Iowa State Cyclones' Loss to Texas Tech Red Raiders Will Have Massive Ramifications

The Iowa State Cyclones came into Saturday’s matchup against the Texas Tech Red Raiders hoping to secure another Top 25 win and solidify their case for a one seed in the NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get it done.

With an opportunity for another signature Top 25 win at home, Iowa State made things interesting on Saturday afternoon. Despite not having their best player for the rest of the year, the Red Raiders came out firing against the Cyclones and held a 45-29 lead at halftime.

On both ends of the court, Iowa State did not look good for the most part. Defensively, Texas Tech was able to spread out the defense of the Cyclones and made seven three-pointers. While they were very efficient from beyond the arc, it was inside the arc that they really thrived.

In the first 20 minutes, they went 10-for-11 on two-point attempts. While Christian Anderson played well in the first half, the real star for the Red Raiders was Donovan Atwell. The talented shooter hit five of his nine three-point attempts and really helped set the tone for Texas Tech. Slow starts have been a common theme in losses this year for Iowa State and that was the case on Saturday.

Cyclones’ Run Comes Up Short

Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic shooting the ball — Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For a good chunk of the second half, Iowa State was able to make a really strong push and cut the lead back to single digits. The Cyclones started to ramp up their defense and got a number of turnovers and forced Texas Tech into mistakes.

The Red Raiders started to pick up a number of fouls, which helped get the Cyclones to the free-throw line, where they did fairly well. Seeing the ball going in the basket might have helped them a bit offensively, but it unfortunately didn't last. When Iowa State cut the lead to six points, it looked like Hilton magic was coming alive.

Despite a ton of momentum, a lot of credit has to go to the Red Raiders for having an answer and going on a nice little run to quickly separate themselves once again and secure the win.

This is a tough loss for the Cyclones and one that is going to have a major impact on the program. Now, Iowa State has likely blown its chance of being considered for a one seed in the NCAA tournament. While they will have a massive game coming up against the Arizona Wildcats, even a win there likely won’t be enough at this point. Overall, it was a tough outing for Iowa State, and they will have to regroup quickly.