PETE: Saturday’s last 14 minutes reinforced that a healthy Iowa State can play with anyone in the nation

Moral victories are something similar to hogwash. We know that, but it doesn’t mean T.J. Otzelberger didn’t have a lot about which to be proud Saturday, after one of the most effort-based halves of the 132 Iowa State games he’s coached.

Match it on Tuesday at Oklahoma State, then against Arizona back at Hilton Coliseum on Saturday – and then at home against BYU and finally, at Kansas State – and let’s see how deep that carries the Cyclones through the NCAA Tournament.

My hunch is that Saturday’s final 14 minutes, during which the Cyclones did darn near everything better than its Top 5 opponent, will benefit this team in many ways.

Courageous and feisty can and will make up for deficiencies, as we saw during the second half of a 68-59 loss at fifth-ranked Houston. That doesn’t even begin to explain, however, what that 14-minute last impression proved to anyone and everyone that doubted Otzelberger’s ability to get every beat of heart from his team – no matter how strapped for players it may be.

Amazing? If you call cutting a 16-point deficit to just a possession four times in the game’s last 14 minutes 14 seconds -- then you can say that.

Unbelievable? Sure, if you didn’t hold much hope for a team that oozes more hustle and togetherness, than it does sure picks in the next NBA draft. And ditto, the way Milan Momcilovic got all his 16 points after the break, including 13 in those revealing last 14 minutes during which Iowa State impressed people more than the scoreboard victors.

Confidence-building? Heck yes, especially if you zeroed in on Nate Heise and Brandt Chatfield.

Momentum? If that’s not the off-shoot of Saturday’s nothing to lose and everything to gain second half – then it’ll be a shame such an inspiring late-game performance will have gone to waste.

I sense that’ll be the story. The 14 minutes we’ll look back on if, somehow and someway this team can go 4-0 over the season’s final four-game stretch, while continuing to turn adversity into something positive.

I mean, to outscore one of the nation’s finest, to shoot and assist better, and to force more turnovers than the Cougars forced – that’s almost unthinkable, when considering Kelvin Sampson’s team 127-7 home record over the last seven seasons.

That’s reason enough to believe, that when Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert return to the floor again, a healthy Iowa State can be just as good as anyone in the nation. Without them, Saturday was like the official scorer giving Houston 31 points before tipoff.

And still Otzelberger’s steadfast bunch outscored the Cougs 30-23 over last frantic, yet controlled last 14 minutes.

Once everyone figured out how to play without the stars – once they started taking advantage of offensive situations they liked -- these guys played some of their best ball of their 21-6 season.

“The adjustment they made -- they hunted matchups, and then played iso ball, which was brilliant,” Sampson told reporters. “People think iso ball – there’s a negative connotation to it. Sometimes, that’s the best way to win the game. They started screening to the matchup that they wanted. Coach T.J., is awesome. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the country. He’s really, really good.”

Just like his team was really, really good during Saturday’s second half.

“When everybody’s healthy . . . and you think about the bench and the way Heise’s playing now, the way Curtis always plays, and the way Brandt’s been playing for this last stretch -- we really have some depth when we go to that bench,” Otzelberger said on radio after the game. “There’s a lot of pride in our program.

“I’ll take (Saturday’s) effort and that togetherness any night . . . and that’s who we will be moving forward.”

(Award-winning columnist Randy Peterson can be, and has been, reached at randypete4846@gmail.com or at any Okoboji-area beverage/food establishment between the hours of open and close.)