Iowa State basketball coach Greg Mc Dermott says the Cyclones need to get tougher. I.S.U. fell to 6-3 on the season after a 73-57 loss at Iowa, a game they trailed by only two points at the halftime break.
McDermott says he was really disappointed with the way they played in the second half as they were slow to react in a lot of situations, and that’s something they have to address this week.
The Cyclones have this week off for final exams before returning to action at home Saturday against Jacksonville State. McDermott says it’s a tough week for the team as academics have to be at the forefront of their minds as they finish finals. He says they are also at a point as a team where they have to make some progress.
One bright spot for the Cyclones last week was the play of sophomore Lucca Staiger. He averaged 16.5 points in two games and was named the Big 12 rookie of the week. McDermott says that means nothing to Staiger when his best games came in a couple of loses. He says Staiger is passionate about winning and has a lot of areas where he can improve, and is aware of that.
Staiger connected on 11-of-16 from three point range on the week, and the coach says it was a good week for his confidence, as he now feels that he’s where he should be.