Can No. 20 Cougars pull off another epic road upset at No. 6 Iowa State on Wednesday?

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Iowa State forward Hason Ward (24), steals the ball from BYU guard Dallin Hall, left, during game Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, in Provo, Utah. The Cougars and Cyclones square off again Wednesday in Ames, Iowa. | George Frey, Associated Press

Senior Night did not go well for Iowa State last year, as West Virginia marched into Hilton Coliseum and hung a 72-69 loss on the Cyclones.

Will history repeat itself Wednesday, when surging BYU rolls into Ames looking for another epic upset on the road? Or will Iowa State finish its 2023-24 home slate undefeated and exact revenge for that 87-72 shellacking BYU doled out in Provo on Jan. 16?

“I am excited for the guys to go experience it. Everywhere we go is so good, isn’t it? Like, every single gym. We were just at Kansas, which was amazing. And we are rolling right back out to it. Instead of blue and red it is crimson and gold.”

BYU coach Mark Pope

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. MST and the eighth meeting between the No. 20 Cougars (9-7, 21-8) and No. 6 Cyclones (12-4, 23-6) will be televised nationally by ESPN2. Iowa State is 17-0 at home and owns the nation’s sixth-longest home winning streak, while BYU is 3-6 in road games, the only breakthroughs coming at UCF, West Virginia and, of course, at then-No. 7 Kansas last week.

It will be another monumental task for the Cougars, who are playing their best basketball of the season — save Saturday’s first half against TCU — and have moved into a tie for fourth-place in the Big 12 standings. Iowa State sits in second place, a game behind league-leading Houston. The Cyclones have won three straight since losing 73-65 at Houston on Feb. 19.

After the Cougars rallied in the second half to beat TCU 87-75 Saturday, coach Mark Pope said Iowa State is an “incredible team that plays in an incredible venue.” Hilton Coliseum opened in 1971 — the same year the Marriott Center opened in Provo — and seats 14,267.

Iowa State’s arena is named after former ISU president James H. Hilton, and not a hotel…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-20-cougars-pull-off-230019784.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2024-03-05 23:00:19

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