Iowa State hosted Houston on Big Monday. It was a matchup of Top 6 teams in the AP Top 25. It was a matchup of two of the best teams in the Big 12. The Syracuse-Duke game was kind enough to end on time so we could watch the whole thing.
It also underscored just how good the top five or six teams have been in the league this year.
No. 6 Iowa State (23-3, 10-3 in Big 12) beat No. 2 Houston (23-3, 11-2), 70-67, on Monday in a game that left everyone wanting more. We got overtime last week between Kansas and Arizona. But the Cyclones and the Cougars packed just as much drama in this one.
In winning, Iowa State has wins over Kansas and Houston back-to-back. In losing, Houston has now won 17 of their last 19 games.
Here are three takeaways.
It WAS Hilton Magic
I was bummed when I went to Ames in January and didn’t get a “Hilton Magic” moment. But what I saw in the final minutes of Monday’s game qualifies.
Just think about the final possessions of this game:
Jamarion Batemon drained a baseline 3-pointer with 2:10 left to push ISU ahead by one point.
Kingston Flemings came down to the other and made a beautiful pull-up jumper to push Houston back ahead by a point with 1:49 left.
Then, ISU used the entire shot clock and great ball movement to open up Nate Heise on the baseline so he could drain a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer with 1:17 left to give the Cyclones a two-point lead.
Houston’s Emanuel Sharp missed a 3-pointer on the next possession and Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson had a chance to make it a two-possession game with a driving lay-up. But Houston’s Joseph Tugler blocked the shot from behind to set up a potential game-tying basket on the other end.
The Cougars had it all set up, too. Flemings had the ball in his hands and as he drove around his defender he slipped, pushed a pass to Chris Cenac, who missed a floater and Iowa State’s Black Buchanan drew a foul on the rebound.
He was the right guy to foul. He’s not a good foul shooter. He missed the first one with less than five seconds to give Houston a chance to tie again … only to have Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey find a seam, tip the rebound to Jefferson and get him two more free throws. Jefferson made one free throw, missed the other and Flemings’ desperation heave was wide right.
It was high-wire basketball for Iowa State. Here’s why it was Hilton Magic:
Iowa State snapped an 11-game losing streak when trailing by 10 or more points in the second half.
Iowa State went on a 17-4 run in the final seven minutes and made three straight 3-pointers to end the game.
Iowa State is 14-1 against Top 25 teams at home since the start of the 2022-23 season. The Cyclones are also 48-2 at home in that span.
There is magic in that arena. And it’s so hard to overcome.
A Final Four-Level Matchup
ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla called it that at the end of the first half. I mean, we all knew that going in. But it’s not always the game we get. Well, we got it on Monday. Like last week with Arizona at Kansas, it’s not hard to see the Cyclones and Cougars facing each other in the NCAA Tournament. And it would most likely be a Final Four game as the NCAA Tournament committee tries to keep conference teams away from each other when it comes to seedings.
How high level was this game at halftime? Houston’s Emanuel Sharp had 16 points. Three Iowa State players, led by hometown kid Tamin Lipsey, had eight points each. Milan Momcilovic and Nate Heise also had eight points. Both teams were shooting better than 50%. Each team only had two turnovers each. Against those defenses, two of the best in college basketball, that was the most incredible stat of the first half. the two teams combined for 10 turnovers for the game.
Heise had his game while his sister, Taylor, helped Team USA reach the gold medal game in women’s hockey in the Olympics. The fact that Heise came up huge wasn’t lost on anyone. He got the post-game interview with ESPN.
Plus, Flemings’ younger sister is going to play at Duke next year. Because the game didn’t need more storylines than it had already.
Flemings finished with 22 points for the Cougars. Sharp had 16. Milos Uzan had 11. Chris Cenac had 12 rebounds. Houston played great basketball. Iowa State was one possession better. Heise had 11, Jefferson had 12 and Buchanan had 10 for ISU. Eight players scored for the Cyclones, and each had at least six points.
I don’t know if both teams can get to the Final Four. But I wouldn’t bet against it after what I saw on Monday.
That Was Master P’s Kid
I mean, this dunk registered on the Richter scale.
Houston’s Mercy Miller is the son of rapper Master P, but he’s completely bought into the Cougars’ culture, which is, in part, wait your turn. He played little as a freshman as Houston had a ton of experience. He was a Top 75 recruit coming out of high school. These days, kids tend to transfer after that. Not Miller. He stayed.
He’s getting more playing time this season, but he’s still a rotational guard, overtaken by the greatness of Flemings. He’s likely to head to the NBA after this season. Sharp will be out of eligibility. So will Milos Uzan. More opportunity will open for him.
He finished with two points and played seven minutes.
You can see what Miller could become, though. He’s highly athletic, a great driver to the basket, has embraced defense and his effort from baseline to baseline is what Sampson craves from his players. Here’s hoping he stays the course for one more year. He can thrive with the Cougars and has a path to starting role in 2026-27.
