Cougars-Cyclones clash will pit No. 24 Iowa State’s stinginess against No. 20 BYU’s high-scoring attack
Fresh off a fairly successful road swing that saw them go 1-1 with a close loss at No. 14 Baylor and a close win at unranked but surging UCF, the BYU Cougars have another difficult task on their hands, as every basketball game will be in the incredibly difficult Big 12.
“Every single game in this league you kinda get to learn more about what you can do. We had some different guys in different positions late in this game, because we are trying to learn about our guys in different scenarios.” — BYU coach Mark Pope after 63-58 win over UCF
BYU, which dropped from No. 18 to No. 20 on Monday in the Associated Press Top 25 survey, plays host to rankings newcomer Iowa State at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Marriott Center. The No. 24 Cyclones (2-1, 13-3) had an even better week than BYU to jump into the rankings, stunning No. 2 Houston 57-53 on Tuesday and following that with a 66-42 crushing of Oklahoma State.
Both games were in Ames, Iowa.
Tuesday’s matchup in Provo is shaping up to be one of those classic affairs between a high-scoring squad that averages 85.6 points (BYU) and a defensive-minded team that allows just 58.4 points per contest. Iowa State has the third-best scoring defense in the country, BYU the 12th-best scoring offense.
As they say, something will have to give.
BYU coach Mark Pope said Saturday after the Cougars downed UCF 63-58 in a low-scoring tussle that whichever team imposes its will Tuesday will likely emerge victorious, but he was pleased with the fact that the Cougars showed against UCF that they are more than just a 3-point shooting team.
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They went 9 of 26 from deep, marking the first time they’ve won a game this season without making 10 or more triples. Pope has said BYU would like to fire off more than 35 treys per game, which will be tough to do Tuesday.
Iowa State is No. 9 in the country in field goal percentage defense, holding teams to 38.2% from the floor.
Against UCF, the Cougars won despite getting no points from starter Noah Waterman and only seven from leading scorer Jaxson Robinson, who was 3 of 7 in 21 minutes. BYU’s bench outscored UCF’s bench 17-1, which was a big key to the win.
“Every single game in this league you kinda get to learn more about what you can do,” Pope said. “We had some different guys in different positions late in this game, because we are trying to learn about our guys in different scenarios.”
The computers like BYU and Iowa State more than the humans do.
BYU is No. 5 in the NET rankings, Iowa State No. 9. In Ken Pomeroy’s rankings, BYU is No. 11 and ISU is No. 12.
The Cougars will visit Ames on March 6.
Iowa State owns a 6-0 record in its series with BYU, but the teams haven’t faced off since a memorable game in 2013 that was marked by some boorish behavior late in the contest, a 90-88 Cyclones win.
BYU’s best player, Eric Mika, was poked in the eye by DeAndre Kane in the late-November affair and Kane, who later claimed it wasn’t intentional, was whistled for a flagrant 2 foul and ejected.
Cougars on the air
No. 24 Iowa State (2-1, 13-3)
at No. 20 BYU (1-2, 13-3)
Tuesday, 7 p.m. MST
Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM
Then, with 1:42 remaining and ISU clinging to an 86-81 lead, fellow ISU big man Melvin Ejim picked up his fifth foul and flipped off BYU’s student section on his way to the bench as it mocked the big man with the “left-right” chant.
Ejim apologized after the game, saying the students “found a way to get under my skin” and he was sorry for letting his emotions get the best of him.
Kane and Ejim both scored 21 points before leaving the game; Tyler Haws led BYU with 20, while Matt Carlino had 19 and Mika 17.
Iowa State and BYU are now among eight Big 12 teams that are in the top 25 as the league enters its second week of league play.
