Jefferson scores 19, Lipsey leaves with injury as No. 12 Iowa St beats Cincy 76-56 in Big 12 tourney
Joshua Jefferson had 19 points, Dishon Jackson added 10 points and 15 rebounds, and No. 12 Iowa State leaned on its big men to beat Cincinnati 76-56 in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.
Tamin Lipsey scored 16 before leaving late with an apparent groin injury and Milan Momcilovic had 13 for the No. 5 seed Cyclones (24-8), who will play fourth-seeded BYU in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last week's double-overtime thriller.
Iowa State guard Keshon Gilbert returned from a muscle strain that had kept him out of three of the past five games, including a win over Kansas State to end the regular season. He had three points in 11 first-half minutes but did not play after halftime.
His availability, along with Lipsey's status, loom important as the Cyclones chase another Big 12 title.
Jizzle James led the No. 13 seed Bearcats (18-15) with 17 points, but he missed his final six shots, which helped allow Iowa State finish the game on an 11-0 run. Josh Reed added 10 points and Day Day Thomas finished with nine.
The Cyclones overcame 17 turnovers by dominating the glass, outrebounding the Bearcats 41-23. That led to a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, where Cincinnati's 7-foot Aziz Bandaogo and 6-foot-8 Dillon Mitchell combined for just four points.
Takeaways
Cincinnati got 18 points and 15 rebounds from Mitchell in an 87-68 first-round victory over Oklahoma State. But the inability of him and Bandaogo to score against the 6-11 Jackson and 6-9 Jefferson was crucial to the outcome.
Iowa State committed 18 turnovers against the Bearcats in a regular-season win. The Cyclones will need to hold onto the ball much better if they want to win a seventh Big 12 Tournament title.
Key moment
Cincinnati closed within 51-47 with 10:40 to go, but Iowa State scored on its next three trips to regain control.
Key stats
Iowa State was 10 of 21 from beyond the 3-point arc. Cincinnati was 9 of 30.
Up next
The Cyclones play the 17th-ranked Cougars in the quarterfinals Thursday.
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NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Shemar Stewart has options (but not many)
The Bengals and first-round defensive end Shemar Stewart remain at odds regarding his rookie contract. If the impasse over Cincinnati's effort to change its standard language regarding the voiding of guarantees in future years lingers, Stewart has options. Not many, but he has options. Here's what he can do, given the relevant terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. First, he can refuse to sign and demand a trade. The window for trading an unsigned draft pick expires 30 days before 'the first game of the regular season.' This year, the regular season begins with the Eagles hosting the Cowboys on September 4. The window for trading Stewart closes on August 5. After that, Stewart can't be traded by the Bengals at all in 2025 — whether he signs or doesn't sign. Second, Stewart can wait to sign until the Tuesday after Week 10 and still play in 2025. After that, he can't play at all in 2025, 'absent a showing to the Impartial Arbitrator of extreme Club or extreme personal hardship.' The CBA contains no definition or explanation of the term 'extreme hardship.' Whatever it means, the arbitrator must make a decision within five days of the application, and the decision 'shall be final and binding upon all parties.' Third, he can refuse to sign at all until the 2026 draft begins. At that point, he'd re-enter the draft pool. During the 2026 draft, he could be drafted by any team except the Bengals. Fourth — and this is something that we contemplated during the 2025 draft both as to quarterback Shedeur Sanders and quarterback Quinn Ewers — Stewart could try to return to college for the upcoming season. Even though it would require an actual or threatened legal battle against the NCAA, the rule that prevents a player who has been drafted but who hasn't signed an NFL contract from returning to college football could be susceptible to an attack under the antitrust laws. Somewhat surprisingly, the CBA contemplates the possibility that a drafted player will instead go back to college. Here's the language, from Article 6, Section 6: 'If any college football player who becomes eligible for the Draft prior to exhausting his college football eligibility through participation is drafted by an NFL Club, and returns to college, the drafting Club's exclusive right to negotiate and sign a Player Contract with such player shall continue through the date of the Draft that follows the last season in which the player was eligible to participate in college football, and thereafter the player shall be treated and the Club shall have such exclusive rights as if he were drafted in such Draft by such Club (or assignee Club).' In English, this means that, if Stewart returns to college football in 2025, he'd be treated as a draft pick of the Bengals in 2026. Which means that he wouldn't be permitted to re-enter the draft next year. Fifth, he could refuse to sign with the Bengals and play in another pro football league, like the CFL or the UFL. The CBA addresses that possibility, too. If Stewart plays in another professional league in the 12 months after being drafted, the Bengals would hold his rights for three years after the 2025 draft. After that, the Bengals would have a right of first refusal as to any contract Stewart would sign with another NFL team. One last point. Any player that wants to avoid the draft entirely would have to sit out up to two years. If he re-enters the draft and is picked again, he could refuse to sign a contract and become an undrafted free agent after the next draft. For Stewart, it's not about bypassing the draft entirely. It's about getting the Bengals to relent on their desire to suddenly change their void language for future guarantees. If they refuse, and if he won't blink by the Tuesday after Week 10, he'll re-enter the draft in 2026. Unless he plays in the CFL or the UFL, which would tie him to the Bengals through 2028. To summarize, Stewart can be traded until August 5. He can refuse to sign with the Bengals until the Tuesday after Week 10 and still play in 2025. Or he can sit out all of 2025 (and not return to college or play in another pro league) and re-enter the draft in 2026 for selection by any team but the Bengals. For most other teams, it's highly unlikely that any of those extreme scenarios would occur. For the Bengals, who have a history of arguably ill-advised stubbornness, it's important to keep these potential outcomes on the radar screen.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Why Dan Pitcher's Year 2 continuity is the Bengals' secret weapon for ascension
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That, specifically, is how Pitcher can parlay a stockpile of lessons from his first cycle as offensive coordinator last year into an offense still capable of the same explosiveness while decreasing the punishment placed on Burrow during miracle creation. 'How do you thread the needle?' Pitcher asked, knowingly setting up an answer spelled out in infinite notes, studies, whiteboards and film cut-ups in his office. 'It's not a simple answer, but it's one we think about all the time and we try to build the offense and team to get us there.' The reason for increased confidence and belief from Pitcher and the Bengals' cast of stars is that they are building off an established foundation. All but two guard spots return starters from last year's top-five offense. Plays made even in June workouts are miles ahead of what the offense executed at this time last year. 'We are in a spot we haven't been before,' Burrow said. Considering the continuity — and the startling amount of money spent to secure it — Pitcher and head coach Zac Taylor have a rare opportunity. They can build off the gains of an elite group from Day 1. The Year 2 leap is almost always associated with players, but schematic growth in place could be the secret weapon buried beneath the headlines. 'Continuity is huge,' he said. 'One of the first things we talked about as a unit when we got together this spring is there are very few offenses in the league that have the experience and the time and the reps together that we have. Don't apologize for that. Take advantage of that. Build on the foundation that currently exists. I think we've done that this spring. It makes you feel good, but you have to use it. If someone's giving you a head start in the race, don't go back and start with everybody else. Take the damn head start and use it.' 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Pitcher hit the film room this offseason, understanding that counter moves to what the league just witnessed — and starting planning for — will provide the next level of answers for his quarterback. Knowing defenses will arrive on game day with a plan to double-team Chase, despite not knowing where the Bengals will line him up, will allow Pitcher to use the strategy against opponents. 'You look at it like, 'What do we do when they double Ja'Marr?'' Pitcher said. 'Well, the flip side of that coin is you know he's gonna set the coverage, so you can really plan for that, and you can put them in some serious binds, when you have player 2-3-4-5 that are dangerous. That's what we have.' The attention created by Chase allows a player like Mike Gesicki to find favorable matchups. Pitcher felt the staff truly figured out how to best utilize the receiver/tight end midway through last year. 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With the departure of offensive line coach and run game coordinator Frank Pollack, he assumed and delegated the run game responsibilities across his staff. They didn't throw out the offense put together last year, but there's a realization of a dramatic room for improvement, specifically considering the high amounts of light boxes they face with the threat of Burrow and these receivers. 'We are going to be a little more downhill this year,' Brown said. Pitcher stresses they didn't reinvent the wheel in the running game, but they made tweaks to a solid foundation. Different people created different processes. 'I think what Pitch has done an exceptional job of is giving ownership to all the other position coaches and assistant position coaches, and getting them something specifically for them to come in and present in front of the unit,' Taylor said. 'What it reiterates for me is when I see our coaches get out there and present. We have an outstanding group of coaches. 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There will be competition at both guard spots to pair with new techniques taught by offensive line coach Scott Peters. The Bengals' scheme must find ways to help the offensive line. That could come through a higher rate of pullers in protection, which produced many successful shot plays for the Bengals last season and higher efficiency metrics. It could mean a higher rate of play action to marry the run and pass. More than any lean in playcalling, though, helping Burrow take fewer hits will be about the team producing game situations that allow him to make fewer reckless decisions in the pocket. Playing with the lead and staying out of shootouts helps Burrow shift his mindset. 'If we are in defensive battles, then you come out, you don't turn the ball over, you get the ball out of your hands, you play the field position game,' Burrow said. 'If they are scoring, then you go out, try to make plays and run around and do all of those kinds of things. 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5 hours ago
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BYU's Price for Winning Comes at a Cost to Fans
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