Iowa State basketball: Coach TJ Otzelberger on contract extension
Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger recently signed a contract extension that will keep him with the Cyclones through 2032.
Iowa State men’s basketball’s first game to open the new year projects to be a good one, as the No. 3 Cyclones prepare to host No. 21 Baylor in their first Big 12 Conference home game of the season.
The Cyclones (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) extended their winning streak to eight-straight games when it pulled away late on the road to beat Colorado, 79-69, on Monday night.
Meanwhile, No. 21 Baylor (9-3, 1-0) enters Saturday’s game on a four-game winning streak. The Bears beat Utah in wire-to-wire fashion in their conference opener Tuesday night. Baylor built an early 20-point lead in the first half and hardly looked back.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT tip-off at Hilton Coliseum. It will be broadcast on CBS.
Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game:
Battle of balanced offenses
The Cyclones pride themselves on depth and scoring balance. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones lead Iowa State with 16.3 points per game entering Saturday, but four other Cyclones average double figures in scoring too.
Iowa State’s balance gives opponents a difficult time, as the Cyclones can get baskets from anywhere in their rotation and any player can heat up on any given night.
Baylor is similar, boasting five different players who average at least 10 points per game. The Bears are led by double-double machine Norchad Omier. The 6-foot-7 senior forward is averaging 16.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 61.8% from the floor.
Duke transfer Jeremy Roach missed a couple of games in December due to a concussion but is working his way back into action. He is averaging 12.5 points and 4.1 assists per game.
Impact freshman V.J. Edgecombe, a consensus five-star, top 10 nationally-ranked recruit, has lived up to the hype so far. He is averaging 12.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Robert Wright III, another first-year player, has carved out a role off the bench with 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game, while shooting 51.3% overall and 45.5% from long range.
Jayden Nunn rounds out the quintet of players averaging 10 or more points per game. He is the Bears’ top 3-point shooting threat, shooting 49.3% from beyond the arc and averaging 11.6 points per game.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 for offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, so it’ll be interesting to see these balanced offenses clash.
Iowa State’s frontcourt will have to win on the glass
Baylor outrebounded its opponents in eight out of 12 games this season, including each of the last seven contests.
Despite having just one player in their rotation taller than 6-foot-7, the Bears have been assertive crashing the glass. Guards will be tenacious, try to reel in offensive rebounds and collect misses for second-chance opportunities.
Iowa State had a hard-nosed effort upfront in its Big 12 Conference opener against Colorado, between the efforts of Joshua Jefferson, Dishon Jackson and Brandton Chatfield posting his best performance as a Cyclone to date. They will need a similar effort on the boards against Baylor.
The Bears average 14.7 offensive rebounds per game, which is the 13th-most in the country. Omier and 6-foot-10 forward Josh Ojianwuna will play hard in the frontcourt, but even Edgecombe, a 6-foot-5 guard, is the Bears’ third-highest rebounder.
According to KenPom, Baylor boasts an offensive rebounding percentage of 38.6%, which also ranks as the 13th-highest in the country. Boxing out and limiting the Bears’ second chances will be crucial on Saturday afternoon.
Baylor is active on defense but vulnerable on the perimeter
The Bears rank No. 61 in defensive efficiency, so they are no slouch, but there are some deficiencies on that side of the floor for Baylor.
Much like Iowa State, they excel at generating turnovers and pressuring opponents into making mistakes. Both teams rank in the top 25 nationally for defensive turnover rate.
Edgecombe and Omier are both disruptive, two-way players that set the tone defensively.
As good as Baylor is at forcing turnovers, the Bears have a glaring weakness at protecting the 3-point line.
Baylor is allowing opponents to shoot 37.5% from beyond the arc this season, which ranks 334th nationally.
The Bears are also giving up an effective field goal percentage of 52.4%, which is good for 227th.
Iowa State didn’t have its best shooting performance against Colorado but it got timely runs when it needed to. The Cyclones shot 42.6% overall and 4-of-18 (22.2%) from 3-point range. Perhaps it can be a bounce-back performance, especially at the 3-point line for Iowa State.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
