Tag: Iowa State Basketball

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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Ceiling and floor for each Big 12 team in the NCAA Tournament

The battle-tested programs of the Big 12 are ready to compete in March Madness.

March Madness is officially upon us as the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed on Sunday afternoon.

Seven Big 12 Conference schools are featured in this season’s field, including four teams as top three seeds. The 70% mark of programs who qualified for the tournament is among the highest for any conference in the entire nation.

The last three national championship games have all featured a Big 12 program. Kansas (2022) and Baylor (2021) won it all, while Texas Tech (2019) finished second.

Kansas earned a No. 1 seed after winning the Big 12 regular season crown. The Jayhawks are in a great position to defend their national title led by a trio of excellent guards.

Texas sits as a No. 2 seed coming off a Big 12 tournament title run. Baylor and Kansas State both got slotted as a No. 3 seed, while TCU (No. 6), Iowa State (No. 6) and West Virginia (No. 9) round out the field.

The Big 12 has been the most competive league in college basketball this year. The battle-tested programs are ready to compete for a national title in the coming weeks.

Here is a look at each Big 12 school’s ceiling and floor entering March Madness.

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Examining the remaining Big 12 tournament field for Texas

Here’s a look at what teams are left in the Big 12 Tournament after Thursday.

The Texas Longhorns (24-8) are moving on to the Big 12 semifinals. On Thursday night, the Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma State Cowboys (18-15) in a dominant 60-47 win.

For Oklahoma State, it means they might need help to make it into the NCAA Tournament field. Texas had no conscience in regard to helping out the bubble team as it has championship aspirations that tournament seeding could aid.

Earlier in the day, Iowa State shocked Baylor 78-72. The Cyclones were able to hold on after bullying the Bears for much of the second half. It’s unclear whether or not the loss hurts Baylor all that much in its bid for a No. 2 seed. Even so, Baylor head coach Scott Drew’s team is not playing well heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s a look at what teams are left in the Big 12 Tournament field.

Iowa State AD looks forward to leaving Longhorn Network

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard implies Texas “can’t leave soon enough.”

We’re over a decade into the Longhorn Network but some haven’t accepted that reality. 365 Sports and Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard discussed playing on the Longhorn Network as a member of the Big 12.

Craig Smoak asked Pollard what his thoughts were on having to play on Texas’ personal network. Pollard responded, “Can’t leave soon enough.”

There is a legitimate gripe that Longhorn Network isn’t worth the purchase for non-Texas fans. It isn’t the first significant matchup Texas and Iowa State have played on the channel. Nevertheless, the Cyclones stand to lose a sizable allowance apart from the Longhorns moving forward.

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with Pollard refusing the monetary relevance that comes with playing in the same conference as Texas. Even so, despite the brave face the league puts on, losing the Longhorns from the conference is going to hit Iowa State and others in the pocketbook.

Here’s a look at how some responded to Pollard’s statement.

Texas and Iowa State prepare for a physical matchup on Tuesday

Texas’ crowd gets a chance to greet Caleb Grill after he undercut Dillon Mitchell in the last matchup.

Caleb Grill is a popular player in Ames, Iowa. He isn’t all that popular in Austin, Texas.

Grill made waves in the Longhorns’ last meeting with the Cyclones in what appeared to be a cheap shot on Dillon Mitchell in midair. Not only was the play out of bounds, but it crossed an unspoken line that fellow competitors don’t cross. You don’t interfere with your opponent’s ability to land.

Ames faithful lauded Grill shortly after the play as he hit a pivotal three point basket. He won’t see much positive affirmation at the Moody Center.

Undoubtedly, Tuesday’s game could get chippy. Mitchell doesn’t seem like the type to retaliate, but his teammates probably won’t shy away from standing up for their freshman forward.

Aside from the tension that the last meeting’s incident provides, both teams are battling for NCAA Tournament positioning. Texas has little margin for error in its bid for a No. 1 seed. Iowa State is simply looking to stay on the top half of NCAA Tournament seeding.

Prepare for an emotionally charged game on Tuesday night.

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Looking at the Big 12 basketball standings following Saturday’s results

Texas is getting closer to a Big 12 regular season title.

The Big 12 standings are taking shape in the early days of February. The Texas Longhorns are moving into strong positioning after wins over the Baylor Bears and Kansas State Wildcats.

It wasn’t such a great week for the Wildcats after dropping two games for the week and losing its first-place tie with the Longhorns. K-State lost to Kansas before falling to Texas.

The Kansas Jayhawks were in position to grasp a share of first place with a win and a Texas loss. Unfortunately for Bill Self’s team, the opposite happened. The Iowa State Cyclones swept the Jayhawks out of the gym with a resounding 68-53 victory.

Here’s a look at the conference standings more than halfway through the Big 12 conference slate.

Recapping Big 12 games, including No. 10 Texas vs No. 7 K-State

Nearly a month after losing at home to K-State, Texas planted a flag in Manhattan.

The Texas Longhorns won on Saturday. It was perhaps the most improbable win of their 2023 campaign.

Texas fell behind on the road to No. 7 Kansas State at half, 36-25. The Longhorns dug the hole themselves, but the Wildcats played their role in creating separation.

In the early action, Kansas State made shots. Texas missed shots, including multiple point blank layups. It didn’t look like it was Texas’ day until the second half.

Texas started the second half on fire with a 14-4 run to cut the lead to one point. The Longhorns would build as much as a six-point lead despite trailing by 11 points at half.

It’s unclear what Texas head coach Rodney Terry told his team at halftime, but whatever message he impressed on his team worked. Texas closed out a double-digit comeback on Kansas State. The win comes just over a month after losing to the same team by 13 points in Austin.

Here’s a look at how every ranked Big 12 team fared on Saturday.

Texas Tech finally earned its first Big 12 win thanks to the largest comeback in conference history

It took the biggest comeback in Texas Tech history to beat ranked Iowa State.

It only took nine games and the largest comeback in conference history, but Texas Tech men’s basketball finally got its first Big 12 win of the season.

The victory came at home over No. 13 Iowa State, whom Tech was oddly favored to beat by 2.5 points. The Red Raiders covered that spread by the skin of their teeth, winning 80-77 after trailing by as much as 23 points.

According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, Iowa State had a 99.6 percent win probability after taking a 59-36 lead. That’s when Texas Tech began to mount the largest comeback in school history, forcing overtime with a 49-point second half.

Texas Tech was 0-8 in Big 12 play prior to the game. Iowa State was 6-2. However, the Cyclones’ now 2-5 road record might explain why they were underdogs.

Senior forward Kevin Obanor led the Raiders with 24 points and 13 rebounds.

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Watch: 4-star SF Dwayne Pierce announces his commitment to Iowa State

He made the announcement live on ESPNU at halftime of his team’s game against Archbishop Stepinac.

On Sunday night Christ the King (NY) four-star small forward Dwayne Pierce announced his commitment to Iowa State.

He broke the news live on ESPNU at halftime of his team’s game against Archbishop Stepinac (NY).

 

The Cyclones won out over 10 other programs that made Pierce an offer, including Memphis and St. John’s.

Pierce (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) is ranked No. 27 at his position and No. 101 overall in his class.

Here’s a portion of Adam Finkelstein’s scouting report for 247Sports:

“At 6-foot-5 with long arms, and a thick and powerful frame, Pierce is a jumbo-wing. He may be younger than most of his counterparts, but is already bigger and stronger, if not necessarily more explosive, than most… Pierce also some has some long-term shooting potential, with relatively clean mechanics, but is currently a more consistent threat in the mid-range and in.”

Pierce coming on board makes three commits for Iowa State’s 2024 recruiting class, which now ranks third in the country behind North Carolina and Baylor. The others are St. Rita (Ill.) shooting guard Nojus Indrusaitis and Lincoln (SD) center JT Rock.

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UNC drops first game of season, falling to Iowa State

The UNC basketball program dropped its first game of the season, falling to Iowa State 70-65.

Following a win in the opening round against Portland, the UNC basketball program dropped its first game of the season, falling to Iowa State in the PK80 semifinals, 70-65.

The top-ranked Tar Heels had escaped numerous upset bids early in the season but on Friday, that luck ran out.

UNC was up by as much as nine points and came out in the first half in full control, taking a two-point lead into the half.

After a 9-0 run by the Cyclones gave Iowa State a five-point lead, the Tar Heels flexed their muscles over the next seven minutes.

A Leaky Black jumper gave the Tar Heels a 57-49 lead with 5:48 left but everything after that was a total implode.

Iowa State ended the game on a 21-8 run and made 6-of-8 field goals to end the game.

The Cyclones were led by Caleb Grill who had 31 points on 11-of-15 from the field and 7-of-11 from three. He came into the game with 29 total points and just 4-of-24 from three.

Jaren Holmes added 22 points for Iowa State.

The Tar Heels were led by RJ Davis who had 15 points. Armando Bacot added 13 points and nine rebounds while Caleb Love had 12.

Davis and Love were a combined 9-of-28 from the field.

Carolina was outscored 27-9 from three.

The toughness of the Tar Heels has been questioned all season and that question remains unanswered. They will face the loser of Alabama and UConn to end the weekend.

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