Iowa State not in sync heading into Big 12 play

AMES - Iowa State's basketball team isn't opening the Big 12 season under the best of circumstances.

The Cyclones start conference play Wednesday against what likely will be No. 1-ranked Texas at Hilton Coliseum battling injury, confidence and chemistry issues. Texas (15-0) should be voted No. 1 in the polls after Kansas' loss Sunday at Tennessee.

Coach Greg McDermott was very honest this week in assessing his team, admitting that even with a difficult schedule this group - his most talented at ISU - has underachieved. Last Saturday's narrow 73-71 home victory over North Dakota State ended the non-league portion of the schedule with a record of 11-4.

“I'd like to think at this point in the season that we'd be a little farther ahead,” McDermott said a day after the Cyclones' disappointing 86-65 loss to Duke at the United Center.

This was a tumultuous past week for the program.

Point guard Chris Colvin was suspended until at least February for what McDermott said was a lack of respect for his teammates, coaches and school.

The freshman from Chicago apparently walked out of a team meeting early after ISU's loss to Duke and has had other attitude issues detrimental to the team. Colvin has apologized to teammates and told reporters after the NDSU game he plans on making things right.

McDermott said he discipline was necessary.

“This young man needs to grow up and if it costs me a couple of wins along the way, then so be it,” McDermott said in his postgame comments. “He is going to be better and I am going to sleep better because of that.”

McDermott dismissed reserve forward L.A. Pomlee on Friday for repeated violations of team rules, a minor loss if not for the fact that starting forward Justin Hamilton is dealing with a concussion and center Jamie Vanderbeken also is injured.

Hamilton could return for the Texas game.

Vanderbeken is has missed most of the last month with knee and ankle injuries and plans to sit out the rest of the season in hopes of petitioning the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver.

The 6-foot-11 senior has appeared in 11 games but has had practice time cut way short because of injury since the season began in mid-October.

“Right now he's not his self,” McDermott said.

Meanwhile, ISU faces a killer start to league play with home games against the Longhorns and Kansas and road trips to Lincoln, Lubbock and Norman.

Texas Tech, Kansas State, Texas A&M and Baylor have either spent time in the Top 25 or are on the cusp of the rankings.

Conference teams accumulated a non-conference winning percentage of .825, best in the nation, and boast a 28-11 record against teams from the six other major conferences.

“Our league is as good as it has been in the four years since I've been in it,” McDermott said. “You have to be ready to play every minute of every game.”

The Cyclones have had difficulty closing out games against its most difficult competition.

They had late leads against Northwestern and Northern Iowa and couldn't hold on. Losses at California and to Duke became blowouts.

“We let a couple games get away that I thought we were in control of,” McDermott said. “Those were there for the taking.

“We've lacked some consistently. We've played really well in stretches, but we've also had some things go south on us. In games against teams like Duke and Cal, you can't afford to have those.”

And now, ISU enters the conference season tested, but with an incomplete grade.

“I think we've prepared ourselves,” McDermott said. “Now we have to fix it and fix it quickly.”

- By Eric Petersen, The Gazette