photo by: AP Photo/Jeff Dean

Kansas' KJ Adams Jr. (24) speaks with teammate Hunter Dickinson (1) during an NCAA college basketball game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Cincinnati.

The Kansas men’s basketball team has rounded into form on defense of late, to the point that during their ongoing three-game winning streak, the Jayhawks have allowed an average of just 48 points per game and 17 of those points in second halves.

“It might not be the most aesthetically pleasing type of basketball,” center Hunter Dickinson said on Monday, “but I do think that’s kind of what coach (Bill) Self would prefer, actually, in wins.”

A looming road showdown at Iowa State on Wednesday night, Dickinson said, will provide KU an early opportunity to “kind of see how good our defense truly is.”

As much of a challenge as it is to play at Hilton Coliseum under even the most favorable circumstances, Self often says that the best home courts tend to be the ones with the best teams playing on them. This year’s edition of the Cyclones is a testament to the rebuild head coach T.J. Otzelberger has engineered in his four seasons at the helm: ISU ascended to No. 2 in the nation on Monday, the highest ranking in program history, after beating Texas Tech 85-84 in overtime in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday.

“I think it’s the best team that T.J. has had,” Self said. “I think they’re terrific offensively, but the thing about them is, and what their identity has been is, (to) really, really guard in the halfcourt and they still do that equally well.”

photo by: AP Photo/Annie Rice

Iowa State’s guard Curtis Jones, left, dribbles around Texas Tech’s guard Christian Anderson, right, during overtime of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.

photo by: AP Photo/Annie Rice

Iowa State’s guard Tamin Lipsey (3) goes for a layup in the second half of an NCAA basketball game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.

photo by: AP Photo/Annie Rice

Iowa State’s guard Keshon Gilbert (10) dribbles the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas Tech, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in Lubbock, Texas.

In averaging 86.2 points per game on offense, the Cyclones lead the Big 12 and are No. 10 in the country; they are also just one of 11 teams nationwide making at least 50% of their shots, led by high-efficiency guards Curtis Jones (team-high 17.3 points off the bench, 46.4% from the field, one of the league’s top outside shooters at 39.0% from deep), Keshon Gilbert (16.1 points on 52.2% shooting) and Tamin Lipsey (10.4 points, 48.1% shooting).

Meanwhile, Self said, “Their bigs are so much more skilled than what they’ve had in the past.” Alongside Lipsey, Gilbert and hot-shooting wing Milan Momcilovic in the starting lineup are a pair of transfers in forward Joshua Jefferson (Saint Mary’s) and center Dishon Jackson (Charlotte), who combine for 21.5 points and 13 rebounds per game.

ISU controls possession, currently sporting one of the top turnover margins in the nation as it gives the ball up just 9.9 times on average while forcing 15.7 opponent turnovers — the highest mark in the Big 12. Lipsey in particular is a standout defensive guard, a finalist for national defensive player of the year honors last year who contributes 2.4 steals to the Cyclones’ league-best 9.9 per game.

The Jayhawks don’t turn the ball over too often this season, especially with a trio of capable ball-handling guards in their current lineup. But they haven’t exactly been making the most of their offensive opportunities recently. KU is shooting an unremarkable 39.2% from the field and dreadful 20.4% from deep in its last two games. Guards David Coit, Rylan Griffen and Dajuan Harris Jr. are among those looking to find their shooting touch, while the generally reliable Zeke Mayo still hasn’t transferred his high-level offensive production into a road game yet this season.

“I also expect to see our offense kind of shine through and see guys hit some shots,” Dickinson said. “I think we’re kind of due for that. Guys like Diggy (Coit), guys like Rylan, Zeke, are due for some explosive offensive games, and (we’ll) try to score more than 54 points.”

If ISU’s recent results are any indication, KU may need to find its way into the 80s. The Cyclones have not lost since a late turnover and last-second tip-in sealed their fate in an 83-81 loss to now-No. 1 Auburn at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 25.

No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones (14-1, 4-0 Big 12) vs. No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks (12-3, 3-1 Big 12)

• Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa, 6 p.m. Central Time

• Broadcast: ESPN2

• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KMXN FM 92.9)

Keep an eye out

Development opportunities: Senior KJ Adams has quietly stepped up his work on the boards to average 7.7 rebounds per game in KU’s last three contests, more than doubling his average of 3.8 from the prior 12 games, while providing one key factor in the Jayhawks’ recent success. The challenge now for Adams is to sustain that level of production going forward; Adams had a similar stretch of 38 rebounds in four games around the start of conference play in 2023-24 but soon regressed to 4.6 boards per game, not far from his previous average. Self has also said he would like Adams to be a better shot blocker, and he thinks Adams “is being much more active and going after the ball when the shot’s released.”

Finding a way in: The Jayhawks’ success of late has been largely independent of junior wing AJ Storr, whose share of minutes has diminished greatly in recent days, as the highly touted transfer has sunk to the eighth or ninth spot in KU’s rotation. The Cincinnati game on Saturday represented a slight uptick for Storr, who made a couple of strong offensive moves in the first half, and on the other end Self acknowledged that he’s “definitely making an effort to defend.” But Self also said that with Adams arguably KU’s best player in the second half on Saturday and new starting guard Shakeel Moore fueling the Jayhawks’ victory with his own defense, there wasn’t necessarily a window of opportunity for Storr down the stretch. “I don’t look at it as AJ, getting him going,” Self said, “I look at it more as getting a team going, and I think that obviously those two players I mentioned were probably as big of keys to us winning in Cincinnati as anybody.”

Reversal: Dickinson mentioned Coit as a player due for a big offensive game, and the senior guard has certainly epitomized KU’s outside shooting struggles of late; he’s now 1-for-14 from beyond the arc and 1-for-19 overall since the start of conference play. Coit hit more 3s against Missouri (four) on Dec. 8 than he has since (three). But the Northern Illinois transfer continues to carve out playing time because of his relentless defense, as he’s made himself quite a pest to opposing guards. “Very surprising that his defense has probably been what he has done most consistently,” Self said, “and we recruited him, you know, obviously to be offense off the bench and to make shots.”

Off-kilter observation

Former KU quarterback Conrad Hawley is now in his third season as a walk-on for the ISU men’s basketball team. He played one minute in the Cyclones’ season-opening victory over Mississippi Valley State.