Shorthanded Cyclones Stumble: Iowa State Falls to BYU 96-92

In the second match of the tournament, Iowa State faced an early setback when Keshon Gilbert did not suit up at all, and Tamin Lipsey began the game sitting on the bench, never returning throughout the remainder of the contest. According to a post-game discussion, although Tamin Lipsey was ready to play, the decision was made to prioritize his health along with Keshon’s so they could be in optimal condition for the upcoming NCAA tournament.

The initial period began with BYU understandably establishing a modest advantage. However, Iowa State mounted an impressive comeback to seize control with a commanding ten-point edge, largely thanks to one of the most remarkable personal performances in their program’s annals. During this surge, Curtis Jones scored an astounding 22 points within slightly more than five minutes, connecting on six out of eight attempts from beyond the arc.

BYU managed to gradually reduce the gap, narrowing it down to just four points when both teams headed to the locker room at halftime.

In the latter part of the game, it turned into a seesaw struggle; however, as they pushed through to the end, the Cyclones began to feel the strain of their limited roster depth and appeared visibly fatigued. Adding to their troubles was BYU’s scorching performance from beyond the arc, with the Cougars ultimately ending the match having made an impressive 18 out of 36 attempts from three-point range.

Overall, it was a commendable performance from a squad lacking two of its star performers against a team that's currently on fire and has a great matchup against them.

The next event is the NCAA Tournament, which means we'll have to wait until Sunday to learn about the seedings and pairings. Currently, many experts predict that Iowa State will be firmly placed as a three-seed. However, an extended victory streak from either Maryland or Wisconsin in their respective conferences might shake things up and jeopardize this positioning.