ISU And Drake Meet For 166th Time

Iowa State (6-1) vs. Drake (2-2)

Dec. 3, 2006 ? 1 p.m. ? Hilton Coliseum (14,092) ? CRN/CTN

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network; John Walters (pxp), Eric Heft (color)

Television: Cyclone Television Network; B.J. Schaben (pxp), Paul Splittorff (color)

TV Affiliates: WOI (Des Moines/Ames), KCRG (Cedar Rapids/Waterloo), KCAU (Sioux City), Mediacom (Mason City & Quad Cities only), Cox Cable (Omaha/Council Bluffs)

The game will be offered on the ESPN Fullcourt package

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (6-1) returns home to face Drake (2-2) Sunday afternoon...it will be ISU's second of three consecutive games against its instate rivals and second game in a row vs. a Missouri Valley Conference member...ISU fell to UNI, 70-57 in ISU head coach Greg McDermott's return to Cedar Falls on Wednesday...ISU finishes off its tour of intrastate games at Iowa on Dec. 8 in the annual Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series clash...the Cyclones have won four-straight games in the series vs. Drake and have won 13-straight games in Hilton Coliseum...ISU's last loss to Drake in Hilton was on Dec. 4, 1978 (86-77).

Cyclone-Bulldog Quick Facts

Drake and Iowa State meet for the 166th time on Sunday...it is one of the oldest rivalries west of the Mississippi...ISU owns the all-time series lead at 104-61 and has a 57-23 advantage in Ames and a 46-38 edge in Des Moines...the first game between the two teams was a 36-16 Cyclone victory, Feb. 29, 1908 in Ames...the home team had won the last seven meetings in the series until ISU defeated Drake, 83-77 in the Knapp Center in 2003...ISU has won the last four meetings in the series, including last season's 89-74 win in Des Moines...Rahshon Clark scored a career-high 26 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers in the game...in Clark's two games against Drake, he is averaging 20.0 ppg, shooting 15-of-21 (71.4 percent) from the field and 6-of-8 (75.0 percent) from the 3-point range...Drake coach Tom Davis has an 8-8 lifetime mark against Iowa State, compiling an 8-5 mark as the head coach at Iowa from 1986-98...he is 0-3 against ISU since taking over at Drake...ISU head coach Greg McDermott faced Drake 10 times when he was the head coach at Northern Iowa, compiling an 8-2 mark vs. the Bulldogs...he is 5-1 lifetime against Tom Davis, all while at Drake...the most points scored by a Bulldog against ISU is 35 by Darryl Lloyd on Dec. 8, 1984...Drake's Dennis Bell has the most rebounds vs. an Iowa State team with 20 (Jan. 16, 1972)...Zaid Abdul-Aziz has the Cyclone record for most points vs. a Drake team with 33 (Dec. 14, 1967)...he also owns the record for most rebounds against Drake with 24...seven Cyclones have scored over 30 points vs. Drake nine times (Abdul-Aziz, Fred Hoiberg, Victor Alexander, Andrew Parker, Gary Thompson, Martin Rancik and Justus Thigpen).

Cyclone Update

Iowa State suffered its first loss of the season on Wednesday, falling 70-57 at Northern Iowa...it was a bittersweet game for ISU head coach Greg McDermott, who was facing his former team for the first time...almost every player and coach on the UNI roster was either recruited or hired by McDermott...the Cyclones had plenty of chances late in the game, but poor shooting doomed ISU, registering a season-low 32.8 percent clip from the floor...ISU was down just two points with less than six minutes remaining in the game, but a 3-minute scoring drought ended any chances for a Cyclone comeback...Rahshon Clark registered his fourth career double-double and his second of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds...Clark, who leads ISU in rebounding at 8.9 rpg, has recorded eight or more boards in six of seven games this season...Wesley Johnson led ISU with 14 points, drilling 6-of-9 shots from the floor...Johnson swatted away a career-high three shots to help ISU record a season-high nine blocks...it is the most blocked shots by an ISU team since registering 10 against Drake on Nov. 23, 2004...Johnson leads ISU in blocked shots with 11 on the season...Clark had two blocked shots, giving him 57 in his career to tie for 12th on ISU's all-time list...Jessan Gray has been solid coming off the bench for ISU...Gray notched his second consecutive double-digit scoring outing with 11 points and recorded a career-high nine rebounds in the loss...Gray is averaging 11.3 ppg and 6.0 rpg in his last three games...ISU continued its stellar shooting from downtown against the Panthers, making 8-of-19 shots (42.1 percent) from beyond the arc...the Cyclones are shooting 35.4 percent from downtown this season, but have made 28-of-65 baskets (43.1 percent) from 3-point range in their last three games...UNI is the first team this season to score 70 or more points against the Cyclones...it marks just the second time this season where ISU was outshot from the field (39.3-32.8)...junior guard Mike Taylor, the reigning Big 12 Co-Player of the Week, was held in check, scoring a season-low five points...Taylor did dish out a career-high seven assists...Taylor, who leads ISU in assists at 4.7 apg, is averaging 5.8 assists per game in the last five games.

Drake (2-2)

Drake begins the season at 2-2 after a 104-51 win over Waldorf last Saturday...the Bulldogs defeated Southeast Missouri State 78-51 in the first round of the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska...they lost their next two games in Alaska, falling to Utah State (92-74) and Troy (80-75)...the Bulldogs continue to play a fast-paced, pressing style under head coach Tom Davis...they are averaging 82.8 ppg and giving up 68.5 points...senior Ajay Calvin, a native of Ecorse, Mich., has been the Bulldogs' top performer so far this season...Calvin leads the team in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (5.5), and is shooting a team-high 61.7 percent from the field (29-47 FG)...Calvin scored 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting against ISU in Des Moines last season...Calvin poured in a season-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field in the Utah State loss...Al Stewart is a lightning-quick senior guard from Chicago, Ill....Stewart, who played two seasons at DMACC for former Bulldog assistant Orv Salmon, leads the team in assists at 4.75 apg...he is averaging 5.3 points and 1.0 steals...Nick Grant is another outstanding senior for the Bulldogs...Grant is averaging 7.5 points and has a team-high eight steals...the Bulldogs have been tremendous on the boards in the first four games, outrebounding their opponents, 42.8-29.0 (+13.8)...DU has outrebounded all but one opponent this season, including a 65-21 rebounding edge in its last game vs. Waldorf...Drake plays up to 10 players in their pressing style, with all 10 averaging over 10 minutes per game...the Bulldogs rank among the NCAA steal leaders every year...Drake has seven players averaging over 1.0 spg game this season...as a team, the Bulldogs are averaging 10.0 spg.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts

? Iowa State has just four returning scholarship players from last season.

? 62.8 percent of the minutes played (879) in ISU's seven games were by newcomers on the roster.

? 65.3 percent of ISU's points this season (304) are from players who did not play a minute last year.

? ISU's 6-0 start tied for the fifth-best start in school history...only nine teams in school history had won its first six games.

? ISU head coach Greg McDermott is one of two coaches in ISU history to win his first six games at the helm.

? ISU head coach Greg McDermott is the first native Iowan to coach the Cyclone men's basketball team since Clayton Sutherland (1948-54)...McDermott is from Cascade; Sutherland was from Nashua.

? McDermott entered the season with the 41st-best winning percentage among active Division I coaches.

? Wesley Johnson broke Will Blalock's school-record for standing vertical leap at 34 inches...Blalock's record was at 33 1/2 inches...Johnson also had a 41-inch step vertical leap to break the school record.

? ISU head coach Greg McDermott is in his first season with the Cyclones, but he is already the seventh-longest tenured coach in the league...of the six new coaches in the league (Mike Anderson, Missouri; Bob Huggins, Kansas State; Doc Sadler, Nebraska; Jeff Capel, Oklahoma; Sean Sutton, Oklahoma State; Greg McDermott, Iowa State), McDermott was the first to be hired.

? ESPN.com picked Hilton Coliseum as the "Hot Arena" in the Big 12...coaches in the league noted that, "regardless of talent, the Cyclones have a home court like no other."

? ISU junior college transfers Corey McIntosh and Mike Taylor have witnessed a ton of success in their collegiate playing career...McIntosh tallied a 59-9 record in his two seasons in JC ball, while Taylor recorded a 62-8 mark in his two seasons at Chipola JC...the pair posted a combined 121-17 record in their two years in junior college.

? ISU held Louisiana-Monroe to 27.3 percent from the field, the first time a Cyclone opponent was held under 30 percent shooting since Dec. 31, 2002 (Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

? ISU has made 28 treys in its last three games, going 28-of-65 from downtown (43.1 percent).

? ISU hit a season-high 11 treys vs. Lake Superior State, tying for the 15th-best single-game total in ISU history.

? ISU tallied a season-high nine blocks vs. Northern Iowa, the most since blocking 10 against Drake (11-23-04).

? ISU has had more assists than turnovers in its last three games (46 ast./34 to.).

? ISU has made a 3-pointer in 39 consecutive games.

? ISU has outshot five of its seven opponents from the field this season.

? ISU has shot more free-throws than its opponents in five of seven games this year.

? Only one team (Eastern Illinois) has shot above 40 percent against the Cyclones this season...23 teams shot 40 percent or better against ISU last season.

? ISU is holding its opponents to 37.1 percent from the field.

? Only one team (Northern Iowa) has scored 70 or more points against ISU this season...22 teams scored 70 or more points against the Cyclones last season.

Stressing Defense

Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott has always stressed defense in order to be successful...his teams have already bought into this concept in the early season...ISU's opponents are shooting 37.1 percent from the field with only one team achieving above 40 percent in a game (Eastern Illinois, 41.4 percent)...ISU allowed 46.5 percent from the field last season...23 teams shot 40 percent or above against ISU last season, including 12 teams who made 50 percent or better.

Getting To The Line

In the preseason, Greg McDermott talked about the importance of getting to the free-throw line to increase your chances to win...so far, so good for ISU, as the Cyclones have been able to capitalize at the free-throw line...ISU has attempted more free-throw attempts than its opponent in five of seven games this season, holding a 127-98 (+4.1) advantage at the charity stripe...what a difference from last season when the Cyclones were outshot at the foul line, 735-548 (-6.2)...Minnesota and Northern Iowa - ISU's two road games - are the only two teams to shoot more free throws than ISU.

Clark Is The Leader

Junior Rahshon Clark is the undisputed leader of the Cyclone team...now in his third-year as a starter, Clark is ISU's most experienced and most seasoned player...he brings to the table incredible athleticsm and jumping ability...the junior has drastically improved his rebounding, leading the team on the boards at 8.9 rpg...his long arms and quick jumping ability allows him to outrebound bigger and stronger opponents...Clark has tallied eight or more rebounds in six of seven games this season, including three double-digit rebounding efforts (12-Eastern Illinois, 11-Minnesota, 10-Iowa State)...he is tied for the team lead with two double-doubles.

Clark Has Had Success Against Drake

Rahshon Clark has been impressive in his first two games against Drake...the junior is averaging 20.0 points and hitting 71.4 percent (15-21 FG) from the floor...he tallied a career-high 26 points and drilled a career-high five treys in last season's 89-74 win against the Bulldogs in Des Moines.

Taylor Made

Mike Taylor's high-energy style of play and outstanding shooting has excited ISU fans so far in the young season...he can stretch the defense with his range and explode to the hoop with his quickness...he tallied one of the greatest second halves in ISU history vs. Minnesota, recording 25 of his career-high 33 points after intermission...he tallied a career-high six 3-pointers, all in the second half vs. the Gophers...he followed that game with 22 points in the first half vs. Lake Superior State, drilling his first six treys...dating back to the Minnesota game, he had a streak of nine consecutive 3-pointers made...he leads the team in scoring (17.0), 3-pointers (18) and assists (33).

Taylor's Incredible Run Earns Him Big 12 Co-Rookie Of The Week Honors

Mike Taylor posted arguably the greatest back-to-back half performances in school history against Minnesota and Lake Superior State, helping him earn Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week honors...in the second half vs. Minnesota, Taylor had 25 points and six treys...he answered that performance in his next game, tallying 22 points and six treys in the first half vs. Lake Superior State...at one point, Taylor had a string of nine consecutive 3-pointers made...here is a closer look at his consecutive half performances:

Taylor Ties Single-Game Scoring Mark For First-Year Cyclones

Mike Taylor had a career night vs. Minnesota, pouring in 33 points to help ISU down the Gophers...Taylor's 33 points vs. Minnesota ties the school record for most points scored in a game by a Cyclone in their first season on the team.

Wesley Johnson- A Diamond In The Rough

True freshman Wesley Johnson has done a fantastic job early in his rookie season at ISU...Johnson has started all seven games, averaging 11.0 ppg and 6.6 rpg...Johnson had fallen through the recruiting cracks after his prep school shut down in his senior season, thus not playing basketball in his final year...ISU assistant coach Jean Prioleau had recruited him when he was an assistant at Wichita State...when Prioleau was hired at ISU and the Cyclones needed players late in the March 2006 signing period, Prioleau contacted Johnson and convinced him to come to ISU...Johnson leads the team with two double-doubles this season...he also leads ISU in blocks with 11, recording a career-high three vs. Norfolk State and Northern Iowa...he has recorded a block in six of seven games this season...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...19 of his 46 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 2.7 offensive rebounds per game...he has scored in double figures in five of seven games this season.

Jessan Gray Is Most Improved

Without a doubt, Jessan Gray has been the most improved player on the Cyclone roster...Gray averaged 4.3 ppg and 1.3 rpg last year in his first season with the Cyclones after transferring from Tyler Junior College in Texas...as ISU's only scholarship senior, Gray has given ISU a huge spark from the bench...he is averaging 8.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 18.6 minutes of action...Gray has been extremely efficient as well, hitting 55.6 percent from the field (25-45 FG) and 50.0 percent from downtown (5-10 3FG)...Gray was 6-of-7 from the floor vs. Lake Superior State en route to a career-high 14 points...he followed that game with 11 points and a career-high nine boards vs. Northern Iowa...in ISU's win over Minnesota, Gray scored all nine of his points in the second half, including a 3-pointer that tied the game and a strong move to the hoop that give ISU a 5-point lead late in the game...in his last three games, Gray is averaging 11.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and is shooting 15-of-26 from the floor (57.6 percent) and 57.1 percent (4-7 3FG) from 3-point range.

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Jessan Gray

Jessan Gray

Wesley Johnson

Corey McIntosh

Mike Taylor

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