Key matchup: WSU’s Myles Rice needs to play smart against Iowa State’s Tamin Lipsey

OMAHA, Neb. – Some of Myles Rice’s best moments have come when he’s been aggressive. When he’s attacked the rim, when he’s made a quick pass, when he’s found teammates for lobs and wing 3-pointers.

Some of the Washington State guard’s worst have come when he’s played sloppy. When he tries behind-the-back passes that get picked off. When he plays careless, reckless, like the first-year guy he really is.

For No. 7 WSU to beat No. 2 Iowa State on Saturday, in a round -of-32 NCAA Tournament game set for 3:10 p.m. , Rice will need to have many more of the first kind of moments.

That’s because he will be going up against ISU guard Tamin Lipsey, a quick-footed, fast-handed defender who fits perfectly into the style his Cyclones play. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country, according to all manner of statistics and trends, and Lipsey is the leader, at least on the perimeter.

For Rice, it’s a challenge to be smart, which has been one of his bugaboos this season. For the year, he averages 2.6 turnovers per game. He had two in WSU’s win over Drake on Thursday. He played a tad better than he had been, hitting his first 3-pointer in more than a month, but he wasn’t able to avoid the turnover bug, at least not entirely.

He may not need to be perfect against Lipsey and Iowa State, but he may need to come close. The Cyclones force some of the most turnovers in the country – they force them on more than a quarter of their defensive trips, per KenPom – which means Rice can’t give it away much, lest ISU get up and down and rack up points in transition.

“We have the next-game mentality,” Rice said. “We have Iowa State, two seed. They’ve been playing really good basketball all year.

“It’s gonna be another challenge for us to showcase what we can do, and we’re gonna go out there and get it done.”