ISU basketball: 3 things to watch, prediction for Big 12 Tournament game vs Cincinnati

[ad_1]

Iowa State basketball takes its first step into the postseason Wednesday when it plays 13th-seeded Cincinnati in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament.

The fifth-seeded Cyclones (23-8, 13-7 Big 12 Conference) had a first-round bye.

Meanwhile, the Bearcats (18-14) got revenge for a regular-season loss to Oklahoma State, winning Tuesday’s rematch convincingly, 87-68, to advance past the Cowboys.

Wednesday’s game is scheduled to tip-off at 11:30 a.m. CT. It will be available on ESPN.

Here are three things to watch for in the contest:

More: Hines: Predicting how far can Iowa State basketball go in the Big 12 Tournament bracket

Iowa State’s ability to minimize turnovers

Turnovers will continue to be a point of emphasis for the Cyclones, especially as they seem to be trending back in a positive direction recently.

Iowa State trimmed its number of turnovers in each of the last two games, recording 11 turnovers against both BYU and Kansas State.

The Cyclones tied their season-high 18 turnovers in their previous meeting against Cincinnati on Feb. 15. It was one of four games this season where they recorded that many turnovers.

Cincinnati’s ability to generate turnovers was crucial in its first-round win over Oklahoma State. When the two teams met in Saturday’s regular-season finale, the Cowboys only had 12 turnovers and ended up beating the Bearcats by double figures.

More: Iowa State basketball: 3 takeaways from the Cyclones’ win over Cincinnati

It was a different result in Tuesday’s rematch. Cincinnati forced 24 turnovers, which turned into 26 points on the other end. Expect the Bearcats to try and be disruptive once again.

Can the Cyclones dominate the glass again?

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger has made it clear that he prefers his team to play with great physicality and intent, especially on defense and while rebounding.

The Cyclones’ effort on the glass was a major catalyst in Iowa State’s win over Cincinnati earlier this season.

More: Iowa State basketball: Cyclones ready for…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/isu-basketball-3-things-watch-214710002.html

Author : The Des Moines Register

Publish date : 2025-03-11 21:47:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.