The Iowa State Cyclones suffered their first loss of the season on Monday night, and there was no shortage of takeaways from the game. However, while a loss is never ideal, there was a major bright spot for the team. 

Coming into Monday night, the Cyclones were a team that was expected to win against the Memphis Tigers. However, with a ton of new players and a late-returning Tamin Lipsey to the lineup, this game certainly wasn’t the best performance for the team. 

Defensively, there is going to be a lot of work for Iowa State to do, as allowing 80 points in regulation is not something that will be taken lightly by T.J. Otzelberger. 

Early-season tests like this one against the Tigers will make the Cyclones a better team, and as the early part of the season moves on, they will gel as a unit. 

While losing a game is never a good thing, especially this early in the season to an opponent they were projected to beat, one major bright spot was the play of center Dominykas Pleta off the bench. 

Pleta Looks Much-Improved

After getting some run as a backup during his freshman year, Pleta is once again coming off the bench with the Cyclones still having senior forward/center Blake Buchanan. However, like last year, Pleta will be in the rotation, and perhaps with a larger role. 

The development from a freshman campaign to a sophomore season is usually a major jump for a player, and the big man for the Cyclones looks much-improved after just one game. 

Listed at 6’11”, 240lbs, Pleta has the size to be a great big man for Iowa State, and on Monday, he was a real weapon off the bench. The starters for the Cyclones struggled a bit offensively, and it was the bench that helped provide the spark. 

Pleta was one of those players, along with Ryan Prather Jr. In just 11 minutes, Pleta totaled 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field.  If the big man for the Cyclones is able to make that type of impact off the bench, his role is undoubtedly going to grow in year two. 

Having depth on the frontcourt is important, and an early breakout game for Pleta against a good Memphis team is encouraging. The 15 points were a career high for the sophomore, and the Cyclones will be hoping that is a sign of things to come.