Their best win is over a team that’s like #100 kenpom. They lost to EKU twice.
BYU who is far more talented than this team, needed 19 threes to beat us short-handed by 4 points. I’m not real worried.
Before I say anything else, it’s the NCAA tournament. ISU knows better than most from experience that anything can happen.
That said…
Yes ISU struggles to defend the 3, particularly against teams that spread out the floor and pass very well to get wide open 3s. Big 12 play, especially our games against BYU, exposed this weakness. That said, while Lipscomb takes and makes a lot of 3s, I doubt they’re a team that passes like our Big 12 peers and instead is a team that hasn’t found a 3pt shot they’re afraid of taking. I’m not afraid of the team that jacks up a bunch of ill-advised 3s and happens to make a bunch of them; I’m terrified of the team that knows how to make the extra pass to a shooter who hits a large percentage of wide open 3s… and I just doubt Libscomb is that kind of team.
I also think it comes as no surprise the last few games Otz’s commitment to have this team dominate the paint offensively, as if he knew we weren’t going to have Gilbert for the tournament. With the way the Presidents have been playing in the paint lately, the way Lipsey isn’t afraid to slash and draw contact, and even with Momcilovic lately finding the part of his game that involves him getting involved with the offense inside the 3pt line, I don’t like Lipscomb’s ability to defend us.
So yeah - if we play offense and defense the way we’re capable of, we should win by double digits, if not by 20+.