Iowa State poses a mismatch for a Colorado team that has lost five straight conference games.
The Cyclones rank near the top of the Big 12 in many statistical categories, so Colorado will need to bring their A game to Ames Thursday night.
3 keys to victory for Colorado on the road at Iowa State
Defend the three point line
The Cyclones lead the Big 12 with a 40.3% three-point shooting percentage while Colorado ranks last, allowing teams to shoot 37.1% from distance.
Iowa State shot 42.3% from three (11-for-26) in their recent 84-71 road victory over Oklahoma State.
Milan Momcilovic led all scorers with 29 points where he made six of his first eight shots. He is shooting a whopping 54.1% from three this season. Joshua Jefferson contributed 20 points.
Take care of the ball
Iowa State excels at ball security, committing just 10.7 turnovers per game (2nd in Big 12) while forcing 16.2 opponent turnovers. Their +5.5 turnover margin ranks second in the conference.
Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey tops the conference at 2.4 steals per game, with Killyan Toure close behind at 1.7.
With Isaiah Johnson and Barrington Hargress handling most of the scoring load of late, the team needs Sebastian Rancik, Bangot Dak, and the bench to contribute more for a complete team effort.
Rebounding for the millionth time
This has been Colorado's biggest weakness all season, particularly in conference play.
Colorado lost the rebounding battle in their latest game 32-22 (-10) at home against UCF, surrendering seven offensive boards in the 95-88 loss.
Their bench has gone cold since Isaiah Johnson moved into the starting five. Outside of Alon Michaeli's contributions, they're getting virtually nothing from their reserves.