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Iowa State men’s basketball takes on tough opponent Monday in Sioux Falls
Cyclones focused on themselves against Mississippi State, coached by Fairbank native and former Kirkwood coach Chris Jans
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AMES — No. 16 Iowa State will face fellow high major competition for the first time this season Monday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
But as usual with head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s Cyclones (2-0), they’re focused more on themselves than their formidable opponent, Mississippi State.
“We just take each opportunity as it presents itself,” said Otzelberger, whose team will tip off against the Bulldogs (1-0) at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPNU. “We talk a lot about the standard in our program and playing to the standard. We recognize there’s a team on the other side each night, but we want to continue to elevate our standard and how we play and go about it.”
Mississippi State is coached by Fairbank native and former Kirkwood coach Chris Jans, and has reached the NCAA tournament in each of the past three seasons. The Bulldogs are ranked 27th nationally by KenPom and are solid offensive and defensively. They excel at protecting the basketball, ranking 13th in turnover percentage (9.8) and ISU thrives on forcing turnovers and scoring in transition.
The Cyclones rank second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and will continue to lean on designated defensive captain Nate Heise in terms of maximizing their performance on that end of the floor.
“Just making sure everybody knows what to do,” Heise said recently. “I’ve played a lot of college basketball, so I can help the freshmen who haven’t played as much — just getting everybody organized.”
ISU’s committed to playing 10 guys early this season, as well, to help figure out the best rotation as games such as Monday’s come on a bi-weekly basis, not just as a one-off between matchups with low major opponents.
“We’re gonna get 10 guys in the game and then we’re gonna leverage the guys who are making their deal work,” Otzelberger said. “And you can make your deal work with tremendous energy, intent, communication and effort.”
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