ISU not taking Arkansas-Little Rock's slow tempo ways lightly in second round

DENVER — The Iowa State men's basketball team was on its way out of Pepsi Center, thinking its next opponent had been decided.

Then players started checking their phones and scrolling through social media.

Five-seed Purdue held a 14-point lead with five minutes to go against 12-seed Arkansas-Little Rock in the first round with a victory almost certainly in hand against the slow-paced underdog.

Iowa State players got back into the arena just in time to see Little Rock spring the two-point, double-overtime upset and advance to the round of 32.

In watching the Trojans (30-4) use a 21-7 run to end regulation and get a 31-point performance from senior point guard Josh Hagins, the Cyclones (22-11) took notice. Iowa State and Little Rock square off Saturday at 5:10 p.m. (TNT) with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

'When you've won 30 games, you think you're winning every night,' said Iowa State coach Steve Prohm. 'That's just how it is. It's in your mindset and DNA. So I think our kids understand that and respect that and we've been really focused.'

'They're going to feel like they can come back because they're going to have something to go off of,' said senior Jameel McKay. 'They're not going to give up and they're not going to be scared of us and they're going to compete. So we're going to have to come ready to play if we want to win.'

Little Rock, despite its offensive success to end regulation in round one, is one of the slowest tempo teams in the nation and ranks No. 344 (64.2) in adjusted tempo on KenPom.com — ranking two spots ahead of Northern Iowa. Iowa State is No. 52 (72.0) in a stark contrast and will likely be in a tug of war to control the pace.

Setting the pace in Iowa State's favor means running, and running early.

'Try to get the ball out and push,' said junior Monte Morris. 'Throw it ahead a couple times and get it to our pace of basketball. Don't hold it, don't stick it. Just get it left and right to score on them because they like to gap and shrink the floor up.'

Hagins is the Trojans' leading scorer at 13.4 points per game — he shoots 37.9 percent from long range — and hit the game-tying 3-pointer against the Boilermakers to send the game to overtime. His methodical direction of the Little Rock offense in the halfcourt and 4.7 assists per game is part of what can lull opponents to sleep.

'College championship games are not played in the hundreds and 90s, but around the 70s and 80s,' Hagins said. 'If we can keep it around there, we give ourselves a chance. If we let them get up and down, they average like 30 fastbreak points, we don't have a chance, that's not our game.'

Iowa State also poses some matchup problems with its guard play, but senior Georges Niang's versatility draws the most focus.

Little Rock is No. 27 (95.6) in adjusted defense on KenPom.com and switches up its defensive looks with pressure while forcing 14.2 turnovers per game. Niang sees Little Rock sit in gaps on defense and make teams beat them over the top and into the lane, so spreading the ball around becomes crucial.

'I'm sure they're going to try to change things up for what they throw at me, but that's just the game of basketball,' Niang said. 'They're going to try to slow me down in different ways so I have to do a great job of getting my teammates involved and making plays.'