Iowa State men’s basketball: Temple Owls transfer Anthony Lee chooses Ohio State Buckeyes over Cyclones

It’s becoming a tough weekend for Iowa State men’s basketball. The team fell in the Sweet 16 last night against Connecticut in New York City, and one day later a potential transfer that had the Cyclones on his radar is going somewhere else.

Anthony Lee, who’s transferring from Temple, picked Ohio State over Iowa State, Louisville, Indiana, and Notre Dame. The decision was made after making a trip to Columbus on Friday.

Feb 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Temple Owls forward Anthony Lee (3) shoots during the second half against the Louisville Cardinals at the Liacouras Center. Louisville defeated Temple 82-58. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Eleven Warriors has more on Lee:

"He will be eligible to play for Ohio State next season, providing depth and productivity to a frontcourt that struggled with consistency in 2014.“That’s why he’s such a hot commodity,” said Chase Senior, who covers Temple basketball for WHIP. “He’s 6-feet-9-inches tall, pretty athletic, can get up and down the floor, score and rebound, he’s a solid player.”"

Lee is able to play immediately because his situation is similar to DeAndre Kane’s. The big man has graduated from Temple and has one year of eligibility left.

Iowa State couldn’t land a big man today, but Lee did have his positives and negatives. He may not have worked with the Cyclones offense for two reasons: He doesn’t have the best ball-handling skills (raking in passes aren’t always smooth) and he’s only attempted five 3-points in his career.

Still, having a bigger, experienced presence in the frontcourt, especially with Melvin Ejim’s departure, would have been a huge get. Oh well, Fred Hoiberg can’t hit them all.

Since Aaron Craft is now gone, I can safely say all Cyclone fans wish Lee the best at Ohio State.