No. 2 Iowa State at West Virginia Primer

Who: No. 2 Iowa State (15-1, 5-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12)

Where: WVU Coliseum (14,000) – Morgantown, W. Va.

When: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 – 4 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tipping Off: Iowa State has won 12 straight games – the longest such streak in the nation – and the third longest-winning streak in school history. Iowa State has also beaten nine-straight league opponents, the second-longest such streak in school history, and has now won 28 straight games inside Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones will look to extend two of those streaks this weekend when they head East for their third Big 12 road bout of the year in Morgantown.

The Cyclones pulled away from No. 9 Kansas last time out, closing the Wednesday night game on a 16-2 run to earn a 17-point victory over the Jayhawks in a top-ten tilt. The win moved the Cyclones to 5-0 in conference play, tying them with the 1944 squad for the best start to a conference slate. ISU also moved to 15-1, marking the best 16-game start in program history.

West Virginia is returning to the confines of WVU Coliseum following a two-game road trip in which it went 1-1. The Mountaineers opened the westward road trip in Boulder, dispatching Colorado by eight. WVU finished the road swing in Houston against the No. 10 Cougars, falling to UH by 16. Iowa State will be the fourth top-ten team WVU has faced this season, as the team is 2-1 in those contests.

Storylines:

Iowa State's "sixth starter," Curtis Jones, became an actual starter last time out, filling in for an injury. The Big 12's second-highest leading scorer has dropped seven 20-plus point outings this season. He has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week once this season.
Keshon Gilbert has taken a leap in his second season as a Cyclone, leading the team in minutes and assists. He has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and was added to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on Jan. 7.
A Preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection, Tamin Lipsey has been the glue of Iowa State's team. A known defensive menace, Lipsey leads the team in steals and is second on the team in assists.
Saint Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson has been a key, versatile player this season. Jefferson leads the team in rebounding and has earned four Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards.
Sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic averages just over 10 points per game and shoots the 3-ball at the highest clip on the team at 44 percent. It was announced on Jan. 15 that he would miss some time with a hand injury.
A transfer from Charlotte, big man Dishon Jackson has been a force in the paint. He leads the team in blocks and averages 9.9 points with 5.0 rebounds.
A Swiss army knife off the bench, Nate Heise has really come into his own. His defensive ability to lock opposing players down and ability to cut to space has been huge.
Seattle transfer Brandton Chatfield has been a glass-eater off the bench. The senior leads the team in offensive rebounds and constantly earns ISU more possessions.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 184-99 overall and has led the Cyclones to an 85-36 record over the last four years.
- ISU is 55-8 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.
Iowa State has won 28 straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, which is tied for the second-longest active home winning streak in the country and the second-longest in school history.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- He was the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to take a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years on the job.
- Otz will attempt to become the first coach in program history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament in his first four years as coach.
Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 10 for 18 straight weeks, the longest streak in the country.
Iowa State currently boasts the top-scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 85.4 points per contest.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 5 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 4 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 5 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Iowa State and WVU are meeting for the 25th time on Saturday. West Virginia holds the series advantage and has won eight of the last 10 meetings, including the last eight matchups in Morgantown.
- ISU has won in Morgantown just twice – in 2013 and 2015.
The Mountaineers were picked to finish 13th out of 16 in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
WVU broke into the rankings on Jan. 6 at No. 21 in the AP poll. It marked WVU's first appearance in the AP poll since Dec. 26, 2022.
WVU is 2-1 on the road in Big 12 road games (wins at Kansas and at Colorado). The Mountaineers have already matched their road win total in conference play in the last three seasons combined (2-25).
For this season, Tucker DeVries (Drake), Javon Small (Oklahoma State), Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois) and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy) were added from the transfer portal.
- West Virginia returned just 2.8 percent of its scoring from last season's team (Ofri Naveh).
WVU has defeated two Top 10 teams away from home already this season, marking the first time that has happened in the same season since 2005-06.
Mountaineer head coach Darian DeVries is in his first season at the helm of the West Virginia basketball program. DeVries is 12-4 with WVU and is 162-59 in his seven-year coaching career, which began at Drake.
- DeVries, an Aplington, Iowa native, played college basketball at UNI before serving as an assistant coach with Creighton for 17 seasons.
- DeVries has coached against ISU once, in his first year at Drake, falling to the Cyclones 77-68.
As of 1/16, West Virginia is ranked No. 33 in the NET. The Mountaineers are No. 42 in KenPom and No. 45 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Brandton Chatfield

Keshon Gilbert

Nate Heise

Dishon Jackson

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics