After grueling Big 12 schedule, Iowa State is thrilled to start fresh in NCAA tournament

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Iowa State is done with the gauntlet that became the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball schedule and navigated out of a brutal February stretch of results.

Perhaps no team is more thrilled to take a whiff of the NCAA tournament air.

“We made it through that fire,” ISU guard Jaren Holmes said Thursday, “and we’re back to being who we are. We’re in a good spot right now.”

That puts the sixth-seeded Cyclones in Friday afternoon’s first-round game against 11-seed Pittsburgh at the Greensboro Coliseum.

“We’ve played 20 games against Big 12 teams over the last three months and that helps prepare you for an opportunity like this,” Cyclones Coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

Iowa State (19-13) has won just two of its last seven games. But none of that really matters now.

“We’re just ready for a clean slate in March,” guard Gabe Kalscheur said.

The Cyclones created all sorts of excitement last year by reaching the Sweet 16. Hometown product Tamin Lipsey understood the positive vibes coming from that — and now he’s fully part of it.

“I’ve dreamed of this as a kid, as most everyone has as a young basketball player,” Lipsey said. “It’s awesome to be here and I’m looking forward to the atmosphere.”

Holmes is in his first NCAA tournament with the Cyclones after transferring from St. Bonaventure. Already, this has a more uplifting tone from his 2021 NCAA experience, which was played in almost isolation because of the pandemic.

“It was the bubble, so it was very different,” he said. “We weren’t seeing all your guys’ wonderful faces and this contact and the ability to have fans and our families close by and truly have that experience.”

Pittsburgh (23-11) advanced with Tuesday night’s 60-59 victory against Mississippi State in the First Four at Dayton, Ohio. That was the Panthers’ first NCAA tournament victory since 2014.

Pittsburgh Coach Jeff Capel, a former Oklahoma coach, is wary of the Cyclones.

“We have to be able to play through physicality and not turn the basketball over,” Capel said. “Especially live-ball turnovers, they turn those into baskets.”

Remember Blake Hinson?

Pittsburgh forward Blake Hinson spent time in the Iowa State program without ever playing a game.

He transferred from Mississippi and then sat out the 2020-21 season because of a medical issue. Then there was a coaching change with Otzelberger coming on board.

Hinson took part in 2021 summer workouts, but by the fall opted to leave the program. Now about 18 months later, he’ll play in an Iowa State game after all.

“It’s one of those situations where I think everybody wants to make something out of it,” Otzelberger said. “At the end, there’s a young man who is playing really well on an NCAA tournament team. … Everybody came out OK in that situation.”

Hinson didn’t want to delve into his reasons for leaving the Cyclones. He said he hasn’t kept in touch with any of his ex-Iowa State teammates.

“I’m just ready to play my next game in March Madness, and I’m focused on winning,” he said.

Capel doesn’t expect the Hinson factor to be an issue Friday.

“I don’t think young people are as emotional about this stuff as maybe adults are,” Capel said. “They’re able to move on very, very quickly and turn the page. … It’s not Blake against Iowa State or Iowa State against Blake.”

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