ISU Meets Purdue In Las Vegas

IOWA STATE (6-4, 0-0) VS. PURDUE (7-3, 0-0)
Dec. 22, 2007 ? 9:30 p.m. ? Las Vegas, Nev. ? Orleans Arena (7,500)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Webcast: JumpTV Sports
To purchase webcasts go to: www.lasvegasclassiconlinetv.com

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State travels to Las Vegas to participate in the 2007 Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic, Dec. 22-23 at the Orleans Arena.
-The Cyclones (6-4) will battle Purdue (7-3) in the third round of the tournament (the first two rounds were competed at on-campus sites) on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 9:30 p.m. CST.
-The winner of the Iowa State/Purdue game will play the winner of the Alabama/Missouri State game on Dec. 23 at 9:30 p.m. CST...the losers of the third round matchups will compete at 7 p.m. CST on Dec. 23.
-All games in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic will be webcasted by JumpTV Sports...to purchase webcasts of Cyclone games in Las Vegas, go to www.lasvegasclassiconlinetv.com.
-This is the second tournament in Las Vegas ISU has participated in...the Cyclones went 1-2 in the 2001 Las Vegas Invitational, Nov. 22-24, 2001 (Southern Illinois, L, 66-57; St. Louis, W, 77-72; Pennsylvania, L, 84-77).
-ISU is 1-4 all-time in games played in Vegas...besides the three tournament games in 2001, ISU lost at UNLV, 115-80 on Dec. 4, 1976...the Cyclones also fell to Arizona, 75-61 on Dec. 19, 1998 in the Las Vegas Shootout.

Last Time Out
-Iowa State improved its winning streak to three games with a 79-55 win over Texas Southern Wednesday night.
-ISU closed out the first half on a 20-4 run to score a season-high 44 points in the opening period...ISU is averaging 61.7 ppg this season, but is averaging 79.5 ppg in the last two games.
-ISU was led by Jiri Hubalek, who had a monster game with a career-high 27 points and a career-high 15 boards.
-It was Hubalek's seventh double-double and third 20-point outing of his career...his 15 boards was the most by a Cyclone since Jared Homan grabbed 20 on March 20, 2005 against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.
-Craig Brackins and Rahshon Clark chipped in with 13 points each...Clark drilled a season-high three treys and Brackins tallied a career-high five assists.
-Bryan Petersen handed out a career-high seven assists helping ISU record a season-high 20 dimes...he also recorded his third double-digit scoring effort with 11 points behind a 3-of-5 effort from downtown...Petersen has 12 assists and 0 turnovers in his last three games.
-ISU had more assists (20) than turnovers (10) for the 6th time in the last 7 games.
-ISU shot a season-high 94.7 percent (18-19 FT) from the free-throw line.
-62 of ISU's 79 points were scored by its frontcourt.
-ISU has held three-straight opponents to under 60 points.
-ISU outrebounded its second-straight opponent, 35-30.
-The Cyclones recorded their second consecutive 50 percent-shooting night (27-54 FG, 50 percent) and their third of the season.
-ISU equaled its season high with seven treys vs. Texas Southern...ISU has 14 treys in its last two games.

Cyclone-Boilermaker Quick Facts
-Purdue head coach Matt Painter was an assistant at Southern Illinois from 1999-03...he was head coach one season (2003-04) with the Salukis, going 25-5.
-Painter was an assistant coach at SIU when the Salukis defeated Iowa State, 66-57 (11-22-01) the last time the Cyclones played in Las Vegas in 2001.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott faced Painter twice during the 2003-04 season when he was head coach at UNI, splitting the games at 1-1...McDermott's UNI squad defeated SIU, 68-52 in the final regular-season game in 2003-04.
-ISU men's basketball athletic trainer Vic Miller is a 1993 Purdue graduate and was a student assistant trainer for former Purdue head coach Gene Keady...he was a student trainer for Purdue when Painter was a member of the Boilermaker squad.
-PU assistant Rick Ray is a 1994 graduate of Grand View College in Des Moines.
-Purdue assistant coach Paul Lusk played under ISU assistant Ron Smith for three seasons at Southern Illinois (1992-94)...Smith was an assistant at SIU from 1985-94.
-ISU is 1-2 all-time against Purdue...the Cyclones defeated No. 2-ranked Purdue, 104-96 on Nov. 24, 1987 in West Lafayette, Ind...it was the first time ISU defeated a team ranked in the nation's top-two on the road.
-Purdue won the last two games in the series, which were both played on neutral sites outside the continental United States (88-87 ot, Nov. 27, 1994 in Hilo, Hawaii; 79-60, Dec. 28, 1995 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico).
-Current Purdue associate head coach Cuonzo Martin was the hero of the 1994, 88-87 Purdue overtime win...Martin, who scored 29 points in the game, hit a trey with under a minute left and made two free-throws with 0:03 seconds left to seal the victory.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has a 5-6 record all-time vs. Big Ten opponents...he has never faced Purdue as a head coach.

A Closer Look At Purdue (7-3)
-Purdue (7-3) will be ISU's first opponent in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
-Two of Purdue's three losses were away from home, falling at No. 18 Clemson, 61-58, losing at Missouri, 73-63.
-Purdue fell to Wofford Wednesday night in the Las Vegas Classic, 69-66...the Boilermakers shot just 18.8 percent from 3-point range and 55.0 percent from the foul line.
-Keaton Grant poured in 17 points to pace the Boilermakers vs. Wofford.
-Purdue is a well-balanced team with eight players averaging between 6.3-10.9 ppg...PU has not had a player score over 20 points or grab over 10 rebounds in a game this season.
-Purdue is led by two freshmen Scott Martin (6-8, 200, F, Valparaiso, Ind.) and E'Twaun Moore (6-3, 180, G, East Chicago, Ind.)...both were Indiana all-state selections last season and are pacing the squad in scoring this year...Martin averages 10.9 ppg and Moore averages 10.1 ppg.
-Purdue has put four freshmen in its starting lineup a number of times this season.
-Moore has made 15 treys this season at a 41.7 percent clip.
-Grant, a sophomore guard, is making 48.6 percent of his shots from downtown (18-37)...Grant is averaging 10.2 ppg.
-Another freshman, Robbie Hummell (6-8, 210), who was teammates with Martin last season at Valparaiso High School, is the Boilermakers top rebounder at 5.5 rpg.

Iowa State (6-4)-Alabama (7-3) Quick Facts
-Iowa State has never faced Alabama.
-Iowa State is 12-12 all-time vs. Southeastern Conference schools.
-Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is 1-0 as a head coach against Iowa State...Gottfried was the head coach at Murray State from 1996-98...Murray State defeated Iowa State, 84-76 in overtime on Dec. 26, 1997 in Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
-Gottfried was an assistant coach at UCLA from 1989-95...he was on the bench in two UCLA wins over Iowa State, both in the NCAA Tournament (84-74, March 17, 1989 in Atlanta; 81-70, March 19, 1993 in Tuscon).

Iowa State (6-4)-Missouri State (7-3) Quick Facts
-Iowa State has never faced Missouri State.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has a 6-7 all-time record against Missouri State, compiling the mark during his five seasons as head coach at UNI from 2002-06...all 13 times McDermott has faced the Bears came with current Missouri State head coach Barry Hinson at the helm.
-McDermott and his UNI squad defeated Hinson's MSU team, 79-74 in the finals of the 2004 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
-McDermott is 0-6 vs. Missouri Valley schools since taking over the Iowa State program last season.
-MSU assistant coach Ben Miller is the son of former UNI head coach Eldon Miller...McDermott played two seasons at UNI for Miller from 1986-88.
-MSU assistant coach Steve Woodbery played at Kansas from 1991-94, going 6-2 against ISU in his four-year career.

70 Is The Magic Number
-Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...in the McDermott era, ISU is 20-9 when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 12 times to its opponents since McDermott took over, going 1-11.

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 101 assists (14.4 apg) and committed just 78 turnovers (11.1 tpg) in their last seven games...ISU has committed 10 or less turnovers in four of its last six games and is averaging just 8.0 turnovers per game in its last three contests.
-Junior point guard Bryan Petersen has had a hand in the turnaround...Petersen has 12 assists and 0 turnovers in the last four games.

Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones are holding their opponents to 37.9 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 (37.9 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 19 teams to below 40 percent shooting, including five this season.
-ISU has held its opponents to under 60 points 13 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 88 career games and in 42 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 63 career dunks.
-Clark has jumped out to a fantastic start to 2007-08, averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 rebounds...he is shooting 53.3 percent from the floor (40-75 FG)...he has been above 50 percent from the field in seven of 10 games this season.
-Clark is closing in on an unique mark in Cyclone history...he needs six steals to become the first player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (13th-128), blocks (7th-88) and 3-pointers (9th-92).
-Clark needs 75 points (925) 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 (6th-1.5 bpg)...Clark is second on the team 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 12.5 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 six of 10 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 ranks fifth in the Big 12 in blocks (1.6 bpg) and has a block in every game.

Hubalek's Improvement
-Jiri Hubalek, a senior center from Prague, Czech Republic, has been a man on a mission in his last three games.
-Hubalek had been slowed all season by a broken foot that occurred in the preseason and is now just hitting his stride.
-Hubalek always has 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 18.0 points (54) and is shooting 63.3 percent (19-30 FG) in his last three games.
-Hubalek has led ISU in rebounding in eight of 10 games this season and currently ranks fourth in the Big 12 on the boards with an 8.3 rpg average...his rebounding numbers are even more significant when you take into consideration he is averaging just 21.9 minutes per game.
-Hubalek has made 10 consecutive free-throws.

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 9.5 points and has eight 3-pointers in six 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 (2.7 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 six 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, 12.5 ppg, Jiri Hubalek, 10.9 ppg and Rahshon Clark, 10.8 ppg) are frontcourt players.
-409 of ISU's 617 points scored this season have come from its forwards and centers, which is responsible for 66.2 percent of its scoring.
-63 of ISU's 71 points scored in the win over Oregon State came from its frontcourt.
-62 of ISU's 79 points in the win over Texas Southern were from the frontcourt.

Players Mentioned

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Mark Currie

Mark Currie

Diante Garrett

Sean Haluska

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Bryan Petersen

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics