Texas Southern Is ISU's Next Test

IOWA STATE (5-4, 0-0) VS. TEXAS SOUTHERN (1-8, 0-0)
Dec. 19, 2007 ? 7 p.m. ? Ames, Iowa ? Hilton Coliseum (14,376)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Television: Mediacom
Talent: B.J. Schaben (pxp); Kevin Lehman (color)

The Iowa State-Texas Southern game will be televised by Mediacom on all of its cable outlets in Iowa. The game is also available via the internet through a Clone Zone subscription on cyclones.com.

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State (5-4) plays host to Texas Southern (1-8) in Hilton Coliseum in the second round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic on Wednesday.
-ISU won its first round game with an 80-57 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Monday...all eight teams in the tournament will travel to Las Vegas on Thursday to compete in the final two rounds of the tournament, Dec. 22-23.
-ISU will play Purdue at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 22) and will battle either Missouri State or Alabama the following day in the final round at either 7 or 9:30 p.m...all games in the tournament will be played in the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
-ISU has played Texas Southern three times in its history, winning all three games while averaging 101 ppg during the three clashes vs. the Tigers.
-The Cyclones posted a season-high 80 points in the victory over Bethune-Cookman on Monday and hit over 50 percent of their shots for the second time this season.
-ISU currently ranks 26th nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.3 pct.) and 52nd nationally in scoring defense (60.2 ppg).
-Bethune-Cookman was the fourth team this season ISU has held below 60 points (Winston-Salem State, Centenary, Iowa).

Last Time Out
-Iowa State won its second consecutive game by scoring a season-high 80 points in an 80-57 win over Bethune-Cookman.
-It was the first time in 26 games (SE Missouri State, 87-71, Dec. 23, 2006) where ISU recorded 80 points or more in a game.
-ISU shot over 50 percent (51.7) for just the second time this season and connected on 17-of-27 shots from the floor in the second half for a torrid 63.0 percent.
-The Cyclones put the game away behind a 17-0 run that turned a 27-27 tie into a comfortable 44-27 lead for ISU with 18:35 left in the game.
-ISU received a balanced scoring effort with four players in double figures, led by Wesley Johnson's 16 points (7-11 FG, 2-5 3FG).
-Craig Brackins recorded 13 points, three steals and four blocks in the win...Brackins, who has tallied a block in all nine games this season, is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in blocked shots with teammate Rahshon Clark at 1.7 bpg...Brackins has seven blocks in the last three games.
-Cory Johnson gave ISU a much needed spark off the bench, connecting on all five of his shots from the floor en route to a career-high-tying 13 points...Johnson is shooting 68.4 percent from the floor this season.
-Diante Garrett came off the bench to score six first half points...the freshman tallied a career-high five assists with just one turnover.
-ISU dished out a season-high 19 assists and committed just eight turnovers...it marked the fifth time in the last six games that ISU has had more assists than turnovers...ISU had 38 assists to 56 turnovers in its first three games...however, in its last six games, the Cyclones have 81 assists to 68 turnovers.
-ISU has committed just 14 turnovers (7.0 tpg) in its last two games.
-ISU equaled its season high in 3-pointers with seven...ISU had six different players bury a trey in the game.
-ISU outboarded Bethune-Cookman, 32-29, ending a six-game skid of not having more rebounds than its opponent...Jiri Hubalek and Rahshon Clark both had eight boards each to pace the Cyclones...Hubalek ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and has led ISU on the boards in seven of nine games this season.

Cyclone-Tiger Quick Facts
-Iowa State owns a 3-0 all-time record against Texas Southern, defeating the Tigers three times in Hilton Coliseum...ISU has scored over 100 points twice against the Tigers and is averaging 101 ppg in the three meetings against TSU.
-ISU defeated TSU 109-70 in the last meeting between the two teams on Nov. 24, 2000...ISU had four players score in double figures led by Martin Rancik's 21 points...ISU outrebounded the Tigers, 62-31, which was the last time ISU recorded 60 boards in a game...All-American Jamaal Tinsley recorded nine assists in the contest.
-TSU head coach Robert Moreland is 0-3 all-time against Iowa State...ISU head coach Greg McDermott has never faced Texas Southern in his career.
-ISU has never lost a game to a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) member, going 11-0 all-time vs. SWAC schools.
-The last SWAC opponent ISU has faced was Arkansas-Pine Bluff, defeating A-PB, 90-46 on Dec. 31, 2002 in Larry Eustachy's final season as head coach.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has never faced a SWAC school in his 14-year head coaching career.

A Closer Look At Texas Southern (1-8, 0-0)
-Texas Southern, located in Houston, won its first game of the season against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but has since lost eight-straight games.
-TSU played its first seven games on the road before hosting Sam Houston State on Saturday...the Tigers lost to SHS, 54-51.
-TSU is fresh off a 76-56 loss to Purdue in West Lafayette on Monday in the first round of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
-Junior guard Sollie Norwood has been the team's top contributor, averaging a team-high 16.7 points and grabbing 4.3 rebounds...Norwood paced the Tigers against Purdue with 16 points.
-Norwood has played a complete game (40 minutes) in five of the last eight games...he has only missed 11 minutes of the last eight games for the Tigers.
-The Jackson, Miss., native had 21 points behind five treys vs. UTEP and tallied 22 points vs. Texas Christian.
-Senior forward Kevin Abanobi is the team's top rebounder, averaging 5.6 rpg...Abanobi had 12 boards against Houston and 15 points against Texas.
-Guard Johnathan Frazier is leading the team in assists (2.8 apg) and steals (2.1 spg)...Frazier, who is averaging 5.6 ppg, is the only regular shooting above 50 percent from the floor, making 22-of-41 his shots from the field (53.7 percent).
-Robert Moreland is coaching the Tigers on an interim basis...he was hired just eight days before official practice began...Moreland coached the Tigers for 26 seasons before getting let go after the 2001 season.
-Moreland led TSU to 10 SWAC Championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances (1990, 1994, 1995)...he is a 2007 SWAC Hall of Fame inductee.

NBA Heritage
-Iowa State has a number of players on its roster with ties to the NBA.
-Freshman Charles Boozer and junior Sean Haluska have brothers who are on current NBA rosters. Boozer's brother, Carlos, is one of the top post players in the NBA, making the 2006-07 All-Star team. Boozer averaged 20.9 points and 11.7 rebounds in 2006-07, leading the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference Finals. He is also a member of the USA Basketball Select team that will compete for a Gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
-Haluska's brother, Adam, who played one year at Iowa State (2002-03) before transferring to Iowa, is a rookie with the New Orleans Hornets. Haluska led the Big Ten in scoring last year, averaging 20.5 ppg while earning first-team all-Big Ten honors.
-Freshman Diante Garrett also has outstanding basketball roots. His father, Dick, played five seasons in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 10.3 ppg. Garrett played in the 1970 NBA Finals for the Lakers against the Knicks.

Congratulations Graduates!
-ISU has two members of its team who graduated in December and are currently enrolled in graduate classes in seniors Jiri Hubalek and Mark Currie.
-Hubalek earned a degree in liberal arts and sciences and Currie graduated in civil engineering.

Assists Are Up; Turnovers Are Down
-ISU has done a remarkable job in fixing its early season distribution and turnover problems...in its first three games, ISU dished out only 38 assists (12.6 apg) and committed 56 turnovers (18.7 tpg).
-Since then, the Cyclones have handed out 81 assists (13.5 apg) and committed just 68 turnovers (11.3 tpg) in their last six games...ISU has committed under 10 turnovers in three of its last five games and is averaging just 7.0 turnovers per game in its last two contests.

Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones are holding their opponents to 38.3 percent shooting from the floor...only three teams this season (Bradley, Drake, Bethune-Cookman) have shot above 43.0 percent against the Cyclones.
-The Cyclones have held two teams (Winston-Salem State; Oregon State) to below 30 percent shooting from the field.
-ISU currently ranks sixth in the league and 26th nationally in field goal percentage defense (38.3 pct.).

Defense In The Mac Era
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has always been a proponent of sound defense and his teams have responded to his coaching...in his second year at the helm, ISU has held 18 teams to below 40 percent shooting, including four this season.
-ISU has held its opponents to under 60 points 12 times in the Mac era.

Clark Finishing Up Outstanding Career
-Senior Rahshon Clark is in his fourth season as a starter for the Cyclones and is no question one of the team leaders...Clark has started 87 career games and in 41 consecutive games.
-Clark is the only four-year player left on the ISU roster and stuck with Coach McDermott when most of his teammates left after former coach Wayne Morgan was relieved of his duties.
-Clark is one of the most athletic and dynamic players in the Big 12...possessing a 39-inch vertical step jump, Clark's high-flying dunks have excited the Hilton crowd since 2004-05...Clark has 62 career dunks.
-Clark has jumped out to a fantastic start to 2007-08, averaging 10.6 points and 5.9 rebounds...he is shooting 52.9 percent from the floor (36-68 FG)...he has been above 50 percent from the field in six of nine games this season.
-Clark is closing in on an unique mark in Cyclone history...he needs seven steals to become the first player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (13th-127), blocks (7th-88) and 3-pointers (9th-89).
-Clark needs 88 points (912) to become the 26th member of the 1,000-point club.
-Clark has established himself as one of the top shot blockers in the Big 12 this season (T5th-1.7 bpg)...Clark is tied for the team lead with 15 swats.

Brackins Making Solid Debut
-Heralded rookie sensation Craig Brackins, a 6-10 freshman from Palmdale, Calif., has been impressive in his inaugural season...Brackins, who has started every game so far, was outstanding in his first career game, recording a double-double vs. Winston-Salem State, the first Cyclone freshman to record double-digits in both points (13) and rebounds (10) in their first game.
-Brackins is first on the team in scoring at 12.4 ppg...there have been just four freshmen in ISU history to lead the team in scoring in their rookie season (Ray Wehde/1942-43, 7.8 ppg; Dean Uthoff/1976-77, 11.3 ppg; Marcus Fizer/1997-98, 14.9; Curtis Stinson/2003-04, 16.2 ppg).
-Brackins has scored in double figures in five of nine games this season...he posted a career-high 23 points vs. Minnesota, tying for the 16th-best scoring output by a freshman in school history...Brackins had 17 of his 23 points in the first half vs. the Gophers.
-He equaled his scoring standard with 23 points against Oregon State, becoming just the six freshman in school history to have multiple games of 23 points or more.
-Brackins is trying to become just the third rookie in ISU history to start every game of their first season: Ron Harris (27-27, 1980-81) and Adam Haluska (31-31, 2002-03).
-He is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in blocks (1.7 bpg) and has a block in every game.

Hubalek's Improvement
-Jiri Hubalek, a senior center from Prague, Czech Republic, had his best game of the season vs. Iowa, scoring 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor.
-Hubalek has been slowed all season by a broken foot that occurred in the preseason...he is slowly getting back into playing shape.
-Hubalek has always been a slow starter...he averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in his first six games last year, but responded by averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in his last 19 games a year ago.
-This year, Hubalek averaged 7.8 points and shot 40 percent (22-55 FG) in his first seven games...however, Hubalek is averaging 13.5 points and is shooting 56.3 percent (9-16 FG) in his last two games.
-Hubalek has led ISU in rebounding in seven of nine games this season and currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 on the boards with a 7.6 rpg average...his rebounding numbers are even more significant when you take into consideration he is averaging just 21.0 minutes per game.

Wesley Johnson On The Mend
-ISU's top returning scorer from last season Wesley Johnson got off to a slow start because of injuries...Johnson missed the first four games of the season while nursing a bone bruise in his left foot.
-Although not at 100 percent, Johnson's progress is a positive sign for the Cyclones...Johnson is averaging 11.4 points and has eight 3-pointers in five games.
-Johnson ranked third in the Big 12 in rebounding last season (7.9 rpg) but has moved out to the wing position after playing power forward a year ago...although his rebounding numbers are down (2.6 rpg), he is looking much more comfortable with his jumpshot, providing ISU with its best threat from the perimeter.
-Johnson has three double figure scoring games and has led ISU in scoring three of five games played this year.

Frontcourt Dominance
-Iowa State's inside presence is its strength...three of the top four scorers on the Cyclone team (Craig Brackins, 12.4 ppg, Rahshon Clark, 10.6 ppg and Jiri Hubalek, 9.1 ppg) are frontcourt players.
-347 of ISU's 538 points scored this season have come from its forwards and centers, which is responsible for 64.4 percent of its scoring.
-63 of ISU's 71 points scored in the win over Oregon State came from its frontcourt.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts
-Iowa State is celebrating 100 years of men's hoops this season...ISU announced a 15-player All-Century team in the summer and will play host to a centennial celebration on Feb. 15-16, inviting back all former letterwinners and coaches for a two-day celebration.
-Iowa State failed to make a 3-pointer in its opening game vs. Winston-Salem State (0-for-12), ending a 63-game streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
-ISU ended a 26-game streak of not reaching an above-50 percent outing from the field vs. Centenary...ISU shot 57.1 percent vs. the Gents.
-ISU held Winston-Salem State to a 25.4 percentage from the floor in the first game...that total ranks 12th on ISU's opponent field goal percentage game lows chart.
-ISU has allowed one opponent (Drake) to score over 70 points this season, averaging 60.2 ppg in scoring defense.
-ISU is 4-0 when shooting better than its opponent and 1-4 when shoots worse than its opponent.
-ISU is 4-0 when outrebounding its opponents and 1-4 when getting outrebounded or tying with its opponent on the boards.
-Usually in a basketball game the team that reaches 40 points first is in the drivers seat to win...ISU has reached 40 points first in seven of nine games this season, going 4-2 in those games.
-ISU recorded the 400th win in Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 8 against Iowa (56-47).

Hilton Magic
-Hilton Coliseum has long been considered one of the toughest places to play in college basketball...built in 1971 and playing in its 37th season, ISU has recorded a 74.2 percent winning mark, compiling a 401-139 record.
-ISU has recorded four undefeated seasons at home since Hilton was erected (1985-86, 1992-93, 1999-00, 2000-01).
-ISU ranked 25th nationally in attendance in 2006-07 (12,489).
-ISU broke the record for most season tickets sold this year with over 10,000 season tickets purchased.
-Fans voted Iowa State and Hilton Coliseum as the nation's No. 1 team in regards to school spirit in a poll during ESPN's “student spirit” week in 2006-07.

Cyclones Sign Four
-Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott picked up four players who signed letters of intent to play basketball at Iowa State next season:
Dominique Buckley, G, 6-2, 190, Fr., Detroit, Mich. (Romulus)
Wes Eikmeier, G, 6-3, 175, Fr., Fremont, Neb. (Bergan)
Justin Hamilton, C, 6-11, 220, Fr., Alpine, Utah (Lone Peak)
Clinton Mann, F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Players Mentioned

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Mark Currie

Mark Currie

Diante Garrett

Sean Haluska

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics