Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Utah on February 24, 2026 , Win , 75, to, 59
Final
Men's Basketball
75
Utah
59
Iowa State University Athletics
ISU Travels To No. 2 Kansas
01.21.2008 | Men's Basketball
IOWA STATE (12-6, 2-1) AT NO. 2 KANSAS (18-0, 3-0)
Jan. 23, 2008 ? 6 p.m. ? Lawrence, Kan. ? Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Television: ESPN
Talent: Ron Franklin (pxp); Hubert Davis (color)
The Iowa State-Kansas game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State (12-6, 2-1), winners of nine of its last 11 games, travels to No. 2-ranked Kansas (18-0, 3-0) Wednesday evening on ESPN.
-KU is the first ranked team ISU has faced this season...the Cyclones have lost six consecutive games to ranked teams.
-ISU sophomore Wesley Johnson is the latest Big 12 Player of the Week winner...Johnson averaged 22.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in two ISU victories last week.
-Rahshon Clark became the 26th member of ISU's 1,000-point club on Saturday...he now ranks 25th all-time in ISU's career scoring chart with 1,006 points.
-Clark also became the first player in school history to rank in ISU's career top-10 in 3-pointers (9th-96), blocks (6th-97) and steals (T10-134) after recording a pair of steals in ISU's win over Oklahoma State.
-ISU has been a different team since Wesley Johnson and Jiri Hubalek healed up from early season injuries...in the last 10 games, the Cyclones are averaging 74.7 points, shooting 47.5 percent (257-541) and making 74.0 percent (168-227) of its free-throws.
-ISU is 10-0 this season when shooting better than its opponent.
-ISU has attempted 70 free-throws in its last two games and have had four games of over 30 free-throw attempts...ISU is second in the Big 12 in free-throw pct. (71.2).
Last Time Out
-Iowa State rallied back from a 10-point deficit to down Oklahoma State on Saturday, 73-66 for the Cyclones' eighth-straight home win.
-The Cyclones shot 50 percent for the game and held Oklahoma State to 41.0 percent, including a 30 percent effort in the second half...it was the sixth time this season where ISU shot above 50 percent from the field.
-ISU did its damage with its usual suspects, as the Cyclones had their Big Four (Wesley Johnson, Jiri Hubalek, Craig Brackins and Rahshon Clark) all score in double figures for the second consecutive game.
-Wesley Johnson led the way with a career-high 24 points, reaching 20 points for the second consecutive game and for the fourth time this season to help him earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors...Johnson was 8-of-15 from the floor and 3-of-6 from 3-point range...Johnson has been in double figures in scoring in eight consecutive games.
-Brackins added 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field...the freshman hit a big 3-pointer late in the game that put ISU up for good...Brackins ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring (league games only) at 20.7 ppg...Brackins is 59.6 percent (28-47 FG) from the field in his last five games.
-ISU had the advantage at the free-throw line, making a season-high 27 free throws in 33 attempts...ISU has attempted 70 free-throws in its last two games and have made 75.2 percent (115-153) from the free-throw line in its last seven games...ISU ranks second in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (71.2 percent).
-Jiri Hubalek, who had 13 points in the win, made 8-of-11 shots at the charity stripe...Hubalek ranks sixth in the Big 12 (74.7 pct.) and Wesley Johnson ranks fifth in the league in free-throw percentage (75.0 pct.).
-Alex Thompson did not attempt a field goal vs. OSU, but he was a key part in the victory...the junior from Ames provided ISU with a defensive spark with his hustle...Thompson blocked a career-high three shots, grabbed a career-high five rebounds, dished out three assists and drew two charges.
-ISU tied a season-high eight 3-pointers, connecting on 8-of-14 from beyond the arc (57.1 percent), rebounding from a 1-of-16 effort from distance in its previous game.
-ISU tallied eight steals against the Cowboys, the fourth time in the last six games where the Cyclones had eight or more steals...ISU is averaging 5.6 spg on the season, but has averaged 7.8 steals in the last six games.
Cyclone-Jayhawk Quick Facts
-Kansas leads the all-time series against Iowa State at 162-58 and has an 83-15 edge over the Cyclones in games played in Lawrence.
-Since the Big 12 formed in 1996-97, KU is 82-7 against league competition in Allen Fieldhouse...ISU is responsible for three of the seven losses (2000, 2001, 2005).
-The last time ISU beat a ranked team on the road was in 2005 when the Cyclones upended No. 2 Kansas, 63-61 in overtime on Curtis Stinson's last-second shot.
-KU head coach Bill Self is 6-2 against Iowa State.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott is 0-2 vs. Kansas and Bill Self-coached teams.
-ISU senior Rahshon Clark and KU senior Russell Robinson are both from the New York area...Clark is from Queens and Robinson is from the Bronx.
-KU junior Brandon Rush had both of his older brothers compete against Iowa State in their respective collegiate careers...Jaron Rush played at UCLA and Kareem Rush competed at Missouri.
-ISU's Wesley Johnson is averaging 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games vs. KU...Johnson had 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 68-64 overtime loss to KU in Hilton Coliseum last season.
-Senior Jiri Hubalek is averaging 10.0 pts. and 6.3 reb. in four games vs. KU.
A Closer Look At Kansas (18-0, 3-0)
-Kansas (18-0, 3-0) is no doubt one of the best teams in the nation...one of two unbeaten teams left in Division I, the second-ranked Jayhawks have the nation's No. 1 scoring margin, defeating their opponents by an average of 24.3 points.
-The Jayhawks rank second nationally in field goal percentage (51.6 pct.) and rank third nationally in assists (19.4) and steals (10.7).
-KU is solid up front with Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson...Arthur is averaging 13.2 points and connecting on 53.0 percent of his shots from the floor...Jackson is the team's top rebounder (7.1) and leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 67.2 percent.
-KU's guards are just as good with Mario Chalmers, Brandon Rush, Sherron Collins and Russell Robinson.
-Chalmers, a junior from Anchorage, Alaska, is averaging 12.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.9 steals...Chalmers leads the Big 12 and ranks sixth nationally in steals (2.9).
-Robinson averages only 6.9 points, but does everything else for the Jayhawks...Robinson ranks in the top-five in the Big 12 in steals (2nd, 2.3), assists (4th, 4.7) and assist/turnover ratio (5th, 2.10).
-Rush averages 11.8 points and ranks eighth on KU's career 3-pointers made list with 152.
-Collins comes off the bench for KU and averages 9.5 points.
-KU is outrebounding its opponents by a +6.7 margin to rank third in the Big 12.
ISU/McDermott Against Rated Opponents
-ISU is 69-196 all-time against ranked opponents (ranked at tip)...Kansas is ISU's first ranked opponent it has faced this season.
-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 69 wins vs. ranked opponents have occurred against top-10 teams.
-ISU is 7-99 vs. ranked opponents 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 No. 2 Kansas on Feb. 19, 2005.
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott is 0-5 vs. ranked opponents while at Iowa State...his all-time record vs. ranked opponents as a Divsion I head coach is 6-10.
70 Is The Magic Number
-Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...in the McDermott era, ISU is 25-9 when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 15 times to its opponents since McDermott took over, going 2-13.
-On the opposite end, Cyclones are 9-0 when reaching 70 points this season.
Don't Foul!
-Keeping fouls at a minimum has always been a staple of Greg McDermott-coached teams...ISU ranked 33rd nationally (16.5 fpg) in McDermott's first season at the helm a year ago.
-This season, the Cyclones have continued its strong track record of guarding opponents without fouling, ranking 29th nationally in least fouls per game (15.5 fpg).
Congratulations Graduates!
-ISU has two members of its team who graduated in December and are currently enrolled in graduate classes in seniors Jiri Hubalek and Mark Currie.
-Hubalek earned a degree in liberal arts and sciences and Currie graduated in civil engineering.
Brackins' Big Night
-Craig Brackins made an immediate splash in his Big 12 debut vs. Baylor...the true freshman set ISU rookie single-game standards in points (33) and 3-pointers (8), going 12-of-17 from the field and 8-of-10 from downtown in the 74-67 loss.
-Brackins' 33 points was one point better than the old mark formerly held by Curtis Stinson (32 vs. Rutgers, 2003-04) and Barry Stevens (32 vs. Northern Iowa, 1981-82).
-His eight treys was one shy off ISU's single-game school mark (9 by Dedric Willoughby vs. Kansas in 1996-97) and it shattered the previous freshman standard formerly held by Jake Sullivan (6 vs. Kansas, 2000-01).
-Brackins' 12 field goals against the Bears ranks second to Ron Harris for most field goals made in a game by a rookie...Harris tallied 13 field goals against Drake in 1980-81.
-He is one of five Big 12 freshmen to score 33 or more points in a game (Kevin Durant, Texas; Michael Beasley, Kansas State; Bernard King, Texas A&M; Aaron Bruce, Baylor) since the league formed in the 1996-97 season.
Offensive Resurgence
-To say the Iowa State offense has been on its mark in its last 10 games is an understatement...the Cyclones struggled in the early part of the season primarily because three of its top scorers were battling injuries.
-With the Cyclones finally getting through their injury bug, the ISU lineup has been running on all cylinders.
-In its last 10 games, the Cyclones are averaging 74.7 points, shooting 47.5 percent from the field (257-541 FG), hitting 74.0 percent (168-227 FT) of its free-throws and making 36.5 percent (65-178 3FG) of its shots from downtown.
-Through eight games this season, the Cyclones were averaging 57.2 ppg, which ranked 318 of 328 Division I teams in scoring average...ISU has now moved its scoring average total to 66.9 ppg this season to move up 100 spots to 218 out of 328 D-I teams.
Assists Are Up; Turnovers Are Down
-ISU has done a remarkable job in fixing its early season distribution and turnover problems...in its first three games, ISU dished out only 38 assists (12.6 apg) and committed 56 turnovers (18.7 tpg).
-Since then, the Cyclones have handed out 216 assists (14.4 apg) and committed just 181 turnovers (12.1 tpg) in their last 15 games...ISU has committed 10 or less turnovers in eight of its last 16 games.
-ISU ranked 39th nationally in fewest turnovers (12.9 tpg) in the last NCAA statistics (1-17-08).
-ISU is sixth in the Big 12 in assist/turnover ratio (1.07).
Free-Throw Shooting
-ISU has been a solid free-throw shooting team all season, making 71.2 percent of its shots from the charity stripe to rank second in the Big 12.
-The Cyclones are connecting on 75.2 percent (115-153 FT) of their shots at the foul line in the last seven games.
-ISU's starting five (Bryan Petersen, Wesley Johnson, Rahshon Clark, Craig Brackins, Jiri Hubalek) are all hitting at 73.3 percent or above on the season for a combined 75.8 percentage (195-257 FT) at the charity stripe.
-Wesley Johnson ranks fifth in the Big 12 (75.0 pct.) and Jiri Hubalek ranks sixth in the league (74.7 pct.) in free-throw shooting, respectively.
-Not only is ISU connecting on its shots from the line, it is getting there more often...through ISU's first seven games, the Cyclones shot 100 free-throws...ISU has shot 254 foul shots in its last 11 games.
-ISU has attempted 70 free-throws in the last two games and has shot 30 or more free-throws four times this season...in Big 12 games only, no team in the league has attempted more free-throws than ISU's 82...the Cyclones have an 82-44 free-throw advantage in three league games.
Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones are holding their opponents to 40.1 percent shooting from the floor to rank seventh in the league in field goal percentage defense...only six teams this season (Bradley, Drake, Bethune-Cookman, Purdue, Alabama, Missouri) have shot above 43.0 percent against the Cyclones.
-The Cyclones have held two teams (Winston-Salem State; Oregon State) to below 30 percent shooting from the field.
Defense In The Mac Era
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has always been a proponent of sound defense and his teams have responded to his coaching...in his second year at the helm, ISU has held 21 teams to below 40 percent shooting, including seven this season.
-ISU has held its opponents to under 60 points 15 times in the Mac era.
Scoring In Bunches
-ISU has many players who have the ability to record a lot of points in a short period of time.
-Seven times this season, a Cyclone has recorded 14 or more points in a half...Craig Brackins had 18 points in the second half vs. Baylor en route to an ISU freshmen record 33 points.
Top ISU Individual Half Scoring Totals
18 Craig Brackins, 2nd half vs. Baylor
17 Craig Brackins, 1st half vs. Minnesota
17 Wesley Johnson, 2nd half vs. Albany
15 Craig Brackins, 1st half vs. Baylor
16 Jiri Hubalek, 2nd half vs. Purdue
15 Jiri Hubalek, 1st half vs. Texas Southern
14 Wesley Johnson, 2nd half vs. Missouri
-In the Albany game, Johnson scored 15 consecutive ISU points on five-straight possessions in a three-minute span...Johnson scored 13 points in the first 8:23 minutes of the first half vs. North Dakota.
-Against Purdue, Hubalek recorded ISU's first 16 points of the second half in a five-minute span.
-Against Baylor, Brackins scored 15 points in the final 5:36 of the first half to help ISU forge a 38-31 halftime lead.
Clark Finishing Up Outstanding Career
-Senior Rahshon Clark is in his fourth season as a starter for the Cyclones and is no question one of the team leaders...Clark has started 96 career games and in 50 consecutive games.
-Clark is the only four-year player left on the ISU roster and stuck with Coach McDermott when most of his teammates left after former coach Wayne Morgan was relieved of his duties.
-Clark is one of the most athletic and dynamic players in the Big 12...possessing a 39-inch vertical step jump, Clark's high-flying dunks have excited the Hilton crowd since 2004-05...Clark has 69 career dunks.
-Clark has jumped out to a fantastic start to 2007-08, averaging 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds...he is shooting 54.3 percent from the floor (69-127 FG)...he has been above 50 percent from the field in 12 of 18 games this season.
-Clark is the only player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (10th-134), blocks (6th-97) and 3-pointers (9th-96)...he also ranks in the top-20 in career rebounds (20th-581).
-Clark earned all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Classic.
-Clark became the 26th player in ISU history to join the 1,000-point club after scoring 10 points vs. Oklahoma State...Clark ranks 25th all-time in ISU's career scoring chart with 1,006 points.
-Clark has established himself as one of the top shot blockers in the Big 12 this season (8th-1.3 bpg)...Clark has a team-high 24 swats.
-Clark is averaging 7.3 boards in Big 12 play, leading ISU on the boards in the last two games.
-Clark has excelled at being ISU's go-to defensive stopper, always drawing the assignment of guarding the opposing team's top offensive perimeter player.
Brackins Making Solid Debut
-Heralded rookie sensation Craig Brackins, a 6-10 freshman from Palmdale, Calif., has been impressive in his inaugural season...Brackins, who has started every game so far, was outstanding in his first career game, recording a double-double vs. Winston-Salem State, the first Cyclone freshman to record double-digits in both points (13) and rebounds (10) in their first game.
-Brackins is second on the team in scoring at 12.5 ppg and has two double-doubles and three games with 20 or more points.
-Brackins has scored in double figures in 11 of 18 games this season...he posted 23 points vs. Minnesota and Oregon State.
-Brackins was almost unstoppable in his Big 12 debut, breaking the school freshman scoring mark with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and an 8-of-10 effort from beyond the arc...the eight treys also broke the single-game freshman standard for 3-pointers in a game.
-Brackins is one of five Big 12 freshmen to score 33 points or more in a game.
-Brackins is trying to become just the third rookie in ISU history to start every game of their first season: Ron Harris (27, 1980-81) and Adam Haluska (31, 2002-03).
-He is ninth in the Big 12 in blocks (1.2 bpg)...he has a block in 15 of 18 games.
-He is 28-of-47 from the field (59.5 percent) from the floor in his last five games.
-Brackins is third in the Big 12 (league games only) in scoring at 20.7 ppg.
Hubalek's Improvement
-Jiri Hubalek, a senior center from Prague, Czech Republic, has been a man on a mission in his last 11 games.
-Hubalek had been slowed all season by a broken foot that occurred in the preseason and is now just hitting his stride.
-Hubalek always has been a slow starter...he averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in his first six games last year, but responded by averaging 12.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in his last 19 games a year ago.
-This year, Hubalek averaged 7.8 points and shot 40 percent (22-55 FG) in his first seven games...however, Hubalek is averaging 15.0 points (165) and is shooting 52.8 percent (55-104 FG) in his last 11 games.
-Hubalek ranks sixth in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (74.7).
-Hubalek has led ISU in rebounding in 10 of 18 games this season and currently ranks sixth in the Big 12 on the boards with a 7.3 rpg average.
-Hubalek opened the second half vs. Purdue by scoring ISU's first 16 points in just over a five-minute span...he ended the game with 18 points to help him earn all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Classic.
-Has has two 20-point games, two double-doubles and a team-high four double-digit rebounding efforts.
-Hubalek has added 35 pounds of muscle since joining the Cyclones in the 2005-06 season.
Wesley Johnson On The Mend
-ISU's top returning scorer from last season Wesley Johnson got off to a slow start because of injuries...Johnson missed the first four games of the season while nursing a bone bruise in his left foot.
-He is closing on 100 percent and his progress is a positive sign for the Cyclones...Johnson is averaging a team-high 13.9 points and has 24 3-pointers in 14 games.
-In his last eight games, Johnson is averaging 17.1 points...he has been in double figures in the last eight games.
-Johnson tied his career high with five treys against Albany, scoring 15 points on five-straight possessions in a 3-minute span.
-Johnson has 11 double figure scoring games, four 20-point games and has led ISU in scoring seven of 14 games played this year.
-Johnson had back-to-back 20-point games, including a career-high 24 vs. Oklahoma State, to help him earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors (Jan. 14-20).
-Johnson is averaging 18.3 points in Big 12 play to tie for seventh.
Garrett Fitting In
-ISU's improved play has a direct correlation with freshman reserve point guard Diante Garrett's emergence as a leader on the team.
-Garrett is ISU's best dribble penetrator and his ability to get into the paint in recent games as made ISU a much more potent offense.
-Garrett averages 6.2 ppg, 2.6 apg and leads the team with 22 steals.
You're In Good Hands With Petersen
-ISU starting point guard Bryan Petersen may not be the flashiest player, but he has done a tremendous job of starting ISU's offense and taking care of the ball.
-Petersen leads ISU in assists (3.4) and ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 63rd nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 2.10 a/t.
-Petersen has put together an amazing streak of ball protection and efficiency...the recruited walk-on who is now on scholarship has 43 assists and just 11 turnovers in his last 11 games (3.9 a/t ratio)...in seven of the last 11 games he has had 0 turnovers.
-Petersen, who averages 5.6 ppg, has hit a team-high 25 3-pointers to boot...25 of his 27 field goals this season have come from long distance.
Iowa State Team Quick Facts
-Iowa State is celebrating 100 years of men's hoops this season...ISU announced a 15-player All-Century team in the summer and will play host to a centennial celebration on Feb. 15-16, inviting back all former letterwinners and coaches for a two-day celebration.
-Iowa State failed to make a 3-pointer in its opening game vs. Winston-Salem State (0-for-12), ending a 63-game streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer.
-ISU held Winston-Salem State to a 25.4 percentage from the floor in the first game...that total ranks 12th on ISU's opponent field goal percentage game lows chart.
-ISU is 10-0 when shooting better than its opponent and 2-6 when shoots worse than its opponent.
-ISU is 8-1 when outrebounding its opponents and 4-5 when getting outrebounded or tying with its opponent on the boards.
-Usually in a basketball game the team that reaches 40 points first is in the drivers seat to win...ISU has reached 40 points first in 15 of 18 games this season, going 11-4 in those games.
-ISU has been tied or had the lead at the half in 10 of its last 11 games.
-ISU recorded the 400th win in Hilton Coliseum on Dec. 8 against Iowa (56-47).
-ISU has held three teams to under 50 points (Winston-Salem State, Iowa, USC Upstate).
-ISU is 10-0 when making more free-throws than its opponent.
-ISU is 9-0 when scoring over 70 points.
Hilton Magic
-Hilton Coliseum has long been considered one of the toughest places to play in college basketball...built in 1971 and playing in its 37th season, ISU has recorded a 74.5 percent winning mark, compiling a 407-139 record.
-ISU has won eight consecutive games at home.
-ISU has recorded four undefeated seasons at home since Hilton was erected (1985-86, 1992-93, 1999-00, 2000-01).
-ISU ranked 25th nationally in attendance in 2006-07 (12,489).
-ISU broke the record for most season tickets sold this year with over 10,000 season tickets purchased.
-Fans voted Iowa State and Hilton Coliseum as the nation's No. 1 team in regards to school spirit in a poll during ESPN's “student spirit” week in 2006-07.
Cyclones Sign Four
-Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott picked up four players who signed letters of intent to play basketball at Iowa State next season:
Dominique Buckley, G, 6-2, 190, Fr., Detroit, Mich. (Romulus)
Wes Eikmeier, G, 6-3, 175, Fr., Fremont, Neb. (Bergan)
Justin Hamilton, C, 6-11, 220, Fr., Alpine, Utah (Lone Peak)
Clinton Mann, F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Cyclones Retire Barry Stevens' No. 35
-Barry Stevens, who is ISU's second-leading scorer in school history (2,190 points), had his jersey retired on Jan. 16 against Missouri...Stevens, who was a two-time first-team all-Big Eight choice in 1984 and 1985, died of a heart attack at the age of 43 on Feb. 21, 2007.
-Stevens is one of seven players in ISU history to have his jersey retired: Waldo Wegner (#14), Gary Thompson (#20) Zaid Abdul-Aziz (#35), Jeff Hornacek (#14), Jeff Grayer (#44) and Fred Hoiberg (#32).
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