3 Takeaways from Iowa State's loss against Kansas State: Nobody expected ISU's home winning streak to end like this

Kansas State beat No. 3 Iowa State 80-61. KSU (10-11 overall, 5-4 Big 12) is the first team with a losing record to beat a top-five opponent on the road by 15 or more points in AP Poll history. It breaks a streak of  29 consecutive home wins.

It ties ISU’s biggest loss since 2021 when Iowa won 75-56. 

The Cyclones started hot and opened up a 13-4 lead, but were outplayed from that point on until a brief speck of life late in the second half in the form of an 11-0 run.

Here are three takeaways from the game:

Unusual to see energy lacking at home

Kansas State out-rebounded the Cyclones 39-29. Fourteen of those KSU retrievals came on the offensive end of the floor, which led to 21 second-chance points. 

“The rebounding thing was the difference in the entire game,” ISU coach TJ Otzelberger said. “There’s a point in the game where it was 15-0 second-chance points and that’s a care, that’s a pride, that’s a physical (battle). And that, to me, was indicative of our effort, our energy and us not playing anywhere near our standard.”

Opponents have out-rebounded the Cyclones in their past two games, both losses.

“I’d probably say rebounding, just energy overall (went wrong for us)," point guard Tamin Lipsey said. "Besides the start of the game they had momentum, they had the energy the whole game. We just weren’t able to bounce back and find our own.”

The weird part is the Cyclones’ sub-standard effort came in Hilton Coliseum, a place they hadn’t lost since Feb. 27, 2023. 

“I don’t think anyone expects that to happen in here," Lipsey said. "Not us, not the fans, so it sucks that it did and we’re going to figure out why it happened and try to make that not happen again." 

With 14:32 left in the second half and his team trailing 51-39, Otzelberger, one of the most composed coaches in all of college basketball, crossed onto the court to yell at an official, punching the air at a missed ball. He was whistled for a technical foul, his first in four seasons at ISU.

“There’s a point in the game where you’re definitely trying to get your team’s attention to play better, which we were certainly trying to do with halftime, dead balls, timeouts you name it,” Otzelberger said.

Fans got their jabs in, but it’s Jerome Tang who wants to take a picture of Saturday’s game

Iowa State fans came ready to be heard and seen. 

Students who lined up Thursday night for spots on the front row of the student section brought cardboard cutout cell phones, disposable cameras and handheld Nintendo devices. Anything with a lens worked. 

Fueled by Tang’s cheating accusations last season and comments of Lipsey being the biggest flopper in the Big 12, fans let Tang and K-State have it. At the first timeout, thousands of fans held up cell phones, pointing them at the Wildcat huddle. 

It all looked like it might just be too much for KSU to handle. Iowa State started 3-for-3 from the 3-point line and raced out to a 13-4 lead. But the Wildcats remained unfazed. 

“I really truly love playing on the road,” KSU forward Coleman Hawkins said. “For games like this, for moments like this seeing, I don't know, 14,000 people show up and probably 100 are cheering for us, and to go in and beat somebody at their place is a real exciting feeling.”

KSU answered ISU's run with a 24-10 run over nine minutes and carried a two-point halftime lead. A 21-4 run after halftime gave KSU firm control of the game. 

Tang answered if playing a villain makes the win more gratifying. 

“No," Tang said. "I don’t expect people on the road to like us. I have the utmost respect for the Iowa State fans. I've said all along that they’re so knowledgeable as fans. They don’t wait for the team to do something good to cheer. They’ll sense when the team needs them and they’ll start cheering … so yeah, I have utmost respect for TJ and what he does.”

Now, Monday now feels even more important

Iowa State looked impenetrable a few weeks ago. The Cyclones were maybe even the best team in the nation. Now, after an improbable loss at Arizona and an off-day against Kansas State, they have two in a row and have a trip to Allen Fieldhouse on Monday to look forward to (8 p.m. ESPN).

Iowa State hasn't won at Kansas since 2017. It's looking like a must-win game if the Cyclones want to catch Houston (9-0) and Arizona (9-1) in the Big 12 standings.

“You can’t have the hangover of today carry over into anything we do tomorrow," Otzelberger said. "So, it’s going to be really important how we walk into the building tomorrow, how focused we are. This is a mental thing. This is a mental-toughness thing. This a care-factor thing, this is pride in putting on this jersey, that’s what it’s about."

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