The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (19-9, 13-4 Big 12) takes the road to face No. 9 Iowa State University (21-7, 11-6 Big 12) on Saturday, Mar. 1, at 7 p.m. in Ames, Iowa.
The Wildcats are 2-2 in their last four matchups and are notably 6-3 when playing away. Arizona looks for its second consecutive win heading into the weekend matchup against the Cyclones.
History vs. Iowa State
On Jan. 27, Caleb Love heaved a game-tying shot to send Arizona and Iowa State into an overtime period, leading the Wildcats to win 86-75 at home. Arizona proceeded to win three consecutive games after that matchup, unable to shake off the momentum of Love’s two 3-pointers that sealed the win, capping off his 22-point night.
The Wildcats hold a 5-3 series lead against the Cyclones. Impressively, Arizona has won the last four meetings, looking for its fifth consecutive victory over Iowa State. Despite only having a record of eight matchups, the Wildcats and Cyclones first faced off on Dec. 12, 1969, where Arizona emerged victorious 78-65. The last time the Wildcats played in Ames was on Dec. 5, 1983, as the Cyclones won 75-63.
Iowa State players to watch
Head coach T.J. Otzelberger is in his fourth season guiding the Cyclones to a 70-35 record in his tenure. He became the Cyclones’ first coach to take the team to multiple Sweet 16s (2022 and 2024) and the second to take the team to an NCAA Tournament in his first three years.
Additionally, in the 2023-2024 season, when Iowa State won the Big 12 Championship, the Cyclones had the second most wins in school history, finishing with a 29-8 overall record and 13-5 conference record.
Despite Iowa State losing back-to-back games heading into Saturday’s matchup, the Cyclones hold an impressive 14-1 record at home. In a game against the University of Cincinnati on Feb. 15, Curtis Jones came off the bench and led Iowa State with 22 points. Jones found many opportunities to get to the line, shooting a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe.
Jones, a 6-foot-4 guard, also leads the team in scoring, averaging a stat line of 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists. Notably, he has put up double figures in four of his last five games played.
In the Cyclones’ most recent game on Feb 25, where they fell 74-68 to Oklahoma State University, Joshua Jefferson put up 17 points and eight rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to combat the 18 turnovers the team had. Additionally, he shot 7-for-10 from the field in his 32 minutes of play.
Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 forward from Las Vegas, serves as a defensive key for the Cyclones, leading the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. The transfer from Saint Mary’s University is a threat to the opposing team’s offense, collecting 2.1 steals per game alongside averaging 12.6 points and 3.1 assists.
Wildcats to watch
Fourth season head coach Tommy Lloyd has helped lead the Wildcats to a 28-14 true road game record, the second-best winning percentage (.667%) in a power conference since the beginning of the 2021-2022 season. Facing a No. 9 school like Iowa State, Arizona is 19-10 when facing Top 25 teams under Lloyd, the third best in the country. Last season, guided by Lloyd, Arizona won the Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, advancing to the Sweet 16 as the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats will have to find a way to tap into their depth, as it has been a vital part of finding success in conference play. Arizona has collected 25+ points off the bench in 13 of its last 17 Big 12 games at this point in the season.
Love hit six 3-pointers in the Wildcats’ most recent game against the University of Utah, leading Arizona to the 83-66 win. That night, Love led the team with 23 points, marking the 50th time in his career that he scored at least 20 points. The 6-foot-4 fifth-year guard has continued to be a leader for the Wildcats, putting up 16.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists on average. Additionally, he is third in steals, grabbing 1.3 takeaways per game.
Carter Bryant has also molded himself into an important part of the Wildcats’ depth, finding a way to get to a spot beyond the arc and also show up beneath the hoop to grab rebounds. Bryant, a 6-foot-8 freshman forward, has collected 26 blocked shots this season, tying for 10th place in a single season in Arizona history as a first year. Bryant is one of seven players for Arizona, averaging four or more rebounds alongside putting up 6.4 points, 1.1 assists and one block per game.
In the victory against Utah, Bryant contributed 8 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for Arizona. Notably, in Big 12 play, Bryant is shooting 40.8% from the 3-point line and is one of eight true freshmen in the country to collect 100 rebounds, 25 assists, 25 blocks and 25 steals this season.
