No. 8 Iowa State Looking to Dominate the Glass Against Colorado

No. 8 Iowa State (20-5, 10-4 Big 12) welcomes Colorado (10-15, 1-13 Big 12) to Ames on Tuesday night, aiming to build on its dominant rebounding performance against Cincinnati and keep rolling at home.

Colorado, on the other hand, is trying to sustain momentum after earning its first conference win of the season against UCF, snapping a 13-game losing streak.

Rebounding is Key for Iowa State’s Success

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger has emphasized one thing ahead of the Cyclones’ matchup with Colorado—win the rebounding battle, and the rest will follow.

“There’s nothing more winning than rebounding,” Otzelberger said. “There’s nothing that translates to success more than rebounding. It’s a will and a determination.”

Iowa State proved that in its 81-70 win over Cincinnati on Saturday, dominating the boards 36-16, including 12 offensive rebounds. The ability to create second-chance opportunities will be key once again.

Offensive Rebounding Fuels the Cyclones’ Attack

Otzelberger pointed out how crucial offensive rebounding is, especially during scoring droughts.

“They’re very timely,” he said. “At points in the game when maybe your offense isn’t flowing quite as well as you’d like, you can turn a negative into a positive quick by (showing) tremendous effort on the glass with two hands and getting that rebound.

“That oftentimes either leads to free throws, a putback or a great shot from (3-point range), and I think that’s where those plays are so impactful.”

With Curtis Jones (17.6 PPG, 4.7 RPG), Keshon Gilbert (14.4 PPG), and Joshua Jefferson (12.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG) leading the charge, Iowa State will look to continue its rebounding dominance at Hilton Coliseum, where the Cyclones are 13-1 this season.

Colorado Aims to Build on First Big 12 Win

For Colorado, the 76-63 victory over UCF on Saturday was a long-awaited sigh of relief after 13 straight losses to open conference play.

Buffaloes Finding Confidence After Breaking Losing Streak

Head coach Tad Boyle praised his team for sticking together through a difficult stretch.

“What we’ve been through over the last month and a half—just battling and fighting and scratching and clawing—and coming up short, these guys have stuck together,” Boyle said. “They haven’t lost their belief in each other or themselves, which is a testament to them.”

Julian Hammond III Leading the Charge

Julian Hammond III (13.1 PPG) has been a bright spot for Colorado, and he hopes to carry momentum from the UCF win into Tuesday’s game.

“Once you win one game, you just want to build on all of the good things,” Hammond said. “We rebounded the ball really well (against UCF), so we want to take that into Iowa State.

“There’s no pressure on us anymore, really. So we’re just going to go out and try and compete and play hard every night.”

Alongside Hammond, Andrej Jakimovski (9.9 PPG) and Elijah Malone (8.0 PPG) will be tasked with keeping Colorado competitive against Iowa State’s physicality.

However, the Buffaloes face a major challenge on the road, where they are 0-7 this season.

Key Matchup: Iowa State’s Dominance at Home vs. Colorado’s Road Struggles

Iowa State: 13-1 at home
Colorado: 0-7 on the road
Iowa State rebounding edge: Outrebounded Cincinnati 36-16 in last game
Colorado’s rebounding response: Outrebounded UCF in first Big 12 win

Iowa State will look to control the paint and dictate the tempo, while Colorado aims to carry its newfound momentum and crash the glass against a physically imposing opponent.

Tip-Off: Tuesday, 8 PM ET
Location: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA
TV: ESPN2

Can Iowa State extend its winning ways, or will Colorado shock the Cyclones with back-to-back upsets? The battle on the boards will decide the outcome.

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