Cyclones And Bulldogs Continue Rivalry

IOWA STATE (3-3, 0-0) AT DRAKE (5-1, 0-0)
Dec. 5, 2007 ? 6 p.m. ? Des Moines, Iowa ? Knapp Center (7,002)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Kevin Lehman (color)
TV: Drake Television (KDSM-Des Moines/Ames; KFXA-Cedar Rapids/Waterloo)
Webcast: Clone Zone (Drake TV)
Talent: Larry Morgan (pxp); TBD (color)

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State (3-3) travels to Drake (5-1) Wednesday night to face the second of its three instate Division I opponents...ISU fell to UNI (61-48) on Nov. 27 and will play host to Iowa on Saturday in a nationally televised contest on ESPNU.
-ISU will try and end its five-game losing streak to Missouri Valley opponents...the Cyclones lost to Bradley and Drake earlier this season.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott had a successful stint as the head coach at UNI in the Missouri Valley Conference, going to the NCAA Tournament three times (2004, 2005, 2006)...however, McDermott is 0-5 against Missouri Valley Conference schools since taking over the reins of the Cyclone program a year ago.
-The Cyclones ended their four-game losing streak against non-conference teams on the road on Friday, defeating Oregon State, 71-64 in overtime in the inaugural Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series...the Pac-10 leads the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series at 5-6 with one game remaining...Texas Tech hosts Stanford on Dec. 22 to finish off the competition.
-The game against Oregon State was the first meeting between the two schools and was just the second time ISU played a game in the state of Oregon...ISU went 1-2 in the 1981 Far West Classic...ISU is now 2-2 all-time in games played in Oregon.

Last Time Out
-Iowa State ended its three-game losing streak with a 71-64 overtime victory over Oregon State in Corvallis on Friday.
-The Cyclones got it done on the defensive end, holding the Beavers to 28.2 percent shooting from the floor, the second time this season where ISU has held an opponent to under 30 percent shooting (Winston-Salem State)...ISU's opponents are shooting just 36.5 percent from the field this season.
-OSU was just 1-of-11 from the field in the overtime period as ISU cruised to a key victory to end its four-game non-conference road losing streak.
-Virtually all of ISU's offense came from its frontcourt, as the Cyclone interior men recorded 63 of the team's 71 points, including a season-high 42 points in the paint.
-True freshman Craig Brackins led the way, tying a career high with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting from the field...Brackins also grabbed 10 boards to record his second double-double of his career...Brackins is just one of six freshmen in school history to have multiple games of 23 points or more.
-Senior Rahshon Clark continued his inspired play, tallying 15 points and 11 boards en route to his fifth career double-double...Clark, who leads the team in field goal percentage (61.4 percent), has shot above 50 percent in all six games this season...he also blocked two shots to up his team high total to 12...he has registered a block in all six games this season.
-Alex Thompson came off the bench to score a career-high 12 points, including eight in the first half...Thompson, Brackins and Clark combined for 29 of ISU's 31 points in the opening period...Thompson had scored just three points in the first five games.
-ISU recorded more assists (17) than turnovers (13) for the second game in a row...Sean Haluska dished out a career-high five dimes in the victory.
-ISU ended its three-game streak of getting outrebounded with both teams grabbing 50 boards...it was the most caroms recorded by the Cyclones since grabbing 52 against Howard in 2004.
-The win also ended ISU's two-game losing streak in overtime games.
-ISU has two players ranked in the top-10 in the Big 12 in blocked shots (Rahshon Clark, T2nd-2.0 bpg; Craig Brackins, T10-1.17)...the pair has 19 of ISU's 28 blocks.

Cyclone-Bulldog Quick Facts
-The Iowa State-Drake series is one of the oldest annual rivalries west of the Mississippi...the two teams have met every season since 1908.
-ISU leads the all-time series at 104-62 and has the advantage in games played in Des Moines at 46-38...Drake ended a four-game losing streak to ISU with an 80-78 win in Hilton Coliseum last season...it also ended a 13-game losing streak to ISU in Hilton.
-The Cyclones have won the last two games played in the Knapp Center...the last time the two times met in the Knapp Center, ISU's Rahshon Clark recorded a career-high 26 points behind a career-high 5-of-6 effort from 3-point range in an 89-74 ISU victory.
-Clark has had outstanding success vs. the Bulldogs, averaging 17.6 points, shooting 61.3 percent from the field (19-31 FG) and hitting 60 percent (9-15 3FG) from downtown in three career games vs. Drake.
-Wesley Johnson had 16 points and 10 boards in last year's game vs. Drake.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has faced Drake a number of times in his career...he is 8-3 all-time vs. Drake, going 8-2 vs. the Bulldogs as head coach at UNI...he is 0-1 against Drake as the Cyclone mentor.
-Many of the Drake and Iowa State players competed together as teammates in the summer Capital City League in Des Moines...ISU's Bryan Petersen and Cory Johnson were teammates with Drake's Josh Young on the team that won the championship.

A Closer Look At Drake (5-1)
-Drake is off to a fantastic start to the 2007-08 season at 5-1...the Bulldogs' only blemish was a 72-66 loss at St. Mary's.
-The Bulldogs are fresh off a 77-73 win over Duquesne in the championship game of the Iowa Realty Drake Classic...Leonard Houston and Klayton Korver scored 23 and 22 points, respectively, to pace the team.
-The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Houston and sophomore guard Josh Young...Houston leads the team in scoring at 18.5 ppg...he is shooting 45.2 percent from 3-point range...Houston also has a team-high 14 steals.
-Young, who averaged 10.7 ppg to earn all-MVC Newcomer honors last season, is second on the team in scoring at 16.7 ppg...Young has a team-high 22 treys, making 22-of-48 shots from downtown for a 45.8 percent clip...Young scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field in last year's win over Iowa State.
-Junior forward Jonathan Cox is Drake's top rebounder, averaging 8.0 rebounds per game...Cox had seven points and nine boards in the Duquesne victory.
-As usual, Drake's pressure defense is creating many turnovers...Drake's opponents are averaging 21.6 tpg.
-Drake is averaging 80.2 ppg and its opponents are scoring just 61.7 ppg.

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.

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 17-9 when it opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 11 times to its opponents since McDermott took over, going 1-10.
-ISU has not allowed an opponent to score over 70 points this season, averaging 59.7 ppg in scoring defense.

Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones are holding their opponents to 36.5 percent shooting from the floor...only one team this season (Bradley) has shot above 43.0 percent against the Cyclones.
-ISU's opponents are hitting just 30.0 percent from 3-point range.
-The Cyclones have held two teams (Winston-Salem State; Oregon State) to below 30 percent shooting from the field.
-ISU currently ranks third in the league in field goal percentage defense (36.5 pct.).

Cutting Down The Mistakes
-Iowa State has done a remarkable job in keeping its turnover total down in its last three games...the Cyclones gave up the ball 56 times in their first three games (18.6 tpg)...however, in its last three games, ISU has committed just 33 turnovers (11.0 tpg), including a season-low seven turnovers against UNI.

Looking For No. 400
-ISU recorded its 399th win in Hilton Coliseum against Centenary on Nov. 10...the Cyclones will get their third chance at 400 wins against Iowa on Dec. 8.

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 84 career games and 38 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 league...possessing a 39-inch vertical step jump, Clark's high-flying dunks have excited the Hilton crowd since 2004-05...Clark has 60 career dunks.
-Clark has jumped out to a fantastic start to 2007-08, averaging 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds...he is shooting 61.4 percent from the floor (27-44 FG)...he has been above 50 percent from the field in all six games this season.
-Clark is closing in on an unique mark in Cyclone history...he needs eight steals to become the first player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (13th-126), blocks (7th-85) and 3-pointers (10th-86).
-Clark needs 116 points (884) 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 (T2nd-2.0 bpg)...Clark leads the team with 12 swats, recording a block in all six games.

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 team in scoring at 14.0 ppg...their 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 four of six 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).

Frontcourt Dominance
-Iowa State's inside presence is its strength...three of the top four scorers on the Cyclone team (Craig Brackins, 14.0 ppg, Rahshon Clark, 11.2 ppg and Jiri Hubalek, 8.3 ppg) are frontcourt players.
-239 of ISU's 358 points scored this season have come from its forwards and centers, which is responsible for 66.7 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.
-ISU returns just one player in the backcourt that played over 100 minutes last season (walk-on Brock Jacobson played 154 minutes in 2006-07).
-ISU has 10 new members on its roster this season.
-Junior college transfers Sean Haluska and Bryan Petersen joined the team as recruited walk-ons but have been placed on scholarship for this season.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott is the first native Iowan to coach the Cyclones since Clayton Sutherland.
(1948-54)...McDermott is from Cascade; Sutherland was from Nashua.
-McDermott entered the 2007-08 season with the 55th-best winning percentage among Division I coaches.
-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 not allowed an opponent to score over 70 points this season, averaging 59.7 ppg in scoring defense.
-ISU is 3-0 when shooting better than its opponent and 0-3 when shoots worse than its opponent.
-ISU is 3-0 when outrebounding its opponents and 0-3 when getting outrebounded.
-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 five of six games this season, going 3-2 in those games.

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 399-139 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 And Bulldogs Continue Rivalry

Players Mentioned

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Diante Garrett

Sean Haluska

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Brock Jacobson

Brock Jacobson

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Bryan Petersen

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

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Iowa State University Athletics

Cyclones And Bulldogs Continue Rivalry

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Players Mentioned

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Diante Garrett

Sean Haluska

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Brock Jacobson

Brock Jacobson

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Bryan Petersen

Alex Thompson

Alex Thompson

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