Cyclones Set To Host Iowa Thursday

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AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State men's basketball team puts its five-game winning streak on the line Thursday night when it hosts Iowa in an Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series matchup at Hilton Coliseum.

Where: Ames, Iowa - Hilton Coliseum (14,384)
When: Thursday, Dec. 7, 7 p.m. (CST)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network
Talent: John Walters (PxP), Eric Heft (Analyst)
TV: ESPN2
Talent: Rich Hollenberg (PxP), Fran Fraschilla (Analyst)
Webcast: WatchESPN
Sirius/XM/Internet: 144/199/953
Live Stats: Cyclonestats.com

Game #8 - Iowa
• Iowa State continues its homestand Thursday night when it faces Iowa for the 71st edition of the rivalry...the Cyclones currently lead the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, 6-5, with women's basketball set to be played Wednesday night at Hilton Coliseum...women's swimming and diving will also compete on Friday.
• After playing four of its first five games on the road, Iowa State is in the midst of playing eight consecutive games inside Iowa's borders, including seven of the games at Hilton Coliseum...the lone neutral site game will be Dec. 16 when the Cyclones face Northern Iowa in Des Moines at the Hy-Vee Classic.
#CycloneNotes
• ISU has won five consecutive games after dropping its first two games this season...a win would mark the third winning streak of at least six games the Cyclones have had in the last three seasons under the direction of head coach Steve Prohm...Prohm's .673 winning percentage is the best in school history, just topping previous coach Fred Hoiberg (.671).
• Iowa State has leaned on its guard trio of Nick Weiler-Babb, Donovan Jackson and Lindell Wigginton to turn around its early season struggles...the trio is averaging a combined 45.8 points per game, which is 59.7 percent of ISU's total points...they've posted all eight of ISU's 20-point games and four of the team's five double-doubles this season.
• Wigginton is one of just five players nationally to post two games this season with at least 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and four made threes...he scored a career-high 28 points against Northern Illinois, becoming the first Cyclone rookie since Curtis Stinson (2004) to record back-to-back 20-point performances...his 49 points in the last two games ties for the third-best two-game stretch by an ISU freshman.
• Weiler-Babb has proven to be the point guard the Cyclones were looking for since moving into the role of primary ball handler at the start of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off...he earned tournament MVP honors and was named Big 12 Player of the Week for his performance in Myrtle Beach...he is the only player in the nation averaging at least 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 7.0 apg...he's recorded three double-doubles, one points-rebounds and two points-assists...his three consecutive games with double-digit assists is the best streak in school history...since moving to the primary point guard he has 47 assists and just eight turnovers (5.9 A/TO ratio)...he is averaging 7.4 assists per game, which would be a school record.
• In the last five games, Jackson is averaging 21.8 points and connecting on 45.7 percent of his 3-point attempts...the Milwaukee native is one of four players in the nation shooting 40 percent behind arc (at least 20 made threes) and 95 percent at the line (at least 20 made).
• During its five-game winning streak, ISU has increased its scoring average by 27.1 points (57.5 to 84.6), its field-goal percentage by nearly 10 percent (38.8% to 47.6%)...ISU also shot just 26.5 percent (9-34) from long range the first two games and has connected at a 40.8 percent clip (51-125) the last five games...in the second half of games during the winning streak, ISU is hitting 44.4 percent of its 3-pointers.
• Cameron Lard is averaging 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in the last two games...Lard and Texas' Mo Bamba are the only Big 12 freshmen and among just six freshmen nationally averaging 8.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.
• ISU will be without Zoran Talley Jr. (left foot stress fracture)...Jakolby Long's (concussion) status is day-to-day...ISU has played just three games this season with its full roster.

Iowa State Quick Hitters
• Iowa State has sold out 31 of the last 38 games at Hilton Coliseum...ISU is 28-6 at Hilton Coliseum under Prohm.
• ISU has been to a school-record six consecutive NCAA Tournaments...the Cyclones have made two Sweet 16 appearances in the last three seasons...ISU is the first school from the state of Iowa to reach six consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
• Iowa State has won three regular season tournaments in the last five seasons.
• The Cyclones have won three of the last four Big 12 Tournament titles.
• Wins By Big 12 Teams Since 2012-13: Kansas 154, Baylor 128, Iowa State 128.
• Iowa State is one of 25 teams nationally and one of just two Big 12 schools with 100 wins since 2013-14 entering the season.
• ISU has won 20+ games the last six seasons...Steve Prohm has won at least 20 games in each of his six seasons as a head coach.
• Iowa State is one of 23 schools to win 20+ games the last six seasons...only 13 teams in the nation's top-six conferences (Big East, ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) have won 20+ games six consecutive seasons.
• The Cyclones have won at least 10 league games in each of the last six seasons, which is a school record.
• The Cyclones have won 46 of their last 53 games at home, including 25 of 30 league games.
• The Cyclones are 37-14 under Prohm when committing fewer turnovers than their opponent.
• ISU is 44-3 when leading at the half under Prohm, including an active 30-game win streak in such games.
• ISU is averaging 10.2 made 3-pointers per game over the last five contests...the Cyclones made nine total the first two games of the season...since Prohm arrived at Iowa State, among the nation's top-6 leagues only Michigan (43) has had more games with 10 or more 3-pointers made than ISU (35).
• ISU has outrebounded four of its last five opponents after being outrebounded the first two games.
• Dating back to last season, ISU has won eight of its last nine games decided by 10 points or less.
• ISU shot below 40 percent the first two games but has topped 43 percent from the field the last five games.
• ISU has had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio the last five games after having a negative ratio the first two games.
• Weiler-Babb has made 16-of-his-last-17 free throw attempts...Jackson has made his last nine attempts at the line.
• Jackson and Wigginton have both hit a 3-pointer in their last five games.
• Steve Prohm won his 50th game as head coach of the Cyclones when ISU beat Boise State...only Tim Floyd & Larry Eustachy reached 50 wins faster.
• According to KenPom.com, ISU owns the third-best homecourt advantage in Division I when playing at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State-Iowa Series Notes
• Iowa State and Iowa are meeting for the 71st time, with ISU winning six of the last eight games...Iowa leads the all-time series vs. Iowa State at 44-26, but 19 of ISU's 26 wins have occured since 1984...since 1984, ISU leads the series 19-16...the Cyclones are 7-4 in the last 11 meetings...ISU has won the last seven meetings at Hilton Coliseum.
• The Cyclones own a 19-16 lead in the series in games played in Ames, including 16-8 at Hilton Coliseum...in the last meeting in Ames, ISU rallied from 20 points down and Monté Morris hit a floater with nine seconds left to lift the Cyclones past the Hawkeyes.
• The home team has won 12 of the last 14 meetings in the series...ISU's 2010 win (75-72) and 2014 win (90-75) in Iowa City are the exceptions.
• This year's game is the 30th anniversary of Lafester Rhodes' school-record 54-point performance against Iowa in a 102-100 overtime win by the Cyclones.
• Steve Prohm is 1-1 all-time against Iowa and Fran McCaffery.
• ISU is 158-231 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten Conference...the Cyclones have won five of the last eight games against the league.
• ISU Director of Operations Micah Byars served for five seasons in the same position at UCF under current Iowa assistant coach Kirk Speraw, who was head coach.

Last Time Out: Wigginton, Jackson Lead ISU To Fifth-Straight win
• Iowa State got a career-high 28 points from Wigginton and 24 points from Jackson, who hit a career-best six 3-pointers, en route to a 94-80 win against Northern Illinois.
• ISU trailed 38-36 at the half, but scored 58 points and shot 61.1 percent in the second half to roll to the win...the Cyclones blocked a season-high 11 shots, their most since blocking 12 against Colorado in 2010...it was just the 21st time since blocks became an official stat in 1978-79 that ISU had 10 or more blocks in a season.
• Weiler-Babb had 12 points and 11 assists for the Cyclones, his third consecutive game with double-digit assists and his third double-double in the last four outings.
• ISU made a season-high 14 three-pointers (26 attempts)...Jackson, Weiler-Babb and Wigginton were a combined 12-for-21 behind the arc.
• The Cyclones had a season-high 22 assists on 34 field goals...in the second half they had 15 assists and just three turnovers.

Up Next: Alcorn State
• Iowa State hosts Alcorn State Sunday at 5 p.m. as part of a doubleheader of hoops with the Cyclone women's basketball team, which plays at noon against North Carolina Central...ISU is 1-0 all-time against Alcorn State, having won a 1996-97 meeting, 87-58, at Hilton Coliseum.

Weiler-Babb Dishing
• Since moving to point guard, Nick Weiler-Babb has responded by taking his game to another level...a natural distributor, Weiler-Babb is averaging 7.4 assists, which would break Monté Morris' record of 6.89 (2016)...that number includes a zero assist game against Milwaukee.
• He is 10th nationally in assists per game and 23rd in A/TO ratio.
• His three consecutive games with 10 assists is a school record.
• Only eight times has a Cyclone had four games with 10 assists in a single season.
• Only eight players nationally have three games with 10 or more assists this season...Weiler-Babb, Devonte' Graham (KU) and Trae Young (OU) are the only players in the Big 12.
• Weiler-Babb is one of four Big 12 players with at least three double-doubles this season.
• Since the 1992-93 season, only two Division I college basketball players have averaged 13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg and 7.0 apg as he is doing (Denzel Valentine, Kyle Collinsworth).

Jackson Firing Away...
• After losing more than 700 career 3-pointers from last year's team, the Cyclones will need to fill the long range threat and Donovan Jackson is a safe bet to be called on to fill that need. Jackson has connected on 44.4 percent of his 3-point attempts (making 67-of-151). His percentage of 45.4 last season was the fourth-best in a single-season at ISU.

3-Point Percentage, Career (min. 70 made)
1.   .443 (198-447)   S. Christopherson, 2010-12
2.   .437 (146-334)   Tyrus McGee, 2012-13
3.   .424 (270-637)   Jake Sullivan, 2001-04
4.   .424 (108-255)   J. Vanderbeken, 2009-11
5.   .414 (75-181)   Mike Born, 1988-89
6.   .401 (254-634)   Matt Thomas, 2014-17
7.   .400 (183-457)   Fred Hoiberg, 1992-95
8.   .400 (122-305)   Lucca Staiger, 2009-10
9.   .391 (88-225)   Ron Bayless, 1992-93
10.   390 (190-487)   Dedric Willoughby,1996-97
--   .444 (67-151)   Donovan Jackson, 2017-pres.

• Jackson has connected on 23 three-pointers in the first seven games...if he continues at the pace he is currently on, he would tie Dedric Willoughby's ISU record for single-season 3-pointers made (102).
• He has increased his scoring from 6.4 points as a junior to 17.0 points this season, an improvement of +10.6 ppg...the mark is first among returning players in the Big 12...Weiler-Babb is second among returning players with a +9.7 ppg increase.
• Jackson and Trae Young (OU, 5 games) are the only Big 12 players with at least four games scoring 23 or more points.

Gettin' Wiggy With it...
• Wigginton is averaging 15.1 ppg, which currently sits behind only Curtis Stinson (16.2) in the freshmen record books at Iowa State.
• He joins Stinson, Marcus Fizer (2X) and Ron Harris as the only Cyclone rookies with back-to-back 20-point games...only Fizer has done it in three consecutive games.
• Wigginton (11th) and Oklahoma's Trae Young (1st) are the only Big 12 freshmen ranked among the league's top 30 in scoring.
• He is the Big 12's top freshman in 3-point field goal percentage at 46.9 percent, which ranks seventh overall in the league...he has made 13-of-26 threes during ISU's five-game winning streak.

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Players Mentioned

Donovan Jackson

Cameron Lard

Jakolby Long

Zoran Talley Jr.

Nick Weiler-Babb

Lindell Wigginton

Sponsors

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