The 10th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones are for real, and they left no doubt on Saturday in a 81-58 drubbing of No. 1 Purdue.
Just days removed from a program-record 132 points and 22 threes in a blowout win over Alcorn State, the Cyclones picked up a statement road win in Mackey Arena with a big second-half performance.
Iowa State took a 35-31 lead into the break but went on a 15-4 run out of the half and only stretched the lead from there in what turned out to be a historic display of dominance from the Cyclones.
Iowa State has historic rout over Purdue
The 23-point victory for Iowa State is tied for the largest margin of victory against a No. 1 team on the road, per CBS Sports.
This jumper from forward Milan Momcilovic stretched Iowa State’s early second-half lead to 52-40:
It only got worse for the Boilermakers when this jam from forward Blake Buchanan put Iowa State up 20 with under 10 minutes to play:
Purdue entered Saturday at 8-0 with ranked wins over then-No. 8 Alabama and No. 15 Texas Tech to its credit. Efficient offense carried the Boilermakers through those two wins, something that was nonexistent for much of the loss to Iowa State.
The Cyclones, which entered Saturday tied for the fourth-most points per game (96.2 PPG), have only allowed their opponents to go over 70 points twice this season, and Saturday was no different.
Iowa State held Purdue to just 41% shooting and 4-of-18 (22%) from long range and led by as many as 27 in the game. The hot shooting was once again a factor for the Cyclones, who shot 54% and hit 11 of their 23 threes.
Momcilovic led the way with 20 points (8-of-17 FG) as four of Iowa State’s starters scored in double figures. Senior guard Tamin Lipsey is tied for the team lead in scoring (18.4 PPG), but he was the lone starter held under 10 points in the win, which speaks to the depth and talent on this roster.
Iowa State entered the week at No. 10 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 rankings, but it is second to No. 3 Michigan
according to KenPom as it continues to look like one of the best teams in the country.
Aside from a rivalry game against Iowa on Thursday, there is a good chance Iowa State begins Big 12 play undefeated. The conference may be as stacked as any in the country, but the Cyclones have made their case as one of the sport’s most complete teams and look poised for a deep NCAA Tournament run.
