Cyclones Head To No. 25 Texas

Iowa State (12-11, 3-6) at No. 25 Texas (16-7, 6-3)

Feb. 10, 2007 ? 12:45 p.m. ? Austin, Texas ? Erwin Center (16,755)

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

Televsison: Big 12 Network/ESPN Regional; Dave Armstrong (pxp), Paul Splittorff (color)

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

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (12-11, 3-6) travels to No. 25 Texas (16-7, 6-3) to battle its fifth nationally-ranked opponent of the season...ISU is 0-4 vs. rated opponents this season...ISU has lost six-straight games to Big 12 South opponents on the road...Saturday's matchup will feature the two best freshmen in the Big 12 in UT's Kevin Durant and ISU's Wesley Johnson...the pair rank one-two in the Big 12 in rebounding (Durant, 11.6 rpg; Johnson, 8.9 rpg) and double-doubles (Durant, 14; Johnson, 11)...Durant and Ohio State's Greg Oden are considered the top-two freshmen in the nation...Iowa State, Michigan State and Tennessee are the only three teams to face both players this season.

Cyclone-Longhorn Quick Facts

Iowa State leads the all-time series against Texas at 8-7...it is one of five Big 12 series' that ISU owns the lead on (Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Baylor and Colorado are the others)...UT leads the all-time series in games played in Austin at 5-1...ISU picked up its lone win in Austin in its last visit, a 92-80 victory in overtime on Feb. 5, 2005...the win ended ISU's 28-game Big 12 road losing streak...UT defeated ISU last year in Ames, 78-58...Texas has a 6-4 mark against Iowa State since the Big 12 was formed in the 1996-97 season...UT coach Rick Barnes is 5-3 alltime against Iowa State...ISU head coach Greg McDermott has never faced Texas or a Rick Barnes-coached team...ISU has three players from the state of Texas (Jeff Bergstrom, Kingwood; Chris Ceaser, Humble; Wesley Johnson, Corsicana)...Johnson's parents, Robert and Mary, will be in attendance for the third time this season.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State struggled on both ends of the court in its 77-55 loss to Missouri Tuesday night in Hilton Coliseum...the loss ended ISU's seven-game home winning streak to the Tigers in Hilton Coliseum...the Cyclones committed 16 turnovers and allowed Missouri to shoot 52.5 percent from the floor, its highest opponent percentage against a Big 12 opponent...MU managed to score 34 points in the paint compared to ISU's eight...the Tigers shot 66.7 percent in the second half, while ISU hit just 35.2 percent for the game...ISU is shooting just 38.3 percent from the field in Big 12 action and has failed to hit 40 percent from the floor in five of nine Big 12 games this season...freshman Wesley Johnson led ISU with 17 points, hitting a career-high five shots from beyond the arc...Johnson is 10-of-18 (55.5 percent) from 3-point range in his last three games...Johnson also grabbed seven boards in the contest to give him 204 on the season, the third-best total for an ISU freshman in school history...he needs 10 rebounds to pass Jeff Grayer (213, 1984-85) at the No. 2 spot on the list...Johnson's effort from downtown helped ISU record 10 treys in the game, the sixth time this season where ISU made 10 or more 3-pointers in a game...Mike Taylor tallied 15 points and poured in a pair of 3-point buckets to give him 58 on the season...Taylor currently ranks 12th on ISU's single-season 3-pointers made list (58)...he increased his consecutive game 3-pointer made streak to 19 games, the second-longest streak in school history (21, Dedric Willougbhy, 1996-97)...Taylor has now scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games...Rahshon Clark had four points, three boards and one block in the loss...Clark now has 71 blocks in his career, tying for eighth on ISU's career blocked shot chart...ISU was outrebounded by MU, 37-30, just the third time in nine Big 12 games where ISU lost the battle of the boards

No. 25 Texas (16-7, 6-3)

No. 25 Texas (16-7, 6-3) has lost two-straight games, falling to Kansas State (73-72) in Austin and losing on the road to No. 6 Texas A&M (100-82) Monday night...Texas lost the majority of its team to graduation and NBA defections...however, UT has replenished its roster with one of the nation's best freshmen class...the class is headlined by forward Kevin Durant, who is arguably having one of the best rookie seasons in NCAA history...Durant leads the Big 12 and all NCAA freshmen in scoring (25.4 ppg) and rebounding (11.6 rpg)...Durant, who has six 30-point games this season, tallied 25 points and 15 boards in the Texas A&M loss on Monday...Durant has a Big 12-best 14 double-doubles and is averaging 32.6 points and 13.9 rebounds in nine conference games...he is on pace to break the Big 12 scoring average record in conference games currently held by ISU's Marcus Fizer (24.8 ppg, 1999-00)...four of UT's top five scorers are freshmen...point guard D.J. Augustin is averaging 13.5 points and leads the Big 12 in assists at 6.9 apg...forward Damion James, a freshman from Noacogdoches, Texas, is averaging 7.1 rpg and 7.1 ppg...sophomore A.J. Abrams is the seasoned veteran on the team...Abrams is averaging 15.6 ppg and leads the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 3.6 3FG per game...he has made 84-of-194 3-point attempts (43.3 percent) this season...UT is an outstanding 3-point shooting team, leading the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 9.3...UT also ranks fourth in 3-point percentage, hitting 39.0 percent from beyond the arc...the Longhorns are also the top scoring team in the league, averaging 83.7 points per game.

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).

? 64.1 percent of the minutes played (2965) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 65.8 percent of ISU's points this season (987) 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."

? 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 (6.91 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 55 consecutive games.

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

? ISU has outrebounded 12 of its last 16 opponents, 594-527 a +4.2 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, 301-199 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 164-91 in away games.

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

? ISU ranks 25th nationally in least amount of fouls per game (16.0)...only six teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma State) have committed less fouls than ISU in a game this year.

? ISU has made seven or more 3-pointers in a game this year 11 times.

? ISU is 9-0 when outshooting its opponent.

? ISU has held its last 10 opponents to 41.1 percent from the field (235-571).

? Only one Big 12 opponent has shot above 46.0 percent from the field against ISU this season (Missouri).

? In ISU's nine Big 12 games, the Cyclones are averaging 9.4 turnovers (85) in the first half and 5.7 turnovers (51) in the second half.

? ISU is 1-3 when having the lead at the half in Big 12 games...ISU is 2-3 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 38.3 percent.

ISU/McDermott Against Rated Opponents

ISU is 68-195 all-time against ranked opponents (ranked at tip)...ISU is 0-4 against ranked opponents this season (0-2 on the road; 0-1 at home)...ISU's last win against a ranked opponent was a 96-79 win over No. 25 Colorado on Feb. 5, 2006...25 of ISU's 68 wins vs. ranked opponents have occurred against top-10 teams...ISU is 7-98 vs. ranked teams on the road and 46-58 vs. ranked opponents at home...ISU's last win against a ranked team on the road was a 63-61 overtime victory over Kansas on Feb. 19, 2005...ISU head coach Greg McDermott is 0-4 vs. ranked opponents while at Iowa State...his all-time record vs. ranked opponents as a Division I head coach is 6-9.

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 25th 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 46 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to have just 14 double-bonus situations (10 fouls) at the free-throw line...only six teams this season (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State) have tallied less fouls than ISU.

Locking Down

Iowa State's effort on the defensive end has been a bright spot this season...ISU's opponents are shooting 42.0 percent from the field on the year with just four teams (Bradley, Southeast Missouri State, Ohio State, Missouri) achieving above-50 percent mark from the floor...in recent games, it has been even better...in ISU's last 10 games, Cyclone opponents are shooting just 41.2 percent (235-571) from the field...in conference games only, ISU ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage defense at 42.6 percent...ISU has not allowed a conference opponent to shoot above 46.0 percent from the field this season.

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 (37.5-33.8) 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 12 of its last 16 opponents for a +4.2 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 6.9 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 159...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 11 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.

70 Is The Magic Number

Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...ISU is 11-3 this season when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points nine times to its opponents this season, going 1-8 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 drastically improved his rebounding, ranking second on the team at 6.6 rpg, which ranks ninth 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 in 10 of 21 games 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 (16.5), 3-pointers (58), assists (100) and steals (26)...he also has a team-high eight 20-point games...Taylor ranks eighth in the Big 12 in scoring (16.6 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.40)...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 58 3-pointers ranks 12th in school history...he is currently riding a 19-game streak of making at least one 3-pointer...the streak ranks second all-time in school history.

Taylor Earns Big 12 Rookie Of The Week Honors Twice

Mike Taylor posted arguably the greatest back-to-back half performances in school history against Minnesota and Lake Superior State, helping him earn Big 12 Co-Rookie of the Week honors...in the second half vs. Minnesota, Taylor had 25 points and six treys...he answered that performance in his next game, tallying 22 points and six treys in the first half vs. Lake Superior State...at one point, Taylor had a string of nine consecutive 3-pointers made...here is a closer look at his consecutive half performances...he earned his second Big 12 ROW honor after averaging 21.0 points and drilling 10 treys as ISU split games vs. Nebraska and Kansas...Taylor was 6-of-10 from downtown vs. Nebraska to record his third 6-trey game of the season.

Taylor Ties Single-Game Scoring Mark For First-Year Cyclones

Mike Taylor had a career night vs. Minnesota, pouring in 33 points to help ISU down the Gophers...Taylor's 33 points vs. Minnesota ties the school record for most points in a game by a Cyclone in their first season on the team.

Taylor's 3-Point Streak

Mike Taylor has made a 3-pointer in an impressive 19 consecutive games...out of 23 games this season, Taylor has been shut out from beyond the arc just once...Taylor's mark of making a trey in 19 consecutive games is the second-best streak all-time in the Cyclone annals.

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 23 games, averaging 12.6 ppg and 8.9 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 has recorded a double-double in nine of his last 16 games...he ranks second in the Big 12 (again behind Durant) in rebounding at 8.9 rpg...despite his lack of size, Wesley's incredible leaping ability allows him to be an effective offensive rebounder...85 of his 204 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.70 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 18 of 23 games this season...he has recorded double-digits on the boards in 11 of his last 16 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 13.2 ppg and 9.6 rpg...he currently has 204 rebounds on the season, which ranks third on ISU's freshman list...he needs 10 boards to pass Jeff Grayer and move into the No. 2 spot...Johnson has been showing his range as of late, making 10-of-18 shots (55.1 percent) from downtown in his last three games, including a career-high five vs. Missouri.

Johnson Among Best Freshmen Rebounders

Wesley Johnson currently ranks second in the Big 12 and 34th nationally in rebounding at 8.9 rpg...his rebounding average ranks second among all NCAA Division I freshmen as of 2-4-07...here is a look at the top freshmen rebounders this season:

Johnson Racking Up Double-Doubles

Wesley Johnson already has 11 double-doubles in 23 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...Ron Harris, who started every game of his four-year Cyclone career (111 games), started all 27 games of ISU's 1980-81 season en route to Big Eight Freshman of the Year honors...Adam Haluska played just one season at Iowa State, but started all 31 games in his rookie season with the Cyclones in 2002-03...Haluska, who transferred to Iowa after the season ended, was named to the 2003 Big 12 all-Freshman team...Curtis Stinson was close to joining the list in his freshman year in 2003-04, but he missed one start in ISU's 33 games that year en route to Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors...his only missed start was on "senior night" in ISU's last home game that season.

Johnson Honored By Big 12 Twice

Iowa State freshman forward Wesley Johnson has earned two Big 12 awards this season, claiming Big 12 Player of the Week Honors (Dec. 18) and earning Big 12 Rookie of the Week accolades (Jan. 8)...he posted a pair of double-doubles to help him earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors for games played from Dec. 11-17...Johnson was just the third freshman in Big 12 history to win player of the week honors, following Mario Chalmers of Kansas (Feb. 13, 2006) and Oklahoma's Drew Lavender (Dec. 15, 2003)...Johnson averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds that week...Johnson tallied 14 points and 13 boards against Missouri to help him win Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors...he scored four points in the final :11 seconds, including the game-winner with :01.6 on the clock to secure ISU's 66-65 win over the Tigers.

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 11 games, where he is shooting 52-of-105 (49.5 percent) from the field and averaging 1.4 bpg...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.1) and ranks eighth in blocks (1.33)...he is tied for fifth in the Big 12 with four double-doubles.

Players Mentioned

Jeff Bergstrom

Jeff Bergstrom

Will Blalock

Chris Ceaser

Chris Ceaser

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Dodie Dunson

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Curtis Stinson

Mike Taylor

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