The Iowa State Cyclones might have made the Final Four had it not been for a key injury that occurred during the NCAA tournament. Now, the Cyclones will try to regroup and make a serious run at the biggest show in the Big Dance.
What Went Wrong Last Season?
The Cyclones got hit by bad injury luck at the wrong time. There’s never a good time for an injury, but the worst is in the NCAA tournament, and Iowa State was crushed by the loss of a key cog.
Georges Niang, a 6-8 forward who averaged 16.7 points per game and a little over four rebounds per game, was knocked out of the lineup before the team’s second NCAA tournament game against North Carolina. Iowa State, trailing by a few baskets late in regulation, received a huge three-pointer from Naz Long to tie the game at 81-all in the final minute. After Iowa State forced a turnover and then gained an exchange of two-point possessions, the Cyclones won the game on a DeAndre Kane bucket with 1.6 seconds left.
It was impressive that Iowa State got past North Carolina. However, it always seemed hard for the Cyclones to get through two straight NCAA games without Niang. The odds did indeed catch up with the Cyclones in the Sweet 16 in New York. The Connecticut Huskies, playing in front of a heavily partisan crowd not too far from their campus, made the run that led them to the national title. UConn clearly outplayed Iowa State, as the Cyclones’ lack of depth came into factor.
What went right for Iowa State was that it was able to get as far as it did despite the lack of a dominant big man. Iowa State run such good offensive sets under coach Fred Hoiberg that it was able to outscore most of its opponents. ISU was good enough to beat the Kansas Jayhawks this season, shooting 54 percent against KU in a 94-83 win. That was probably the best performance of the season other than the win over North Carolina.
The Cyclones were second in the Big 12 in field goals percentage and ninth in the entire nation in two-point field goal percentage. The team was 22nd in the nation in effective field goal percentage (a statistic which blends two- and three-point efficiency). This is a team that got great shots.
Offseason Changes
The Cyclones lose Kane and teammate Melvin Ejim. Kane averaged 17 points, nearly seven rebounds, and nearly six assists per game. He was erratic but wildly productive on his best nights. Ejim averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 boards per game. He had a nose for the ball and was extremely active in the paint.
Offsetting the loss of Kane and Ejim is the arrival of transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones from UNLV. The 6 ft. 6 in. tweener guard, who might play small forward at times, averaged 13.6 points and nearly four rebounds last season. However, he was playing for an inferior team under an inferior coach, Dave Rice. The hope is that with Hoiberg’s coaching, Dejean-Jones can become a much better player. He could be the key to the team’s season.
Other new players are freshmen big man Georgios Tsalmpouris from Greece, who stands at 7 ft. 1 in., and a couple of point guards in Clayton Custer and Daniel Stensland.
Projected Finish
The Cyclones work so well together on offense – Hoiberg makes sure of this. Players might come and go, but Iowa State remains noticeably consistent. Expect another quality season with a fairly high NCAA seed (top five) and at least one tournament win, possibly two.
Pick: Third In Big 12, Round of 32 In The NCAA Tournament
