'They do what they do': How Iowa State basketball's defensive identity unlocked success

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The refrain, or some version of it, became a tradition of sorts as the Iowa State men’s basketball season unfolded.

As sure as it could be counted on the league’s coaches blowing their top at officials or homecourts being mostly invincible against visitors, the Big 12’s coaches would make a similar observation about Iowa State.

“They do,” Oklahoma coach Porter Moser said, “what they do.”

The eighth-ranked Cyclones are no mystery, offer little surprise and harbor no illusions.

“They were really tough, which is in their DNA,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “That’s what they do.”

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They are going to defend intensely, pressure relentlessly and batter teams physically for every single moment of every single game.

“They got the game the way they wanted it,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “They wanted physical. They got physical.”

That is the non-negotiable of Iowa State basketball.

“The coaching staff has done such a great job,” Kansas coach Bill Self said, “of getting them to play together, play tough and play hard.”

It’s a nearly-league-wide recognition of Iowa State’s ability to dictate the circumstances of a game. The Cyclones want it their way, and they almost always get it.

“This is the way they wanted to beat us,” Dixon said, “and they did.”

That effort will now begin in the postseason, starting Thursday (6 p.m.; ESPN2) against the winner of Wednesday’s matchup between No. 10 seed Kansas State and No. 7 Texas in the Big 12 Tournament before continuing to the NCAA Tournament next week.

"Our guys have a very clear picture of who we are as a group, as a team and what we need to do when we take the court," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger, whose team is the 2-seed, said Wednesday. “It’s a good spot to be in because our guys should be confident in the work they’ve done and confident in their togetherness.

“Now we’ve just got to go out and play.”

The Cyclones’ identity has been hardwired into the program since Otzelberger took control in the spring of 2021. It transformed a team that went 2-22 overall and winless in Big 12 competition into a program on the precipice of its third-straight NCAA Tournament, this time as a top-10 team with true Final Four prospects.

The unfettered adoption of a singular identity and the continued pursuit of refining it is at the heart of the Cyclone resurgence.

It was also something of an off-script vision.

Iowa State first found success in the run-and-gun 1980s with a coach, Johnny Orr, who embraced playing fast, with offense leading the way. It was one of his former players, Fred Hoiberg, who later picked up the mantle and tipped off the most successful stretch in program history, again, by putting the ball in the basket at the forefront.

There were teams in between who defended, no doubt, but never with at this level so consistently. Otzelberger has adapted his program to the new realities of roster building in college basketball – buy-in is paramount and defense is under-valued.

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It’s led to a level of winning none could have predicted when Otzelberger took hold of the program.

"It’s about what we do, because at this point,” senior Tre King said, “after going through a whole season, we know what works and what doesn’t work and where we’ve had success.

“If we focus on the stuff that does make us successful, I have no doubt we can beat anybody in the country.”

That identity, though, does come at a cost, and the Cyclones have repeatedly paid it.

For all the defensive acumen the Cyclones have possessed, it has been an uphill slog offensively.

The 2021-22 team overcame their deficiencies on that end with timely and clutch performances on their way to the Sweet 16. Last year’s team was not so lucky, getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a 41-point performance.

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This year’s team looked to strike the balance of elite defense and above-average offense, showcasing a balanced attack that was effective inside and out for much of the season. The last two weeks, though, have seen the Cyclones backsliding fast and furiously.

What was once a comfortable top-50 offense has slipped outside the top-75. Hitting 1.00 points per possession, the usual benchmark for an effective offense, has become a rarity.

"The true objective is to find a way to win,” Otzelberger said, “and we’ve done that most nights. Now we need to just continue to focus on when we’ve been at our best (offensively), what does that look like and then recreate that to the best of our ability.”

The Cyclones’ postseason story will likely hinge on how much offense it can squeeze from this team.

The defense – the identity – is foundational. Being who the Cyclones are gives them a chance. Its brute force inevitability creates opportunity.

Finding a way to be a little more, to hold on to that identity while also elevating it, is what can allow the Cyclones to meet the moment.

To survive. To advance.

“(The preparation is) 90% of what we do and how we do it,” Otzelberger said, “and believing in if we play well and do what we do, we’ll be at our best.”

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or  (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How Iowa State basketball's 'tough' defensive identity led to success