Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on rematch with Baylor
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger discusses the upcoming rematch with Baylor. The Cyclones won the first matchup down in Waco, Texas.
Iowa State men’s basketball will put the finishing touches on its second of three home-and-home regular-season series when it hosts Baylor on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 1 p.m. CT. The game will air on ESPN.
The Cyclones previously bested the Bears, 70-60, on Jan. 7 in Waco, Texas.
No. 7 Iowa State (20-2, 7-2 Big 12 Conference) enters with a four-game winning streak.
Baylor (13-9, 3-7) is also coming with some winning momentum. The Bears have bounced back from a four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins over West Virginia and Colorado. In their last outing, they toppled the Buffaloes, 86-67, on Feb. 4.
Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s rematch:
Will Iowa State continue its streak of fast starts?
“Fast start” doesn’t exactly do it justice.
Since Iowa State suffered back-to-back losses to Kansas and Cincinnati, the Cyclones have left little doubt and put games out of reach early.
The Cyclones raced out to quick double-digit leads in each of their last four wins. In three of those games, they led by 25 or more at one point or another in the first half.
Perhaps “demolition derby” or “bulldozing starts” are closer to encapsulating what the Cyclones have been able to do from the opening tip in recent games, but there’s no doubt that they’ll be looking to do that again on Saturday.
In Iowa State’s first meeting at Baylor, a 70-60 win on Jan. 7, the Cyclones played from behind before snatching their first lead in the final seconds of the first half.
What type of start will we see when Iowa State welcomes Baylor to Hilton Coliseum?
Iowa State basketball’s Nate Heise, Tamin Lipsey on last couple months
Iowa State basketball’s Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey on approaching the last couple months of their college careers.
Baylor’s wing tandem of Cameron Carr and Tounde Yessoufou, potential NBA first-round draft picks
Much of the Bears’ production on both ends of the court rests on the shoulders of sophomore Cameron Carr and freshman Tounde Yessoufou.
The standout wing players are projected mid-to-late first-round picks, according to recent 2026 NBA mock drafts on ESPN, Bleacher Report and CBS Sports.
Carr enters Saturday’s matchup as the seventh-highest scorer in the Big 12. The 6-foot-5 wing is averaging 19.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 52.1% overall and 40.0% from deep.
His bounce and explosiveness, when combined with his 7-foot-2 wingspan, make him a threat on both ends of the court. He has the elevation to shoot over opponents and the quickness to slice inside and rise up for a finish. He also leads the team in blocks and gives the Bears a rim protection element.
Carr had 19 points, eight boards, six assists and two blocks in the Bears’ recent win over Colorado. In the previous meeting with Iowa State, he had a team-high 17 points on 5-of-13 shooting, with five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, two steals and three turnovers.
As for Yessoufou, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound freshman is a physical wing who can also play the small-ball “4” position.
Yessoufou shines in transition and is an excellent rebounder. He averages 2.5 offensive rebounds per game, second-most on the team. In the first game against Iowa State, six of his eight rebounds came on the offensive glass. The Cyclones kept him in check in that game, holding him to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Yessoufou is averaging 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game. He is shooting 47.6% overall and 29.5% from deep.
Yessoufou has been inconsistent from deep this season, but he’s coming off of his highest-scoring Big 12 performance yet. He had 27 points with seven rebounds and shot 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Keep an eye on these two. Baylor doesn’t have dynamic point-guard play, but Obi Agbim and Isaac Williams have had their moments on the court. The Bears’ frontcourt production has been inconsistent this year, resulting in Baylor dipping into the G-League to bolster its size and find reinforcements by adding James Nnaji to fill out the rotation.
Iowa State basketball coach TJ Otzelberger on rebounding vs. Kansas St
Iowa State outrebounded Kansas State by 15 in the Cyclones’ lopsided win over the Wildcats.
The rebounding battle between Iowa State and Baylor
Kansas State was weak in many areas last weekend, especially on the glass, and Iowa State made sure to punish its opponent.
Baylor is a much better rebounding team and its team-wide effort on the glass will make this an important statistical margin to keep an eye on.
Both teams are ranked in the top 15 for offensive rebounding rate. The Cyclones are 12th in the country, according to KenPom, with a 37.8% offensive rebounding rate. Baylor is a touch behind at 37.7%.
There will be an added emphasis on boxing out or fighting for rebounds and loose balls.
In the first meeting, Baylor outrebounded Iowa State, 47-44. While it was a close margin, Baylor had 21 offensive boards, with Caden Powell coming off the bench and getting eight offensive rebounds. Yessoufou had six, while Nnaji and Dan Skillings Jr. also had multiple offensive rebounds.
Baylor turned those offensive rebounds into 25 second-chance points, while Iowa State had 16 offensive boards that became 15 second-chance points.
It is worth noting that although Baylor was able to get all of those extra possessions and get the edge on the glass, the Cyclones were impressive defensively. They limited the Bears to shooting 30.6% overall, the lowest mark by an Iowa State opponent this season.
Perhaps Iowa State will be able to replicate a similar effort on defense, but definitely expect both coaches to place a large emphasis on the rebounding battle.
Iowa State basketball vs. Baylor prediction
Baylor has been able to build some momentum, entering with back-to-back wins after starting conference play 1-7. Iowa State just has more depth across the board and should wear down the Bears in a rematch that won’t be as close as last time. There will be plenty of focus on Carr and Yessoufou, and the wing tandem hasn’t been able to get consistent help in other areas of the court. Prediction: Iowa State 88, Baylor 69
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
