No. 4 Iowa State brimming with confidence ahead of Iowa game

Fresh off one of the biggest upsets of all time, No. 4 Iowa State Cyclones hosts its biggest rival on Thursday when Iowa Hawkeyes visits Ames.

The Cyclones (9-0) rolled to an 81-58 win at then-No. 1 Purdue on Saturday. The 23-point margin matched the worst home loss for a No. 1 team in AP Poll history.

In shooting 54.1% from the field, Iowa State handed the Boilermakers their first nonconference home loss since 2019.

The Cyclones drilled 11 3-pointers and shot 47.8% from beyond the arc. Milan Momcilovic racked up 20 points.

It's the kind of win that had the 6-foot-8 junior forward brimming with confidence as he said it put the rest of college basketball on notice.

"The way we played, the way we shared the ball, showed we are one of the best teams in the country," Momcilovic said. "Guys are scared to play us."

Killyan Toure added 13 points and Blake Buchanan contributed 12 points and nine rebounds. Joshua Jefferson scored 11 points and connected on 3 of 4 attempts from distance.

Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger praised Jefferson's work ethic and numerous contributions to the team.

"He puts the work in every single day in the offseason," Otzelberger said. "He did a remarkable job with his nutrition, conditioning, playmaking and shooting. He's a tireless worker. This is really important to him. He cares about a job well done. He's got so many weapons offensively. He can beat you off the bounce, make plays, get assists, finish plays and he's shooting the three with so much confidence. I can't say enough about how many ways he's impacted winning."

The Hawkeyes (8-1) knocked off visiting Maryland 83-64 in Big Ten play on Saturday behind 25 points from leading scorer Bennett Stirtz. Cam Manyawu and Tate Sage each tallied 12 points and Cooper Koch chipped in 11.

Iowa coach Ben McCollum said the chance the Hawkeyes took on Sage has paid off.

"We needed a kid that was going to develop, we weren't sure how long it would take him and then he started to play really well," McCollum said of Sage. "He knows how to play off people rather than have to have the ball in his hands at all times. Then he got more consistent, got better defensively and has a little edge to him. He's done nothing but win his entire life."

It was a bounce-back win for the Hawkeyes, who dropped their Big Ten opener 71-52 at Michigan State last Tuesday.

"We didn't overreact to what it was, but we did correct things," McCollum said. "I told the guys it's still not OK to lose. Like I've said ad nauseam, this whole thing won't be easy and it's going to take time. You don't just get anointed and come in and say, 'We are going to win the Big Ten.' It's hard and there are going to be hard games and things we don't do well -- and I don't do well -- but that's the fun in it."

--Field Level Media