WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There are 48 seconds left in regulation, and Iowa State freshman Killyan Toure is bringing fullcourt stress protection like his life is on the road. This is not a nailbiter. This sport has been over for eight minutes, and but, the headband-rocking freshman is trying to find one other back-breaking takeaway.
That is Iowa State basketball, and Toure is on the epicenter of a nasty, linked squad of killers. The Cyclones’ 81-58 dismantling of No. 1 Purdue at Mackey Area on Saturday was not solely historic, tying the document of 23 factors for the largest dwelling loss by a No. 1 crew ever, but in addition a warning cry to the Large 12 and the remainder of the nation that Iowa State’s A+ sport is equally terrifying and terrific.
After coughing it up 9 occasions within the first 17 minutes of regulation, Iowa State magically turned the turnover sliders off and dismantled a puzzled Purdue protection for 31 factors on 18 straight, turnover-free possessions.
“They have been rattling good,” Purdue coach Matt Painter stated. “They took us to the woodshed.”
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Iowa State entered Saturday’s slate with three 18-point-per-game scorers in Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson, however it was a Toure, a person born in France however bred on the famend Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, who caught his eye for his relentless protection on Purdue All-American Braden Smith to associate with 13 factors and 5 boards.
“I used to be actually impressed with Toure,” Painter stated. “I assumed his struggle was fabulous. He was into us. However simply the dedication. He by no means gave in to something. He performed laborious, and stayed with it.”
Not unhealthy for a man rated outdoors the top-100 nationally within the Class of 2025.
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“They do not know (what) they’re speaking about,” stated Painter, who is rarely shy to hip-check recruiting rankings. “He was decided to protect. That dedication will take you a great distance on this sport in the event you acquired the bodily capacity to play it, and he is acquired the bodily capacity to play it. For a man that is not a high-volume three-point shooter, and he goes 3 for five on the street, like, that is fairly good, however he has extra issues not on the stat sheet that affected the sport, proper? What does it say on right here about his protection if you aren’t getting steals or blocks, proper? Like, a stat sheet stinks generally. I assumed he was fabulous.
“Dudes like that, they will plug in wherever. That worth may be very, very excessive, and the NBA sees that stuff with some two-way guys, particularly some guys that may have to return off the bench and play completely different roles. He is good.”
Toure’s emergence is an enormous purpose why Iowa State sits at a glowing 9-0 and will have posted the only greatest non-conference win within the historical past of school basketball. It might sound hyperbolic, however Purdue had received 48 of its final 51 non-conference video games coming into Saturday. This offense, a unit on tempo to doubtlessly publish the best offensive effectivity score of the trendy period, missed open photographs within the first half and acquired completely obliterated within the second half.
“Clearly, we have now a superb offense, and so they made us not appear like we had a superb offense,” Painter stated matter-of-factly.
Toure’s on-ball stress on Smith was a monster piece of that, however it additionally permits Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger to shift Tamin Lipsey onto secondary choices and switch their water off. Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer, lengthy an murderer in big video games, had a depressing afternoon, totaling simply 5 factors and three turnovers.
“Once we first turned conscious of Killyan, we knew that he had that relentless mindset, and other people have stated he was constructed to play on this program and our type,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger stated. “We actually have robust emotions that approach.”
Moments later, Otzelberger would admit that he did not need Toure turning up the warmth within the closing seconds, however perhaps that is lip service for Iowa State’s head man, who’s infamous for operating a lunch-pail, military-like operation that is centered on consistency.
The way you do one factor is the way you do all the pieces at Iowa State. Since Toure was requested to stress the basketball like a hyena from the opening faucet, perhaps it should not be a shock that he had extra within the tank within the fortieth minute of regulation.
“We’re a very good crew. Actually linked,” stated Momcilovic, who poured in a game-high 20 factors, together with some back-breaking fadeaway jumpers. It reveals rather a lot. Purdue is a very good crew. So the best way we performed as we speak, the best way we shared the ball, I believe it simply reveals we’re among the best groups within the nation, and also you gotta be scared to play us.”
For Purdue, an R-rated movie session appears inevitable to wash up a protection that made far too many errors.
For Iowa State, it is enterprise as typical, even after making historical past.
“You gotta have good items,” Painter stated. “Clearly, they’re the one crew within the nation with three guys averaging 18 factors. And then you definitely acquired good position definition and you bought toughness and you’ll guard. They was once a crew that their offense was, you already know, simply okay. Now they have their offense at an elite stage. They might do it, man. This isn’t a straightforward place to play, and so they got here in right here and simply took it to us.”
