Three Man Weave: Turnovers Plague Cincinnati Across 69-58 Loss to Iowa State

Cincinnati is now 4-7 in the Big 12 as the hopes of a .500 conference record dwindle.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Feb 13, 2024 9:09 PM EST

In this story:

CINCINNATI — The turnover train rolled into Clifton on Tuesday night and dealt Cincinnati a gutting 69-58 blow from No. 10 Iowa State. UC turned it over 25 times, the most ever under Wes Miller.

The guards who drove a lot of that pressure turned it into solid offense as Tamin Lipsey (15 points, four assists) and Curtis Jones (15 points, four rebounds) helped control the tempo all night.

Cincinnati needs to finish 5-2 in the final seven games to have a decent shot at making the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Iowa State Swarms

The Cyclones lived up to their mascot name with ferocious man-to-man defense that was justifiably third nationally in adjusted efficiency entering tonight's game.

The unit thrives off turnovers (17.8 forced per game) and Cincinnati fed into that strength right from the tip. Wes Miller's unit posted 14 first-half turnovers and 25 overall to help ISU get into the fast break more easily.

Those runs up court let them find chaotic spots in Cincinnati's interior and own the paint point battle (36-14). Whether it was jump balls, active hands, or hard traps, ISU was running 100 miles per hour on that end, and staying somewhat disciplined along the way.

Cincinnati was able to get some good free throw whistles, but this team is what it is at the stripe this late in the season: Bad.

Cincinnati couldn't take advantage of the home whistle enough to make ISU tone down their intensity. Forward Hason Ward (six points, two steals, one block) was all over the paint as a major disruptor, finishing with a team-best 87.2 defensive rating. The Cyclones made UC uncomfortable at home all night long with a defensive blur.

Jones Throws Second-Half Heater

The Cyclones' guard play was glaringly better than Cincinnati's on Tuesday night and Jones had a lot to do with that. He posted 12 points in the final frame to stave off a few positive spurts from Cincinnati.

Jones's ball pressure was fantastic on Tuesday and he answered on the other end with some great shotmaking. The Cyclones shot efficiently from the floor, but they had to make a litany of tough shots and Jones was a part of that.

Still, he made plenty of fundamental transition reads as a passer and was the Cyclones' lone three-point threat (3-of-6) on a night where they shot 5-of-18 from deep. Jones carried over his strong consistency over the past six games (14.2 points on 44.2% shooting).

Luck Hurts

Cincinnati has not been able to buy any consistent breaks in Big 12 play or all season. Tuesday was another perfect showcase for KenPom's 341st-ranked team nationally in luck entering the game.

Loose balls, jump balls, buzzer beaters, all of it just never broke Cincinnati's way in a game they were favored to win by 1.5 points. Luck can be the deciding factor when the margins are this thin. That didn't play the overwhelming factor in a night where ISU shot right around their average from the field, but it didn't help.

Cincinnati just lost its first Big 12 game by more than five points at a pretty unfortunate time. This is one of the nation's rare teams that profile as an NCAA Tournament team possession to possession, but not on the win-loss record.

The math has subsequently gotten very difficult for UC, likely needing a 9-9 record entering the conference tournament for a chance at dancing. Without the .500 conference mark, it'll require multiple wins in America's toughest conference tourney.

A tall task considering this team is yet to win back-to-back Big 12 games.

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