Iowa State vs. Villanova Gameday Primer

Who: Iowa State (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Villanova (2-2, 0-0 Big East)

Where: Moda Center (19,980) – Portland, Oregon

When: Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022 – 2:30 p.m.

The Lead:
After a 3-0 start, the Iowa State men's basketball team will travel to Portland, Oregon to face the Villanova Wildcats in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational. Tipoff against the Wildcats is set for 2:30 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN 2.

Storylines:

This will be the second all-time meeting between the Cyclones and the Wildcats, with the previous meeting coming in 1961. Villanova won the prior meeting 74-53 in Philadelphia, as the Cyclones had an early four-game road trip in the season.
On Sunday, Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger picked up his 25th win at Iowa State. The victory came in his 200th overall game as a head coach.
With three players that have scored 1,000 points or more in their careers on the roster, Iowa State is one of 13 schools in the country with three or more.
Iowa State held Milwaukee to 53 points on Sunday, the highest output by any of ISU's first three opponents. It is the first time since the 1985-86 season that Iowa State has held its first three opponents to 53 or less points each.

From the Notes:
Iowa State currently leads the nation in scoring defense. Through three games, ISU is only giving up 45 points per game to opponents.

Switching Sides:

Last week, Villanova fell to Michigan State 71-73 in East Lansing.
The Wildcats are 2-2 entering their matchup with the Cyclones. Villanova is 2-0 at home and 0-2 on the road.
Three Wildcats are averaging double figures through four games this season. Eric Dixon is leading Villanova averaging 19.8 points per game, Caleb Daniels is averaging 15.8 and Brandon Slater is contributing 13.0 points per game.
The Villanova defense has forced 42 turnovers, tallied 20 steals and has blocked nine shots this season.

Next Event

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics