Cyclones Play Host To Kansas State

Iowa State (11-7, 2-2) vs. Kansas State (12-6, 2-2)

Jan. 20, 2007 ? 12:45 p.m. ? Ames, Iowa ? Hilton Coliseum (14,092)

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

Television: Big 12 Network/ESPN Regional; Fred White (pxp) and Bob Sundvold (color)

Television Affiliates: WOI (Ames/Des Moines), KFXA (Cedar Rapids/Waterloo)

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (11-7, 2-2) plays host to Kansas State (12-6, 2-2) Saturday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum...the Cyclones, who are 9-2 at home this season, have defeated Kansas State seven games in a row in Hilton Coliseum...true freshman Wesley Johnson needs one more double-double (10) to become the school's all-time freshman leader in double-doubles...he has eight in his last 11 games.

Cyclone-Wildcat Quick Facts

Kansas State owns the all-time series lead vs. Iowa State at 126-75...the Cyclones have a slight edge in games played in Ames at 47-45...ISU has won seven consecutive games against KSU in Hilton Coliseum...its last loss to Kansas State in Hilton was a 67-62 defeat on Feb. 6, 1999...KSU head coach Bob Huggins is in his first season with the Wildcats, but has a 2-1 record against ISU when he was head coach at Cincinnati...Huggins' Cincinnati team lost to ISU (67-66) in the second round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament in Auburn Hills. Mich...Klay Edwards hit a shot in the final minute to secure the Cyclone victory and help them advance to the Sweet Sixteen...Cincinnati defeated ISU in 1998 and 1999, both on neutral sites in preseason tournaments...Huggins was an assistant coach for two seasons at Ohio State in 1979 and 1980 under head coach Eldon Miller...Miller left OSU in 1986 to take over at UNI, where he coached ISU head coach Greg McDermott in his final two seasons as a player...McDermott is 0-1 lifetime against Huggins...McDermott's UNI squad lost at Cincinnati in Nov. of 2004, 76-70...the Panthers held a 20-point lead in the game before a furious Bearcat rally in the second half prevented the upset.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State dropped its second Big 12 game in a row with a 74-65 loss at Colorado Wednesday night...it marked the second consecutive game where ISU had the lead at halftime but could not come away with the victory...the Cyclones started slow in the game, falling behind by 12 points in the first half before a 20-6 run at the end of the first half gave ISU a 33-31 halftime advantage...Colorado opened the second half on a 21-10 run and the Cyclones played catch-up the rest of the way...CU shot 36.4 percent in the first half, but hit 50 percent of its shots in the second period...turnovers hurt ISU's chances in the game, as ISU recorded 20 miscues, its fourth 20-turnover game of the season...the Cyclones were led by Wesley Johnson, who recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 14 rebounds...his 14 boards ties for the fourth-best freshman rebounding effort in school history...Johnson is tied with former Cyclone Dean Uthoff for the most double-doubles by an ISU freshman...Johnson, who is second in the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.3 rpg, has eight double-doubles in his last 11 games and has tallied a double-double in all four Big 12 games this season...Johnson is averaging 13.3 points and 12.3 rebounds in Big 12 action...Johnson recorded one block to increase his team-high total to 24...he ranks fourth on the ISU freshman blocked shots chart...Jiri Hubalek totaled 15 points and Mike Taylor posted 13 points in the loss...Hubalek, who averaged 7.3 ppg in his first six games, has increased his offensive productivity as of late...he is averaging 13.1 points in his last six games...Taylor has made a 3-pointer in 14 consecutive games and already ranks 16th on ISU's single-season 3-pointers made list with 49...Taylor dished out a team-high six assists, his 13th game with five or more dimes this season...freshman Cory Johnson came off the bench to provide a spark for the Cyclones, scoring 10 points in 10 minutes on a 4-of-4 effort from the field and a 2-of-2 performance from the charity stripe...Johnson leads the team in field goal percentage at 56.9 percent...70 continues to be the magic number for the Cyclones...ISU is 10-1 when holding opponents to under 70 points and is 1-6 when its opponents score 70 or more points...the Cyclones were outrebounded 41-40 by the Buffaloes, just third time in the last 11 games where ISU lost the battle of the boards.

Kansas State (12-6, 2-2)

Kansas State is 12-6 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 play in Bob Huggins' first season in Manhattan...Huggins went 2-1 against Iowa State when he was the head coach at Cincinnati...ISU's only win against Huggins was a 67-66 win against Cincinnati in the second round of the 1997 NCAA Tournament...the Wildcats have won two-straight in the league after a 69-60 victory over Baylor on Wednesday...KSU is an extremely balanced team, with 10 players averaging over 10 minutes per game...the Wildcats will be without the services of forward Billy Walker, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury...the Wildcats are led by senior Cartier Martin, who is in his third season as a starter...the 6-7, 225-pound Houston native has a great outside shooting touch, making 126 career 3-pointers...Martin became the 20th Wildcat to score over 1,000 points earlier this season...Martin leads the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg...junior forward David Hoskins is having a solid season for the Wildcats...Hoskins, who averaged 13.1 ppg in his first season at KSU last year, is second on the team in scoring at 13.9 ppg...senior Akeem Wright is one of the most versatile players on the team...the 6-6 guard is averaging 7.0 ppg and leads the team in rebounding (5.8)...senior Lance Harris has a 10.6 ppg scoring clip for the Wildcats and has made a team-high 32 3-pointers, connecting on 41.6 percent (32-77) from downtown...he led KSU vs. Baylor with 18 points...freshman center Jason Bennett is averaging just 14.1 minutes per game, but is making his presence known in the middle...the 7-3, Jacksonville, Fla., native is second in the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.06 bpg)...KSU is outrebounding its opponents by a +3.9 margin and holding its opponents to just 40.5 percent from the field.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts

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

? 64.9 percent of the minutes played (2354) this season were by newcomers on the roster.

? 68.1 percent of ISU's points this season (827) 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 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 Big 12...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).

? 11 different Cyclones have made a 3-pointer this season.

? ISU tied the school record by making 13 treys (13-25, 52.0 percent) vs. SEMO, including 11 in the first half.

? ISU has recorded four games with 11 or more 3-pointers this year.

? ISU ranks fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (7.22 3FG).

? ISU is tied for third in the Big 12 (league games only) in 3-pointers made per game (7.75).

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

? ISU has made a 3-pointer in 50 consecutive games.

? ISU ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+4.2).

? ISU has outrebounded eight of its last 11 opponents, 415-357 a +5.2 average margin.

? ISU has shot more free-throws than its opponents in 11 of 18 games this year.

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 247-147 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 121-62 in away games.

? Only seven teams (Northern Iowa, Drake, Iowa, Bradley, Ohio State, Southeast Missouri State, Colorado) have scored 70 or more points against ISU this season...22 teams scored 70 or more points against ISU last season.

? ISU ranks 16th nationally in least amount of fouls per game (15.5)...only four teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado) have committed less fouls than ISU in a game this year.

? ISU has made seven or more 3-pointers in a game this year 10 times.

? ISU is 8-0 when outshooting its opponent.

? ISU has held its last five opponents to 38.9 percent from the field (115-295).

? ISU is fifth in the Big 12 in blocked shots (conf. games only) at 4.8 bpg.

? From late in the 2001 season to the early part of the 2005 season, ISU had a streak of 28 consecutive Big 12 road losses...since then ISU is 7-8 on the road in Big 12 play.

Cyclone Alley Reaches 3,000 Members

Cyclone Alley, ISU's student spirit group for men's basketball, was forced to close membership registration...a record-number of 3,000 ISU students are members of Cyclone Alley, a boisterous group that helps create Hilton Magic and makes Hilton Coliseum one of the toughest places to play in the nation...Cyclone Alley members form a sea of red behind both baskets and create a college basketball environment that ranks second to none.

Hilton Coliseum A Part Of ESPN Student Spirit Week

Iowa State is one of 22 schools on the ballot for ESPN's College Basketball Student Spirit Week....fans can vote all week on which school has the best "Student Spirit."...as of Jan. 18, ISU was ranked No. 1 in the online voting...fans can vote at ESPN.com...ESPN announcer Fran Fraschilla picked ISU as one of his top-five schools in regards to "Student Spirit."

"Anyone who's a true college basketball fan needs to see a game at Hilton Coliseum. Nice is in the DNA of Iowans and the fans here are particularly gracious -- even when the home team loses but gives a great effort, they are appreciative.

-- Fran Fraschilla, ESPN

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 11 of 18 games this season, holding a 327-285 (+2.3) advantage at the charity stripe...what a difference from last season when the Cyclones were outshot at the foul line, 735-548 (-6.2).

Don't Foul!

Keeping fouls at a minimum has allowed ISU to have an advantage at the free-throw line this season...the Cyclones currently rank 16th nationally in fewest fouls per game at 15.5...the Cyclones have had just two players foul out of a game this season compared to last year when a Cyclone fouled out 22 times...in 36 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to have just 11 double-bonus situations (10 fouls) at the free-throw line...only four teams this season (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas) have tallied less fouls than ISU.

Hitting The Boards

Iowa State has made a vast improvement in rebounding compared to last year when the Cyclones were outrebounded 19 times...ISU currently has a +4.2 margin (37.9-33.8) over its opponents in rebounding to rank sixth in the league...the Cyclones have only been outrebounded six times this season (UC Riverside, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas, Colorado)...ISU has outboarded eight of its last 11 opponents for a +5.2 average margin...ISU has not finished a season with a positive rebounding margin since 2003-04.

3-Point Attack

Iowa State currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 7.2 and is third in league games only at 7.75...five times this season the Cyclones have made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game, including a school-record-tying 13 against Southeast Missouri State...the Cyclones are on pace to break the school mark of 3-pointers made in a season set by last year's team with 201...the 2005-06 squad tallied 10 or more 3-pointers in a game six times...ISU has made seven or more 3-pointers in a game 10 times this season.

Second Half Comebacks

Iowa State has won two road games this season (Minnesota and Missouri), both in dramatic fashion, rallying from double-digit second half deficits...in the Minnesota game, ISU rallied from a 10-point deficit at the 16:58 mark in the second period...Mike Taylor scored 25 points after intermission to aid the comeback...against Missouri, the Cyclones were down by 16 points (44-28 with 15:14 left in the game) before staging their second-best second-half comeback in school history...it ranks second to ISU's come-from-behind win against No. 2 Oklahoma State (84-83 ot) on Feb. 15, 1992...ISU was down by 18 points in the second half in that game...freshmen Dodie Dunson and Wesley Johnson were the keys to the comeback against Mizzou...Dunson scored 16 and Johnson tallied 12 points in the second half...Johnson scored four points in the final :11 seconds, including the game-winner with a putback with :01.6 left on the clock.

70 Is The Magic Number

Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...ISU is 10-1 this season when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points seven times to its opponents this season, going 1-6 in those games.

Clark Is The Leader

Junior Rahshon Clark is the undisputed leader of the Cyclone team...now in his third-year as a starter and first year as team captain, Clark is ISU's most experienced and most seasoned player...he brings to the table incredible athleticism and jumping ability...the junior has drastically improved his rebounding, ranking second on the team at 7.0 rpg, which ranks eighth in the Big 12...his long arms and quick jumping ability allows him to outrebound bigger and stronger opponents...Clark has tallied eight or more rebounds in 10 of 18 games this season, including four double-digit rebounding efforts (12-Eastern Illinois, 11-Minnesota, 10-Northern Iowa, 11-Iowa)...he has two double-doubles on the season.

Taylor Made

Mike Taylor's high-energy style of play and outstanding shooting has excited ISU fans this 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 (16.5), 3-pointers (49) and assists (81)...he also has a team-high six 20-point games...Taylor ranks seventh in the Big 12 in scoring (16.5 ppg) and seventh in assists (4.50)...three times this season Taylor has made six 3-pointers in a game, all tying for eighth on ISU's single game record list...Taylor's 49 3-pointers ranks 16th in school history.

Taylor Earns Big 12 Rookie Of The Week Honors Twice

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...he earned his second Big 12 ROW honor after averaging 21.0 points and drilling 10 treys as ISU split games vs. Nebraska and Kansas...Taylor was 6-of-10 from downtown vs. Nebraska to record his third 6-trey game of the season.

Wesley Johnson- A Diamond In The Rough

True freshman Wesley Johnson has done a fantastic job early in his rookie season at ISU...if it wasn't for the amazing play of Texas freshman Kevin Durant, he would be considered the frontrunner for Big 12 Freshman of the Year...Johnson has started all 18 games, averaging 12.4 ppg and 9.3 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 and ranks second in the Big 12 (behind Durant) with 10 double-doubles this season...he has recorded a double-double in eight of his last 11 games...he ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding (again behind Durant) at 9.3 rpg...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...70 of his 167 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.88 offensive rebounds per game, which is tops in the league...none of his offensive rebounds was bigger than his putback on a miss in the last second to help ISU defeat Missouri, 66-65 in the Big 12 Conference opener...he posted a career-high 14 rebounds vs. Colorado, tying for the fourth-best single-game freshman rebounding effort in school history...he has scored in double figures in 15 of 18 games this season...he is averaging 11.0 rpg in his last 11 games, recording double-digits in nine of his last 11 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 13.3 ppg and 12.3 rpg.

Johnson Among Best Freshmen Rebounders

Wesley Johnson currently ranks second in the Big 12 and 32nd nationally in rebounding at 9.3 rpg...his rebounding average ranks third among all NCAA Division I freshmen as of 1-15-07...here is a look at the top freshmen rebounders this season:

Johnson Racking Up Double-Doubles

Wesley Johnson already has 10 double-doubles in 18 games in his rookie season to rank second in the Big 12 Conference...Johnson is tied with Dean Uthoff for the most double-doubles by an ISU freshman...Uthoff had 10 double-doubles in his rookie season in 1976-77...Uthoff is ISU's and the Big Eight's all-time leading rebounder...here is a look at the most ISU freshman double-doubles in school history since freshmen became eligible by the NCAA in the mid-1970s:

Johnson Trying To Become Third Cyclone To Start Every Game As A Rookie

True freshman Wesley Johnson got the starting nod in ISU's season-opening game vs. UC-Riverside and has been in the Cyclones' top-five ever since...he is trying to become just the third Cyclone freshman in school history to start every game of their rookie campaign...Ron Harris, who started every game of his four-year Cyclone career (111 games), started all 27 games of ISU's 1980-81 season en route to Big Eight Freshman of the Year honors...Adam Haluska played just one season at Iowa State, but started all 31 games in his rookie season with the Cyclones in 2002-03...Haluska, who transferred to Iowa after the season ended, was named to the 2003 Big 12 all-Freshman team...Curtis Stinson was close to joining the list in his freshman year in 2003-04, but he missed one start in ISU's 33 games that year en route to Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors...his only missed start was on "senior night" in ISU's last home game that season.

Johnson Honored By Big 12 Twice

Iowa State freshman forward Wesley Johnson has earned two Big 12 awards this season, claiming Big 12 Player of the Week Honors (Dec. 18) and earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week accolades (Jan. 8)...he posted a pair of double-doubles to help him earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors for games played from Dec. 11-17...Johnson was just the third freshman in Big 12 history to win player of the week honors, following Mario Chalmers of Kansas (Feb. 13, 2006) and Oklahoma's Drew Lavender (Dec. 15, 2003)...Johnson averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds that week...Johnson tallied 14 points and 13 boards against Missouri to help him win Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors...he scored four points in the final :11 seconds, including the game-winner with :01.6 on the clock to secure ISU's 66-65 win over the Tigers.

Hubalek Breaks Out

Junior Center Jiri Hubalek's improved play is a key reason for ISU's resurgence...Hubalek got off to a slow start to the season, missing the first six games because of a NCAA rules violation...head coach Greg McDermott has asked Hubalek to be more of a presence in the post, and he has responded with outstanding efforts in the last six games...Hubalek has recorded a double-double in three of his last five games...in his last six games, Hubalek is shooting 33-of-63 (52.3 percent) from the field and averaging 2.0 bpg...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 12.8 points and 9.3 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding (9.3) and is tied for first in blocks (2.0).

Dodie Time

Dodie Dunson is another freshman who has been impressive for the Cyclones since conference play began...Dunson has scored in double figures in three of four conference games, averaging 10.3 ppg and hitting 8-of-19 from 3-point range (42.1 percent)...Dunson was 4-of-7 from 3-point range vs. Missouri and 3-of-4 from downtown vs. Kansas...Dunson is ISU's top free-throw shooter, connecting on 91.7 percent of his shots (22-24) at the charity stripe...in league games he is shooting 91.7 percent from the free-throw line to rank third...he had a streak of 18 consecutive free-throws made end vs. Kansas.

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Dodie Dunson

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Corey McIntosh

Curtis Stinson

Mike Taylor

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