And if he’s not the guy, who is? Gabe Kalscheur’s struggles and his inconsistencies are well-documented, and there really doesn’t seem to be any other candidates on the roster with the playmaking or shot-making needed to fill that role. Jaren Holmes is their leading scorer, but he hasn’t consistently shown he can carry a team on his back offensively. While Iowa State had Izaiah Brockington, a top-notch collegiate bucket-getter, a year ago, this group doesn’t have a clear go-to guy. The performance against the Hawkeyes, though, should raise some concerns that this group could be in an even bigger hole. It was clear coming into the season Iowa State’s offense was likely to suffer many of the same deficiencies that beleaguered last year’s squad, which ranked 171 st nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, per. The Cyclones’ season hinges on getting every last ounce out of its defense. Whether Iowa is uniquely constructed to cause Iowa State defensive issues, if the Cyclones just had a bad night or if Iowa State has some structural issues, it needs to be immediately addressed. Given the Iowa State offense is going to have its limitations, maxing out the defense is an absolute, no-negotiating, must-have for the Cyclones if they’re going to be successful this season. ![]() We can’t take for granted our defensive habits, our rebounding habits, physical offense." "We’ve got to be who we can be," Otzelberger said. Iowa State knows the identity it has to own in order to be good, and it did not live up to that Thursday. That 'formula' seemed to be what irked Otzelberger the most in his postgame comments. Just felt like across the board we were on our heels, and that’s not going to be a good formula for us moving forward." The ball shouldn’t be able to move as free as it did tonight. "Part of it is us not pressuring the ball. More: Peterson: Too early to tell if Iowa State basketball's defense is better than last season "That’s not who we were out there tonight. "We’ve got to be who we can be, and that’s going to be a physical, tough defensive team," Otzelberger said. It’ll certainly be the focus the next time the team gets on the court at the Sukup Basketball Complex. That’s what Otzelberger is going to be fixated on as he watches film on the ride back to Ames. We gave them too good of looks that they weren’t going to miss." "We gave them a lot of good looks, a lot of wide open looks that they were able to knock down," Lipsey said. Iowa solved the Iowa State defense, getting open jumpers and straight driving lanes to the bucket. This wasn’t the case of a team getting hot and making impossible shots. It’s not just that Iowa shot the cover off the ball and put up big numbers, it’s that they did it by creating really good shots. There should be, though, some pause about adopting that opinion as gospel. Given the sample size – and the track record from last year’s team – this Iowa performance is probably a simple outlier. The Cyclones are ranked in the top-15 nationally with a defense that creates turnovers and guards shooters well. ![]() Iowa State’s defense has been mostly excellent this season. The Cyclones return to action Sunday when they host McNeese State (5 p.m. Gabe Kalscheur scored 12, while both Lipsey and Robert Jones had 11 for the Cyclones. ![]() More: Peterson: Cy-Hawk series is center of the college basketball universe this week Meanwhile, the Cyclone offense failed to produce much of anything, shooting 40.7% overall while going 3-of-22 (13%) from distance. Iowa State’s to-this-point ferocious defense was gouged by Iowa (7-2), which shot 50% from the field and went 12-of-23 (52%) from 3-point range. "We just came out flat," said freshman Tamin Lipsey. They never seriously challenged the Hawkeyes the entire night. The Cyclones (7-2) trailed 15-0 and did not score their first points until 6 minutes into the game. Otzelberger took over the program last year. 24 Iowa, 75-56, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in one of the worst performances since Iowa State coach T.J. 20 Cyclones were completely demolished by No. IOWA CITY – Iowa State lost its bragging rights Thursday night, and probably quite a bit of its pride along with it. Iowa State men's basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena
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