Johnny Davis, Badgers offer new challenge for Iowa State’s difference-making defense

MILWAUKEE — Back in T.J. Otzelberger’s days playing basketball, he didn’t have much of a choice. He had to be tenacious on defense.

“I wasn't fortunate enough to be all that good of a player, so it was my only way to ever find myself onto the court,” said Otzelberger, who played collegiately at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Now as Iowa State’s head coach, defensive tenacity is keeping Otzelberger’s Cyclones in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 11-seeded Cyclones leaned heavily on their defense in their first-round upset of No. 6-seeded LSU.

They held LSU to just 37-percent shooting from the field and 21-percent shooting from 3-point range.

They forced 19 turnovers, which resulted in 22 Iowa State points.

They maintained a lead despite several bleak scoring droughts on the other end of the floor.

“We believe that the work that we put in defensively — the effort and energy — can propel us to victories,” Otzelberger said.

Iowa State’s defense is 10th in adjusted efficiency, fifth in turnover rate and 15th in 3-point shooting percentage allowed, per KenPom’s rankings.

“I’m not going to say we’re not the best shooting team, but when you play good defense, the offense comes with it,” forward Aljaz Kunc said.

The players have embraced defense as part of their identity.

“That’s who we are,” Kunc said.

The intensity of Iowa State’s defense is reflective of how Otzelberger approached summer training in his first offseason in Ames. The team had “soccer-field” workouts in June at 5 a.m.

What exactly is a “soccer-field workout?” Someone “just got to see it,” guard Tyrese Hunter said. Teammate Izaiah Brockington said it involves “a lot of cardio.”

“It set the tone for our whole program,” Otzelberger said. “We didn't want to ease into anything.”

Challenge looming

Iowa State’s defense will have a tougher task in the second round after facing a relatively ineffective offense Friday. LSU’s adjusted offensive efficiency is 90th, per KenPom. Wisconsin’s, on the other hand, is 49th.

The Badgers’ leading scorer Johnny Davis earned Associated Press first-team All-America recognition, and he’s a candidate for National Player of the Year as well.

“There may not be a more dynamic scorer in the country,” Otzelberger said. “He's a heck of a player. We're going to have a lot of attention on guarding him. ... We're not going to be able to just put one guy on him and say, ‘Hey, you do the job mano-a-mano.’”

Iowa State guard Gabe Kalscheur is familiar with Davis from when Kalscheur was at Minnesota, but Davis has improved significantly since then.

“Last year he didn't really stand out that much, but he’s broken out this year,” Kalscheur said. “It’s a big jump for him.”

Wisconsin’s offense also only coughs up the ball on 12.6 percent of possessions, per KenPom. It’s the lowest rate in the NCAA.

Meanwhile, Iowa State’s offense, which struggled mightily Friday night, will face another difficult defense.

“Wisconsin has for many years, especially under Coach Gard, been a very stingy defensive team,” Otzelberger said. “They're very fundamentally sound.”

Comments: (319) 398-8394; john.steppe@thegazette.com