Cyclones Prepare For The Longhorns

AMES, Iowa- No. 11 seed Iowa State (15-16, 4-12) will battle No. 6 seed Texas (23-8, 9-7) in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 10 in Kansas City, Mo., at 8:30 p.m. The winner of the game will face No. 3 seed Baylor on Thursday (March 11) at 8:30 p.m. All games will be played at the Sprint Center.

2010 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 10-13 - Kansas City, Mo.
Who: Iowa State (15-16, 4-12) vs. Texas (23-8, 9-7)
When: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 ? 8:30 p.m.
Where: Kansas City, Mo. ? Sprint Center (18,879)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Learfield
Talent: John Walters (pxp); Eric Heft (color)
Television: Big 12 Network/ESPN360
Talent: Dave Armstrong (pxp); Reid Gettys (color)
Affiliates: Ames/Des Moines (WOI); Cedar Rapids/Waterloo/Dubuque (Mediacom); Sioux City (KPTH)

Following the Cyclones in Kansas City
- Fans should visit "Big 12 Tournament Central" at cyclones.com each day for complete coverage of Iowa State basketball in Kansas City.

Cyclone Notebook
- No. 11 seed Iowa State (15-16, 4-12) will battle No. 6 seed Texas (23-8, 9-7) in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship, March 10 in Kansas City, Mo., at 8:30 p.m.
- The winner of the game will face No. 3 seed Baylor on Thursday (March 11) at 8:30 p.m...all games will be played at the Sprint Center.
- The Cyclones have not won a Big 12 Championship game since a 77-57 win over Baylor in the 2005 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City (Kemper Arena).
- The Cyclones ended the regular season with a huge upset at No. 5 Kansas State (85-82 OT) on Saturday...the win ended a 21-game losing streak to ranked opponents.
- ISU is 0-1 in games played at the Sprint Center, falling to Texas A&M, 60-47 in the first round of the 2008 Big 12 Championship.

Last Time Out
- Iowa State is entering the Big 12 Championship on a high note after upsetting No. 5 Kansas State, 85-82 in Manhattan on Saturday.
- The win ended a 21-game losing streak to ranked opponents, an eight-game skein to Kansas State and stopped an eight-game skid of losses in Bramlage Coliseum.
- It was just the eighth time in school history where ISU defeated a ranked team on the road and it was ISU's first win over a top-five team since downing No. 2 Kansas in 2005.
- ISU head coach Greg McDermott claimed his first victory over a ranked opponent (1-20) as the ISU mentor and his first over KSU (1-7).
- The Cyclones outrebounded the Wildcats, 43-41, led by Marquis Gilstrap's 13 boards...Gilstrap recorded his 11th double-double of the season.
- Craig Brackins totaled his 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds...it was his 31st double-double of his career.
- Diante Garrett was solid in the victory, scoring five of ISU's 11 points in the overtime and handing out eight assists to just two turnovers under KSU's pressure defense.

Gameday Storylines
- ISU has never played Texas in a postseason conference championship.
- Craig Brackins has 31 career double-doubles to tie for fifth all-time in school history.
- Brackins needs eight points to move to No. 12 on ISU's career scoring list (1,524).
- If Brackins records one blocked shot he would become just the second player in school history with 1,500 points, 700 rebounds and 100 blocks in a career...Victor Alexander is the only other Cyclone to achieve the feat.
- Marquis Gilstrap ended the season as the Big 12's top rebounder (league games only) at 10.3 rpg...Gilstrap became just the second Cyclone in school history to average a double-double in conference play (15.3 ppg; 10.3 rpg)...Brackins did it last year.
- Gilstrap needs 10 rebounds to become just the ninth player in ISU history to grab 300 boards in a single season.
- Gilstrap won Big 12 Rookie of the Week honors for sixth time on Sunday.
- Both Brackins and Gilstrap were named All-Big 12 by the league's coaches...Brackins was a second team selection and Gilstrap earned honorable mention honors.
- ISU needs six blocked shots as a team to record 161 on the season, which would be the second-best total in school history.
- The Cyclones reached 200 3-pointers in a season for just the fourth time in school history...ISU needs to make four 3-pointers to rank second in school history for most 3-pointers made in a season.

Iowa State Conference Championship History
- The Cyclones earned the 11th seed in the Big 12 Championship for the third time in school history...ISU was the 11th seed in 2002 and 2008.
- ISU is 7-12 in Big 12 Championship history with one Big 12 title (2000).
- ISU is 65-84 all-time in conference tournaments with four league tournament championships (1955-Big Seven; 1959-Big Eight; 1996-Big Eight; 2000-Big 12) to its credit.
- The Cyclones face No. 6 seed Texas in the first round...ISU has never faced Texas in the Big 12 Championship...UT is the only Big 12 school the Cyclones have never faced in a postseason conference tournament...ISU has never played Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship, but has faced the Huskers many times in prior conference alignment postseason tournaments.
- This will be the second time the championship has been held in the Sprint Center...ISU lost to Texas A&M, 60-47 in 2008 the first time it was held at the Sprint Center.
- ISU has lost Big 12 tournament first round games the last four seasons and has not won a league tournament game since defeating Baylor, 77-57 on March 10, 2005.

Cyclone-Longhorn Quick Facts
- Texas leads the all-time series vs. Iowa State at 11-8 and has won the last five games in the series...UT defeated ISU, 90-83 in Ames on Jan. 13 in the only meeting between the two schools his year.
- Avery Bradley led the Longhorns with 24 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and a 4-of-4 effort from 3-point range.
- Marquis Gilstrap had an outstanding game with 20 points and 13 boards.
- ISU's last victory in the series was a 92-80 overtime win at Austin in 2005.
- The Longhorns have been ranked seven of the last eight years ISU has played them.
- UT has an 10-4 record against ISU since the Big 12 was formed in 1996-97.
- UT head coach Rick Barnes is 9-3 all-time against ISU.
- ISU head coach Greg McDermott is 0-4 against Rick Barnes-coached teams.
- ISU's Diante Garrett is averaging 10.3 points and 5.5 assists in three games vs. UT.
- ISU's Craig Brackins is averaging 13.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in three games vs. UT.
- UT junior Dogus Balbay and ISU junior Craig Brackins were teammates together at Brewster Academy Prep School in New Hampshire during the 2006-07 season...Brewster Academy went 29-6 and was ranked as the fifth-best high school in the nation in 2006-07...Balbay suffered a season-ending injury vs. Texas Tech.

Gilstrap Averaged A Double-Double In League Play
- Senior forward Marquis Gilstrap, who is in his first season with the Cyclones, had an outstanding season at ISU.
- The preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Gilstrap led the Big 12 in rebounding (league games only) at 10.3 rpg.
- Gilstrap was the only player in the Big 12 to average a double-double in conference play, averaging 15.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in 16 Big 12 contests.
- Craig Brackins is the only other Cyclone to achieve the feat since the Big 12 began in 1996-97...Brackins averaged 21.8 points and 10.3 rebounds last season.
- Gilstrap began his Big 12 career with four-straight double-doubles...the only other player in Big 12 history to debut with four double-doubles in their first four conference games of their career is former UT national player of the year and current NBA star Kevin Durant...Durant notched double-doubles in his first five games of his Big 12 career (2007).
- His 11 double-doubles on the season ranks fifth in the Big 12.

Iowa State Team Trends And Facts
- ISU has used only three different lineups this season.
- ISU has played nine ranked opponents, the second-most behind Texas A&M in the Big 12.
- The Cyclones ended their 16-game Big 12 road losing streak with a 56-53 victory over Nebraska in Lincoln on Jan. 16.
- ISU ended a 21-game losing streak to ranked opponents with an 85-82 overtime win at No. 5 Kansas State on March 6, 2010...it was ISU's first victory over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 25 Colorado, 96-79 on Feb. 5, 2006.
- It marked just the eighth time in school history where ISU knocked off a ranked opponent on the road.
- With its two wins over Nebraska, ISU earned its first season sweep over a league opponent since the 2006-07 season (Nebraska).
- In five of ISU's last six wins (Houston, North Dakota State, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas State) the opposing team had the final shot at the end of regulation or an overtime period to win or tie the game.
- Seven of ISU's 12 losses in the Big 12 were by seven points or less.
- ISU has scored 70 points or more in 17 of 31 games this season, averaging 72.5 ppg...ISU is 34-7 in the Greg McDermott era when scoring 70 points or more.
- ISU's scoring offense is currently at a 7.6 ppg increase from last season...ISU averaged 64.9 ppg last year (72.5-64.9).
- ISU has scored 80 or more points in 11 games...the Cyclones only reached 80 points once last season.
- The Cyclones scored 90 points or more in consecutive games (at Drake; vs. Mississippi Valley State) for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
- ISU defeated Mississippi Valley State, 96-55...the 96 points is the most in the Greg McDermott era...the most points scored by a Greg McDermott-coached team vs. a Division I opponent was 99 against Iowa State when he was head coach at UNI (2004).
- ISU won five consecutive games by 20+ points for just the third time in school history and for the first time since 2000.
- ISU ranks 15th nationally in least amount of personal fouls (15.7 fpg)...ISU has had equal or less fouls than its opponent in 25 of 31 games this year.
- ISU has allowed two teams to shoot above 50 percent this season (Baylor, Colorado) and has held opponents to below 40 percent 13 times this year...ISU opponents are shooting 41.8 percent from the field.
- ISU has shot 50 percent or above in eight games for a 44.4 percent season tally...ISU is 15-1 when shooting 50 percent or above in the McDermott era.
- In the first three seasons of the Greg McDermott era, ISU only shot above 50 percent eight times...ISU has done it eight times this season after only achieving the mark just once a year ago.
- ISU ranks sixth in the Big 12 in assists at 14.2 apg.
- The Cyclones have had equal or more assists than turnovers in a game 17 times this season.
- ISU ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 34th nationally in blocks at 5.0 bpg.
- ISU is 32-2 in the McDermott era when its opponents score under 60 points.
- In conference play, ISU had three of the top-10 rebounders: 1. Marquis Gilstrap (10.3 rpg), 3. Craig Brackins (9.1 rpg), T9. Justin Hamilton (7.3 rpg).
- ISU is third in the Big 12 in rebounding (league games only) at 39.1 rpg.
- ISU has outrebounded seven of its last 12 opponents.

Brackins Joins 1,500 Point/700 Rebound Club
- Iowa State junior Craig Brackins joined an elite group of superstars in Iowa State history against Missouri (3-2-10) when he surpassed 1,500 points in his career.
- He became the sixth player in school history to record 1,500 points and 700 rebounds in a career, ranking 13th in career scoring (1,524) and eighth in career rebounding (730).
- The five other Cyclones to achieve the milestone are regarded as some of the best players in school history: Zaid Abdul-Aziz (1966-68), Jeff Grayer (1985-88), Victor Alexander (1988-91), Fred Hoiberg (1992-95) and Marcus Fizer (1998-2000).
- The other five former Cyclones to achieve the feat enjoyed NBA careers, combining 40 years of service in the NBA, and were named to ISU's All-Century team in 2008.
- Brackins became just the third to do it in three seasons (Abdul-Aziz; Fizer).

Iowa State Strong On The Boards With Gilstrap, Brackins And Hamilton
- The rebounding trio of Marquis Gilstrap, Craig Brackins and Justin Hamilton have helped the Cyclones rank seventh in the league in rebounding margin (+2.1).
- This is a significant improvement for the Cyclones, which finished ninth in the league in rebounding margin last year at -1.6.
- Gilstrap averages 9.4 rebounds, Brackins is at 8.6 rpg and Hamilton is pulling down 5.5 rebounds...Gilstrap ranks fourth and Brackins is fifth in the Big 12 Conference.
- In conference play, ISU has three of the top-10 rebounders: 1. Marquis Gilstrap (10.3 rpg), 3. Craig Brackins (9.1 rpg), T9. Justin Hamilton (7.3 rpg).
- In league play, Gilstrap led the league in overall rebounding (10.3 rpg) and defensive rebounding (7.1 drpg), while Hamilton was tops in the Big 12 in offensive rebounding (3.7 orpg)...Brackins was second in the league in defensive rebounding (6.9 drpg).
- In league play, ISU was third in the league in rebounding at 39.1 rpg.
- ISU has outrebounded seven of its last 12 opponents.
- ISU is one of the few teams nationally with two players ranked in the top-100 in rebounding...Gilstrap ranks 35th and Brackins ranks 73rd.

Players Mentioned

Craig Brackins

Craig Brackins

Diante Garrett

Diante Garrett

Diante Garrett

Marquis Gilstrap

Justin Hamilton

Justin Hamilton

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