Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball Takeaways: Kansas State, Texas Tech share regular season title

By Chris Kern

LUBBOCK, TX - MARCH 04: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts after making a basket during the second half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on March 4, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Texas 70-51. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - MARCH 04: Jarrett Culver #23 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders reacts after making a basket during the second half of the game against the Texas Longhorns on March 4, 2019 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Texas Tech defeated Texas 70-51. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 2: Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with teammates Zion Griffin #0, and Cameron Lard #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones after scoring a 3 point basket in the second half of play against the Texas Longhorns at Hilton Coliseum on February 2, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 65-60 over the Texas Longhorns. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 2: Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with teammates Zion Griffin #0, and Cameron Lard #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones after scoring a 3 point basket in the second half of play against the Texas Longhorns at Hilton Coliseum on February 2, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 65-60 over the Texas Longhorns. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

Iowa State Is Destined For An Early Exit

The Iowa State Cyclones were looking like a Final Four sleeper pick just a couple of weeks ago but now it seems as it would be a surprise to many if they even won a single game. They have lost three straight games and they look all out of sorts.

They were competitive on Saturday against Texas Tech at home but they just weren’t able to get it done. They lost that game 73-80 largely due to the fact they had no answer for Jarrett Culver who finished with a career-high in scoring at 31 points.

That game was a frustrating loss and they certainly could’ve played better but it was the first game this week that is very concerning. They were terrible defensively in a 90-75 blowout loss on the road against West Virginia. Similarly to the loss against Texas Tech they really struggled to defend one player and in this game, that guy was Jermaine Haley.

In this game, Haley finished with a career-high 28 points though he certainly wasn’t the only guy who had a big game. Lamont West and Derek Culver both had double-doubles with points and rebounds in this game as the Mountaineers outrebounded the Cyclones by 10.

This doesn’t mean Iowa State isn’t capable of a deep run though because they certainly are, but it will take them to look like a completely different team to do so. They have plenty of talent on their roster so don’t completely count them out but it will be interesting to see how they perform in the Big 12 Tournament to see if they can get some confidence before heading into the NCAA Tournament.

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