Iowa State has built a nice, national reputation for its fast-paced, offensive style of basketball. But for every endorsement, a snark-filled criticism about their lack of defense soon followed. But this season, the Cyclones are filling driving lanes, making decisive rotations and contesting 3-pointers — a welcome change from the matador defense we saw in the Georges Niang era.
The Cyclones’ opponent on Thursday, the Iowa Hawkeyes, are experiencing their own defensive issues this season. Fran McCaffery’s passive bunch currently rank 176th in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Even Hoiberg’s most defensively challenged teams never ranked worse than 126th.