No. 3 Iowa State continues to gain recognition as a likely national championship contender after a stellar start to the season.
Tamin Lipsey is gaining more and more recognition, too. The Cyclones’ guard is one of the glue players on one of the hottest teams in college basketball.
Lipsey and Iowa State (8-1) will return to the court when they host visiting Omaha (4-8) in a nonconference matchup Sunday afternoon in Ames, Iowa.
The Cyclones have won five straight games, including an 89-80 victory on the road against in-state rival Iowa on Thursday night. Iowa State’s only blemish this season is a two-point loss against then-No. 4 Auburn at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii a few days before Thanksgiving.
Lipsey will look to stay sharp after turning in one of his most complete games of the season. Against Iowa, he scored 11 points, grabbed six rebounds, dished three assists, blocked one shot and made three steals.
Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said Lipsey sets the tone for the team as it rises up the rankings.
“The shots are great, but there’s so many hustle plays, rebounds, loose balls,” Otzelberger said. “… Those aren’t 50-50 balls. He commanded and demanded all of those.
“As much as the shot-making is great, the play-making is great, the defense is great, I believe those (hustle) plays are the energizing plays that take your team to another level. The way (Lipsey) makes them and the consistency (in which) he makes them is a huge credit to his character and who he is as a person.”
Omaha will look to play spoiler in a hostile venue. The Mavericks hope to bounce back after losing three of the past four games, including a 78-58 setback at Northern Iowa on Friday.
Marquel Sutton leads Omaha with 16.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Tony Osborn ranks second in scoring with 11.0 points per game, and Lance Waddles is third with an average of 9.5 points.
JJ White has provided the Mavericks with solid performances off the bench. He is averaging 8.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists through 12 games.
White credited Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield with sparking his development.
“Coach Crutch told me, ‘Let’s make you the best sixth man in the Summit League,'” White said. “He gave me the green light to play my game and the confidence to embrace this role.”
For Iowa State, Curtis Jones leads the way with 17.0 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 43.1 percent shooting from 3-point range. Keshon Gilbert is close behind with 16.4 points and a team-high 5.1 assists.
Three other Cyclones players are scoring in double digits to start the season. Milan Momcilovic (11.7 points per game), Dishon Jackson (11.4) and Joshua Jefferson (11.3) all have helped the Cyclones win eight of their first nine.
Iowa State is 5-0 at home this season. Omaha is 2-5 on the road.
–Field Level Media
