You forgot how they felt, didn’t you?
After Iowa State basketball The road wins, the top 10 wins, the blowouts and all the fun that goes with it, I bet you forgot.
But I guess the frustration, helplessness and anger that comes with defeat hit like a Mack truck, huh?
Yeah, that’s not fun, is it?
That feeling, though, the one after watching No. 2 Iowa State end its 12-game winning streak with a 64-57 loss in Morgantown to No. 25 West Virginia, is a familiar one.
Not just for Iowa State, of course, but for every top 5, top 10, top 25 and top 364 team in the country. You go to a conference, get slammed, and come home with an L.
It’s as universal as anything in this wild and wonderful game.
I’m sure you remember it now because you’ve felt it before. And as sure as TJ Otzelberger maximizing his arm day, you’ll feel it again.
More: Hines: What Milan Momcilovic’s injury means for Iowa State basketball
This is exactly how college basketball is played.
Iowa State was always going to find itself in this position at some point this season, and the WVU Coliseum, a place where Iowa State last won during the Obama administration, is also more likely than any other.
The Cyclones were in a difficult situation: on the road in a tough environment, against a good team, with a starter and, as appeared to be the case on ESPN+ in Des Moines, they played a slow pace after an emotional victory against the Kansas three days ago. .
This is why conference play, especially Big 12 play, is so difficult. It’s merciless. It’s merciless. It’s merciless.
Are you a little tired? Is one of your guys injured? Have you participated in a series of grueling games?
“Oh, that’s a shame,” said the local team, sharpening his knife.
If you don’t perform at your best, a good team will beat you.
And Iowa State didn’t have its best Saturday.
More: Hines: This could be the week Iowa State basketball wins the Big 12 Conference
The absence of Milan Momcilovic was felt significantly. It was exactly what you would have imagined when news broke this week that the sophomore would be out indefinitely with a hand injury.
West Virginia was able to chip away at their defense and challenge Iowa State to shoot. And the Cyclones obliged, going 1 of 17 from beyond the arc. If you have ringing in your ears, it could very well be from all the clicking on your TV on Saturday night.
The Mountaineers, meanwhile, were 9 of 27 from long range. The math becomes even more difficult when your opponent is so far beyond you over the line.
Beyond that, the Cyclones just looked a little lethargic.
Don’t confuse this with saying they didn’t play with effort. I don’t question that. I said they just looked slow. Fatigue. Negligent.
This, I believe, contributed to committing 14 turnovers while only forcing nine. This isn’t Iowa State basketball. Especially when it allows the other team to gain fastbreak points 19-2.
All of these things are not surprising. Predictable, even.
Playing without Momcilovic will make the offense more difficult. Especially when a large portion of those minutes will be devoted to Nate Heise, who has struggled to make a consistent, positive offensive impact.
Still, I’d take any chance that Saturday night would be a low point for the offense. This group is still talented on that side of the floor.
Playing in the Big 12 twice a week as a league favorite, Final Four favorite and national champion contender, well, that’s going to get exhausting. It’s physically and mentally taxing, and tough matches like Saturday’s will likely happen more than once in two and a half months.
Let’s not forget that the other teams have scholarships and they are also trying to win. West Virginia now has wins over Kansas, Gonzaga, Arizona and Iowa State. I think Darien DeVries learned a thing or two about coaching at Aplington.
Plus, beating West Virginia on the night they honor the late, great Logo himself, Jerry West, I mean, that’s a tall order.
But Iowa State’s schedule is pretty favorable for the rest of the new lopsided Big 12.
This stuff is so incredibly difficult, that’s what I’m saying, and you’re just not going to play well some nights and get beat. But Iowa State is still a Big 12 favorite, a Final Four threat and a national champion possibility.
“We knew we had to play our best and unfortunately we didn’t and they had a lot to do with it,” Otzelberger told reporters afterward. “Down the stretch, we felt like we had plays and opportunities that we normally convert on, but unfortunately we couldn’t.
“And the crowd and the environment and the atmosphere when you’re not converting those plays kind of takes the wind out of your sails a little bit.”
I don’t really think of Iowa State any differently on Saturday night than Saturday morning. The things that can make them beat – especially over the next 4-6 weeks with Momcilovic on the bench – have moved from theory to reality.
Figuring out how to handle that is Otzelberger’s job and his players’ responsibility. It’s the same as when they were 5-0 and now they’re 5-1 in the league.
This feeling may seem foreign. I mean, this is the first time Iowa State has lost in the continental United States this season, for God’s sake. But you’ve been here before.
For two months, the Cyclones have made opposing supporters feel it. Acutely.
Saturday night, well, it was just your turn.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered hurricanes for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at Thines@amestrib.com Or (515) 284-8000. FFollow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article was originally published on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball meets inevitability on the road at West Virginia
