Iowa State basketball can end an 82-year Final Four drought in March Madness. Head coach TJ Otzelberger has his future to address, however. The North Carolina head coaching opening has his name linked to it.
Cyclones athletic director Jamie Pollard believes Otzelberger will stay. But what answer did the HC give amid the Tar Heels' potential interest? He dropped this in-depth answer via Nicole Auerbach of NBC Sports Thursday.
“We're at Iowa State. We're thrilled to be Cyclones,” Otzelberger began. “I know a lot of coaches get up here and say those type of things and then you say, well, next week that changes. That doesn't change for us.”
Otzelberger ended with six words bound to fire up the ISU fanbase.
“We're Cyclones for the long haul,” he said.
He adds to a growing list of big-name coaches appearing to become disinterested in heading to Chapel Hill. And he's not the only Sweet 16 coach deflecting interest in the storied program.
Alabama head coach Nate Oats assured his commitment to the Crimson Tide ahead of the round of 16. Arizona's Tommy Lloyd rose as another shooting down any UNC interest. He even dropped a blunt take about his current role leading the Wildcats.
“I already have one of the best jobs in the country,” said Lloyd on Wednesday before facing Arkansas in San Jose.
Otzelberger built an annual power in Ames since his 2021-22 arrival, hence why he's a hot coaching commodity. He's even one win away from hitting 30 wins for the first time with the Cyclones.
But he has a huge chance to send Iowa State to its first Final Four since the 1944 tournament. None of his Cyclone teams have surpassed the Sweet 16 yet.
