Iowa State Needs Work, But Georges Niang Has Improved

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — In what turned out to be a tight game down the stretch, neither Iowa State or Colorado really showed their full arsenal on Friday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon.

Known more for its free-flowing offense, the seventh-ranked Cyclones left the three-point shot back in Ames, taking just 10 shots from outside the arc.

Yes, the offensive genius Hoiberg often encouraged his team to let it fly and Steve Prohm ran a similar style of offense at Iowa State, but it was lacking in the opening game.

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It’s not as if the looks weren’t there, though. Iowa State just didn’t need them. But how rare is that for Iowa State?

The Cyclones scored 52 of their 68 total points inside the painted area. That comes to 80 percent of their scoring coming from inside.

Colorado just didn’t have any answers for them.

The Buffaloes’ best interior defender, Josh Scott, played a very conservative game, though a disciplined one. He was physical inside but well within the new rules for college basketball this season.

However, he also played defense in a way that allowed him to stay on the floor for the majority of the game, playing a team-high 34 minutes while primarily being matched up against Jameel McKay and Georges Niang.

None of Colorado’s defenders were able to keep the Cyclones out of the paint. It seemed as if every scoring possession for ISU resulted in a one-on-one left-handed drive to the basket, finishing with their right hand and nobody in the area to contest the shot.

Mar 5, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes forward Josh Scott (40) clears a rebound against the Washington Huskies during the second half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

Again, the game wasn’t a blowout as ISU escaped with a 68-62 win. Part of that is because the Cyclones packed it in on defense to account for most of the offense running through Scott, who finished just 5-for-16 from the field.

Packing it in is great, but it certainly opens up the three-point shot for the opponents, which is exactly what Iowa State wanted. Early on, it worked. ISU went to a 3-2 zone midway through the first half and Colorado let it fly from outside but connected on just three of their first 12 three-point attempts.

They finally found their stroke later on and hit six of their final 11.

When that outside shot was falling, Colorado got back in the game, but they couldn’t keep Iowa State out of the paint and they couldn’t stop Niang.

The offense was out of sync for most of the game, but ISU still had four players in double figures in scoring. The biggest takeaway for the Cyclones, though, is that while it may take some time for the offense to fully get back to where it’s capable of being, Niang has improved immensely.

After cutting down weight last season, Niang had some difficulty fully getting his feet under his new body type. Though it’s just the first game, that doesn’t appear it will be a problem this season.

Nice little crossovers, great patience, the ability to drive to the basket a step quicker than last season and an even more refined baby hook in the post have all been added to Niang’s arsenal. Couple that with the fact that he’s still able to be physical in the post and shoot from the outside, we may be in for Niang’s best season of his career.

Monte Morris continued to show that he’s capable of taking over a game when needed, but it was Niang that the offense ran through on Friday, and with good reason. Colorado couldn’t stop him as he went 7-for-14 from the floor for 17 points.

Iowa State will get better offensively, though they did show some glimpses of that very fun, very energetic offense against Colorado resulting in 17 fastbreak points and a few alley-oops to McKay in transition. It’s the start of a new process and neutral court games can be difficult for teams sometimes, but the Cyclones should be fine. They’ll get better.

Feb 18, 2015; Stillwater, OK, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Georges Niang (31) and forward Jameel McKay (1) and guard Monte Morris (11) come from bench after timeout during a game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Gallagher-Iba Arena. Iowa State won 70-65. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Meanwhile, Colorado showed some nice glimpses for a turnaround season. Scott really struggled to finish around the rim, but every time he touched it inside he had three different hands in his face, including McKay’s massive paw.

One thing that really stood out for the Buffaloes is that they kept fighting. There were quite a few times where the game could’ve gotten out of hand and they continued to claw back. If they can continue that level of composure throughout the year, don’t be surprised to see them mixing it up in the Pac-12 throughout the conference season.

Of course, it’s the first game. A lot of things need changing for both teams, but the pieces are there to be very good. Iowa State can become that Final Four-caliber team many expect them to become, it’ll just take a little bit of time. They should be there by the time Big 12 play opens up.

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And they’ll certainly be there a lot quicker if Niang’s display on opening day is any indication of where his game is at now. That’s the scary thing. The perennial All-American got a lot better. Watch out.