No. 3 Iowa State in the Arizona State Primer

WHO: No. 3 Iowa State (16-2, 6-1 Big 12) and Arizona State (11-7, 2-5 Big 12)

Where: Desert Financial Arena (14,198) – Tempe, Arizona.

When: Saturday, January 25, 2025 – 1:00 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tip: The third-place Cyclones will look to end January on a high note as the team will embark on a two-game road trip in Arizona to close out the month. ISU faces Arizona State on Saturday in the programs’ first meeting since 1987 before traveling west against Arizona on Big Monday in Tucson.

Last time out, Iowa State had little trouble against UCF, defeating the Knights by 25 by a score of 108-83. The 108 points were the most ever scored by a Cyclone team below them TJ Ötzelberger and the first 100-plus point game against a conference opponent since 2001, when the team did so twice. It is the 14th time ISU has scored more than 100 points against a league opponent.

The Sun Devils enter Saturday’s contest after picking up a monster road win at No. 23 West Virginia. Arizona State earned its second Big 12 victory on Tuesday, defeating the Mountaineers on their home court. ASU held No. 23 West Virginia to just 30.8% (18 of 58) shooting from the field, the lowest mark by an opponent in a conference road game since the game against Washington State in 2022.

Storylines:

• Iowa State’s “sixth starter,” Curtis JonesHe has developed into a real starter in the last two games and filled in for an injury. The Big 12’s second-highest scorer has missed seven appearances with more than 20 points this season. He was named Big 12 Player of the Week once this season.
• Keshon Gilbert took a leap in his second season as a Cyclone, leading the team in minutes and assists. He was named Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and was named to the Wooden Award’s Midseason Top 25 Watch List on January 7.
• A preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection, Tamin Lipsey was the glue of the Iowa State team. A noted defensive threat, Lipsey leads the team in steals and is second on the team in assists.
• Transfer of Saint Mary Joshua Jefferson was an important and 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 He averages just over 10 points per game and shoots the team’s highest 3-ball at 44 percent. On January 15, it was announced that he would be out for some time with a hand injury.
• A transfer from Charlotte, big man Dishon Jackson was a power in color. He leads the team in blocks and averages 9.3 points with 4.9 rebounds.
• A Swiss army knife from the bank, Nate Heise has really come into its own. His defensive ability to pin down opposing players and his ability to win space was tremendous.
• Seattle Transfer Brandton Chatfield was a glass eater from the start. The senior leads the team in offensive rebounds and consistently gives ISU more possession.

From the notes:

• As a head coach, Otz is 185-100 overall and has led the Cyclones to an 86-37 record over the last four years.

  • ISU is 56-8 in games played at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.

• Iowa State has won 29 straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, which is 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 lead multiple teams to the Sweet 16.

  • He became the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to lead a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years in charge.
  • Otz will attempt to become the first coach in program history to lead a team to the NCAA Tournament in his first four years of coaching.

• Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 10 for 19 consecutive weeks, the longest streak in the country.

  • Ranked No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, Iowa State has been in the top five for 20 weeks in poll history, including 10 weeks this season.

• Iowa State currently boasts the highest scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 85.1 points per game.
• The Cyclones are ranked No. 5 in the NET. Iowa State is No. 4 in the KenPom rankings and No. 5 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

Changing sides:

• Iowa State and Arizona State will meet this weekend for the fourth time and first since 1987.

  • The two teams played twice in Ames, with ISU winning both games, and once in Tempe, with Arizona State winning.

• The Sun Devils were picked to finish 12th out of 16 in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
• ASU freshman big man Jayden Quaintance is currently the only player in the country averaging at least 9.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks.

  • On December 23rd He received the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award.
  • Quaintance has 57 blocks this season, the most in the country, and holds the ASU freshman record for blocks in a season that lasts just 18 games.

• Arizona State has the second-most turnovers of any Big 12 program, averaging 13.4 per contest.

  • Iowa State has forced the most turnovers of any Big 12 team, averaging 15.6 per game.

• Arizona State’s Mason Alson and Quaintance are among the top seven minutes players in the conference, each averaging over 32 minutes of playing time.
• ASU head coach Bobby Hurley is in his 10th season at the helm of the Sun Devil basketball program. Hurley has a 166-138 record at Arizona State and a 208-158 record in his 12-year coaching career, which began with a two-year stint at Buffalo.

  • He is the second winningest coach in ASU history.

• Arizona State is ranked No. 56 in the NET. The Sun Devils are No. 57 in KenPom and No. 62 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.