AMES, Iowa - Under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State basketball has built its offensive identity around one key principle: get the ball into the paint and finish at the rim. That philosophy has powered the Cyclones to their most efficient offensive season yet under Otzelberger - and despite a tough stumble this week, the numbers still tell a story of growth.
Heading into the weekend, Iowa State ranks 17th nationally in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. That’s a significant leap forward for a team that has often leaned on its defense to win games.
But Tuesday night’s 55-point showing in a loss to TCU was a jarring reminder that progress doesn’t always follow a straight line. The Cyclones turned the ball over 17 times and managed just 0.80 points per possession - their lowest output of the season.
Still, zoom out from that single-game dip, and the bigger picture remains encouraging. Iowa State has become one of the best rim-finishing teams in the country - a major reason for its offensive uptick.
The Cyclones are converting more than 63.5% of their attempts at the rim, placing them in the 90th percentile nationally. Of their 735 made field goals this season, 421 have come at the rim - that’s 57%, a clear sign that the team is executing Otzelberger’s paint-first approach with consistency and purpose.
Another key factor? Offensive rebounding. Iowa State has made a concerted effort to crash the glass and generate second-chance points, a strategy that’s paid dividends in close games and helped offset some of the perimeter shooting inconsistencies that have popped up from time to time.
But now comes another major test - and a familiar one. After Tuesday’s loss, the fifth-ranked Cyclones are looking to bounce back in a big way on Saturday when they host No.
9 Kansas at Hilton Coliseum. The Jayhawks are riding an eight-game win streak and are fresh off a statement victory over top-ranked Arizona - a win they secured even without projected No.
1 NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson, who was sidelined with flu-like symptoms.
The last time these two teams met, Kansas handed Iowa State its first loss of the season in emphatic fashion. That 84-63 win in Lawrence snapped the Cyclones' unbeaten run and exposed some cracks in their offensive execution. Kansas held Iowa State to just 37% shooting from the field and 33% from beyond the arc, while forcing 12 turnovers - a formula that played right into Bill Self’s defensive game plan.
Now, the roles are reversed. Kansas is the team riding high, and Iowa State is the one looking to respond with urgency.
"I think it's a big sense of urgency," junior guard Milan Momcilovic said Thursday. "It's kind of like the first time we played them.
They had a big sense of urgency, and we were coming in kind of hot. We're all reversed now."
That urgency will need to show up early and often on Saturday. If Iowa State wants to beat Kansas at Hilton Coliseum for a fourth straight season, the Cyclones will have to clean up the turnovers, re-establish their dominance at the rim, and match the Jayhawks’ intensity from the jump.
The blueprint is there - it’s the same one that’s fueled Iowa State’s offensive resurgence all season. Now it’s about execution, toughness, and rising to the moment against one of college basketball’s most battle-tested programs.