The Iowa State Cyclones got Feast Week off on the right foot, defeating the St. John’s Red Storm 83-82 in their first game of the Players Era Festival.
Iowa State is now 5-0 on the season, but they won’t have much time to rest on their laurels. They will be right back at it this afternoon for their second game of the tournament against the Creighton Bluejays.
The Cyclones are familiar with Creighton, having faced off against them in an exhibition a few weeks ago. Now that the stakes are higher, it will be interesting to see how things play out in Las Vegas.
Here are the keys to Iowa State being able to come away with a victory, unlike in their matchup before the season got underway.
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With about two minutes remaining in the game against the Red Storm, Lipsey crumbled to the floor with what the team is calling a lower-body injury. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger said he was day-to-day originally, and an evaluation needed to be done.
Lipsey is as tough as they come, but cannot avoid injuries. He battled multiple ailments last year and already dealt with an MCL sprain this year.
Thus far this season, he has been a two-way star for the Cyclones. If he cannot go, it will put a lot of pressure on freshman Killyan Toure to pick up the slack as the lead guard. Nate Heise would likely step into the starting lineup for him.
Lipsey didn’t participate in the exhibition game against the Bluejays because of the knee injury and could very well be sidelined again this afternoon.
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In previous seasons, the interior of the Creighton defense was elite, with Ryan Kalkbrenner anchoring the unit. With him now in the NBA, teams are taking full advantage of the Bluejays on the interior.
Owen Freeman, a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year from the Iowa Hawkeyes, isn’t an intimidating presence at the rim. Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchana should both have their way in the paint, creating easy scoring opportunities for Iowa State.
Thus far this season, Creighton’s opponents are shooting 48.1%, which is 120th in the country, after allowing them to shoot only 46.2% last season, which was ranked 26th nationally.
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A follow-up to the lack of rim protection, the Cyclones should have a massive advantage in the painted area. The Baylor Bears, who defeated the Bluejays in their first Players Era Festival game, created a massive advantage on the interior.
Baylor outscored Creighton 38-28 in the paint. The Bears dominated the offensive glass, grabbing 19 rebounds and turning them into 27 second-chance points. The Bluejays had only seven second-chance points on five offensive rebounds.
This is an area of the game where Iowa State has thrived thus far this season. They crash the offensive glass with aggression and create second-chance opportunities.
Creating an advantage in this area of the game on Tuesday afternoon will be imperative for them to come away victorious.
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Creighton has been abysmal shooting from long range thus far this season. They have made only 29.1% of their attempts, which is 313th in the country. However, they are not shy about letting it fly, attempting 30.2 per game, which is 33rd.
They shot 11 of 29 against Baylor, showing signs of turning things around. The Cyclones need to make life as difficult as possible on the perimeter for them, which will be a little more challenging if Lipsey cannot play.
Offensively, Iowa State has proven capable of beating opponents in a multitude of ways. Their 3-point shooting has been solid, knocking down 36.6%. Milan Momcilovic is leading the way with 18 makes in five games, connecting at a 46.2% clip.
He and Jamarion Batemon are carrying the team’s 3-point shooting percentage. No one else in the rotation is above 33.3%.
