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PORTLAND, Oregon — Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger had tears in his eyes as he sat subsequent to senior Caleb Grill on the postgame information convention.
Grill put collectively what Otzelberger referred to as a “surreal” efficiency in opposition to the No. 1 group within the nation, scoring a career-high 31 factors and going 7-for-11 from past the arc because the Hawkeyes shocked North Carolina 70-65 within the Phil Knight Invitational semifinals at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland.
It was this system’s first win over a No. 1 group since Jan. 18, 2016, based on ESPN Stats & Info analysis.
For Otzelberger, Grill’s night time was particularly gratifying, contemplating the unbelievable journey to 2 have shared through the years. In response to Grill, Otzelberger was the primary one that ever recruited him, and he adopted Otzelberger because the coach moved throughout three completely different packages.
“It is simply superb whenever you actually take into consideration how lengthy we have recognized one another and the belief we have had in one another,” Otzelberger stated earlier than he paused to gather himself. “To have the ability to do that with folks that you simply love, folks that you recognize you are gonna be on this journey with for the remainder of your life — man, that is actually particular. It might be exhausting to even put into phrases how proud I’m of Caleb Grill.”
Otzelberger was the pinnacle coach at South Dakota State when he met Grill, then a sophomore at Maize Excessive Faculty in Maize, Kansas. Grill dedicated to SDSU, however when Otzelberger left for UNLV in 2019, Grill selected Iowa State. A yr later, nevertheless, he was again with Otzelberger at UNLV after which he adopted him again to Iowa State final season when Otzelberger took the Cyclones job.
“Simply having him be the primary particular person that basically had perception in me, it is simply actually particular what he is performed for me and my household and every part we have performed,” Grill stated.
Grill and Jaren Holmes (22 factors), a St. Bonaventure switch, mixed to attain 53 of Iowa State’s 70 factors.
Coming into Friday’s sport, Grill was 4-for-24 from the 3-point line this season.
Together with his group down by seven factors with 3:57 to go, nevertheless, Grill made certainly one of his seven 3-pointers, which kicked off Iowa State’s closing run to victory over the No. 1 group within the nation.
“He was scorching the whole sport,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis stated. “He is someone, percentage-wise, who wasn’t taking pictures effectively coming into the sport. It actually did not matter. He was feeling it immediately.”
After the Tar Heels fought to keep away from a possible upset in opposition to Portland on Thanksgiving Day, Davis stated he was apprehensive that his gamers had performed issues in that sport that “we do not follow.” Davis additionally stated the Tar Heels had been coping with “reward” for the primary time because the nation’s No. 1 group following final yr’s run to the nationwide title sport.
Earlier than final yr’s run, Leaky Black had been the one participant on the roster who’d gained an NCAA event sport.
However Davis stated Friday he is not apprehensive about his group dropping its No. 1 spot as a result of a program’s standing in March exceeds any rankings in November.
“I keep in mind the nationwide champions,” he stated.
For Otzelberger, it is one other signal of progress for this system. Two years in the past, Iowa State fired Steve Prohm following a two-win season. In his first season as head coach, Otzelberger led the Cyclones to the Candy 16 final yr.
On Friday, he helped the group win its first sport over a No. 1 program – Iowa State will face the winner of Friday’s UConn-Alabama matchup – in six years. And he did it with the assistance of a participant he stated he is at all times trusted.
Grill did not embrace the postgame hype, although. He stated he simply benefited from the alternatives his teammates had given me.
“I used to be simply staying the course of the sport,” Grill stated. “Credit score to my teammates for locating me on these open appears to be like.”
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