Cyclones Travel To Kansas State

Iowa State (13-12, 4-7) at Kansas State (18-8, 7-4)

Feb. 17, 2007 ? 5 p.m. ? Manhattan, Kan. ? Bramlage Coliseum (13,344)

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

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

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

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (13-12, 4-7) travels to Kansas State (18-8, 7-4) this weekend...ISU has lost five consecutive games in Manhattan...KSU defeated ISU in Ames (69-60, Jan. 20) and is looking for its first season sweep against ISU since 1999...Mike Taylor needs one 3-pointer to break the school record for consecutive games with a trey...he is tied with Dedric Willoughby (1996-97) at 21...ISU rookie forward Wesley Johnson needs two rebounds to become ISU's second-best freshman rebounder...he currently has 212 boards, one behind former All-American Jeff Grayer, who grabbed 213 rebounds in the 1984-85 season.

Cyclone-Wildcat Quick Facts

Kansas State owns the all-time series lead vs. Iowa State at 127-75...the Wildcats lead the series in games played in Manhattan at 73-20...K-State has won five consecutive games against ISU in Bramlage Coliseum...ISU's last win in Manhattan was a 62-51 victory on Feb. 21, 2001...KSU head coach Bob Huggins is in his first season with the Wildcats, but has a 3-1 record against ISU...he was 2-1 against ISU when he was head coach at Cincinnati and his Wildcat team defeated ISU earlier this season, 69-60...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 played at Kansas State while he was a player for UNI during the 1984-85 season...the Panthers lost to the Wildcats, 72-59...McDermott is 0-2 lifetime against Huggins...McDermott's UNI squad lost at Cincinnati in Nov. of 2004, 76-70...ISU senior Chris Ceaser and KSU senior Cartier Martin were high school teammates at Nimitz High School in Houston.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State (13-12, 4-7) picked up its fourth conference victory with a 58-51 win over Oklahoma Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum...the Cyclones received a tremendous effort from center Jiri Hubalek, who poured in a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor...Hubalek, who grabbed a team-high nine boards in the game, scored 11 points in a decisive 14-0 Cyclone run that helped ISU seize control early in the game...Hubalek is averaging 22.0 points and shooting 58.6 percent from the floor in his last two contests...he became just the second Cyclone to score over 20 points in a game this season...Mike Taylor has done it nine times...all of ISU's two-point baskets were scored in the paint...Taylor finished the game with 12 points and six assists in 37 minutes of action...Taylor made one trey in the game, increasing his streak of connecting on at least one 3-pointer to 21 games...he is currently tied with Dedric Willoughby (1996-97) for the school mark...Rahshon Clark scored all 10 of his points in the first half, tallying double figures for the first time in league action...Clark, who was 5-of-6 from the field, had scored a combined nine points in his last four games prior to OU...ISU hit 48.9 percent from the floor, its second-best effort from the field in Big 12 play, and held OU to 38.5 percent from the field...ISU is now 10-0 when outshooting its opponent...defensively, the Cyclones did a fantastic job stopping OU's Nate Carter, who was averaging 19.3 ppg in Big 12 games heading into the game...Carter scored just two points and was shutout from the field, going 0-for-5...the Cyclones also outrebounded the Sooners, 30-29, a team that was second in the conference in rebounding margin...ISU has outboarded 14 of its last 18 opponents and has been outrebounded just three times in 11 conference games...ISU was up by as many as 18 points in the second half and held on to the victory thanks to solid free-throw shooting...ISU made 12-of-15 (80 percent) from the line...the Cyclones have improved dramatically at the line as of late, making 48-of-58 from the charity stripe (82.7 percent) in their last four games.

Kansas State (18-8, 7-4)

Kansas State is 18-8 overall and 7-4 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 been on a tear as of late, winning eight of their last 10 games, which includes three Big 12 road wins (Missouri, Iowa State, Texas)...KSU ended its seven-game losing streak to Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum on Jan. 20 with a 69-60 victory...ISU struggled against the more physical Wildcats, falling behind 26-16 at the half, ISU's lowest half total of the season...KSU's David Hoskins took over down low, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 boards...ISU's Mike Taylor scored all of his team-high 21 points to lead the Cyclones...KSU is fresh off a 74-63 loss at Nebraska on Tuesday night...Cartier Martin led KSU with 22 points, going 8-of-14 from the field...the Wildcats are led by Martin, who has given KSU a spark from the bench in his final season...the 6-7, 225-pound Houston native has a great outside shooting touch, making 147 career 3-pointers...Martin became the 20th Wildcat to score over 1,000 points earlier this season...Martin leads the team in scoring at 16.0 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 14.3 ppg...in conference games only, Hoskins leads the team in both scoring (15.5) and rebounding (6.6)...senior Akeem Wright is one of the most versatile players on the team...the 6-6 guard is averaging 6.7 ppg and leads the team in rebounding (6.0)...senior Lance Harris has a 10.5 ppg scoring clip for the Wildcats and has made 43 3-pointers, connecting on 37.1 percent (43-116) from downtown...freshman center Jason Bennett is averaging just 13.1 minutes per game, but is making his presence known in the middle...the 7-3, Jacksonville, Fla., native leads the Big 12 in blocked shots (2.1 bpg)...KSU's defense has been solid all season...the Wildcats ranks fourth in the conference in field goal percentage at 41.2 percent.

Iowa State Team Quick Facts

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

? Of the 13 players that were alloted scholarships and were scheduled to return after the 2005-06 season, only five are currently on the roster (Hubalek, Clark, Marsden, Gray, Cory Johnson).

? 63.4 percent of the minutes played (3188) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 64.7 percent of ISU's points this season (1052) 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."

? Fans voted Iowa State and Hilton Coliseum as the nation's No. 1 team in regards to school spirit in a poll duing ESPN's "student spirit" week.

? Iowa State's student spirit group for men's basketball is called "Cyclone Alley"...a record number of over 3,000 students are members of Cyclone Alley, where the students sit behind both ends of the baskets.

? 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).

? 12 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 six games with 10 or more 3-pointers this year.

? ISU ranks fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (6.76 3FG).

? 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 57 consecutive games.

? ISU ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+3.7).

? ISU has outrebounded 14 of its last 18 opponents, 658-583 a +4.1 average margin.

? ISU has been outrebounded just three times in Big 12 play (Kansas, Colorado, Missouri).

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 316-210 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 184-101 in away games.

? Only 10 teams (Northern Iowa, Drake, Iowa, Bradley, Ohio State, Southeast Missouri State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas) 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 (16.1)...only seven teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas) have committed less fouls than ISU in a game this year.

? ISU has made seven or more 3-pointers in a game this year 12 times.

? ISU is 10-0 when outshooting its opponent.

? Only two Big 12 opponents have shot above 46.0 percent from the field against ISU this season (Missouri. Texas).

? In ISU's 11 Big 12 games, the Cyclones are averaging 9.4 turnovers (104) in the first half and 6.0 turnovers (66) in the second half.

? ISU is 2-3 when having the lead at the half in Big 12 games...ISU is 2-4 when its opponents have the lead at the half in Big 12 games.

? ISU is last in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (league games only) at 39.5 percent.

? In league games only, ISU's top three players (Mike Taylor, Wesley Johnson, Jiri Hubalek) have combined for 70.2 percent (475/677) of its scoring and 65.7 percent (400/610) of its field goal attempts.

? ISU is shooting 82.7 percent from the free-throw line in its last four games (48-58 FT).

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 16.0...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 50 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to have just 14 double-bonus situations (10 fouls) at the free-throw line...only seven teams this season (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas) have tallied less fouls than ISU.

ISU's Big Three

The majority of ISU's production comes from its Big Three, Mike Taylor, Wesley Johnson and Jiri Hubalek...the trio are all averaging over double figures in scoring and are responsible for 70.1 percent (475/677) of its scoring production and 65.7 percent (400/610) of its field goal attempts in Big 12 action...the triumvirate are also responsible for 56.6 percent (225/397) of ISU's rebounding in league play...since conference play began, one of the three has led the team in scoring in all but one game (Dodie Dunson, Missouri)...all three are averaging over 12.5 ppg in league action...the next-best scoring average is 6.5 ppg by Rahshon Clark.

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 +3.7 margin (37.0-33.4) over its opponents in rebounding to rank fifth in the league...the Cyclones have only been outrebounded seven times this season (UC Riverside, Eastern Illinois, Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas, Colorado, Missouri) and just three times in league play (Kansas, Colorado, Missouri)...ISU has outboarded 14 of its last 18 opponents for a +4.1 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 6.76 3FG per game...six 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 169...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 12 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.

Improved Free-Throw Shooting Helping Cyclones

Iowa State has shot 70.0 percent from the line this season, but its efficiency from the charity stripe in recent games has been superb...ISU has shot 82.7 from the foul line (48-58 FT) in its last four games...here is a look at ISU's five starters and their free-throw percentages during that span.

70 Is The Magic Number

Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...ISU is 12-3 this season when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 10 times to its opponents this season, going 1-9 in those games.

Clark Is The Leader

Junior Rahshon Clark, now in his third-year as a starter and first year as team captain, is ISU's most experienced and most seasoned player...he brings to the table incredible athleticism and jumping ability...the junior has improved his rebounding, ranking third on the team at 6.3 rpg, which ranks 11th 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 10 times 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 recorded 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 (16.7), 3-pointers (64), assists (111) and steals (27)...he also has a team-high nine 20-point games...Taylor ranks eighth in the Big 12 in scoring (16.7 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.44)...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 64 3-pointers ranks eighth in school history...he is currently riding a 21-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer...he is tied with Dedric Wiloughby for the best consecutive 3-pointer made streak in school history.

Taylor's 3-Point Streak

Mike Taylor has made a 3-pointer in an impressive 21 consecutive games...out of 25 games this season, Taylor has been shut out from beyond the arc just once...Taylor's mark of making a trey in 21 consecutive games ties the school mark along with Dedric Willoughby, who had 21-straight games with a trey during the 1996-97 season.

Mike "The Microwave" Taylor

Mike Taylor has displayed the ability to heat up quickly with his shooting so far this season...Taylor has scored 20 or more points in a half four times this season...here is a look at his outstanding half performances this season:

Wesley Johnson- One Of The Nation's Best Freshman

True freshman Wesley Johnson is quietly putting together one of the best rookie seasons in the nation...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 25 games, averaging 12.3 ppg and 8.5 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 11 double-doubles this season...he ranks second in the Big 12 (again behind Durant) in rebounding at 8.5 rpg...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...88 of his 212 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.52 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 19 of 25 games this season...he has recorded double-digits on the boards in 11 of his last 18 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 12.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg...he currently has 212 rebounds on the season, which ranks third on ISU's freshman list...he needs two boards to pass Jeff Grayer and move into the No. 2 spot...Johnson has been showing his range as of late, making 11 treys in his last five games, including a career-high five vs. Missouri...he was named Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 18) and Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Jan. 8) this season.

Johnson Among Best Freshmen Rebounders

Wesley Johnson currently ranks second in the Big 12 and 39th nationally in rebounding at 8.5 rpg...his rebounding average ranks second among all NCAA Division I freshmen as of 2-11-07...here is a look at the top freshmen rebounders this season:

Johnson Racking Up Double-Doubles

Wesley Johnson already has 11 double-doubles in 25 games in his rookie season to rank second in the Big 12 Conference...Johnson passed Dean Uthoff for the most double-doubles by an ISU freshman when he recorded 14 points and 10 boards vs. Baylor...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.

Hubalek Breaks Out

Junior Center Jiri Hubalek's improved play has given ISU a much needed lift in the post...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 13 games, where he is shooting 69-of-134 (51.5 percent) from the field and averaging 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 13.1 points and 8.2 rebounds, tying for fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding...he is averaging 22.0 points in his last two games.

Cyclones Ink Four In Early Signing Period

Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott picked up four players who signed letters of intent to play basketball at Iowa State next season...Craig Brackins (F, 6-10, 215, Fr., Lancaster, Calif.), one of the best power forwards in the nation, Diante Garrett (G, 6-4, 170, Fr., Milwaukee, Wis.), a versatile guard from Milwaukee, Lucca Staiger (G, 6-5, 215, Fr., Baulstein, Germany), one of the best junior players in Germany and Charles Boozer (G, 6-3, 190, Fr., Raleigh, N.C.) will enroll at ISU in the Fall of 2007.

2007-08 Iowa State Signees

Craig Brackins, F, 6-10, 215, Freshman, Lancaster, Calif. (Brewster [N.H.] Academy)

Diante Garrett, G, 6-4, 170, Freshman, Milwaukee, Wis. (Vincent)

Lucca Staiger, G, 6-5, 215, Freshman, Baulstein, Germany (Urspring Academy/Decatur [Ill.] Christian)

Charles Boozer, G, 6-3, 190, Freshman, Raleigh, N.C. (Stoneridge [Calif.] Prep)

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.

The McDermotts Help Fight Cancer

Iowa State head men's basketball coach Greg McDermott and his wife Theresa will join forces with the Division I men's basketball coaches in Iowa and their spouses to host "Hoops for Hope," a fundraising gala benefiting the American Cancer Society...this event, which is a part of the Coaches vs. Cancer program, will raise funds to attain goals set by the American Cancer Society which include: reducing cancer incidence by 25 percent, reducing cancer mortality by 50 percent and measureably improving the quality of life for people with cancer...the decision to participate in this event was an easy one to make for the McDermotts...Theresa was diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2005...she had surgery to remove the cancer a week later and started chemotherapy in late December...she completed her final set of chemotherapy treatments in June and has made a wonderful recovery, thanks to a yearly mammogram that caught the disease early...she is now a cancer survivor...for information about the event, call 1-800-688-0147 or visit online at www.cancermw.org/hoopsforhope.

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Chris Ceaser

Chris Ceaser

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Dodie Dunson

Diante Garrett

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Lucca Staiger

Mike Taylor

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