No. 19 Cyclones Face Creighton In BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle

AMES, Iowa - The 19th-ranked Iowa State men's basketball team faces its first true road challenge of the season Saturday when it meets Creighton in the BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle at the CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

The Matchup: No. 19 Iowa State (7-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Creighton (7-1, 0-0 SWAC)
Where: Omaha, Neb. - CHI Health Center Omaha
When: Saturday, Dec. 4, 8 p.m. (CST)
Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/Varsity Radio App
Talent: John Walters (PxP), Eric Heft (Analyst)
TV: FS1
Talent: Matt Schumacker (PxP), Nick Bahe (Analyst)
Webcast: Fox Sports Go
Live Stats: Cyclonestats.com

KEY STORYLINES
- T.J. Otzelberger, who won his 100th game in the season opener, is 7-0 as head coach of the Cyclones ... he looks to become just the second of 21 Cyclone head coaches to start their career 8-0.
- Coming off a 2-22 season, ISU has more than tripled its win total from a season ago and as of Thursday morning is one of 14 undefeated schools nationally ... ISU's +5 win improvement is the biggest in the nation.
- Iowa State entered the AP Top 25 on Monday at No. 19 ... it is the Cyclones' first time in the top 25 since Feb. 18, 2019, a span of 41 weeks unranked.
- The Cyclones are one of five teams nationally (Duke, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Purdue) with multiple wins against the top 25.
- Iowa State won the Upsie NIT Season Tip-Off with wins over a pair of then-ranked teams in Xavier and Memphis.
- Gabe Kalscheur earned Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week accolades after earning Most Valuable Player honors at the Upsie NIT Season Tip-Off ... Kalscheur scored 30 points in ISU's win against Memphis and averaged 21.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals in two games.
- ISU's defense is allowing just 60.4 points per game, with opponents shooting 38.9 percent from the field and 25.8 percent behind the arc (19th nationally) ... ISU averages 10.1 steals (24th).
- The Cyclones have already snapped losing streaks of 18-straight games overall, eight home games, 25 games against power conference opponents, 28 games away from Hilton Coliseum and 19 games to nationally ranked opponents ... on Saturday, ISU looks to snap a 25-game road losing streak ... their last road win was Feb. 16, 2019 at No. 18 K-State.

LAST TIME OUT
- Iowa State led by as many as 30 points and used a double-double from Izaiah Brockington to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 83-64, Wednesday evening at Hilton Coliseum ... Brockington finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds to record his third double-double of the season ... ISU also got 11 points and seven boards (five offensive) from George Conditt, and Tre Jackson added 12 points off the bench ... the Cyclones committed just nine turnovers in the game and assisted on 19 of 30 field goals ... the Cyclones matched a season high with 17 offensive rebounds.

ISU VERSUS CREIGHTON
- The Cyclones and Creighton renew a series that dates back to 1926, but links up for the first time since 2010 and just the second time in more than 25 seasons ... this will be the 32nd meeting between the schools with ISU holding a 16-15 edge in the series.
- ISU has won the previous four meetings in Omaha ... the last meeting on Creighton's home floor came in 1995 ... Loren Meyer led the Cyclones with 14 points and 11 boards as ISU improved to 14-2 that season.
- The last time the Cyclones and Bluejays met was in 2010 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines ... ISU won that game 91-88 as Cyclone forward Jamie Vanderbeken hit a buzzer-beater from nearly half court to give the Cyclones the win ... Diante Garrett scored 28 points and had seven dimes ... Melvin Ejim chipped in 22 points off the bench and Jake Anderson had 19 points and 15 rebounds ... Creighton was led by Antoine Young (21) and Kenny Lawson Jr. (20), while a freshman Doug McDermott chipped in 16 points.
- This is Iowa State's second meeting against a Big East foe this season, having beat Xavier, 82-70, at the NIT Season Tip-Off on Nov. 24 ... the Cyclones are 24-37 against teams currently in the Big East.
- Creighton head coach Greg McDermott coached at Iowa State from 2006-10, spending four seasons at the helm and finishing with a 59-68 overall record ... Otzelberger was on his staff as an assistant coach throughout his tenure ... Cyclone assistant Daniyal Robinson was also an assistant coach for McDermott from 2008-10.
- Creighton freshman Arthur Kaluma originally signed with Otzelberger at UNLV before changing his commitment after the coaching change.

To read the complete release, click here.

No. 19 Cyclones Face Creighton In BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle

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Izaiah Brockington

Tre Jackson

Gabe Kalscheur

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No. 19 Cyclones Face Creighton In BIG EAST/Big 12 Battle

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Izaiah Brockington

Tre Jackson

Gabe Kalscheur

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