Three Thoughts on Iowa State’s 72-69 Loss To Illinois
The Iowa State Cyclones lost to the Illinois Fighting Illini, 72-69, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Boston, Mass., on Thursday.
Iowa State (29-8) was behind from the start as Illinois (29-8) jumped out to an 8-0 lead. But the Cyclones never let the Illini run away with the game, keeping the deficit manageable and getting it down to two points on a few occasions. At one point Iowa State was a Keshon Gilbert missed layup from tying the contest.
But, Terrence Shannon Jr. — the former Texas Tech Red Raiders who transferred to Illinois two seasons ago — sealed the game with a steal and slam dunk with 17 seconds left, giving Illinois a six-point lead.
Shannon had another huge game, scoring 29 points. Curtis Jones came off the bench and scored 26 points for the Cyclones, but their inability to fully climb that mountain of a deficit sent them home from the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
Here are three thoughts on the game.
CURTIS JONES’ BIG NIGHT
Curtis Jones had a good NCAA Tournament going into Thursday night. He hit double figures off the bench in both the first and second round. That what you’re hoping from with your top bench player — instant points.
Jones was that and then some for the Cyclones. He was their triggerman from the start and finished with a team-high 26 points, including four 3-pointers and an 8-for-8 night at the free throw line.
That’s the sort of night that coaches love. The only problem for the Cyclones was that Jones was the only player really clicking the entire game.
While the Cyclones finished shooting 40% percent, they were well below that in the first half. Keshon Gilbert and Tre King combined for 26 points and Milan Momcilovic only scoring a single point. Tamin Lipsey only had eight points.
Jones had a great night but there wasn’t quite enough there to supplement it. If Lipsey or Momcilovic hits just their season averages, the Cyclones win.
SHANNON’S SUPPORT
I expected Terrence Shannon Jr. to have a big night. But I was curious to see what the players around him would do. Illinois plays a forward-heavy lineup and their back-up guards only average about five points each.
Well, only one other Illinois player — Courtney Hawkins — hit double figures with 12 points. Backup guard Lance Goode scored eight and the 40% 3-point shooter hit his average for the night — 2-for-5. The rest of the team did its job. The Illini outrebounded the Cyclones, but not by much (41-37). They only turned it over 12 times. They avoided fouls.
Illinois also kept Iowa State in the game with poor foul shooting. Illinois shot 51.7% (15-for-29) and Iowa State shot 81% from there (17-of-21).
Iowa State spent the entire game trying to grind their way back into it. But, set aside the horrible start and the Cyclones had the margins to win the game. Shannon was terrific and he got just enough support from his team to hold the Cyclones off.
THE NEXT CHALLENGE
While I’m sure Iowa State would have loved the challenge of facing UConn, the fact is the Huskies have won their last nine NCAA Tournament games by an average of 23 points. The Huskies are in a world-class groove and look like a great bet to repeat.
So, now it’s the offseason. What does coach T.J. Otzelberger need? Probably just a little more offense. The Cyclones already have a terrific transfer on the hook for next season in center Dishon Jackson, who averaged 11.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists for the 49ers.
The Cyclones will lose a few players to the portal. But Otz has built an attractive program and, better, he knows the type of players that he needs to succeed. They’re going to be a defensive-first team, but the development of Lipsey and Gilbert this season show recruits and transfers alike that he can develop offensive talent, too. That bodes well for the future.
Oh, and we also now know why Otz wears “smedium” polos. Mystery solved.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
