3 things to think about before Kansas basketball tips off against Big 12-foe Iowa State

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball will face one of its toughest tests of the season Saturday when it travels to face Iowa State in a Big 12 Conference road matchup.

Here are a few things to think about before No. 8 Kansas (16-3, 4-2 in Big 12) tips off against No. 18 Iowa State (15-4, 4-2 in Big 12):

Bill Self, Parker Braun address the importance of this game

Kansas coach Bill Self pushed back on a question Thursday that inquired about the importance of Saturday’s game, considering the Jayhawks had already lost a couple of Big 12 games this season — both on the road.

Self pointed to how his team is still 16-3, and mentioned that the Big 12 is too good to think Kansas won’t lose again at some point. He downplayed that a game in January is actually a must-win, when the goal is to have the team at its best come March. He highlighted how this upcoming Big 12 game counts as much in the regular season title race as the first league game did, and as much as the 10th league game will.

But Self did acknowledge that it is still a big game.

“With how this conference is, you can’t take any games for granted,” graduate senior forward Parker Braun said. “There’s no gimmes. There’s no layups. So, if you go on the road you’re going to get everyone’s best shot. So, just making sure that we’re ready for that and we’re prepared. There’s no team where you can just kind of go in and be like, ‘All right, yeah, check that one off that’s a win.’”

Here’s what stands out to Bill Self about Iowa State

Self described Iowa State as tough, and a team that takes on the personality of its coach — and even its point guard, too. He added the Cyclones guard as well and as hard and as connected as any team Kansas will play this year. He hopes the Jayhawks can get to a point where they are in the same conversation defensively as Iowa State and Houston, two teams he identified as being “different” in that regard in the Big 12.

“What makes Iowa State who they are … five or six or seven extra possessions,” said Self, who praised the Cyclones’ guards especially. “It seems like, to me, they play a style that they’re going to steal extra possessions and if you can’t match or if you don’t do that you’re starting the game down 7-0 or whatever. Because they will play hard enough to always do that.”

Iowa State’s three leading scorers are sophomore guard Tamin Lipsey, junior guard Keshon Gilbert and freshman forward Milan Momcilovic. In addition to being scoring options, Lipsey and Gilbert are in the top three among Cyclones in rebounding, steals and assists. Momcilovic’s 3-point shooting is something to watch for, too.

Here’s what stands out to Parker Braun about Iowa State

Braun highlighted the great wins Iowa State has earned so far, which in Big 12 play alone at home include victories against now-No. 4 Houston and Kansas State. He praised how talented the Cyclones are, and how well coached they are. And what stands out to him most, is how hard Iowa State plays.

“They put themselves in a great position to win every game no matter where they’re at, no matter who they’re playing,” Braun said. “So, we’ve got to make sure that we bring it. It’s going to kind of come down to, hopefully, the last couple possessions and who can execute better.”

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Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 3 things to think about before Kansas basketball plays at Iowa State