Iowa State Looks to Snap Skid Against Cincinnati: Can the Cyclones Get Back on Track at Hilton?
It’s not often you call a late-January matchup against a 7-12 team a “must-win,” but for Iowa State, that’s exactly what tonight’s game against Cincinnati feels like. The Cyclones are riding a five-game losing streak-something this program hasn’t experienced since the 2015-16 season. That year ended with a 13-17 record and a rough 5-13 conference slate, and this team is trying to avoid repeating history.
The root of the current slide? Injuries.
Iowa State has been without two key starters-Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson-for the bulk of this stretch. Brown, the team’s second-leading scorer, has missed the last four games.
Jackson, the Cyclones’ top on-ball defender, has been sidelined for the last three. Losing one starter is tough.
Losing two? That’s a gut punch for any program, especially when those players are central to both ends of the floor.
Before the injury bug bit, Iowa State was humming along offensively. In games against power conference opponents prior to Brown and Jackson going down, the Cyclones were averaging 82.2 points per game while giving up 75.
Since then, the offense has sputtered, managing just 63.25 points per game while allowing 77. That’s a nearly 20-point swing in offensive production-and it’s shown in the win-loss column.
Now, back home at Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclones are searching for a spark in front of their fans and a returning student section. They’ve got a chance to get some payback, too. Two weeks ago, Iowa State fell to this same Bearcats squad in Cincinnati, 71-63-a game that also saw Jackson go down late in the fourth quarter.
That loss was frustrating not just because of the result, but because Iowa State actually won the turnover battle 25-12. That kind of margin is rare-especially against Power Five opponents, where the Cyclones have only pulled that off two other times this season.
But the shooting woes were too much to overcome. Iowa State shot just 36% from the field and a rough 19% from three, while Cincinnati turned in one of its best shooting nights of the year.
So, how does Iowa State flip the script tonight?
It starts with spacing-and giving Audi Crooks the room she needs to operate. Crooks is one of the most dominant post players in the country when she’s working one-on-one.
The problem? She hasn’t seen many solo matchups lately.
With Brown and Jackson out, defenses have been able to collapse on Crooks, swarming her with double teams and daring the Cyclones to beat them from the perimeter.
To counter that, Iowa State needs to hit some early jumpers-midrange, three-point, anything to stretch the defense and force Cincinnati to respect the outside shot. If they can do that, it opens up the floor for Crooks to go to work. And when she gets rolling, good things tend to happen.
Turnovers have also been a thorn in the Cyclones’ side. Outside of just three games against Power Five teams, they’ve been on the wrong end of the turnover margin.
But here’s the thing-they’re still shooting the ball efficiently when they get looks. Iowa State ranks fifth in the conference in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage.
The challenge is simple: protect the ball, get shots up, and let the offense do what it’s capable of.
Defensively, the biggest concern has been guarding the three-point line. During conference play, opponents are shooting a staggering 42.5% from deep against the Cyclones.
That’s not just a hot streak-that’s a red flag. At that rate, teams are scoring about 1.275 points per possession on threes alone, and that’s before you factor in second-chance opportunities from offensive boards.
If Iowa State wants to control the tempo and avoid momentum-killing scoring runs, they’ll need to tighten up their perimeter defense and crash the glass with purpose.
All of these issues-spacing, turnovers, perimeter defense-have been magnified without Brown and Jackson on the floor. The good news?
There’s a chance Jackson suits up tonight. And her return could be a game-changer, especially on the defensive end where her presence has been sorely missed.
Cincinnati may be just 2-5 in conference play, but one of those wins came against Iowa State. The Cyclones know what’s at stake. If they want to right the ship and avoid falling further behind in the Big 12 race, it starts tonight at Hilton.
Time to find out if this group can rally-and if the return of a key piece can help spark the turnaround.