Instant classic.
No. 23 BYU clinched the 4 seed in next week’s Big 12 basketball tournament in dramatic, double overtime fashion Tuesday night on the road against 10th-ranked Iowa State, outlasting the Cyclones in an 88-85 all-timer.
The Cougars have now won seven consecutive games and are 22-8 on the season and 13-6 in Big 12 play.
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3 takeaways
BYU overcame both its slowest start of the season and worst collapse in years. The Cougars didn’t get their first basket until nearly seven minutes into the game and had already turned the ball over five times before finding the scoreboard.
At the under-12 timeout of the first half, BYU had more turnovers (eight) than shot attempts (seven).
Things hadn’t appeared so dire for Kevin Young’s squad since being blown out at Houston on Jan. 4 — but luckily for the Cougars, they’ve improved a great deal over the past two months.
BYU ended the first half on a 23-7 run, then went on a 21-9 tear coming out of halftime to lead by 21 points with 13 minutes left to play in regulation.
But just as quickly as the Cougars flipped the script, so did the Cyclones.
Iowa State rallied to close out the second half on a 35-14 heater and force overtime, where the Cyclones remained deadlocked with BYU after five additional minutes.
In the final seconds of double overtime and leading by two points, the Cougars forced a shot clock violation on their exhausted opponent, and a Dallin Hall free throw put them ahead by three points and ultimately sealed the victory.
It’s as impressive a victory as you’ll ever see for BYU. Not only did the Cougars defeat a top 10 team on the road, but they handed Iowa State just its second home loss in the past two seasons.
Additionally, the Cyclones didn’t have a single player missing against BYU, having previously only lost at full strength this season against No. 1 Auburn.
Take a bow, Cougars.
BYU survived 29 total turnovers. Fans will complain about officiating, but the Cougars’ lack of ball security is what led to the majority of Tuesday’s drama.
BYU turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, 12 more in the second and another five in overtime. Egor Demin and Hall each racked up six turnovers, with Richie Saunders, Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore adding three each as well.
The Cougars overcame such carelessness with an elite showing on the glass. BYU outrebounded Iowa State by a whopping 52-24 margin, with the Cougars grabbing 17 offensive boards — nine of which came from Keita, who also had three blocks, including an improbable chase-down swat in overtime to prevent a potentially pivotal Cyclones score.
The Cougars have clinched the No. 4 seed in the Big 12 tournament, but they may not be totally free from Iowa State. If you enjoyed the roller coaster that was Tuesday night’s affair between BYU and Iowa State, you may be in luck — a rematch between these two teams could be in the cards next week in Kansas City.
Young’s unit has earned a double bye in the Big 12 tournament, with the Cougars set to play their first game in the quarterfinals a week from this Thursday.
Iowa State, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, will play next Wednesday and face the winner of a previous No. 12 and No. 13 seed first round matchup. Should the Cyclones win that game, they’d take on BYU with a trip to the semifinals on the line.
If the Cougars and Cyclones meet again in the Big 12 tournament, it will be some of the best “must-see TV” of the entire college basketball season.
Buckle up.
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