Washington State may pay Saturday for denying us Drake-Iowa State in NCAA 2nd round

OMAHA, Neb. — A 176th men’s basketball matchup between Iowa State and Drake would have been so spicy Saturday, in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Alas, the Bulldogs have headed back home on I-80 while Iowa State stays here for a clash with Washington State.

Those thoughtless Cougars denied us an all-central Iowa game for a Sweet 16 berth Thursday night at CHI Health Center by rallying from an eight-point deficit with 7:47 left to down Drake, 66-61.

The first team Iowa State ever beat was the Bulldogs, in 1908. Being 37 miles apart, it made sense that the two teams met each other more than once a season for so long.

Not that any of it matters to the modern-day Cyclones, who were predators of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits in the game preceding Drake’s defeat.

Many is the team that celebrated a conference tournament title and then was flat and ripe for the picking in its NCAA first-rounder. The Cyclones were the same outfit that smothered and smoked Kansas State, Baylor and Houston in Kansas City last week.

The score was 82-65. South Dakota State did very well to rally from a 15-point hole to be within four early in the second half, but the Cyclones then scored 12 unanswered points in the space of 1:41. Ballgame.

Iowa State had 11 steals, par for its course. Five Cyclones scored in double figures. ISU made its first nine shots, including three of Hason Ward’s five dunks.

Dunking is fun, isn’t it, Ward was asked afterward.

“It is,” he said, laughing and fist-bumping in response to the question.

Ward, Tre King and Robert Jones have enough size to counter Washington State’s unusually tall lineup. Whether the Cougars’ guards can cope with ISU’s remains to be seen.

South Dakota State’s couldn’t. The Cyclones wouldn’t let the Jackrabbits pull the same kind of madness Oakland did against Kentucky during the same time slot.

“I think they’re the hardest-playing team in the country,” said SDSU assistant coach Bryan Petersen. He was the head coach at Kirkwood Community College for six years after being a player there for two years, then was a preferred walk-on at Iowa State for two seasons and started 64 games.

“Everybody talks about their defense, and rightly so because they’re really good at it,” Petersen said. “But their offense is really improved this year as well, and they’ve got some shot-makers.

“I’m just really impressed with their buy-in. Their kids really buy into their roles and what’s most important to the team to win, and they do it every night. It’s pretty incredible how consistent they have been all year.”

ISU freshman forward Milan Momcilovic looks more like the next Dirk Nowitzki with each game. His fadeaway jumpers helped run the Jackrabbits out of the tournament.

ISU sophomore point guard Tamin Lipsey is the heartbeat, though. He had 17 points and seven assists Thursday, befuddling the Jacks at both ends of the court.

“Tamin is the head of that snake,” SDSU head coach Eric Henderson said, “and how he makes that team go is pretty special.”

Matthew Mims of Cedar Rapids Xavier started at guard Thursday for South Dakota State, the last game in his six-year college career after going to the school and redshirting the 2018-19 season. The head coach then? Iowa State’s current guru, T.J. Otzelberger.

“T. J.’s an amazing coach,” Mims said. “Playing for him, man, you just want to fight. And they’ve got a lot of fight.

“That was probably the hardest defense I’ve ever played against in my life. They play so hard. They have no quit.

“They have a chance, I think, to win the national tournament.”

That comment might warrant a tap of the brakes. Nonetheless, Mims’ head coach agrees.

“I watch a lot of basketball,” Henderson said. “These guys can win a national championship.

“They play so hard and they're so good on the defensive end, but what makes them have a chance to win the national championship — and things have to go their way — is their offense, the way they move, the way that they're connected, and the way that they know what they're really good at is special.”

Yes, we’re only entering the second round. But I’m not so sure a young man wearing Iowa State colors wasn’t right when he yelled the following at Washington State’s cheerleaders as the Cougars ruined what could have a memorable restart in the now-defunct Drake-Iowa State series.

“It doesn’t matter. You’re gonna lose Saturday!”

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Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com