No. 7 Iowa State vs. Kansas State Primer

Who: No. 7 Iowa State (24-7, 13-5 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (19-13, 8-10 Big 12)

Where: T-Mobile Center (18,500) – Kansas City, Mo.

When: Thursday, March 14, 2024 – 6 p.m. CT

Tipping Off: The seventh-ranked Cyclones will kick off the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship on Thursday against a familiar foe, facing the Kansas State Wildcats for the second consecutive game and for the third time this season. The two teams split the two regular season matchups as Thursday will serve as a rubber match.

After falling to the Wildcats last Saturday, the Cyclones were locked into the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 tournament as they'll face off with the tenth-seeded Wildcats.

Thursday is the 240th meeting between the Cyclones and Wildcats. Kansas State holds the all-time advantage against ISU in a series that dates back to 1909. The Cyclones are 3-3 against KSU under head Coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Storylines:

UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert, a St. Louis native, averages a team-best 13.5 points per game and really hit his stride in the latter half of the season.
- Gilbert recorded a triple-double against New Hampshire earlier this season, going for 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
  - His triple-double – the eighth in school history – puts him with Lipsey, Haliburton, Monté Morris, Royce White, Jamaal Tinsley, Curtis Stinson and Marc Urquhart as members of the illustrious club.
- Gilbert is first in the Big 12 in free throws attempted (175) and fourth in FT made (126).
  - He is second on the team in assists (130) and steals (55).
- Gilbert has two Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards to his name this season.
- He's recorded a team-best seven 20-plus point outings.
Tamin Lipsey has been his usual stat-stuffer self for the Cyclones so far this year, as the Ames native is averaging 12.5 points per game to go along with team-highs in assists (145) and steals (84).
- Lipsey leads all Big 12 players in steals and steals per game.
  - He is fourth nationally in both those categories.
  - Lipsey was recently named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist.
- Lipsey set the school record for steals against PVAMU, picking the Panthers' pockets eight times.
  - The previous record, seven, was held by Fred Hoiberg and Justus Thigpen.
  - He has recorded a steal in all but two games in his career.
- Against DePaul, Lipsey recorded the seventh triple-double in school history, going for 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
  - Lipsey became the first Cyclone since Tyrese Haliburton in 2020 to record a triple-double.
Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic has been a constant during his rookie campaign, as the first-year from Pewaukee is averaging 10.9 points per game – the third-most on the team.
- He is one of five Cyclones to score at least 20 in a game this season.
- Momcilovic is averaging the most points per game by an ISU true freshman since Lindell Wigginton's 16.7 in 2017-18.
  - He is the second highest-scoring true freshman in the Big 12, behind Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter.
Curtis Jones has been stellar off the bench the whole season but especially in the last 14 outings, establishing himself as the team's sixth man.
- He's scored in double figures in all 14 contests (13 off the bench), averaging 13.8 points in that span.
- Jones is the only ISU player since 2012 to score in double-figures in 13-straight games off the bench.
- He had seven steals at TCU earlier this season in his lone start, tying him for the second-most steals in a single game in Iowa State history.
  - It's the first time ever that two Cyclones recorded games with seven-plus steals in a single season.
Robert Jones leads the team in offensive rebounds (75) and blocks (27).
Tre King leads the team in rebounds, as the senior out of Lexington, Ky., averages 5.1 per game and has a total of 158 boards.
Hason Ward, C. Jones, Jackson Paveletzke, Demarion Watson and Omaha Biliew make up the bench unit for the Cyclones.
Iowa State forces the second-most turnovers per game (17.77) in the country – tops in the Big 12.
- The Cyclones average 10.5 steals per game, also tops in the Big 12.
As a head coach, Otz is 164-97 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 65-34 record over the last three seasons.

From the Notes:

Iowa State opens the 2024 Phillips 6 Big 12 Championship on Thursday as the number two seed. The Cyclones earned a double bye in the first year of an expanded tournament.
J A trio of Cyclones earned honors from the Big 12 this week. Tamin Lipsey was an All-Big 12 First Team selection, while Keshon Gilbert was named to the second team. Lipsey was a unanimous selection to the All-Defensive Team, while Gilbert was named to the All-Newcomer Team. Milan Momcilovic was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Iowa State won 18-straight games at Hilton Coliseum this season, the fifth longest active home winning streak in the country.
- ISU and Samford are the only undefeated teams in the country at home with at least 17 wins.
Iowa State has held 17 of 18 opponents in Big 12 games under its season scoring average with only BYU in Provo scoring above its average.
Iowa State ranks second in the nation in turnover percentage at 25.9 percent. ISU has been in the top six in the country in each of Otzelberger's seasons, ranking sixth in 2022 (24.6%) and second in 2023 (25%).
Iowa State is one of four schools in the country, and the only Power Six school, to force 25 or more turnovers in multiple games against NCAA Division I opponents this season.
Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert each have triple-doubles to their names this season - making ISU the only team in the country with multiple players boasting a triple-double.
- There are now eight in school history.
Only seven players in the country are averaging at least 12.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game this season. Two of them reside in the Cyclone backcourt in Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert, with ISU being the only school in the nation with multiple players hitting those marks.
The Cyclones are 27-1 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures.
The six highest-scoring Cyclone outputs under Otzelberger have all come this season, including a pair of 100-point performances. Nine of the 10 highest under Otz have also come this season.
The Cyclones have scored 90 or more points six times this season. It is the most times hitting that mark in a season since the 2016-17 team did so eight times.
As of Wednesday, the Cyclones are ranked No. 9 in the NET. The Cyclones slot in at No. 12 in the KenPom rankings and are No. 8 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Kansas State earned a bye in the Big 12 tournament, facing off with seventh-seeded Texas on Wednesday, winning 78-74 to advance to face ISU.
- The Wildcats earned the bye last Saturday when they defeated ISU on Senior Day at Bramlage Center.
K-State is currently projected on the outside, looking in of the bubble and a second win over the top ten Cyclones would help their at-large chances.
The Wildcats were picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, one spot above Iowa State.
The Wildcats are 7-0 in overtime games this season, the best mark in a single season in NCAA history.
Reigning C-USA Player of the Year and North Texas transfer Tylor Perry has played the most minutes of any Big 12 player this season and has also attempted the most 3-point shots of anyone in the league.
- Perry has the 13th highest free throw percentage in the nation, knocking down freebies at a 91 percent rate.
Both Perry and K-State wing Arthur Kaluma earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention last week for their performances in the 2024 season.
Kansas State head coach Jerome Tang is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. Tang is 45-23 with KSU and is coming off a season where he helped guide K-State to the Elite Eight.
- Overall, Tang is 47-23 in his career.
- He was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year last season.
K-State is ranked No. 70 in the NET. The Wildcats are No. 68 in KenPom and No. 58 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Omaha Biliew

Keshon Gilbert

Curtis Jones

Robert Jones

Tre King

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Jackson Paveletzke

Hason Ward

Demarion Watson

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