Jamal Mashburn accuses Iowa State of running up the score in Players Era Festival originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Former NBA star and TNT analyst Jamal Mashburn criticized Iowa State on Tuesday for running up the score in its 78-60 victory over Creighton at the Players Era Festival. He questions whether the Cyclones took their pursuit of tournament seeding too far.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Las Vegas event features 18 teams competing for a two million dollar top prize, with point differential playing a major role in determining advancement. Iowa State was already up 14 at halftime and came out swinging.
“I get it. I get the math, but I also just want the victory,” Mashburn said during the broadcast via On3. “I don’t care if you win by one or you win by 20. Now, if you’re blowing somebody out, that’s a different story. As a player, you just want to get the victory. It doesn’t really matter to me, the margin at the end of the day.”
Mashburn added that few players are thinking about the prize money in real time.
Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger praised his team’s “mental toughness," saying the group’s daily habits fueled the blowout win.
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