Iowa St

State of '08: Iowa

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:36:12 -0700

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Duke or Carolina? BC or UMASS? Gonzaga or Washington.. or Washington State? What is the best program in each state? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a ranking of every program in every state.. based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up today: Iowa. For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

IOWA

IOWA - It remains to be seen what type of success Todd Lickliter will have at Iowa, but this is still the state's premier program. From 2001 to 2006, Iowa made 6 straight postseason trips under Steve Alford, though fans were disappointed with just one NCAA Tourney win in that period. Certainly Drake was the state's top team last year, and UNI was the best the previous few seasons, but Iowa is consistently solid and has never had the lean years of its in-state rivals.

NORTHERN IOWA - Greg McDermott worked some magic at UNI, leading the Panthers to three straight tourneys from 2004 to 2006. But McDermott jumped ship for a bigger contract, and the program is still in transition under Ben Jacobson. He's managed to keep the ship afloat, going 18-18 in MVC games, but the future is a bit murky. UNI has also lost 4-straight games to rival Drake.

IOWA STATE - It took McDermott three years to turn around UNI, so Cyclones fans are hoping he can repeat that success in his 3rd season at ISU. It seems unlikely though that the Cyclones will sniff the postseason, as there's just not much talent on the roster. In the last seven years, Iowa State's made just one NCAA Tournament trip and has consistently finished in the bottom half of the Big 12. A lot is riding on this year's deep recruiting class.

DRAKE - The Bulldogs pulled off one of the all-time great turnaround seasons last year. In his first season, Keno Davis (is he a coaching genius or just lucky?) led Drake to a 28-5 record, the NCAA Tournament, a Top 10 RPI, and an MVC title. But this is a program that hadn't made the Big Dance since 1971, and hadn't finished above .500 in MVC play in the prior 22 seasons. Until the program proves last year wasn't just a fluke, they remain in the cellar.

Last: Indiana - Next: Kentucky

State of '08: The Introduction (& State list/links)

Daily Poll: Who is the Worst BCS Team?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:33:52 -0800

Three Stars of the Day: December 1st

Shawn Siegel — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 07:47:44 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Craig Brackins - Iowa State

Two of the worst BCS teams out there met up last year, and the freshman's 23 and 10 helped the Cyclones put away Oregon State in OT - Box Score

Justin Hawkins - New Mexico State

The senior scored 26 points and 11 boards, helping the Aggies blow past Chicago State - Box Score

Robbie Cowgill - Washington State

Coming back from a half-time deficit at Baylor, the Cougars pulled off a 67-64 win behind Cowgill's season-best 18 points - Box Score

Other Top Performers

Justin Hawkins - New Mexico State - The senior scored 26 points and 11 boards, helping the Aggies blow past Chicago State - Box Score

Derrick Low - Washington State - Not his best game by any means, but on a slow day, his three 3-pointers made were key to helping WSU get by Baylor - Box Score

Tyrone Shelley - Pepperdine - In just 25 minutes off the bench, Shelley had 19 points, helping Pepperdine beat UTPA on a neutral court in Montana - Box Score

Previous Stars of the Day

November 29th - Ryan Anderson, California

November 28th - James Powell, UCSB

November 27th - Stephen Curry, Davidson

November 26th - Michael Bramos, Miami (OH)

November 22nd - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

November 21st - Kyle Singler, Duke

November 20th - Patty Mills, Saint Mary's

November 19th - Matt Causey, Georgia Tech

November 18th - Daniel Hackett, USC

November 17th - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis

November 16th - JJ Hickson, NC State

November 15th - Jon Brockman, Washington

Top 144 Previews | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Freshman 10 Preview: Part 3

Jason Tomassini — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 07:25:22 -0700

..continued from Part One: BCS Rookies and Part Two: Mid-Major Rookies

Eugene Harvey All Stars (Outstanding Performance on Bad Team)

G Corey Chandler, Rutgers

G LaceDarius Dunn, Baylor

F Craig Brackins, Iowa State

F James Harden, Arizona State

C Mac Koshwal, DePaul

Ryan Anderson and Ishmael Smith also could have provided the namesake for this team full of stud freshmen doomed to languish in mediocrity. I think Chandler’s numbers could emulate Harvey’s pretty closely. He’s a better shooter than Harvey but probably not the same playmaker. Fred Hill’s first recruiting class is a good one and it’s not crazy to think that Chandler, the centerpiece of the class, will be the main component of the rebuilding process. (For some reason there’s an inordinate amount of YouTube video on Chandler, if you’re into that sort of thing).

Baylor continues to make progress on the recruiting trails and Dunn could be the best recruit they have landed in awhile. Bruce and Jerrells will run this team but a big-time scorer like Dunn should get plenty of looks.

Wesley Johnson was another guy who had a monster freshman year for a struggling Iowa State team and Brackins could replicate that performance. It will be interesting to see how both players are used this year. The Cyclones are in a position where any talent needs to be on the court as much as possible, but that will probably involve playing Brackins, at 6-9, on the perimeter. He’s an amazing athlete but isn’t half the rebounder that Johnson is. If his outside game develops and both can see 30 minutes per game, Iowa State could have the best forward tandem in the Big 12 going into the future. Oh and Brackins has decided to grace us with a never-failing source of entertainment: “The Ridiculous Athlete MySpace Profile.” Always a good time.

Harden is the key cog to what should be a very quick turnaround for Herb Sendek and the Sun Devils. They probably won’t make the NCAAs in a brutal Pac-10 this year but Harden will get plenty of opportunities to make a mark on the league. He has good size for a college wing and has a wide array of scoring moves, highlighted by a jump shot that he gets off whenever he wants. Besides his talent, many scouts rave about his ability in the clutch, his heady approach to the game and his ability to break down defenses without being that athletic. If you’re looking for a surprise Pac-10 freshman scoring leader, it could be Harden.

Depaul was solid last year but can blame graduation and Isiah Thomas’ ineptitude for the loss of its two best players, Sammy Mejia and first-round pick Wilson Chandler. So a surprisingly outstanding recruiting class, headed by Koshwal, will have a hard time reaching 20 wins again. Koshwal is going to get his numbers, especially on the glass, where he is already a Big East-caliber rebounder. His offensive game is essentially predicated on his athleticism and is more perimeter-oriented than you would think for a guy his size. To be what the Blue Demons need, he will have to develop into a post presence and he should have plenty of minutes to try and do so.

Tajuan Porter All Stars (BCS Sleepers)

G Javier Gonzalez, NC State

G Scott Christopherson, Marquette

F Jarryd Cole, Iowa

F Sean Williams, Syracuse

C Andrew Ogilvy, Vanderbilt

These are all shots in the dark. Sifting through every moderately rated freshman is not a particularly exciting endeavor, so this is my best shot given the players I know about. Predicting who will get minutes and thrive is about as difficult as predicting Porter would drop 27, 28 and 38 in his first three college games. Anyways, I’m not looking so much at stats with these guys as I am impact. None of these players received more than a three-star rating from Scout or Rivals (who makes their own picks here).

Unfortunately Gonzalez will be giving his competitors a head start in the Wolfpack’s nebulous point guard battle to replace Engin Atsur. He broke his thumb and should miss the first month of the season. But when he comes back, Gonzalez will have a chance to beat out a couple of inexperienced transfers, sophomore Farnold Degand (Iowa State) and Marques Johnson (Tennessee, eligible mid-season), neither of whom have ever started a college basketball game. He’s not much of a scorer, but he should have plenty of an impact just feeding NC State’s talented frontcourt.

Quite simply, Cole is a big dude. At 6-7 and a solid 230 pounds, he has to be the odds-on favorite of this class to be the next Antonio Gates. He isn’t a skilled scorer or post option but he’s exactly the type of guy that will earn minutes in the Big Ten for his defense and rebounding (think a poor man’s Jeff Adrien). For instance, in this highlight clip, rather than show him dunking or swatting a shot, the most important play he makes is breaking some poor kid’s nose fighting for a rebound. You know Todd Lickliter will find a place for him.

A lot has been made of the Orange’s thin front line resulting from Terence Roberts and Darryl Watkins’ departure, but quite frankly, they sucked. Roberts and Watkins’ frequent mental mistakes, turnovers and foul trouble probably kept the Orange out of the tournament last year, not the non-conference schedule. Boeheim will now turn to three freshmen to lock down the back line of the 2-3 zone and Williams, the least hyped of the incoming class, could be the key. At 6-11, he is the biggest player on the team and should be the best shot blocker because of his athleticism. The minutes won’t be there at first, but if the zone begins to struggle, Williams will have a big role.

After manhandling the Under 19 World Championships, the Aussie Ogilvy probably isn’t much of a sleeper anymore. He shot 70 percent from the field, 80 percent from the line, had six double-doubles in nine games and his low scoring contest was 16 (we’re going to take that 10 turnover performance and neatly sweep in the under the rug). After the performance, his name was all over the NBA radar. Is he a project? Yes. Could he be the difference between a first-round exit and a deep NCAA run for Vandy? You bet. Oh, and get ready for plenty of Andrew Bogut comparisons, hopefully he doesn’t share the same ~~racist~~ interesting thoughts.

Christopherson looks like one of those creepy kids from low-budget horror movies, but I’m certain he’s going to be the guy who hits like seven threes against Syracuse’s zone and pisses off other fans around the Big East as “The Kid Who You Wouldn’t Take In A Pick-up Game But Can Actually Ball” (carrying the torch from Mike Nardi). Marquette could use a shooter and someone to occasionally play point and move Dominic James off the ball and that’s exactly what Christopherson should provide. If it doesn’t work out for Christopherson, fellow Golden Eagle Trevor Mbakwe could be a member of this team by year’s end anyway.

- Return to Part I, focusing on the top BCS freshmen & Part II, featruing the top Mid-Major Rookies. Next week Jason Tomassini begins his biweekly Freshman 10 column!

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview & Awards | More Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Book Review: Can I Keep My Jersey?

Jeff Fox — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:59:52 -0700

Can I Keep My Jersey?
Paul Shirley
Villard Books
$23.95 ($29.95 Canada)

The subtitle of the book sums it all up – 11 Teams, 5 Countries and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond. NBA diehards and/or Iowa State fans will know the name Paul Shirley from the basketball court – the rest of the world is getting to know him from his very popular blogs on ESPN.com and from this very good book.

The book is pretty much a long, very entertaining blog. Rather than another boring autobiography from a superstar player, Can I Keep My Jersey? flips the script and deals with the life of the journeyman. Anyone who has read Shirley’s writings for ESPN.com or the Phoenix Suns’ website know what to expect – funny, sarcastic, jaded, non-PC rants on the state of the world – on the court and off. The non-PC part could be a big one for readers in this ever watered down, censored world we live in – Shirley pulls no punches, with religion, stupid basketball players and people from other countries with odor issues taking the brunt of his rage.

Shirley’s journey through the book takes him to various NBA teams, but most of his life is spent in the CBA, the ABA or in various outposts in Europe. The book also contains the requisite suppository and catheter segments that all good books possess. What makes the book really unique is that it is as if a fan has written it – it just so happens that the fan is 6’10” and plays in some of the world’s best basketball leagues.

If you want an uncensored, unbiased insider view on life in the NBA, the U.S. minor leagues and European basketball, this book is for you. It is often hilarious, always interesting, and makes you realize at least one pro basketball player actually “gets it”. A very entertaining must read.

5 out of 5 stars

2007-08 Iowa State Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 05:12:35 -0700

Iowa State Cyclones

Overall Rank: #138

Conference Rank: #11 Big 12

2006-07: 15-16, 6-10, 7^th (t)

2006-07 postseason: none

On paper it may not look like it, but Iowa State is headed in the right direction under Coach Greg McDermott. There is something to be said about addition by subtraction, but that will not catapult the Cyclones up to the level of the conference elite overnight. The newcomers are good and will be asked to do a lot this year, but they just cannot compete with the likes of Kansas and Texas quite yet.

Who’s Out:

The big, or at least more relevant, losses are not graduating seniors. Dodie Dunson, Corey McIntosh and Ross Marsden have all left Ames early. Dunson averaged 5.2 points per game and McIntosh added 4.4 per contest and started 29 games. Marsden was a decent big man spending most of the year coming off the bench. Forward Jessan Gray, another roleplayer, has run out of eligibility. Little used Chris Caeser, Jeff Bergstrom and Dustin Streff have wrapped up their careers at Iowa State.

Who’s In:

In the frontcourt, Alex Thompson and Craig Brackins are expected to make an immediate impact. Thompson, an unfair delayed trade for Adam Haluska from Iowa, has the potential to crack the starting lineup. At 6-10, 230 pounds Thompson will at least play the same role as he did at Iowa, a big body who can eat up a few fouls and grab some rebounds. He does have the ability to step out and hit the three-ball, which will spread out the opposition. Brackins is already a Big 12 caliber shot blocker. For being 6-10 and 220 pounds, he has some surprising quickness and if the offensive game improves enough, Brackins will be too good to keep on the bench. Center Clayton Vette won Iowa’s Mr. Basketball, but may find it difficult to see too many minutes as freshman. The help is really needed in the backcourt. Diante Garrett may end up to be the most important player on the team. The 6-4 Wisconsin product can play both guard positions, but ISU desperately, really desperately, needs a consistent point guard. Garrett is a creative and smart playmaker and will need to quickly adjust to life in the Big 12 if the Cyclones want a shot at the postseason. Lucca Staiger highlights a long list of incoming guards that includes Charles Boozer, Marcus Brister, Cameron Lee, Bryan Petersen and Sean Haluska, who scored 19 points fewer than his brother Adam during his senior year of high school. The younger Haluska spent two years at Indian Hills Community College, thus a transfer to Iowa is unlikely.

Who to Watch:

Most of the returning talent is in the frontcourt. Sophomore Wesley Johnson was one of the few bright spots during the 2006-2007 campaign. The 6-7 forward averaged 12.3 points and a team high 7.9 rebounds and will be a superstar in the conference if the rest of his team can begin to compete at a higher level. By the numbers, center Jiri Hubalek is not far behind Johnson, averaging 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds. The 6-11 Czech Republic native earned second team All-Big 12 accolades and is looking for even bigger things for his senior campaign. Rahshon Clark will not put up the offensive numbers of Johnson, but the 6-6 forward will do a little bit of everything. He is a decent shotblocker, can use his long arms to pick up some steals and is aggressive on the glass.

Final Projection:

The frontcourt is good…it is the backcourt that has had some issues. Mike Taylor was forced into a point guard role and responded by committing 5.4 turnovers per game. Taylor, whose status is still uncertain following an offseason incident, is a good scorer and averaged 16.0 points per game, but the Cyclones need a new ballhandler. If freshman Garrett can run the show, Taylor will be able to be more effective moving over to the off-guard position. If not, there is no reason to believe this version of Iowa State will be better than the last.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Diante Garrett, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

MikeTaylor, Senior, Guard, 16.0 points per game

Wesley Johnson, Sophomore, Forward, 12.3 points per game

Rahshon Clark, Senior, Forward, 6.4 points per game

Jiri Hubalek, Senior, Center, 11.2 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2007-08 Preview | Discuss the Preview

2006-07 JUCO Class: Less Than Productive

Eric Silver — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 08:21:26 -0700

It’s that time of year again in college basketball – spring – when fans try to predict which underclassmen will declare for the NBA draft as well as determine which players will be selected in the first and second rounds. However, it’s also the time when coaches try to fill in gaps on their rosters for next year from the only viable source still available – junior colleges.

Sure, there are a handful of talented high school and prep school players who have not yet decided on a school, but for the most part, the well of incoming freshmen is pretty much dry. Consequently, over the next two to three months dozens of programs will announce the signing of one or more junior college players, many of whom will have been honored with all-American, or at least all-regional, status. Quite a few will bring impressive statistical credentials with them as well.

But don’t be fooled by the honors or the stats. In November, I wrote an article questioning the impact that the majority of junior college transfers would have this year at the high-major level. For years I have tracked the productivity of incoming jucos in the six “elite” conferences. To depict the results as uniformly mediocre would be the equivalent of Paul Abdul commenting that one of the performers on “American Idol” looked stunning.

Well, I’ve now examined the data for juco transfers who entered the ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Big East, Pac 10, and SEC during the 2006-2007 season. Overall, the results are pretty much what I’d expected. Fewer than a dozen of these junior college players had a significant impact on their respective teams.

In some ways this year’s data is even skewed upward a bit compared to previous seasons because of the situation at the University of Cincinnati where four of new coach Mick Cronin’s top six players came straight from the junior college ranks. All four were among the Top 10 juco transfers in terms of playing time.

In fact, with respect to playing time, of the three dozen incoming juco players on high-major rosters this year, 11 (30.6%) averaged fewer than 10.0 mpg. Another half dozen (16.7%) averaged between 10.0 mpg and 14.9 mpg. In other words, nearly half of all incoming junior college transfers in the six elite conferences averaged fewer than 15.0 mpg. Remember, these are not freshmen who will likely show considerable development over the next three seasons. These were almost always juniors who will now have only one year of eligibility left.

Here’s the breakdown for playing time for these 36 transfers:

30.0 mpg – 32.9 mpg = 5 players (13.9%)
25.0 mpg – 29.9 mpg = 5 players (13.9%)
20.0 mpg – 24.9 mpg = 4 players (11.1%)
15.0 mpg – 19.9 mpg = 5 players (13.9%)
10.0 mpg – 14.9 mpg = 6 players (16.7%)
0.1 mpg – 9.9 mpg = 11 players (30.6%)

And four of the 10 players who averaged more than 25.0 mpg played for one team – Cincinnati.

In terms of scoring the data for this group of 36 may astonish even those who are most skeptical of recruiting junior college players.

15.0 ppg – 16.0 ppg = 1 player (2.8%)
10.0 ppg – 14.9 ppg = 5 players (13.9%)
7.6 ppg – 9.9 ppg = 3 players (8.3%)
5.0 ppg – 7.5 ppg = 7 players (19.4%)
0.1 ppg – 4.9 ppg = 20 players (55.6%)

That’s right: over half of these three dozen players averaged less than 5.0 ppg, and 27 of 36 (75%) averaged less than 7.5 ppg. For that matter five of every six (83.3%) averaged in single digits in scoring, while only one in six (16.7%) averaged as many as 10.0 ppg.

The stats for rebounding are not better. Only one of these three dozen players – Cincinnati’s John Williamson – averaged more than 6.0 rebounds per game (7.3 rpg). Plus, only three other junior college transfers – Mississippi’s Kenny Williams (5.7 rpg), Georgia’s Takais Brown (5.6 rpg), and Cincy’s Marcus Sikes (5.0 rpg) averaged 5.0 rpg or higher.

What about assists? Same story: only one player – Iowa State’s Michael Taylor – averaged over 4.0 assists per game (4.5 apg), and only one other – Cincy’s Jamual Warren – averaged over 3.0 apg (3.2 apg).

It’s hard to decide in which of these three statistical categories the junior college transfers fared the worst. The overall stats are, to borrow from a typical Simon Cowell assessment of an underwhelming performance, pathetic.

Still, a few of these individuals did have decent seasons. If I had to pick the Top 10 incoming junior college players in these six conferences, I’d rank them as follows:

1. Michael Taylor (Iowa State): 32.9 mpg, 16.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.5 apg;
2. John Williamson (Cincinnati): 30.9 mpg, 13.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg;
3. Takais Brown (Georgia): 28.3 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg;
4. Mykal Riley (Alabama): 30.6 mpg, 12.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg;
5. Sonny Weems (Arkansas): 31.0 mpg, 11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg;
6. Avery Patterson* (St. John’s): 29.2 mpg, 10.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg;
7. Marcus Sikes (Cincinnati): 29.3 mpg, 9.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg;
8. Charlie Burgess (Texas Tech): 31.0 mpg, 9.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.5 apg;
9. Jamual Warren (Cincinnati): 29.2 mpg, 8.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.2 apg;
10. Kenny Williams (Mississippi): 22.2 mpg, 7.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg.

* Patterson has announced he is transferring from St. John’s.

Remember, these are probably the most productive of this past season’s incoming juco crop. The bottom line is that the odds of getting a productive junior college transfer are slim, to say the least, at least at a school in one of the top six conferences. In other words, fans shouldn’t get too excited the next couple of months if their head coach announces the signing of an incoming recruit or two from the junior college ranks.

Big 12 Weekly Honors

Press Release — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 00:13:36 -0800

IRVING, TEXAS - Freshmen Wesley Johnson (Iowa State) and Tweety Carter (Baylor) have been chosen as Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for games of Dec. 11 - 17 in voting by a panel of media covering the conference. Both players earn weekly accolades for the first time.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Wesley Johnson, Iowa State, F, Fr., 6-7, 195, Corsicana, Texas/Corsicana/Patterson School (N.C.)

Johnson averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds last week as the Cyclones recorded a 1-1 record. The freshman forward had consecutive double-doubles, beginning with 15 points and 11 boards in a 70-59 victory over Savannah State. He followed with 18 points and 10 rebounds in a 76-66 loss to Bradley. Johnson shot 52.9 percent (9-of-17) in two outings, including 3-of-5 (.600) from 3-point range. He was also 12-of-14 (.857) from the free throw line with two assists and two steals. Johnson is the third freshman in Big 12 history to win player honors, following Mario Chalmers of Kansas (Feb. 13, 2006) and Oklahoma’s Drew Lavender (Dec. 15, 2003).

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Tweety Carter, Baylor, G, Fr., 5-10, 190, LaPlace, La./Reserve Christian School

Carter turned in a career performance in the Bears’ only game of the week, a 94-71 loss at No. 23 Syracuse. The freshman guard had a career-best 31 points in the Carrier Dome, on 11-of-19 (.579) shooting. He was also 7-of-12 (.583) from 3-point range. The 11 field goals and seven 3-pointers were both career-highs. Carter also added two rebounds and one assists as he posted the highest point total for a BU player since Aaron Bruce had 33 versus Oklahoma State on Feb. 5, 2005.

Northern Iowa Upends Iowa State

Press Release — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 08:22:55 -0800

Cedar Falls, Iowa -- Brooks McKowen scored a career-high 27 points as the University of Northern Iowa men’s basketball team topped in-state foe Iowa State and former Panther head coach Greg McDermott, 70-57 in the UNI-Dome on Wednesday.

Panther center Eric Coleman notched a double-double, scoring 17 points and 11 rebounds, and Travis Brown added 16 points for UNI.

Four Cyclones scored in double figures, led by Wesley Johnson with 14 points. Rahshon Clark and Jiri Hubalek each added 12 points, and Jessan Gray finished with 11.

The teams traded leads three times early in the first half, with Iowa State (6-1) taking an 18-16 lead on a three from Dodie Dunson with 10:27 left in the period. The Panthers (5-1) scored the next seven points to build a 23-18 advantage. After a layup from Johnson pulled ISU within three, Brown knocked down a three to put UNI on top, 26-20 with 5:22 on the clock. The Panthers held at least a four-point lead through the rest of the half, and McKowen hit a three with just three seconds remaining to send UNI into the break owning its largest lead of the half, 33-24.

The Cyclones scored the first five points of the second half, but layups from Grant Stout and Brown on consecutive trips built UNI’s lead back to eight, 37-29 with 17:05 to play.

UNI didn’t score over the next three minutes, and a three from Johnson capped an 8-0 run by ISU that tied the game at 37 with 14:16 remaining.

McKowen answered with a layup on UNI’s next trip to give the lead back to the Panthers. Less than a minute later, Kwadzo Ahelegbe grabbed a steal and found a fast-breaking Coleman, who finished with a one-handed dunk that put UNI up 41-37 with 13:07 to play.

Just seven seconds later, ISU cut the Panther lead to one on a three from Gray. On the Panthers’ next possession, Coleman put back his own miss to put UNI back up by three. The lead was short-lived, as Mike Taylor knocked down a three at the other end to tie the game at 43 with 12:16 to play.

McKowen returned the lead to the Panthers when he knocked down a three on the ensuing possession. ISU was able to come within one point of the Panthers on two occasions. Leading 48-47 with 8:26 to play, UNI went on a 12-2 run over the next 5:30 that gave the Panthers their first double-digit lead of the game, 60-49 with 2:57 on the clock.

Iowa State got threes from Clark and Hubalek to cut their deficit to five points, and a Panther turnover gave the Cyclones the ball with the chance to make it a one-possession game. Instead, Coleman came up with a steal that he took the length of the floor, and the dunk put UNI up 62-55 with 1:09 remaining.

The Cyclones elected to foul, and UNI was perfect from the line in the final minute to seal the win for the Panthers. UNI returns to action on Saturday when they play at Bucknell at noon.

- UNI Media Relations -

2006-07 Preview: Team's #131-144

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 14:02:05 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 131st to 144th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days college preview.