Physical is the name of the game when Ole Miss and Iowa State meet for second-round showdown

MILWAUKEE — When Iowa State and Ole Miss meet up on the court inside Fiserv Forum on Sunday the opponent is going to look much different than each of the team’s first round games.

A word that did not come to mind when facing Lipscomb and North Carolina, respectively, was the word ‘physical.’ But that sums up the second round matchup for the Rebels and Cyclones.

When looking at the Iowa State players one can instantly see size is going to matter and the battle inside will be what could determine who is slapping their name on the bracket late Sunday night and advancing to Atlanta and the Sweet 16.

The Cyclones roster has nobody shorter than 6-foot-1 and it ranges goes up to 6-foot-11. Among the projected starters three are 6-foot-8 and taller in center Dishon Jackson (6-11) and forwards Joshua Jefferson (6-9) and Milan Momcilovic (6-8). In comparison the Rebels have one starter in that range in Malik Dia at 6-9.

The only other player would be Jaemyn Brakefield at 6-8, despite he does not start but has regularly enters the game within the first couple minutes.

Saying all this to say that Iowa State holds the height advantage and could end up being the key stat of the matchup.

“No doubt, this team is very physical,” Dia said on Saturday when speaking with the media. “Their identity is defense and I think they’re a really hard-playing team. I think this game is going to be more about us and how we compete.”

A basketball game is not exclusively dictated by the size of one team over another but this feels like an Iowa State team that could muscle their will over the Rebels.

Yet, this Ole Miss team has found ways to overcome its disadvantages this season. Sunday is just another opportunity.

In the win over Alabama in January Dia took over inside with one of his better games with a season-high 23 points and 19 rebounds.

In Friday’s win over the Tar Heels he pulled down five boards and finished with eight points. On Sunday Dia is going to have to give an Alabama-game effort if the Rebels are going to keep its season going.

Especially with the only other option to counter some of the Cyclones size outside of Brakefield is 7-foot-2 freshman Jon Bol who has very little experience in a high-pressure game such as the one upcoming.

Not having Mikeal Brown-Jones and his 6-foot-8 presence since before the Southeastern Conference tournament. Brown-Jones has been absent from the team due to what Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard classified as a personal issue.

“I can’t speak for (Iowa State) but from us, yes,” Beard said on Saturday when asked if he anticipates the intensity and physicality to go up.

“Nothing but respect for Iowa State. (Head coach) T.J. (Otzelberger) does a great job. Their team has an identity, doesn’t take long to figure it out. They’re physical. They’re connected. …Hard-playing team that doesn’t beat themselves. We’ll have to play our best 40 minutes of the season to try and get to the next weekend.”

If there is one area where Ole Miss could get the advantage, it is its defense as well as taking care of the basketball.

The Rebels are fourth in the country in turnovers, averaging 9.1 per game. The Cyclones averages nearly three more turnovers a game at 11.9 but are 11th in the country in forcing turnovers at 15.4 per game.

This is one stat where it could be nuetralized if Ole Miss can continue to be careful with the basketball.

“Their team’s got a lot of experienced players. Very versatile,” Otzelberger said of Ole Miss on Saturday. “A group that takes tremendous pride in turning over their opponents, and then also doing a great job taking care of the basketball. They do those at a very high level.

“Their defensive versatility is terrific, their switch ability. Guards on bigs, bigs on guards, they do a great job. Their defense really tries to frustrate you by not allowing the ball to get in the paint and trying to keep it on one side of the floor. When they’re at their best, they’re doing that really well.”