Peterson: Iowa State basketball's trip to the Bahamas is expected to be different than most

AMES – This trip will be different. Instead of opposing players stamping out heaters just before lineups are announced, the Iowa State men’s basketball team actually will be facing real talent from real teams.

Instead of out-of-shape opponents wearing ill-fitting jerseys of one team one day and another team the next – T.J. Otzelberger’s young team is expecting (tentatively) to play U20 national teams.

Instead of expecting three wins against very low-level opponents, what the Cyclones expect to face during their upcoming “foreign” experience should be something very different.

Instead of traveling to Mexico, Italy and Spain, at this time next week they’ll be on a commercial flight to the Atlantis Paradise Resort in the Bahamas.

More: The lights went out — literally — on Iowa State in final Battle 4 Atlantis game against Seton Hall

“What we tried to do, was make it our top priority to have three quality games against different opponents that do different things,” Otzelberger said Thursday. “For us, it will be game-day situations. We’ll make the game days feel as game-like as possible.”

The competition is expected to be against national teams from Lithuania (Aug. 7) and Argentina (Aug. 9). There’s also a game against a Bahamas Select Team on Aug. 6.

“That was an important part for us,” Otzelberger said of the competition factor. “I can learn more when there’s things that can be exposed that you’re doing against better competition. It gives us a better tool to learn from.

“Overall, I feel it’ll be a good level of competition for us to learn from.”

That’s to be determined, but at least it looks like the foreign opponents will be at least somewhat competitive.

That’s the plan, at least, for a travel party that includes four freshmen and four transfers. The newest recruit, 7-foot-1 J.T. Rock, won’t be on campus until after the Bahamas trip.

Can Milan Momcilovic “shoot the leather off the ball” against outside competition, like Robert Jones said he’s been doing the past two months against teammates? Have freshmen Omaha Biliew, Kayden Fish and Jelani Hamilton figured out how to play the defense Otzelberger and his staff demand?

Will the lights stay on throughout the games this time?

Yes, that’s a question, considering the last time Iowa State played in the Bahamas – the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis – the power went off throughout the island during the Cyclones’ game against Seton Hall.

More: Peterson: Don’t judge Iowa State non-conference basketball schedule until knowing the process

Yes, that’s what happened, when Tyrese Haliburton was in the air, en route to a second-half layup. Just as he laid it on the backboard...

The island went dark.

After power was restored, Haliburton was awarded a basket.

“We can only hope nothing like that happens,” said Otzelberger, who added the Bahamas experience will include more than basketball -- with things like a catamaran tour, swimming and whatever else can be crammed into non-practice opportunities.

Will Colorado’s return to the Big 12 Conference be a signed, sealed and delivered thing, by the time the team returns?

“I’m pretty simple-minded – I’m just worried about having a good practice tomorrow,” said Otzelberger, who was in his first season coaching at UNLV when Haliburton shot the lights out. “Whoever’s in our league, we’ll be ready to play. We trust the commissioner and the presidents and the ADs to make those decisions.”

Anyhow, he’s got other things to concern himself with – like how his new guys perform against what he’s hoping is better than the has-been competition that often shows up during summer foreign trips.

More: For the first time since 1921, Iowa State men's basketball won't be visiting Kansas

“We wanted to identify before we decided to go on the trip, that we could have competitive games and experience game-like situations,” Otzelberger said. “Sometimes you go to Europe at this time of the year, and teams don’t have their players back.

“Sometimes when you’re warming up, you see the opposing team trickling in a few minutes before tipoff. This will be different.”

Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, and on Twitter @RandyPete

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball actually may face good teams on Bahamas trip