Iowa State does it again

KANSAS CITY - Georges Niang stood near center court at the Sprint Center sporting a championship hat with confetti raining down all around him.

As he made his way toward the basket to cut away a piece of the net, he couldn't help but think how much he's seen Iowa State's basketball program grow.

'You tell me, have we changed the culture or what?” Niang asked reporters. 'I like to think so, too. These fans have come out and done a good job of supporting us, and I can't thank them enough.”

No. 13 Iowa State rallied to its second-straight Big 12 tournament title with a 70-66 victory Saturday against No. 9 Kansas behind 19 points from Niang. The junior forward was named to the all-tournament team with sophomore point guard Monte Morris. Niang also was voted Most Outstanding Player.

Niang took it upon himself to pick up the Cyclones (25-8, 12-6) when it found itself down by double digits for the fifth game in a row. He huddled the five guys on the court after three free throws by Frank Mason III gave the Jayhawks (26-8, 13-5) a 17-point lead at 40-23.

'I just said, ‘Hey guys, we dug ourselves in a hole. We've been here before,'” Niang said. '‘We've just got to push through, dig deeper and fight until all three zeros are on the clock.'”

'To do something like we did in this tournament just shows the world in everything about life that nothing is over until it's over,” said junior guard Naz Long. 'We just showed grit and that's what Georges was talking about.”

Iowa State went on a 17-2 run to draw within two points in less than five minutes, and tied the game 51-51 on a dunk by Bryce Dejean-Jones with eight minutes to play. The Cyclones never trailed after getting a two-point lead on a layup from Dejean-Jones, who scored seven points.

Junior forward Abdel Nader provided an additional spark off the bench, scoring 13 points. Morris and junior forward Jameel McKay each chipped in with 11.

Although Iowa State Coach Fred Hoiberg admitted it's stressful to fall behind continually, it does show him a lot about the players on his roster.

'That's the sign of a true team and a good team is you can handle that type of adversity,” Hoiberg said. 'It starts with your players. When you've got leadership like we have in that locker room, you can handle the tough times and our guys proved that this week.”

'We're a gritty group that is never going to give,” Niang said. 'We've got a lot of guys that have a ton of heart and I'd go to battle with them every day.”

Hoiberg also characterized the run to Iowa State's third Big 12 tournament championship as 'survival week.” Double-digit comebacks against Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas all had the Cyclones on their heels, if only slightly.

Iowa State clinched the automatic bid and will wait less than 24 hours to learn its postseason destination. As the Cyclones enter the next phase of their season, Hoiberg's group is showing its resilience at the most opportune time.

'They can battle through anything,” Hoiberg said. 'No lead is insurmountable. And you find a way to battle and bounce back and I think from a confidence standpoint it certainly helps your team.”

Wayne Selden Jr. led Kansas with 25 points.

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