No. 3 Iowa State's "hunt" gets tougher as Big 12 opener against West Virginia looms

AMES — It’s not a wish, it’s a command.

Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic is on an ongoing mission to find and take more shots — and so far, his wide-ranging hardwood hunts have been wildly successful.

That’s because they’re well-planned and fully scouted. It’s not random, it’s rooted in detail.

“If we get a good shot, who cares if it goes in, misses, whatever — as long as we took the right one,” said Momcilovic, who’s shooting a heady 54 percent from 3-point range entering Friday’s 8 p.m. Big 12 opener (ESPN2) against West Virginia (9-4) at Hilton Coliseum.

It’s easy to say “who cares” when those shots keep plunging through the net. The third-ranked Cyclones (14-0) are shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc — their highest success rate from long distance since 2001. ISU’s also shooting 53.2 percent overall, which would shatter the single-season program record if that degree of accuracy can be maintained.

That’s a big “if,” of course, especially as conference play looms and the Cyclones will play just one game against a team ranked outside of the top 86 nationally, according to advanced analytics site, KenPom.

“I know how much our guys relish each one of those opportunities, so we’re excited for a big crowd,” ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’re excited for a tremendous environment and we’re ready to be at our best.”

So are the new-look Mountaineers, who have lost four of their five matchups against Power 5 competition this season. West Virginia head coach Ross Hodge is the program’s third different leader in the past three seasons, but despite the recent high turnover rate at the top, there hasn't been an identity shift.

“They’re an extremely hard-playing team,” said Otzelberger, whose team has won three of the past four meetings with the Mountaineers. “A group that (has) tremendous resolve, and as they’ve changed coaches, there’s always been a toughness, there’s always been an edge, there’s always been a grit to how they’ve played.”

Those qualities form the bedrock of Otzelberger’s program, where an unyielding commitment to daily habits reigns supreme. The standard’s set in stone and it must always be upheld. No excuses, no nonsense — and no yawning allowed.

“I think our leadership is taking a step forward,” Otzelberger said. “Our practice habits have continued to improve. We’ve had a highly competitive practice environment, so I think it’s been really good to see our guys respond to the task at hand.”

Next up: The Big 12 gauntlet, which will only get tougher as it grinds forward. Seven of the league’s 16 teams currently reside within KenPom’s top 30, and even though West Virginia sits at No. 67 on that chart, it stands as one of several teams the Cyclones will face that harbors realistic NCAA Tournament hopes.

The rebuilding Mountaineers are hunting shots, too — and ISU’s clear task is to make them miss. There’s no “whatever” involved in that area. And that’s not a wish, it’s a command.

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