Iowa State had most of the pieces it needed to make a run in March — experience, 3-point shooting and big-play stars. Yet it wasn’t quite a championship team, falling to a sixth seed after the Big 12 regular season.
In Denver, however, the Cyclones might have found the missing ingredient toward ending up in Houston for the Final Four — defense.
Back-to-back beatdowns of double-digit-seeded midmajors might not be unexpected, but in an NCAA Tournament where the upset has become routine, Iowa State has been immune.
“We’re super locked in right now, especially on the defensive end, because we know that’s how we are going to win in March,” fifth-year senior forward Abdel Nader said. “In this tournament, you have to or it’s not going to happen for you.”
The best way to describe their trip to Denver? Businesslike.
After their 78-61 demolition of Little Rock on Saturday at the Pepsi Center, there wasn’t a prolonged celebration in the locker room.
Instead, players surrounded the TV watching the end of the Virginia-Butler game, patiently awaiting their Sweet 16 opponent this week in Chicago.
“It truly doesn’t matter who we play. We’re going to be ready,” fifth-year senior forward Jameel McKay explained to his teammates. “The only thing about Butler is teams get lucky in March. I ain’t got time for flukes.”
McKay doesn’t have to worry about that now. On Friday, the No. 4-seeded Cyclones will play the top-seeded Cavaliers, who defeated Butler 77-69.
Maybe it’s Virginia who should fear Iowa State, which so far has been as impressive as any team in the tournament, cruising to two easy victories. It brought a rude awakening to Denver’s Cinderella, No. 12 Little Rock, by shutting down the head of the snake — guard Josh Hagins. The senior lifted the Trojans to a shocking comeback victory over Purdue in the first round Thursday but couldn’t escape the relentless defense of Cyclones point guard Monte Morris on Saturday.
“That was a big question. Could we play defense?” said Morris, who did most of the legwork in holding Hagins to two first-half points and eight points overall. “I really made him uncomfortable out there. He would say, ‘Man, can I get open?’ And I said, ‘Nah.’ “
Iowa State coach Steve Prohm credited Morris and his team’s help-side defense in slowing Hagins, who was met by a second defender, usually McKay, as soon as he got an angle to the basket.
The Cyclones have the sort of rotation that coaches dream of during tournament time. Their starting lineup consists of two fifth-year seniors, two juniors and star senior forward Georges Niang, who has scored 28 points in each of the Cyclones’ first two wins. They have a seven-man rotation, and six of the seven shoot better than 36 percent from 3-point range. Iowa State went 11-of-21 from deep Saturday.
The Cyclones have allowed fewer than 61 points, what they held the Trojans to Saturday, only twice this season — a pair of February wins over 12-win Oklahoma State.
Defense doesn’t come naturally for Iowa State, but it has turned up the pressure through its first two tournament games.
In a Midwest Regional where Michigan State, Utah, Purdue and Seton Hall have all been bounced, the Cyclones may present the most dangerous challenge to Virginia en route to the Final Four.
Iowa State made its fifth Sweet 16 appearance in 2014, but that elusive Elite Eight hasn’t been in the cards since 2000.
“The Sweet 16 is great; don’t get me wrong,” Nader said. “But we want to go to Houston. We want to win the national championship, and we know we can do it.”
Cameron Wolfe: cwolfe@denverpost.com or @CameronWolfe
