Peterson: No. 6 Iowa State doesn’t need ludicrous accusations for motivation vs. K-State
T.J. Otzelberger’s Iowa State basketball team doesn’t need Jerome Tang’s ridiculous and, quite honestly, confounding allegations to find motivation.
What’s at stake inside Kansas State’s home venue Saturday afternoon is enough to make you go out and play your best game – then hope for the best during two other games totally out of your control.
That’s where the sixth-ranked Cyclones find themselves in their final regular-season game at 1 p.m. (ESPN2) before heading into a postseason of enormous and legitimate promise.
If Iowa State beats the Accusers (more on that in a moment) for the second time this season, and if Kansas wins at Houston, then ISU and Houston tie for the Big 12’s regular-season title. Add in a Texas Tech home victory vs. Baylor, and Otzelberger’s team will be the No. 1 seed in the conference’s postseason tournament – with a quarterfinal-round game on Thursday at downtown Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center.
If that, then this ...
Anything’s possible, but a trifecta actually coming through?
That’d be a stretch, but hey, the way this season is going, don’t bet against it. I mean, here's what we've seen just this week:
Curtis Jones announcing his return to Ames for next season.
The Cyclones, picked to finish seventh by the coaches, guaranteed to finish no worse than second in the best conference in America.
No. 1 seed possibility in the conference tournament. Possible 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
I mean, really, folks, does it get much better than that?
“Our guys have done a great job keeping their focus on the task at hand – the next thing coming at them,” Otzelberger said after practice Friday. “You get to this point of the year that there’s things others are bringing up. Our guys have done such a terrific job of staying in the moment.”
More: Peterson: Iowa State basketball can overcome all adversity
As for Tang – no one needs the head-scratching accusation that Iowa State was videotaping K-State’s timeout huddles during a 78-67 Cyclones victory in Ames on Jan. 24.
For a lot of reasons, I still shake my head about that one. It’s unfathomable something like that could even happen, let alone give a team an edge.
A day after the game, the Kansas City Star reported that Tang was concerned Iowa State had “placed managers and/or other team representatives in spots behind the visiting bench where they could view, and possibly record, the Wildcats as they huddled up during timeouts.”
That’s what a Kansas State assistant coach told his boss. Without verification, Tang brought that to Otzelberger’s attention during and after the game. Otz blew it off until the K.C. Star report made it national news, and then ...
Mount St. Otzelberger erupted after Iowa State's next game, a home victory against Kansas.
"It's incredibly disappointing that after such an awesome game, an awesome environment and atmosphere, that I even have to begin by addressing something that happened earlier this week," Otzelberger said. "The ludicrous rumors earlier this week that somehow we were trying to gain an advantage looking into our opponent's huddles is an affront to our players, our fans and to me.
"It's not who I am. It's not what our program is about, and I'm angry that someone would even make that suggestion."
I’ve known Otzelberger since he stepped foot on Iowa State’s campus in 2006. He was as fired up about the accusations as I’ve ever seen him.
"What is factual is that one of their staff members cursed out one of our student managers who was mopping the floor under the basket," Otzelberger said. "So let's put this to bed here and now. It didn't happen. It won't happen.
"And others need to be much more careful with their words moving forward."
#Ouch
More: Iowa State basketball finishes undefeated home season with comeback against BYU
I asked the Big 12 multiple times to respond. I’m still waiting for even an acknowledgement that they received my requests.
And then earlier this week, Tang blew by Kansas coach Bill Self in the handshake line after the Jayhawks’ 90-68 victory.
“He just didn’t want to shake hands,” Self told reporters after the game. “He just did a fly-by — that’s fine. When we got our ass kicked there, we shook everyone’s hands and did a handshake line.”
What do we expect on Saturday, this time at Kansas State?
I doubt the baseless nonsense will play a role in the outcome. But you better believe that Iowa State players remember, and you better believe they’ll do their darndest to defend their coach's honor.
“We don’t discuss it a whole lot, but I guess it is a little bit extra motivation to beat them a little harder,” freshman Milan Momcilovic said Friday. “We’ve already proven we’re a really good team.”
Moving on ...
The first part of Saturday’s trifecta wagering starts at 1 p.m. The Kansas-Houston game is at 3 p.m., followed by Baylor-Texas Tech at 5.
Stay tuned for an exciting day of Big 12 basketball.
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: No. 6 Iowa State men's basketball has big opportunity vs. Kansas State
