Kansas State Is ISU's Next Road Challenge

IOWA STATE (12-7, 2-2) AT KANSAS STATE (13-4, 3-0)
Jan. 26, 2008 ? 5 p.m.? Manhattan, Kan. ? Bramlage Coliseum (12,528)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Television: Cyclone Television Network
Talent: B.J. Schaben (pxp); Kevin Lehman (color)

The Iowa State-Kansas State game will be broadcasted by the Cyclone Television Network. You can view the game on the following television outlets in Iowa: WOI (Des Moines/Ames), KCAU (Sioux City), Cox Cable (Council Bluffs/Omaha), Mediacom Connections (Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Mason City, Quad Cities), Cedar Falls Utilities (Cedar Falls). The game will also be carried on the ESPN Fullcourt package.

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State (12-7, 2-2), winners of nine of its last 12 games, travels to Kansas State (13-4, 3-0) this weekend to face its second consecutive unbeaten Big 12 team.
-The Wildcats are currently 3-0 in the league with wins at Oklahoma and Colorado and a home victory over nationally-ranked Texas A&M.
-ISU's first three road opponents in Big 12 play are against the three remaining unbeaten teams in the league (Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State).
-ISU has lost six consecutive games in Manhattan...its last win in Bramlage Coliseum was a 62-51 win on Feb. 21, 2001.
-Wesley Johnson poured in 21 points to pace the Cyclones in an 83-59 loss at second-ranked Kansas on Wednesday...Johnson has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games and has reached double figures in scoring in nine-straight games.
-Johnson, who hit three treys vs. KU, needs one 3-pointer to crack ISU's top-20 in career 3-pointers made...Johnson has 59 career treys.
-Craig Brackins tallied 13 points vs. KU...he has been in double figures in all four Big 12 games and ranks sixth in the league (conference games only) in scoring at 18.8 ppg.
-Johnson ranks fifth in the Big 12 (league games only) in scoring at 19.0 ppg.
-Through four Big 12 games, ISU only has 27 points from its bench (6.7 ppg).

Last Time Out
-Iowa State shot a season-low 31.1 percent and was held to below 60 points for the first time in 10 games in a 83-59 loss at No. 2 Kansas on Wednesday.
-It was the first ranked team ISU as faced this season.
-ISU kept it close early on and was down by 10 points at the half...however, KU went on a 16-4 run to start the second half to put the game out of reach.
-ISU shot a season-high 28 3-pointers, the most treys attempted in a game for the Cyclones since shooting 29 in a 68-64 overtime loss to the Jayhawks a year ago.
-KU shot 50 percent from the field, as the Cyclones allowed a team to shot 50 percent or above for just the fourth time this season.
-The 83 points ISU gave up to the Jayhawks ties for the most for a Cyclone opponent this season (Alabama)...ISU is now 2-14 in the Greg McDermott era when allowing an opponent to score 70 or more points.
-ISU had the advantage at the free-throw line for the third consecutive game, making 15-of-19 shots from the charity stripe...ISU has attempted 89 free-throws in its last three games and has made 75.6 percent (130-172) from the free-throw line in its last eight games...ISU ranks second in the Big 12 in free-throw percentage (71.6 percent).
-Wesley Johnson continued his outstanding play, scoring over 20 points (21) for the third consecutive game...Johnson, who leads the team in scoring at 14.3 ppg, has been in double figures in nine consecutive games...Johnson is averaging 19.0 ppg in Big 12 play to rank fifth in the league.
-Craig Brackins was the only other Cyclone in double figures with 13 points...Brackins, who ranks sixth in the league in scoring in Big 12 games only at 18.8 ppg, has been in double figures in all four conference games this season...Brackins was 4-of-18 from 3-point range in non-conference games, but is 11-of-24 from downtown (45.8 pct.) in four conference games.
-Brackins and Jiri Hubalek both had eight rebounds to pace the Cyclones on the boards...Hubalek has led ISU in rebounding in 11 of 19 games.
-ISU handled KU's pressure relatively well, committing just 11 turnovers in the game...ISU ranks third in the Big 12 in least amount of turnovers per game at 13.1 tpg.

Cyclone-Wildcat Quick Facts
-Kansas State owns the all-time series lead vs. Iowa State at 127-76...the Wildcats lead the series in games played in Manhattan at 74-20.
-K-State has won six consecutive games against ISU in Bramlage Coliseum...ISU's last win in Manhattan was a 62-51 victory on Feb. 21, 2001.
-Of the five Big 12 North opponents, KSU is the only team ISU has not won a road game at since 2002.
-KSU swept the season series last year for the first time since 1999.
-Jiri Hubalek is averaging 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in four games vs. KSU.
-Hubalek had 17 points and 10 boards in K-State's 69-60 win over ISU in Ames last season.
-ISU's Craig Brackins and Wesley Johnson played against KSU phenom Michael Beasley in prep school.
-ISU senior Rahshon Clark played at Bridgton Academy in Maine...in a game in his senior season, Clark scored 30 points vs. IMG Academy...Beasley was a freshman on IMG, tallying nine points.

A Closer Look At Kansas State (13-4, 3-0)
-Kansas State (13-4, 3-0) is in third place in the Big 12 standings after a 72-56 win at Colorado on Wednesday.
-The Wildcats were led by super freshman Michael Beasley, who had 29 points and 13 boards.
-Beasley leads the Big 12 in both scoring (24.8 ppg) and rebounding (12.6 rpg)...Beasley also leads the nation on the boards.
-Beasley has tallied a double-double in 15 of 17 games this year...he ranks fourth in the Big 12 in field goal percentage (56.6 pct.)...he has scored 30 points or more six times this season.
-Beasley is joined by another freshman standout Bill Walker...Walker, who played six games a year ago before receiving a medical hardship, is averaging 16.1 ppg...Walker was named Big 12 Rookie of the Week last week after recording 19 points and four boards in a 75-54 victory over nationally ranked Texas A&M.
-Another rookie, Jacob Pullen, is having an outstanding freshman season...Pullen is averaging 9.2 points and leads the team in assists (58) and steals (23).
-KSU ranks second in the Big 12 in rebounding margin (+9.0).
-KSU is shooting 45.0 percent from the field, connecting on 50 percent or above from the floor in three of its last four games.
-The Wildcats are averaging a Big 12-high 43.0 rebounds per game.

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 16 times to its opponents since McDermott took over, going 2-14.
-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 (15.6 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 11 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 11 games, the Cyclones are averaging 73.3 points, shooting 45.8 percent from the field (276-602 FG), hitting 74.4 percent (183-246 FT) of its free-throws and making 34.5 percent (71-206 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 66.2 ppg this season.
-Below is a comparison between ISU's offensive numbers through its first eight games and its last 11 games.

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 223 assists (13.9 apg) and committed just 192 turnovers (12.0 tpg) in their last 16 games...ISU has committed 10 or less turnovers in eight of its last 17 games.
-ISU ranks 46th nationally and third in the Big 12 in fewest turnovers (13.1 tpg).

Free-Throw Shooting
-ISU has been a solid free-throw shooting team all season, making 71.6 percent of its shots from the charity stripe to rank second in the Big 12.
-The Cyclones are connecting on 75.6 percent (130-172 FT) of their shots at the foul line in the last eight games.
-ISU's starting five (Bryan Petersen, Wesley Johnson, Rahshon Clark, Craig Brackins, Jiri Hubalek) are all hitting at 72.6 percent or above on the season for a combined 75.7 percentage (203-268 FT) at the charity stripe.
-Wesley Johnson ranks seventh in the Big 12 (77.8 pct.) in free-throw percentage.
-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 273 foul shots in its last 12 games.
-ISU has attempted 89 free-throws in the last three games and has shot 30 or more free-throws four times this season...in Big 12 games only, ISU is also second in the league in free-throw percentage at 75.2 percent.

Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones are holding their opponents to 40.6 percent shooting from the floor to rank seventh in the league in field goal percentage defense...only seven teams this season (Bradley, Drake, Bethune-Cookman, Purdue, Alabama, Missouri, Kansas) 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.

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 97 career games and in 51 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 71 career dunks.
-Clark has jumped out to a fantastic start to 2007-08, averaging 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds...he is shooting 53.8 percent from the floor (71-132 FG)...he has been above 50 percent from the field in 12 of 19 games this season.
-Clark is the only player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (10th-136), blocks (6th-97) and 3-pointers (9th-96)...he also ranks in the top-20 in career rebounds (20th-582).
-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 1,011 points.
-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 12 of 19 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 33-of-61 from the field (54.1 percent) from the floor in his last six games.
-Brackins is sixth in the Big 12 (league games only) in scoring at 18.8 ppg, reaching double figures in all four Big 12 games.
-In league games only, Brackins is 11-of-24 (45.8 percent) from 3-point range after making 4-of-18 (22.3 percent) in non-conference play.

Hubalek's Improvement
-Jiri Hubalek, a senior center from Prague, Czech Republic, has been a man on a mission in his last 12 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 14.4 points (173) and is shooting 51.7 percent (59-114 FG) in his last 12 games.
-Hubalek has led ISU in rebounding in 11 of 19 games this season and is currently tied for seventh 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 14.3 points and has 27 3-pointers in 15 games.
-In his last nine games, Johnson is averaging 17.6 points (158)...he has been in double figures in the last nine games.
-He has scored 20 points or more in his last three 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 12 double figure scoring games, five 20-point games and has led ISU in scoring eight of 15 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 19.0 points in Big 12 play to rank fifth.
-Johnson needs one 3-pointer to crack ISU's career top-20 in 3-pointers made...he currently has 59 career treys.

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 6.1 ppg, 2.5 apg and leads the team with 23 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 fifth in the Big 12 and 52nd nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 2.06 a/t.
-Petersen has put together an amazing streak of ball protection and efficiency...the recruited walk-on who is now on scholarship has 46 assists and just 13 turnovers in his last 12 games (3.5 a/t ratio)...in seven of the last 12 games he has had 0 turnovers.
-Petersen, who averages 5.4 ppg, has hit 26 3-pointers to boot...70 of his 79 field goals attempted 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 2-7 when shoots worse than its opponent.
-ISU is 8-1 when outrebounding its opponents and 4-6 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 19 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 12 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 10-1 when making more free-throws than its opponent.
-ISU is 9-0 when scoring over 70 points.
-In four Big 12 games, ISU has scored only 27 points (6.7 ppg) from its bench.

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).

Kansas State Is ISU's Next Road Challenge

Players Mentioned

Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins

Dominique Buckley

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Mark Currie

Mark Currie

Wes Eikmeier

Diante Garrett

Diante Garrett

Justin Hamilton

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Clinton Mann

Bryan Petersen

Bryan Petersen

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics

Kansas State Is ISU's Next Road Challenge

Related News

Players Mentioned

Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins

Dominique Buckley

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Mark Currie

Mark Currie

Wes Eikmeier

Diante Garrett

Diante Garrett

Justin Hamilton

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Clinton Mann

Bryan Petersen

Bryan Petersen

Related Videos

Sponsors