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AMES − After breezing through their first three opponents to start the season, Iowa State basketball is preparing for a trip to Hawaii − but their week at the Maui Invitational will be anything but a relaxing getaway.
The fifth-ranked Cyclones will be immediately tested with a top-five matchup against the No. 3 Auburn Tigers on Monday night at 8 p.m. CT.
Afterward, they’ll play either No. 12 North Carolina or Dayton on Tuesday.
Two-time reigning national champion UConn (ranked No. 2) is also in the mix, along with Michigan State, Memphis and Colorado.
The Cyclones (3-0) will get an early-season glimpse of how they stack up against some of the other top teams in the country.
“We’re going to be challenged with adversity and how do you handle adversity,” Cyclones coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “How do you handle adversity? Whether that’s in the possession or over a stretch of time. Not to say in these first three games there weren’t things we could do better, but certainly it’s different.
“When you’re down, the crowd is against you, things aren’t going your way − we’re going to have some of those moments. I look at those as positive opportunities as growth, for us to embrace adversity, for us to get better from it and hit it head on. It’s going to come, there’s a lot of really good teams, and we’re playing somebody that’s playing as well as anybody in the country right off the bat (Auburn). I’m excited to see us hit that head on, excited to see us welcome that and be better as a result.”
Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) goes for a layup against IU Indianapolis Jaguars during the second half in the NCAA men’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Ames, Iowa.
With the exception of Memphis, which last played in the NCAA Tournament in 2023, every other participating team at the Maui Invitational qualified for the NCAAs last season.
Here’s a rundown of all the other teams playing at the Maui Invitational:
Auburn Tigers forward Johni Broome (4) celebrate…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/iowa-state-basketball-2024-maui-113114928.html
Author : The Des Moines Register
Publish date : 2024-11-22 11:31:00
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