KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Including the Big 12 tournament, Iowa State has 10 victories against conference opponents. Three of them have come against a Baylor team that has been ranked in the top 15 on each occasion.
The latest was Thursday at T-Mobile Center with the Cyclones holding on to a 78-72 victory over the Bears in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals. Here are three takeaways from the game:
A Cyclone force
Baylor (22-10) appeared to be in good shape early in the second half, increasing a three-point halftime lead to 50-42. But the Cyclones turned up the effort. They got several hustle buckets, none more impressive than Jaren Holmes, who missed his own free throw, beat Baylor rebounders to the ball and stuck it back for a 74-62 lead.
Iowa State finished with 21 offensive rebounds, and sharp-shooter Gabe Kalscheur led the way with 24 points, making 6 of 11 3-pointers.
The best stat line belonged to freshman Tamin Lipsey, who finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five steals.
“I just wanted to come up with energy and trying to do whatever I can to help our team win,” LIpsey said.
More on the rebounding
The Iowa State edge in this department was an overwhelming 44-17, and that was the ball game to Baylor’s Scott Drew.
“We had 11 turnovers, shot 45%, 48 from three, 92 from the free-throw line, you can win with all that,” Drew said. “Game came down to the rebounding. Their coaches did a better job preparing their guys for the physicality and toughness.
“It’s something we pride ourselves in at Baylor, and it’s frustrating for our team. The good news is we have a couple of days to fix that for the NCAA Tournament.”
NCAA projections
Baylor entered the Big 12 event ranked 10th, and No. 12 in NET rankings. The Bears could be as high as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but the loss could drop them a line.
Iowa State’s stock will climb. The Cyclones are generally seen as a fifth or sixth seed, but as the Cyclones keep stacking victories, could a top four seed be a possibility?
Unranked Iowa State has a No. 20 NET ranking. The Cyclones will met Kansas or West Virginia in the semifinals.
