect across the country.

The Cyclones held Houston to 53 points on just 38% shooting from the field, and while the team’s offense wasn’t much better they converted at the free throw line (18-22) and did enough to withstand a comeback attempt and take down the Coogs – who were playing just their second ever conference game in the Big 12.

Iowa State is now up to No. 11 in the NET rankings, boasting a 12-3 overall record. They are a combined 3-3 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games and 9-0 in Quad 4 contests, which doesn’t do them a ton of favors, but plenty of opportunities remain to pick up quality victories in conference play like they did on Tuesday evening.

“We’re a young team, we’re learning every game,” star sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey said after the game. “But we’re going to come out and fight every game no matter who we’re playing, no matter where we’re playing. Just don’t doubt us.”

The computers have loved Iowa State all season long, and after Tuesday’s big win – it might be time college basketball fans and analysts take notice.

Purdue and Houston’s historic upsets are more mind-boggling than you think

Purdue and Houston’s same-day losses were so unusual that this basketball stat doesn’t seem real.

Hold on to your seats, college basketball fans. The top two teams in the country just went down, and it happened in historic fashion.

In case you missed it, a lot happened on Tuesday. The Purdue Boilermaker’s seven-game win streak and No.1 ranking seemingly went up in smoke behind an absolutely gutsy effort from the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nebraska shot what felt like hundreds of 3-point shots (it was actually 14 shots on 61 percent shooting — WOW) and went on a gnarly 14-2 run in the second half that unraveled anything Purdue tried to do after.

What’s more, it was the second time this season that Purdue has lost when being the top team in the country and the first time that starting forward Trey-Kaufman-Renn was held scoreless. WOOF.

If that wasn’t enough, remember in December when we told you that some undefeated teams were still left? Not anymore.

The No.2 ranked Houston Cougars were also upset.

The Iowa State men’s basketball team came to play. They forced 12 turnovers in the first half and, by halftime, were up 10 points. Houston came roaring back in the second half and managed to trim away at the scoreboard, gaining its first lead with just under four minutes to play.

But, OH, BOY. A massive and silky fadeaway bucket and clutch free throws from Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic sealed the game. Amazingly, that was Iowa State’s seventh win against top-10 teams within the last two years.

Additionally, per ESPN Stats & Information, it was the first time since February 6, 2016, that the top-two teams in men’s college basketball lost to unranked opponents on the same day and only the third time that it happened within the last 40 years. WHEW.

Historic night in college basketball as No. 1 Purdue and No. 2 Houston lose to unranked teams

The No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers and No. 2 Houston Cougars fell to unranked opponents in Nebraska and Iowa State in a wild Tuesday of college basketball.

It was as if college basketball knew the football season was over and they needed to make a big splash to get people’s attention. On Tuesday evening, one day after Michigan won the national championship over Washington, college basketball treated fans to a pair of historic upsets with No. 1 Purdue falling to Nebraska while No. 2 Houston fell to Iowa State.

There have been 648 all-time instances of the top two teams each playing an unranked opponent on the same night, and only eight times where both teams lost.

We’ll start with No. 1 Purdue, who is now 14-2 on the season but just 3-2 in Big Ten play after losing to Northwestern back in December. The Boilermakers and in particular Zach Edey were flustered by Nebraska’s pesky defense, with the reigning National Player of the Year only managing 15 points and seven rebounds on 6-10 shooting.

Although Purdue was able to knock down 13 three-pointers on 39.4% shooting, it was the Cornhuskers who dominated offensively – making 14 threes on a blistering 60.9% shooting and racking up 88 total points in their first win over a No. 1 team in 41 years.

Meanwhile, Houston took their first loss of the year in just their second-ever Big 12 regular season contest, falling 57-53 to an Iowa State team that is now 12-3 on the year and should find themselves ranked next week.

The Cyclones held Houston to just 38% from the field and 26.9% (7-26) from distance. Starting guards LJ Cryer and Jamal Shead were a combined 2-14 from three and 7-24 from the field while turning the ball over a whopping eight times.

Iowa State’s offense wasn’t great, but they went 18-22 from the free throw line and a strong game from sophomore Tamin Lipsey (14 points and four rebounds) was enough to pull off a major victory and prove this team deserves more respect going forward.

The madness may not be over as No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 UConn, and No. 5 Tennessee are all in action on Wednesday evening, and they all face tough road contests in conference play against Central Florida, Xavier, and Mississippi State, respectively.

Iowa State’s Bill Fennelly jokingly suggested food as a way to slow down Caitlin Clark

Bill Fennelly gets an “A” for creativity.

Somebody check on Bill Fennelly. That man might need a hug.

Let’s be honest. It’s hard to stop a freight train, especially when that train comes in human form via the name Caitlin Clark. She’s going to wreck whatever is in her path.

Whether that is pulling up from downtown Iowa City for a dagger 3-point shot or coming to your arena to terrorize you, Clark is going to have her way. Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly seemingly knew that.

It’s why he jokingly asked if there was any possibility that Clark could not be on the court Wednesday when his team faced her.

The Iowa State student section trolled Caitlin Clark and it (predictably) backfired

Who could have seen this coming, Iowa State?

Somebody might want to tell the Iowa State student section that this was not the move they thought it was.

Sports fans can be so polarizing. They rarely agree on one thing, but when they do, it can produce some of the most unique content, especially student sections. (These dedicated groups of fans are truly electric.) It’s part of what makes the environment at any game so good.

For example, when Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes traveled to Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday to take on the Iowa State Cyclones, the student section decided to tell Clark what they thought of her.

But they forgot she isn’t new to this; she’s true to this. She’s been here before. In high school, fans also called Clark “overrated,” and she proceeded to drop 42 points.

Wednesday night was no different. Clark walked out of the building with 35 points, the win and a new NCAA record. Cold-blooded.

Texas A&M Basketball stays pat in newest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

After a tremendous comeback to beat Iowa State 73-69, Texas A&M stays pat in the newest USA TODAY Coaches Poll.

Texas A&M Basketball played one of their best games under head coach Buzz Williams in quite some time, coming back from a 21-point deficit against Iowa State in the ESPN Invitational Consolation round on Sunday to defeat the Cyclones 73-69, all while missing two key starters in senior forward Henry Coleman III, and senior guard Tyrece Radford.

Sitting at an impressive 6-1 on the year, the Aggies will now travel to face Virginia in Charlottesville on Wednesday as just another game in their already tough schedule to prepare for the gauntlet that is SEC play in early January.

On Monday, the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll released its updated men’s basketball poll. The Aggies stayed put at No. 13 after sustaining their first loss against FAU. Texas A&M is the third-highest ranked SEC team below Kentucky (No. 12) and Tennessee (No. 11).

Outside of Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Tennesse, Alabama (No. 20) and the surprise team in the SEC thus far, the undefeated Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 22) fill out the rankings, perfectly representing the conference for its dominance on the court.

Texas A&M will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to face the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The game will air on ESPN2 at 6:15 CT.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

No. 12 Texas A&M storms back to beat Iowa State 73-69 in consolation game of the ESPN Invitational Tournament

Texas A&M erased a 21-point deficit in a big comeback win over the Big 12’s Iowa State

No. 12 Texas A&M (6-1) beat Iowa State (5-1) for the third-place finish at the ESPN Events Invitational on Sunday.

Missing Tyrece Radford and Henry Coleman, the Aggies had an arduous task and needed a lot of help from the bench. It was a very rocky journey after Jace Carter tied the game 2-2 early as Iowa State would go on a 24-10 run before the Aggies would score again. After falling down big to Iowa State, the Aggies would soon go on an 11-0 run to pull within 10 to close out the 1st half down 35-25.

Texas A&M clawed their way back into the game to get the deficit down to four with 15 minutes left. Then back-to-back Wade Taylor scored, finally tying the game up a minute later. The Aggie got their first lead in the second half when Anderson Garcia scored on a putback off an offensive rebound to go up 45-43.

After taking the lead, they held Iowa State at bay, never allowing them to get back ahead the rest of the game. Whenever it looked like the Cyclones could retake the lead, the Aggies answered for a final score of 73-69 for an Aggie 3rd place finish in the tournament.

Below are the Aggie critical contributors from the game:

Wade Taylor IV: 14 points / 4 assists / 2 rebounds

Solomon Washington: 18 points / 6 rebounds

Andersson Garcia: 9 points / 6 rebound

Texas A&M will be back in action at 6:15 p.m. C.T. on Wednesday when they travel to Charlottesville, Va, to take on No. 24 Virginia on Nov 29th.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Jarrett Johnson on Twitter: @whosnextsports1.

No. 12 Texas A&M to face Iowa State in the Consolation Round of the ESPN Events Invitational

After falling to No. 19 FAU in the ESPN Invitational semifinals, No. 12 Texas A&M will face Iowa State in the Consolation Round on Sunday.

Texas A&M Basketball dropped its first game of the season after falling 96-89 to the 19th-ranked Florida Atlantic Owls on Friday afternoon in the semifinal round of the ESPN Invitational Tournament.

Shooting an incredible 53.3% from three-point land, the Owls took full advantage of Aggies senior forward Henry Coleman III’s first-half injury, and despite star junior guard Wade Taylor IV’s 35 points, his late game surge wasn’t enough to withstand FAU’s offensive barrage.

With the loss, Texas A&M will now face Iowa State in the Consolation round of the tournament on Sunday, as both teams look to close out the Thanksgiving break with a win before heading back home.

After the game, Aggies head coach Buzz Williams provided multiple updates regarding Coleman’s status as the veteran sustained an ankle injury. At the same time, senior point guard Tyrece Radford reportedly had a breathing issue during the game, as both are questionable to player vs. Iowa State.

Below are more details from ESPN about the Invitational:

The ESPN Events Invitational (formerly known as the Orlando Invitational and Old Spice Classic) is an early-season Division 1 college basketball tournament played each November at ESPN Wide World of Sports near Orlando, Florida. The tournament, entering its 17th year in 2023, features a bracket format with 12 games over three days. Each team competes in one game per day regardless of results. The 2023 ESPN Events Invitational will be played Nov 23, 24 and 26 and will feature Boise State, Butler, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Penn State, Texas A&M, VCU and Virginia Tech. Six of the eight teams in the field played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament

The 2022 event took place on Nov. 24, 25 and 27 and was won by the Oklahoma Sooners, who defeated Ole Miss in the final.

You can view the entire tournament bracket here

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Cameron on Twitter: @CameronOhnysty.

This crooked rim created chaos for NCAA tournament games and may explain Iowa State’s rough start

This doesn’t seem fair.

No. 6 Iowa State and No. 11 Pittsburgh had a delayed start to their first-round game in the NCAA tournament caused by a crooked rim at Greensboro Coliseum.

The Midwest Region game followed a wild comeback from No. 4 Xavier to survive an upset bid by No. 14 Kennesaw State. During the victory, with less than a minute left on the clock, Xavier’s Souley Boum missed a wide-open layup following a pass from teammate Colby Jones.

It was one of several crucial shots that didn’t fall for Xavier, who won the game despite the missed field goals. But the troubles may have continued into the following game considering Iowa State was not able to warm up as expected.

UPDATE: The NCAA issued a statement noting that Iowa State was offered additional warmup time but declined.

Although NCAA tournament officials made sure that the rim was level before the game finally tipped off, Pittsburgh was able to warm up before the game.

The Cyclones, however, were not. When the game finally started, Iowa State missed each of their first twelve attempts from the field and did not make any of their field goals until over ten games of game time had passed.

All five of the starters for Pittsburgh made field goals before a single player on Iowa State was able to connect. After trailing 21-2, the Cyclones went on a 17-4 run to cut the deficit to 26-19.

While we don’t know if this was the reason why the Cyclones had such a slow start, the two teams will switch rims at the end of the first half.

If the Panthers also struggle to connect from the field, it’s time that we all start to raise some eyebrows about whether or not the crooked rim was ever legitimately fixed.

Either way, however, it seems a bit unfair that Pittsburgh was able to warm up before the game but Iowa State was not given the same opportunity before tipoff.

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