Iowa State Basketball Makes Statement in Big 12 Tournament

The Iowa State Cyclones started up their quest for a Big 12 title on Wednesday against the Arizona State Sun Devils, and they made quite the statement.

Coming into the matchup, the Cyclones were very familiar with what they were going to see from the Sun Devils, following just beating them in the regular season finale. In that game, Arizona State actually played well in the first half before Iowa State really turned it on.

A 24-0 run in that game helped separate Iowa State from the Sun Devils, and it ended up becoming a comfortable win. Arizona State looked really good in their first-round matchup, but the Cyclones were able to pick up right where they left off on Wednesday.

Iowa State Destroys Sun Devils

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic making a layup — Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | William Purnell-Imagn Images

With a chance to still be a two seed on the line for the NCAA tournament, the Cyclones were locked in right from the start, especially on the defensive end of the court. Iowa State was able to set the tone and play their style of basketball in this game, and they jumped out to a big lead.

The Cyclones picked up right where they left off against Arizona State, and this game was over at halftime. In the first half, Iowa State held the Sun Devils to just 16 points and forced 15 turnovers. While the turnovers obviously helped keep Arizona State from scoring, it also led to some easy opportunities for them on the offensive end.

While it might have been the defensive performance that was the top storyline, the offense for Iowa State also performed well. The interior passing of the team in their half-court offense resulted in some easy baskets for their bigs.

In the second half, things didn't get much better for the Sun Devils, and the Cyclones were largely able to coast to a win in this one. On both ends of the court Iowa State was fantastic and it was another impressive showing against Arizona State.

Next up for the Cyclones will be a matchup against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Thursday. This will be a chance for Iowa State to get some revenge on the team that handed them their lone home loss of the campaign. This will be a key game for the team and one that could help improve their resume enough to secure them a spot on the two-line. Following this strong performance, the Cyclones look like a true threat to win a Big 12 title.