Iowa State carries strong resume into NCAA tournament

KANSAS CITY — Iowa State men's basketball coach Steve Prohm was tasked with addressing his team in the locker room after yet another close loss, but this time got some back-up.

After he spoke to the team in the Sprint Center following its 79-76 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, the Cyclones coach brought senior Georges Niang in front of the group.

Prohm has reassured Iowa State all year how resilient it can be, but with only the NCAA tournament left on the schedule — with the next loss ending the season — he wanted players to be reassured by one of their own.

'I think just coming together and having great pace on the offensive end and then buckling down and getting stops,' Niang said of the keys to move on. 'Hopefully this bitter taste in our mouth will help us not have another bitter taste in our mouth in the NCAA tournament.'

NCAA Tournament: Iowa State will face Iona in first round

As good as last season's team was in close games — winning eight by five points or less — No. 19 Iowa State has been somewhat snakebit in tight contests. The Cyclones (21-11, 10-8) have lost 7 of 11 games by five points or less with two of those losses coming in overtime.

Iowa State has dropped four of its last seven games in rugged Big 12 play, but with a caveat. Three of those losses — Baylor, West Virginia and Kansas — were to top-25 teams on the road with the fourth coming against the Sooners in the conference tournament.

Getting out of Big 12 play and seeing an unfamiliar team might just be the cure to what ails the Cyclones. Iowa State owns eight top-50 RPI wins and according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, is in line for a five-seed in the NCAA tournament.

'We've got a ton of top-50 wins, a ton of top-25 wins and we've done some great things,' Prohm said. 'We've played one of the toughest schedules in the country in non-conference. I think they'll respond great. The one thing everybody remembers from last year is how it ended. We've got a chance to do some really good things still.'

If there was a silver lining to not getting the opportunity to defend their two straight conference tournament titles, it's that the extra two days affords time for the Cyclones to regain their legs.

Four of Iowa State's five starters average nearly 33 minutes or more per game with the fifth at 29.9. It's a steep drop off with the bench with sixth man Deonte Burton earning 19.6 minutes and Hallice Cooke averaging 8.7. Extra time away from the court, particularly for junior point guard Monte Morris, could mean the difference in Iowa State feeling rejuvenated for a March run.

Morris has been struggling with a shoulder injury for the last week and was just 1-for-9 shooting for five points with two assists. Prohm called Niang and Morris his 'Batman and Robin' for team leaders and knows both will have to have their bodies right if Iowa State wants to avenge its first-round loss from a year ago.

'Just rest,' Morris said of the days leading up to the tournament. 'It sucks to get put out early but it's another season we have coming up.'

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