ISU to Battle No. 8 Texas A&M

Iowa State (11-9, 2-4) at No. 8 Texas A&M (17-3, 5-1)

Jan. 31, 2007 ? 6:30 p.m. ? College Station, Texas ? Reed Arena (12,500)

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

Television: Mediacom; Channel 6 in Central Iowa, Channel 2 in Eastern Iowa
Fox Sports Southwest; Greg Lucas (pxp), Jim Haller (color)

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (11-9, 2-4) faces its second consecutive ranked team on the road, meeting No. 8 Texas A&M Wednesday night in College Station...the Aggies are ISU's fourth ranked opponent this season...the Cyclones are trying to end their four-game losing streak, their longest of the season...ISU has not lost five consecutive games in the league since dropping its first five games in the Big 12 at the start of the 2004-05 season.

Cyclone-Aggie Quick Facts

Iowa State leads the all-time series against Texas A&M at 7-4, one of five Big 12 opponents ISU owns the series lead over (Texas Tech, Texas, Baylor and Colorado are the others)...ISU holds the lead in games played in College Station at 3-2, but the Aggies have won the last two games in Reed Arena and the last two games in the series, defeating ISU, 86-81 in overtime last year in Hilton Coliseum...TAMU assistant coach Alvin Brooks was 3-0 against Iowa State when he was an assistant coach at Houston, but was 0-3 against the Cyclones when he was an assistant coach at Texas Tech...TAMU assistant coach Albert Johnson was an assistant coach for the Dallas Mustangs, one of the top AAU clubs in the nation...ISU freshman forward Wesley Johnson was one of the players he coached with the team...ISU head coach Greg McDermott and TAMU head coach Billy Gillispie have never faced each other as head coaches...Gillispie has never lost to ISU as a head coach, owning a 2-0 mark against the Cyclones in his first two seasons at Texas A&M.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State dropped its fourth game in a row on Saturday, losing to No. 13 Oklahoma State, 62-50 in Stillwater...it was ISU's 14th consecutive loss at Gallagher-Iba Arena...the Cyclones put on a strong defensive display in the first half, holding OSU to just 28.6 percent from the floor in the opening period to take a 23-17 halftime lead...in six Big 12 games this season, ISU has had the lead at the half three times, all resulting in losses...however, ISU is 2-1 in the Big 12 when its opponents have led at intermission...the 17 points ISU allowed in the first half ties for the season-low half total by an ISU opponent this season (Louisiana-Monroe)...the Cowboys came out on fire in the second half, going on a 12-0 run to open the period and making 11-of-its-first-15 shots of the second half to take command of the game...ISU's 50 points was the lowest total for the Cyclones since scoring 48 points against Oklahoma on Feb. 4, 2004...the Cyclones finished the game with a season-low 32.2 percent effort from the floor...Mike Taylor led ISU in scoring for the 12th time this season, tallying 13 points, 11 in the second half...Taylor drilled a pair of treys to give him 53 on the season...Taylor now ranks 13th on ISU's single-season 3-pointers made chart and 19th in career treys...Taylor has made a 3-pointer in 16 consecutive games...Wesley Johnson fell short of a double-double by one point, scoring nine points and grabbing a team-high 10 boards...it was Johnson's 12th double-digit rebounding effort of the season and his seventh in his last eight games...Johnson, who ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.2 rpg, is averaging 11.3 rpg in his last eight games...Johnson's efforts on the boards helped the Cyclones outrebound the Cowboys, 39-32...ISU has outrebounded 10 of its last 13 opponents by a +5.1 margin...Dodie Dunson came off the bench to tally 11 points, his fourth double-digit scoring effort in six Big 12 games...Dunson hit one trey to increase his season total to 21, ranking fifth on ISU's freshmen 3-pointers made list...Rahshon Clark had his best rebounding effort in eight games with nine boards...he also chipped in with eight points.

No. 8 Texas A&M (17-3, 5-1)

No. 8 Texas A&M (17-3, 5-1) had its nine-game winning streak snapped on Wednesday, falling to Texas Tech in Lubbock, 70-68...the Aggies rebounded with a 70-61 victory over Oklahoma on Saturday...Antanas Kavaliauskas led the Aggies with 20 points and six boards...TAMU's other two losses were at LSU (64-52) and a 65-62 loss to UCLA in Anaheim...the Aggies are one of the better shooting teams in the nation and one of best defensive units as well...TAMU is shooting 51.0 percent as a team from the field, ranking No. 1 in the Big 12 and fourth nationally...its 21.4 scoring margin is second nationally to top-ranked Florida...TAMU's pressure defense is allowing its opponents to just 35.1 percent from the floor, which ranks No. 1 nationally...only three teams this season have shot above 45 percent in a game against the Aggies...TAMU is led by its inside-outside combination of Acie Law and Joseph Jones...Law, who is a preseason first-team all-Big 12 guard selection, ranks ninth in the league in scoring at 16.6 ppg...Law, a senior four-year starter, is fifth in the league in field goal percentage, hitting at a 51.7 clip...he also ranks third in the league in assists at 4.9 apg...Jones, a 6-9, 250-pound junior, is averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds...sophomore Josh Carter is one of the best shooters in the Big 12, hitting 50 percent of his shots from downtown to rank No. 1 in the league...Carter is averaging 11.8 ppg.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts

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

? 64.6 percent of the minutes played (2602) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 67.9 percent of ISU's points this season (866) 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 five games with 10 or more 3-pointers this year.

? ISU ranks fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (6.90 3FG).

? ISU is sixth in the Big 12 (league games only) in 3-pointers made per game (6.50).

? 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 52 consecutive games.

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

? ISU has outrebounded 10 of its last 13 opponents, 490-423 a +5.1 average margin.

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 268-174 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 142-77 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 23rd nationally in least amount of fouls per game (16.0)...only six teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma State) 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 seven opponents to 40.4 percent from the field (160-396).

? ISU is sixth in the Big 12 in blocked shots (conf. games only) at 3.83 bpg.

? In ISU's six Big 12 games, the Cyclones are averaging 9.5 turnovers (57) in the first half and 4.3 turnovers (26) in the second half.

? ISU is 0-3 when having the lead at the half in Big 12 games...ISU is 2-1 when its opponents have the lead at the half in Big 12 games.

ISU/McDermott Against Rated Opponents

ISU is 68-194 all-time against ranked opponents (ranked at tip)...ISU is 0-3 against ranked opponents this season (0-2 on the road; 0-1 at home)...ISU's last win against a ranked opponent was a 96-79 win over No. 25 Colorado on Feb. 5, 2006...25 of ISU's 68 wins vs. ranked opponents have occurred against top-10 teams...ISU is 7-97 vs. ranked teams on the road and 46-58 vs. ranked opponents at home...ISU has 25 victories against top-10 opponents, 14 of those were against Kansas...ISU's last win against a ranked team on the road was a 63-61 overtime victory over Kansas on Feb. 19, 2005...ISU head coach Greg McDermott is 0-3 vs. ranked opponents while at Iowa State...his all-time record vs. ranked opponents as a Division I head coach is 6-8.

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 23rd nationally in fewest fouls per game at 15.8...the Cyclones have had just four players foul out of a game this season compared to last year when a Cyclone fouled out 22 times...in 40 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to have just 13 double-bonus situations (10 fouls) at the free-throw line...only five teams this season (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State) 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 (37.9-33.7) over its opponents in rebounding to rank fifth 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 10 of its last 13 opponents for a +5.1 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 6.9 and is sixth in league games only at 6.50...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...ISU currently has 138...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 10-3 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 ninth 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 19 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 (16.6), 3-pointers (53) and assists (84)...he also has a team-high seven 20-point games...Taylor ranks ninth in the Big 12 in scoring (16.7 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.20)...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 53 3-pointers ranks 13th 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.

Taylor's 3-Point Streak

Mike Taylor has made a 3-pointer in an impressive 16 consecutive games...out of 20 games this season, Taylor has been shut out from beyond the arc just once...Taylor's mark of making a trey in 16 consecutive games is tied for second all-time in the Cyclone annals.

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 20 games, averaging 12.1 ppg and 9.2 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 13 games...he ranks second in the Big 12 (again behind Durant) and 28th nationally in rebounding at 9.2 rpg...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...79 of his 184 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.95 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 20 games this season...he is averaging 10.7 rpg in his last 13 games, recording double-digits on the boards in 10 of his last 13 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 11.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg.

Johnson Among Best Freshmen Rebounders

Wesley Johnson currently ranks second in the Big 12 and 28th nationally in rebounding at 9.2 rpg...his rebounding average ranks second among all NCAA Division I freshmen as of 1-25-07...here is a look at the top freshmen rebounders this season:

Johnson Racking Up Double-Doubles

Wesley Johnson already has 10 double-doubles in 20 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 seven games...Hubalek has recorded a double-double in four of his last seven games...in his last eight games, Hubalek is shooting 42-of-83 (50.6 percent) from the field and averaging 1.7 bpg...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 12.0 points and 9.0 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek ranks sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding (9.0) and is tied for second in blocks (1.7).

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 four of six conference games, averaging 9.7 ppg and hitting 10-of-29 from 3-point range (34.5 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 88.5 percent of his shots (23-26) at the charity stripe...in league games he is shooting 91.7 percent from the free-throw line...he had a streak of 18 consecutive free-throws made end vs. Kansas.

Iowa State Celebrates 100 Years Of Men's Hoops Next Season

Iowa State fans can be a part of the Cyclone athletic department's celebration of 100 years of men's basketball by helping select the school's All-Century Team through on-line voting at cyclones.com...a total of 15 former greats will comprise the All-Century Team...eight spots will be automatically occupied by ISU's All-Americans...fans will vote for the remaining seven spots from the ballot of 44 former Cyclones that met one of the following criteria: first-team all-conference, 1,000-point career scorer or played in the NBA...voting for the All-Century Team is unlimited...the All-Century Team will be announced next season...Iowa State will honor its All-Century Team at a special letterwinners reunion and at a game during Big 12 play next season...short bios on all of the Cyclone greats, along with a direct link to vote, are available at cyclones.com.

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Dodie Dunson

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Corey McIntosh

Curtis Stinson

Mike Taylor

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