ISU Prepares For Big 12 Championship

03.05.2007 | Men's Basketball

By: Iowa State University

#8 Iowa State (15-15, 6-10) vs. #9 Oklahoma (15-14, 6-10)

Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship ? March 8, 2007 ? 11:30 a.m.

Oklahoma City, Okla. ? Ford Center (18,879)

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

Television: ESPN Regional; Dave Armstrong (pxp), Reid Gettys (color)

Television Affiliates: ESPNU, WOI (Ames/Des Moines), KFXA (Cedar Rapids/Waterloo), KYOU (Ottumwa), Mediacom (Sioux City)

Gameday Quick Facts

No. 8 seed Iowa State (15-15, 6-10) will battle No. 9 seed Oklahoma (15-14, 6-10) in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 8 in Oklahoma City Okla...the winner of the game will face No. 1 seed Kansas on Friday (March 9)...the games will be played at the Ford Center...ISU has never played in the Ford Center, but ISU head coach Greg McDermott took his former Northern Iowa team to the Ford Center in the 2005 NCAA Tournament...UNI lost 57-52 to Wisconsin.

Iowa State Conference Tournament History

The Cyclones earned the 8th seed in the Big 12 Championship for the second time in school history...ISU was the eighth seed in 2003-04...the Cyclones are 7-9 in Big 12 Tournament history, including a championship in 2000...ISU is 65-81 all-time in conference tournaments with four league tournament championships to its credit...the Cyclones face ninth-seeded Oklahoma in the opening round...ISU is 1-0 against the Sooners in Big 12 Championship history and 10-13 vs. OU all-time in league tournament games...ISU defeated OU in the championship game of the 2000 Big 12 Tournament, downing the Sooners, 70-58...the Cyclones defeated OU on Feb. 13 in Ames, handing the Sooners a 58-51 defeat in Hilton Coliseum, starting a six-game skid for OU...if the Cyclones advance against OU, they will face the top-seed Jayhawks of Kansas...ISU is 0-2 vs. KU in the Big 12 Tournament, losing its last meeting 89-74 in 2003...ISU is 7-18 overall vs. the Jayhawks in conference tournament history...the Cyclones lost twice to KU this season (68-64 ot, 89-52)...ISU is 2-4 against Big 12 South teams this season.

Cyclone Update

Iowa State (15-15, 6-10) came up short on Senior Night for the first time since 2002, losing in the final seconds to Texas Tech, 63-61 in Hilton Coliseum Saturday night...ISU went scoreless for over five minutes from the field in the second half, missing nine-straight shots to help Tech take the lead...TTU had a seven point lead with less than three minutes remaining, but ISU cut the deficit to one-point behind a pair of treys from Mike Taylor and Wesley Johnson...ISU had a chance to tie or win with the last possession, but the Cyclones were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer...ISU shot just 29.6 percent (8-of-27) in the second half...the Cyclones are now 1-10 lifetime against Bob Knight-coached teams...Jiri Hubalek was solid for the Cyclones, tallying 25 points, one shy of his career high of 26 against Oklahoma...Hubalek was 9-for-17 from the floor and grabbed eight boards in the loss...he scored ISU's first 13 points of the game...the junior is ninth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 6.9 boards per game...Wesley Johnson chipped in with 16 points and six boards...Johnson, who sank two treys in the game, now has 31 3-pointers on the season, the third-best freshman season effort in school history...Johnson has a team-high 239 boards to rank fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding (8.0 rpg)...Johnson's 239 rebounds is the sixth-best total by a freshman in Big 12 history...he is seven rebounds behind Oklahoma State's Ivan McFarlin in fifth place (246)...Mike Taylor ended the game with just five points, but dished out seven assists...Taylor kept his school-record streak alive by hitting one 3-pointer...Taylor has hit a trey in 26 consecutive games...the Cyclones were 5-of-18 from 3-point range against the Red Raiders...ISU has 196 treys on the season, five shy of the single-season school record set by last year's team with 201...the Cyclones ended their four-game streak of getting outboarded, outrebounding Texas Tech, 42-32.

What Happened Last Time?

Iowa State defeated Oklahoma, 58-51 in Hilton Coliseum on Feb. 13 in the teams only meeting this season...Jiri Hubalek was virtually unstoppable in the game, tallying a career-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the field...Hubalek also grabbed nine boards...ISU shot a Big 12-high 48.9 percent from the field and held OU to 38.5 percent...the Cyclones held a 32-17 halftime advantage...Rahshon Clark added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for ISU...OU's Longar Longar scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds...ISU held Nate Carter in check, keeping him scoreless from the field (0-for-5).

Oklahoma (15-14, 6-10)

Oklahoma (15-14, 6-10) leads the all-time series vs. Iowa State at 105-77...OU defeated ISU last season in Norman, 83-82 in the teams only meeting...the Sooners won in miraculous fashion, rallying from a seven-point deficit with 1:12 left in the game...ISU head coach Greg McDermott will face Oklahoma and a Jeff Capel-coached team for the second time, owning a 1-0 mark vs. Capel...Sooner freshman Bobby Maze and ISU rookie Wesley Johnson both played on the same AAU team, the Dallas Mustangs...Sooner freshmen Tony Crocker and Bobby Maze played for The Patterson School prep school in North Carolina last season...Wesley Johnson was briefly on the team before transferring to another prep school (Eldon Academy)...Oklahoma assistant coach Rod Barnes was the head coach at Ole Miss from 1999-2006...ISU defeated Barnes' Rebel squad in 2000 (73-68) in Laie, Hawaii...it was the last time ISU defeated a rank team on a neutral court...Oklahoma lost its sixth-straight game on Saturday, falling 72-61 at Kansas State...Nate Carter led the Sooners with 14 points and seven rebounds...OU's six-game losing skid starting with its loss to Iowa State...OU had won its four previous games...Carter, who is averaging 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds, has been on a tear since league play began...Carter is averaging 16.5 points and 7.1 rebounds in conference games only...his 49.2 percentage clip from the field ranks fifth in the Big 12 and his 87.5 percentage from the foul line ranks second in the league in conference games only...junior Longar Longar, a 6-11 center from Rochester, Minn., is averaging 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds...he is shooting 55.8 percent from the field...the Sooners are an outstanding rebounding team, ranking third in the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +4.8...the Sooners have been tough on the defensive end, holding their opponents to a 40.2 percent clip from the field to rank third in the conference.

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).

? 62.7 percent of the minutes played (3781) this season are by newcomers on the roster.

? 65.6 percent of ISU's points this season (1254) 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 is tied for fifth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers per game (6.53 3FG)...ISU needs six treys to break the school mark for 3-pointers made in a season...ISU has 196 treys this season, five shy of the record of 201 set last season.

? 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 62 consecutive games.

? ISU ended its four-game streak of getting outboarded, outrebounding Texas Tech 42-32.

? ISU has outshot its opponents from the free-throw line, 348-238 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 24th nationally in least amount of fouls per game (16.2)...only nine teams (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Kansas-2, Colorado, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech) have committed less fouls than ISU.

? 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 16 Big 12 games, the Cyclones averaged 9.0 turnovers (144) in the first half and 6.0 turnovers (96) 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 39.0 percent in league games.

? In league games only, ISU's top three players (Mike Taylor, Wesley Johnson, Jiri Hubalek) have combined for 67.7 percent (651/961) of its scoring and 65.2 percent (568/871) 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, 25 vs. Texas Tech; 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 24th nationally in fewest fouls per game at 16.2...the Cyclones have had just five players foul out of a game this season compared to last year when a Cyclone fouled out 22 times...in 60 halves this season, the Cyclones have allowed their opponents to just 17 double-bonus situations (10 fouls) at the free-throw line...only nine teams this season (Northern Iowa, Iowa, Ohio State, Kansas-2, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech) 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 67.7 percent (651/961) of its scoring production and 65.2 percent (568/871) of its field goal attempts in Big 12 action...the triumvirate are also responsible for 55.0 percent (308/560) of ISU's rebounding in league play...all three are averaging over 12.4 ppg in league action...the next-best scoring average is 5.6 ppg by Dodie Dunson.

3-Point Attack

Iowa State currently ranks sixth in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made per game at 6.53 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 196, needing six to break the record...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 14-5 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 (15.9), 3-pointers (73), assists (135) and steals (35)...he also has a team-high nine 20-point games...Taylor ranks 10th in the Big 12 in scoring (16.3 ppg) and fifth in assists (4.50)...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 73 3-pointers ranks sixth in school history...he is currently riding a 26-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 26 consecutive games...out of 30 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).

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...Johnson has started 29 of 30 games, averaging 12.3 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 fourth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 8.0 rpg and his 239 boards is the sixth-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...96 of his 239 rebounds have come on the offensive end, averaging 3.20 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 22 of 30 games this season...in Big 12 games only, he is averaging 12.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg...he ranks second all-time on ISU's freshman rebounding list with 239 boards and third on ISU's rookie blocks list (33)...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 30 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 four games...McIntosh, who is averaging just 4.4 ppg this season, is averaging 9.3 ppg in his last four 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 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) in his last four games...in his first 11 Big 12 games, McIntosh made just three field goals, going 3-of-20 (15.0 percent)...in his last five league games, he is 11-of-22 (50.0 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 18 games, where he is shooting 90-of-189 (47.6 percent) from the field and averaging 12.6 points and 7.5 rebounds...in conference games only, Hubalek is averaging 7.7 rebounds, ranking seventh 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.

Four Cyclones Earn Academic All-Big 12

Four Iowa State men's basketball players were named to the 2007 Big 12 Academic All-Big 12 Men's Basketball Team...sophomore Ross Marsden, a native of Ames, Iowa, and Jeff Bergstrom, a senior from Kingwood, Texas, earned first-team honors, while Chris Ceaser (senior, Humble, Texas) and Jiri Hubalek (junior, Prague, Czech Republic) were named to the second team...Marsden and Bergstrom are the first Cyclones to make first-team academic all-Big 12 since Jake Sullivan and Justin Fries did it in 2004.

Taylor And Johnson Receive Big 12 Awards

Iowa State's Mike Taylor and Wesley Johnson were rewarded for their skills on the basketball court this season, as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards were announced March 4...Taylor, a junior from Milwaukee, Wis., was named honorable mention all-Big 12 in his first season with the Cyclones after transferring from Chipola Junior College in Florida...Johnson, a freshman from Corsicana, Texas, was named to the Big 12 all-Rookie team.

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.