Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

   
#61 Iowa State Cyclones

Big 12

 2003-04: 20-13, 7-9, 8^th

2003-04 postseason: NIT semifinals

By Joel Welser

The team that reached the NIT semifinals last year will look different this year, but still packs enough punch to make a run in the Big 12.  A pair of sophomore guards in Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock will have to lead the way.  Throw in the senior leadership of center Jared Homan and head coach Wayne Morgan has a solid nucleus to build around.   

Who’s Out: Jackson Vroman, a second round NBA draft pick, nearly averaged a double-double as a senior with 13.9 points and 9.6 rebounds.  Vroman was always the go to guy under the basket and will be greatly missed.  Shooting guard Jake Sullivan averaged 14.6 points per game during his senior campaign.  Sullivan was a consistent scorer who hit double figures in 28 of 33 games.  Swingman Marcus Jefferson averaged 18.4 minutes in 27 games, scoring 5.9 points and grabbing 3.6 boards per outing.  Sparingly used Andrew Skoglund and Justin Fries have also run out of eligibility. 

Who’s In: With the absence of Sullivan and Jefferson, the newcomers will have to fill in at the wing position.  Junior college transfer Anthony Davis, as well as freshmen Rashon Clark and Tasheed Carr can all fill that role.  Davis joins the Cyclones via LA City College where he received first-team all-conference honors each of his two years at the school.  Clark is an extremely athletic player who should make an immediate impact in Ames.  Carr is a point guard who is versatile and can play just about anywhere on the floor.  With Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock on board running the point, Carr should see most of his minutes at the two-guard or the wing position.  There are a couple newcomers ready to take over for Jackson Vroman as well.  Junior College transfer Robert Faulkner is a 6-8 225 pound sophomore who should see some minutes off the bench.  Freshman Aaron Agnew is a big man, to say the least.  A couple years ago he tilted the scales at 360 pounds and is down around 330 at the moment.  At 6-10, Agnew has the ability to be a huge presence under the basket.  He is surprisingly quick, but needs to develop more intensity under the basket.

Who to Watch: Curtis Stinson is one of those players who flew under the radar, but had an incredible freshman campaign for the Cyclones.  Stinson had a solid NIT, including a career high 32 points in the semifinal loss to Rutgers.  He averaged a team high 16.2 points and 4.3 assists per game.  Stinson crashed the glass quite well for a 6-2 guard, grabbing six boards per game.  His quick hands and feet help on the defensive end as well, averaging 1.7 steals.  The Bronx, NY native isn’t a great outside shooter though, making just 17 of 59 three point attempts.  He doesn’t need to be though and knows his limitations very well for such a young player.

Projected Conference Rank: Moving up from 8^th place in the Big 12 to 7^th place may just be enough to put Iowa State on the bubble in March.  The Cyclones could reach the 20 win mark again this year and make another deep run into the NIT.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NIT

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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