Baylor coach Scott Drew felt a sense of familiarity as he scouted Iowa State.
The Cyclones had depth, Drew easily could see. They had skill and toughness, too.
“I think they’re similar to us — a lot of players in double figures, a lot of guys capable of scoring 20,” Drew said. “Really good teams have more than one weapon.”
Both teams’ best players will be on display when No. 3 Iowa State hosts No. 25 Baylor in a Big 12 Conference showdown on Saturday afternoon in Ames, Iowa.
Iowa State (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) is set to play its conference home opener after holding on for a 79-69 road win at Colorado in its last game. The Cyclones have won nine games by double digits, and their only hiccup is an 83-81 loss to then-No. 4 Auburn on Nov. 25.
Six players are scoring in double digits for the Cyclones. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones are tied for the team lead with 16.3 points per game, and Joshua Jefferson ranks third with 11.6 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per contest.
Milan Momcilovic (11.1 points per game), Dishon Jackson (10.8) and Tamin Lipsey (10.1) round out the Cyclones’ half-dozen leading scorers.
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger at least is as passionate about his team’s defense as he is with its balanced scoring attack. For example, he praised Jefferson for a remarkable defensive effort in which he recorded eight steals in his last game.
“Defensively, he’s extremely intelligent,” Otzelberger said. “He finishes a lot of possessions. At times, you’re watching it and you’re not quite sure, is he flying around as much? But he absolutely is reading plays, being instinctive, in the right spot. …
“We just need him to continue climbing. I think, like for all of our guys, continue to get better, continue to keep taking positive steps.”
Baylor (9-3, 1-0) is looking to build a similar trajectory. The Bears are riding a four-game winning streak, including an 81-56 thumping at home against Utah in both teams’ conference opener.
Norchard Omier is the top scorer on a Baylor team that includes five players averaging in double digits. Omier has 16.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game to go along with 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per contest.
Robert Wright III (13.1 points per game), Jeremy Roach (12.5), VJ Edgecombe (12.4) and Jayden Nunn (11.4) also have risen to the top five on Baylor’s scoring list.
A hostile environment at Iowa State could challenge Baylor, particularly its less experienced players who are not accustomed to the noise at Hilton Coliseum. However, Drew said his team’s tough nonconference slate should help.
“The best thing we did was play that first game at Gonzaga,” Drew said. “You’ve played at Gonzaga, you’ve played at UConn. The Big 12 environments are great, but there’s nothing that’s going to blow you away when you’ve been at those two to begin with. …
“We did a lot better from Game 1 to Game 2 in that environment. We’ll obviously need to continue that progression.”
Iowa State is 7-0 at home this season. Baylor is 0-2 in true road games to go along with a 2-1 record in neutral-court contests.
–Field Level Media
