Iowa State will try to snap its late-season skid when it travels to No. 7 Baylor for a Big 12 matchup on Saturday afternoon. The Cyclones have lost four straight games and six of their last seven, including a 72-69 setback against West Virginia on Monday. Baylor has bounced back from a pair of losses against Kansas and Kansas State with two wins in the past week.
Iowa State got off to an excellent start this season, going 13-2 (4-0 Big 12) to open the campaign. The Cyclones have not been able to hold up against a brutal conference schedule, losing nine of their last 13 games. They have dropped six of their last seven games overall, with their lone win during that stretch coming against TCU in the middle of February. Iowa State has dropped its four games since then, with its strong home record coming crashing down with losses to Oklahoma and West Virginia to wrap up that portion of its schedule. The Cyclones were 7-point favorites against the Sooners and were 4-point favorites against the Mountaineers.
For. The. Lead.@3BallJay#Cyclones | #C5C pic.twitter.com/9W8SPWyfQP
— Iowa State Men's Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 28, 2023
They will be trying to sweep the season series after beating Baylor by 15 points at home on New Year’s Eve. Iowa State dismissed third-leading scorer Caleb Grill earlier this week for a “failure to meet the program’s expectations.” Grill went just 2 of 17 from the floor over his last four appearances, averaging 2.8 points per game. He made five 3-pointers and scored 18 points in the win over Baylor the first time around. The Cyclones cannot afford to lose an offensive weapon, as they are No. 191 in effective field goal percentage (50.5) and are No. 248 in turnover rate. They are facing a Baylor defense that is No. 206 in field goal percentage and No. 93 in turnover rate. Senior guard Jaren Holmes leads Iowa State with 13.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.
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