Iowa State-Texas Tech Game Sold Out

03.02.2007 | Men's Basketball

By: Iowa State University

Iowa State (15-14, 6-9) vs. Texas Tech (19-11, 8-7)

March 3, 2007 ? 7 p.m. ? Ames, Iowa ? Hilton Coliseum (14,356)

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

Television: Big 12 Network/ESPN Regional; Dave Armstrong (pxp), Larry Farmer (color)

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

Gameday Quick Facts

Iowa State (15-14, 6-9), winners of three of its last five games, plays its final home game on Saturday against Texas Tech (19-11, 8-7)...ISU is currently tied for eighth in the Big 12 standings...ISU can be anywhere from a 6 to 10 seed at next week's Big 12 Championship...Missouri, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Iowa State and Nebraska are in a mad scramble for the sixth spot...ISU owns tiebreakers on Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska, while Oklahoma State has the tiebreaker over ISU...Saturday's game will be the last for four seniors...Jessan Gray, Chris Ceaser, Jeff Bergstrom and Dustin Streff will wear an ISU uniform for the last time in Hilton Coliseum...ISU has won seven of its last eight Senior Night games.

Cyclone-Red Raider Quick Facts

Iowa State leads the all-time series vs. Texas Tech at 8-6 and has a 5-1 mark against the Red Raiders in Ames...the Red Raiders have dominated the series recently, winning five of the last six games in the series, including last season's 76-73 victory in Lubbock...the Red Raiders are coached by Bobby Knight...Knight has been a thorn in the Cyclones' side during his Hall of Fame career...Knight has a 9-1 all-time record vs. Iowa State, going 4-0 as the head coach at Indiana and 5-1 as the head coach at Texas Tech...Knight is 3-1 in his career in games played in Hilton Coliseum...the Cyclones picked up their lone win against Knight in the last meeting between the two teams in Ames, as ISU downed the Red Raiders, 81-68 on Feb. 12, 2005...this will be ISU head coach Greg McDermott's first meeting against Texas Tech and a Bob Knight-coached team.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State (15-14, 6-9) picked up its second conference road win with a 69-63 victory at Nebraska Wednesday night...the Cyclones have won three-straight games in Lincoln for just the fourth time in school history (1944-47, 1961-63 and 1995-97)...ISU held a 16-point first half lead before the Huskers chopped the deficit to three points late in the second half...however, ISU made its free-throws down the stretch and came up with the big play when it needed it...the Cyclones received strong efforts from Wesley Johnson and Corey McIntosh, who both recorded career-highs in points to pace the Cyclones to their sixth conference win and their third in the last five games...Johnson tallied 22 points, tying for the 21st-best scoring performance by a Cyclone freshman...he is just the third Cyclone to reach 20 points in a game this season (Taylor- 9, Hubalek-1)...McIntosh had 14 points, making 3-of-5 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line...McIntosh, who is averaging 4.5 ppg on the season, is averaging 11.3 points in his last three games...McIntosh was 3-for-20 from the field (15.0 percent) in his first 11 Big 12 games...he is 10-of-19 from the floor (52.6 percent) in his last four games...Johnson hit a pair of treys and grabbed six boards in the win...Johnson has 29 treys on the season, ranking fourth on ISU's freshmen 3-pointers made list...he needs two rebounds to pass Nick Collison (Kansas, 1999-2000) to the No. 6 spot on the Big 12 all-time freshmen rebounding list...Johnson has 233 boards this season and ranks third in the league in rebounding (8.0 rpg)...Mike Taylor drilled three treys en route to 19 points...Taylor has made a 3-pointer in 25 consecutive games, which is a school record...Taylor, who ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring at 16.3 ppg, has 72 treys this season, ranking sixth on ISU's single-season chart and 15th on the ISU career chart...ISU shot 47.9 percent from the floor, ending a three-game stretch of below-40 percent from the field...it was the third-best shooting effort for ISU in a league game this year...ISU is now 11-0 when outshooting its opponent and is 14-4 when holding opponents to under 70 points...ISU held Nebraska to 38.3 percent from the floor, the 12th time ISU has held an opponent to under 40 percent shooting this season...ISU was 8-for-17 from 3-point range, the 13th time this season where ISU made seven or more treys in a game...ISU has made 191 treys this season, 10 shy of the single-season school record (201) set by last year's (2005-06) team.

What Happened Last Time?

The Cyclones and Red Raiders last met a year ago in Lubbock, as the Cyclones fell 76-73 (Jan. 14, 2006)...ISU had a pair of chances late to win the game, but a traveling call on Rahshon Clark with :13 seconds left and a charge by Curtis Stinson in the final moments ended ISU's hopes...Jarrius Jackson scored 23 points for the Red Raiders...Will Blalock led ISU with 21 points...Jiri Hubalek had 13 points and four rebounds.

Texas Tech (19-11, 8-7)

Texas Tech (19-11, 8-7) is still hoping for an invitation to the NCAA Tournament as it enters Hilton Coliseum...the Red Raiders won four of their first five Big 12 games followed by five-straight losses...however, TTU has rebounded by winning four of its last five, including an 85-74 victory over Baylor Wednesday night...the Red Raiders have three huge wins on their resume, defeating Texas A&M twice and downing Kansas, a pair of teams that are ranked in the top-10...senior preseason all-league pick Jarrius Jackson has lived up to all expectations in his final season, ranking second in the league in scoring at 20.1 ppg...Jackson is TTU's second all-time-leading scorer with 2,148 points...the senior ranks sixth in the league in 3-pointers made (72) and third in 3-point field goal percentage (44.4 percent)...Jackson has three 30-point games this season, tallying 31 points at Oklahoma and at Texas A&M...junior Martin Zeno is Jackson's backcourt partner, averaging 16.5 ppg...Zeno is shooting 49.5 percent from the floor and has scored in double figures 27 times this season...Zeno leads the team in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and assists (3.4 apg)...junior college transfer Charlie Burgess is averaging 9.0 ppg and has hit 29 treys this season, making 46.8 percent of his shots from downtown...the Red Raiders don't shoot a lot of 3-pointers, but they do it at a high efficiency...the Red Raiders rank second in the Big 12 in 3-point shooting percentage, hitting at a 41.7 percent clip on the season...TTU has also been outstanding at the free-throw line, ranking second in the conference at 73.4 percent...the Red Raiders are last in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (-4.0).

Senior Night

Saturday will be the final home game for four of ISU's seniors...Jeff Bergstrom, Chris Ceaser, Jessan Gray and Dustin Streff will make their final appearance in Hilton Coliseum...Gray is the only scholarship senior...the other three are walk-ons...Gray is averaging 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds while starting three games this season...Ceaser has played in 13 games this year, while Bergstrom and Streff have appeared in eight games each...ISU has fared well on Senior Night (final regular season home game) as of late...the Cyclones have won seven of their last eight Senior Night games, including four-straight...ISU's last loss on Senior Night was a 79-76 loss to Texas on March 2, 2002.

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 (3662) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 66.4 percent of ISU's points this season (1228) 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 sixth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (6.59 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 61 consecutive games.

? ISU has been outrebounded in its last four games after outrebounding eight of its first 11 league opponents.

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 327-218 in home games...but is getting outshot at the charity stripe, 244-155 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 23rd nationally in least amount of fouls per game (16.1)...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 11-0 when outshooting its opponent and is 13-5 when shooting above 40 percent.

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

? ISU's ranks sixth in the league in field goal percentage defense (42.3 percent)...only five teams this year have shot 50 percent or above against ISU.

? In ISU's 15 Big 12 games, the Cyclones are averaging 8.9 turnovers (134) in the first half and 6.1 turnovers (91) in the second half.

? ISU is 3-3 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 (40.8 percent) and is shooting just 39.1 percent in league games.

? In league games only, ISU's top three players (Mike Taylor, Wesley Johnson, Jiri Hubalek) have combined for 67.2 percent (605/900) of its scoring and 65.1 percent (533/819) of its field goal attempts.

? Mike Taylor has scored 20 or more points in a game nine times...only two other Cyclones (Jiri Hubalek- 26 vs. Oklahoma; Wesley Johnson-22) 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 23rd nationally in fewest fouls per game at 16.1...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 58 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to just 16 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 67.2 percent (605/900) of its scoring production and 65.1 percent (533/819) of its field goal attempts in Big 12 action...the triumvirate are also responsible for 55.4 percent (287/518) 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 sixth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 6.59 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 191...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 13 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.

70 Is The Magic Number

Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...ISU is 14-4 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 (16.3), 3-pointers (72), assists (128) and steals (34)...he also has a team-high nine 20-point games...Taylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (16.3 ppg) and sixth in assists (4.41)...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 72 3-pointers ranks sixth in school history...he is currently riding a 25-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 25 consecutive games...out of 29 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 28 of 29 games, averaging 12.2 ppg and 8.0 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 8.0 rpg and his 233 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...94 of his 233 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.24 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 21 of 29 games this season...he has recorded double-digits on the boards in 11 of his last 22 games...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 12.3 ppg and 7.7 rpg...he ranks second all-time on ISU's freshman rebounding list with 233 boards and third on ISU's rookie blocks list (30)...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 29 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.

McIntosh Heating Up

Corey McIntosh's presence as a scoring threat has helped the Cyclones win two of their last three games...McIntosh, who is averaging just 4.5 ppg this season, is averaging 11.3 ppg in his last three games, tallying double figures twice...McIntosh posted a then-career-high 13 points in the win over Colorado...he established a new career high with 14 points in the victory at Nebraska...McIntosh was 4-of-18 from 3-point range (22.2 percent) in his first 26 games, but has made 5-of-7 (71.4 percent) in his last three games...in his first 11 Big 12 games, McIntosh made just three field goals, going 3-of-20 (15.0 percent)...in his last four league games, he is 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from the field.

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 17 games, where he is shooting 81-of-172 (47.1 percent) from the field and averaging 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 7.7 rebounds, tying for sixth in the Big 12.

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.