Peterson: The motto for Iowa State basketball is - If you don't play defense, you don't play
AMES – You better believe there have been times that Iowa State men’s basketball practices have been so elbows-flying, body-slamming physical that someone has drawn blood from a teammate.
And you better believe that these times have become so intense, that sometimes a teammate might even want to square off against another teammate.
“Close to it. It’s a battle,” said Tre King, who declared everyone is battling for the honor of being the second-toughest on the team (behind him, of course).
“It’s very competitive, very physical. We’ve had practices where guys are bleeding. We’ve had a few almost-fights break out. We’ve had a couple break out after practice, but it’s all in love and competition. Credit to the guys, nobody takes it personally. We’re all just trying to make each other better, and I think you all see that now on the court.”
More: Iowa State basketball locks up TCU to stay undefeated at Hilton Coliseum
And you darn sure better believe that coach T.J. Otzelberger loves it. When asked if he’s ever gotten to the point of sending players to their corners if physicality becomes too much, he answered with one word.
“No.”
So Tre, who’s the toughest?
“I’m biased,” he said. “I’m going to say me, but I’m going to say the next one is definitely Rob (Jones), for sure.”
It’s that practice intensity that has spilled into games that have gotten this program where it is today, which is solidly in contention for the Big 12 title.
For example, from start to finish (with just only a few lulls between), Iowa State’s defense again was the reason for Saturday’s 71-59 success against TCU before 14,267 enthusiastic fans at Hilton Coliseum.
“We didn’t match their physicality,” Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon said after the Cyclones’ 14th Hilton victory in a row. “They got the game the way they wanted it. They wanted physical. They got physical. They knocked us all over the place.”
Iowa State did it with everyone who played. For example:
Jackson Paveletzke ran to the scorers’ table and into the game with 12:45 remaining in the first half. He got the ball in the corner, well behind the arc, 17 seconds later. Swish.
That’s Cyclones basketball in 2024 for ya.
It’s not always about the scoring, where on Saturday, King had 15 points. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones each had 13.
Cyclones basketball in 2024 also is about sharing the ball – like Saturday, which included 24 baskets on 20 assists, including 13 combined from Tamin Lipsey and Gilbert.
It’s about blocking six shots, two each from Robert Jones and Demarion Watson.
It’s about the stuff like that – and especially defense, a part of the game in which on this team if you’re not doing it well, you’re darn sure not playing.
This defense is unmatched among the 14 schools in the wonderful Big 12 Conference. Scoring from everywhere – even a surprise attack or two like Pav, as they call him.
That’s what this team’s about. But wait, I’m not finished.
A few seconds after Pav’s deep 3-pointer, he was part of the reason Dixon’s team was called their third shot clock violation. Yeah, there’s that defense again. Suffocating, lockdown defense.
Now, that’s really what this Cyclones basketball team is about. And that’s not even considering how many rushed airballs there were against a defense with a glossy efficiency rating that’s fourth nationally.
And how about this . . .
With 4.2 on the first-half shot clock and Iowa State’s ball out of bounds under its basket, King got the ball, got off a short shot that ricocheted off the very top of the backboard – then gently fell through the net.
Welcome to Iowa State basketball, where if you’re playing well, the combination of unmatched defense and the home crowd can be lethal.
That’s what’s carried Iowa State to records of 18-5 overall and 7-3 in the very good Big 12. That’s what got Otzelberger’s program into the Sweet 16 in his first season. It’s what got his team back to the NCAA Tournament last season. It’s what could get this team to a high seed when Selection Sunday rolls around next month.
“What we do in practice will prepare us to be at our best in the game,” Otzelberger said. “We are going to be prepared in this league for the physical style of play.
“We knew coming into this game that was going to be the type of game that it was going to have to be – a workmanlike, physical tough game."
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 52nd year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Peterson: Iowa State basketball leans on defense in win over TCU
