Cyclones Travel To Nebraska

Iowa State (14-14, 5-9) at Nebraska (16-11, 5-8)

Feb. 28, 2007 ? 7 p.m. ? Lincoln, Neb. ? Devaney Center (13,595)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network; John Walters (pxp), Kevin Lehman (color)

Television: Cyclone Television Network; Dave Armstrong (pxp), Paul Splittorff (color)

Television Affiliates: WOI (Des Moines/Ames), KCAU (Sioux City), KWKB (Cedar Rapids/Waterloo), Mediacom (Quad Cities/Mason City), Cox Cable (Omaha/Council Bluffs)

Live Webcast: Clone Zone (courtesy of the "NSide" at Huskers.com)

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (14-14, 5-9) travels to Nebraska (16-11, 5-8) to play its final Big 12 road game...Nebraska is tied for eighth in the Big 12 standings, a half game ahead of Iowa State, which sits alone in the 10th spot...the Cyclones have locked up no less than a 10th seed in the Big 12 Tournament, March 8-11 in Oklahoma City, Okla...Wesley Johnson has 227 rebounds, ranking seventh on the Big 12's freshmen rebounding list...he needs eight boards to move past Kansas' Nick Collison to No. 6 on the chart...Collison, a native of Iowa Falls, grabbed 234 caroms in the 1999-00 season.

Cyclone-Husker Quick Facts

Nebraska leads the all-time series against Iowa State at 128-97...the Huskers own the series lead in games played in Lincoln at 76-31 and have a 19-12 edge in games played in the Devaney Center...ISU has won the last two meetings in Nebraska...the prior six meetings the series before ISU's two-game winning streak were decided by a total of 15 points (2.5 differential)...NU head coach Doc Sadler is one of six new coaches in the Big 12...he lost his Big 12 debut to Iowa State, 71-62 on Jan. 10...Nebraska freshman Sek Henry and Iowa State freshman Wesley Johnson went to the same prep school, The Patterson [N.C.] School...Johnson did not compete for the team because he transferred to the school during the middle of the season after his other prep school (Eldon Academy [Mich.]) shut down.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State (14-14, 5-9) fell to Kansas, 89-52 Saturday in Lawrence...the Cyclones struggled from the field, shooting 32.7 percent, the eighth time in 14 league games where ISU failed to shoot above 40 percent from the floor...ISU was down 42-15 at the half, making just 17.9 percent from the floor in the opening period...the 15 points scored by ISU was the lowest half production since tallying 14 points in the first period at Texas Tech on Feb. 2, 2002...the Cyclones were outrebounded, 47-30 by the Jayhawks, marking the second game in a row where ISU lost the battle of the boards...in its first 12 league games, the Cyclones were outrebounded just three times...however, ISU has been outboarded in its last two games by a +12.5 margin...ISU failed to have a player in double figures in scoring, led by Dodie Dunson with eight points...it was the second league game this season where Dunson was ISU's top scorer...Dunson made a pair of treys to give him 27 for the season, tying for fifth all-time on ISU's freshman 3-pointers made list...Mike Taylor had his 17-game double figure scoring streak ended, tallying seven points...Taylor went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc, increasing his school-record consecutive game with a 3-pointer streak to 24...Rahshon Clark tallied five points, drilling a trey and making both of his free-throws...Clark now has 80 3-pointers in his career, ranking 10th on ISU's all-time list...Clark has made 13-straight free-throws...Jiri Hubalek had six points and nine rebounds to pace ISU on the glass...Hubalek leads ISU (conference games only) in rebounding at 7.9 rpg, ranking sixth in the league...Wesley Johnson had six points and four rebounds...Johnson has 227 boards this year, the seventh-best freshman output in Big 12 history...KU shot 52.2 percent from the floor, just the fifth time this season where ISU allowed a team to shoot above 50 percent.

What Happened Last Time?

Mike Taylor paced Iowa State to a 71-62 win over Nebraska in the Cyclones' Big 12 home opener on Jan. 10...Taylor tied a career-high with six treys, going 6-of-10 from beyond the arc en route to a game-high 22 points to halt NU's two-game winning streak in Hilton Coliseum...the Cyclones shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the second half, outscoring the Huskers 44-32 after being down at the break...ISU shot 46.2 percent for the game, its third-best shooting performance in a Big 12 game this season...Jiri Hubalek and Wesley Johnson both tallied double-doubles for the Cyclones...Hubalek had 13 points and 11 boards...Johnson had 10 points and 11 boards.

Nebraska (16-11, 5-8)

Nebraska (16-11, 5-8) is fresh off an 82-77 overtime victory over Missouri on Saturday...Aleks Maric led the Huskers with 31 points and 19 rebounds...the Huskers ride the strength of the veteran post player Maric, who leads the team in scoring at 17.8 ppg and has a team-high 8.1 rebounding average...Maric has nine 20-point games this season, including a season-high 41 vs. Kansas State...Maric, at 6-11 and 270 pounds, uses his wide body to get excellent post position...he currently leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 57.3 percent...Maric was virtually unstoppable against the Cyclones last season in Ames...Maric scored a then-career-high 37 points on 13-of-15 shooting from the floor, as Nebraska defeated ISU, 73-63...he also grabbed 16 boards in the game...freshman guard Ryan Anderson has been a pleasant surprise for the Huskers...Anderson ranks second on the team in scoring (10.6 ppg) and has made 42.9 percent of his 3-point attempts...Anderson scored a career-high 29 points in a 81-72 loss at Hawaii earlier this season...senior guard Marcus Perry has given the Huskers a spark, averaging 9.0 ppg...Perry had a career-high 25 points vs. Miami (Fla.) earlier this season...Perry leads the team with 53 3-pointers, making 41.1 percent from beyond the arc...senior guard Charles Richardson is having a strong senior season...Richardson has excelled in Sadler's up-tempo style, ranking second in the Big 12 in assists at 5.7 apg...Richardson, who averages 8.1 ppg, leads the team and ranks fourth in the league in steals with a 1.8 spg average...Nebraska has been an extremely efficient team on the offensive end...the Huskers rank fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage (38.0 percent), making 214-of-563 shots from beyond the arc this year...NU has seven players on the team who have made 15 or more treys.

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).

? 62.8 percent of the minutes played (3536) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 65.7 percent of ISU's points this season (1169) 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 (6.54 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 60 consecutive games.

? ISU has outrebounded 14 of its last 21 opponents.

? ISU has been outrebounded just six times in Big 12 play (Kansas-2, Colorado-2, Missouri, Kansas State).

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 327-218 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 221-130 in away games.

? Only 11 teams (Northern Iowa, Drake, Iowa, Bradley, Ohio State, Southeast Missouri State, Colorado, Texas A&M, Missouri, Texas, Kansas) have scored 70 or more points against ISU this season...22 teams scored 70 or more points against ISU last season.

? ISU ranks 22nd nationally in least amount of fouls per game (16.0)...only eight teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas-2, Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas) have committed less fouls than ISU in a game this year.

? ISU is 10-0 when outshooting its opponent.

? Only three Big 12 opponents have shot above 46.0 percent against ISU this season (Missouri, Texas, Kansas).

? ISU's ranks seventh in the league and 97th nationally in field goal percentage defense (42.5 percent)...only five teams this year have shot 50 percent or above against ISU.

? In ISU's 14 Big 12 games, the Cyclones are averaging 9.2 turnovers (129) in the first half and 6.1 turnovers (85) in the second half.

? ISU is 2-3 when having the lead at the half in Big 12 games...ISU is 3-6 when its opponents have the lead at the half in Big 12 games.

? ISU is last in the Big 12 in FG percentage (40.6 percent) and is shooting just 38.5 percent in league games.

? In league games only, ISU's top three players (Mike Taylor, Wesley Johnson, Jiri Hubalek) have combined for 67.6 percent (562/831) of its scoring and 64.5 percent (498/771) of its field goal attempts.

? ISU is shooting 77.5 percent from the free-throw line in its last six games (76-98 FT).

? Mike Taylor has scored 20 or more points in a game nine times...only one other Cyclone (Jiri Hubalek- 26 vs. Oklahoma) has reached 20 points in a game this year.

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 22nd 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 56 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to just 15 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 67.6 percent (562/831) of its scoring production and 64.5 percent (498/771) of its field goal attempts in Big 12 action...the triumvirate are also responsible for 55.4 percent (269/485) of ISU's rebounding in league play...all three are averaging over 11.1 ppg in league action...the next-best scoring average is 6.1 ppg by Dodie Dunson.

3-Point Attack

Iowa State currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 6.54 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 183...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...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.

Improved Free-Throw Shooting Helping Cyclones

Iowa State has shot 69.9 percent from the line this season, but its efficiency from the charity stripe in recent games has been superb...ISU has shot 77.5 from the foul line (76-98 FT) in its last seven games...ISU has not shot over 70 percent from the line during a season since 2001-02 (74.8)...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 13-4 this season when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 11 times to its opponents this season, going 1-10 in those games.

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 (16.2), 3-pointers (69), assists (124) and steals (33)...he also has a team-high nine 20-point games...Taylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (16.2 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.43)...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 69 3-pointers ranks sixth in school history...he is currently riding a 24-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer, the longest streak in school history.

Taylor's 3-Point Streak

Mike Taylor has made a 3-pointer in an impressive 24 consecutive games...out of 28 games this season, Taylor has been shut out from beyond the arc just once...Taylor made a 3-pointer in his 22nd consecutive game at Kansas State, eclipsing the old school mark held by Dedric Willoughby (21, 1996-97).

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...Johnson has started 27 of 28 games, averaging 11.9 ppg and 8.1 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 third in the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.1 rpg and his 227 boards is the seventh-best freshman total in Big 12 history...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...93 of his 227 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.32 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 20 of 28 games this season...he has recorded double-digits on the boards in 11 of his last 21 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 11.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg...he ranks second all-time on ISU's freshman rebounding list with 227 boards...he was named Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 18) and Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Jan. 8) this season.

Johnson Racking Up Double-Doubles

Wesley Johnson already has 11 double-doubles in 28 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 Felt Right At Home In Texas

Wesley Johnson, a native of Corsicana, Texas, enjoyed his two visits back to his home state...the rookie posted two strong performances at Texas A&M and Texas where his parents and family were able to watch...Johnson was a combined 15-of-23 from the field (65.2 percent) and averaged 17.0 ppg in the two games...he was 7-of-11 from the floor at Texas A&M and 8-for-12 from the field at Texas...he scored 17 points in both games.

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 16 games, where he is shooting 80-of-165 (48.4 percent) from the field and averaging 12.5 points and 7.7 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds, ranking sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding.

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.

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.

Iowa State Mourns The Loss Of Barry Stevens

Iowa State fans were shocked to hear the news that former Cyclone legend Barry Stevens died of a heart attack on Feb. 21 in Gary, Ind., at the age of 43...Stevens was one of former head coach Johnny Orr's first big time recruits, helping resurrect the ISU basketball program and create "Hilton Magic"...Stevens graduated in 1985 as ISU's all-time leading scorer (he ranks second to his best friend and high school teammate Jeff Grayer) with 2,190 points...a two-time first-team all-Big Eight pick, Stevens led ISU to its first 20-win season and to its first NCAA appearance in 41 years in the 1984-85 season...he averaged 18.7 ppg throughout his four-year career (1982-85), scoring 40 or more points in a game a school record two times.

Players Mentioned

Will Blalock

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

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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