Iowa State Basketball

OffshoreInsiders.com Sports Handicapper Matt Rivers has a college basketball winner on Iowa State (+4) to Kansas State.

Reasoning: Nobody was more on the jock of Frank Martin’s team last season than I was, but the ship has sunk and for this Kansas State team to be laying points on the road in this spot is just silly. No doubt Jacob Pullen is an absolute shining star, but the Wildcats have been a disgrace this season and especially so outside of Manhattan.

Iowa State isn’t great by any means and they are a thin team with fewer scholarship players than most. But give the Mayor, Fred Hoiberg, some credit as he has done a really nice job with the Cyclones.

They are not the most talented of teams after losing Craig Brackins but Diante Garrett has been really good leading the way this season and without a shadow of a doubt do I expect a total outright today, even if things have gone a bit south over the last few weeks.

Pullen will score his points and try and keep the ‘Cats in this thing but overall K State has lost player after player and have had more controversy than almost any team in the nation. Things have snowballed in a negative light for a while now and this team on the highway has been horrific.

I just don’t see the visitors being able to muster much as the confidence is low and the squad overall is not nearly what they were thought to have been earlier in the season.

Martin’s boys are a terrible 15-8 overall and 3-5 in the Big 12. They’ve lost pretty much every road game this season and more times than not have gotten whacked in those contests. The last loss at Kansas was a total beating and the previous four at A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Florida were not much better.

Iowa State is 1-7 in the conference, which doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that’s not very good, and they were just pounded in Boulder against Colorado in their fifth straight defeat, but I’m alright with that. Certainly the last pair of home losses to Oklahoma and Texas Tech are inexplicably bad, but this team will continue to fight and show a little better.

The Cyclones proved their upside to me with the tighter than tight game and cover against Kansas along with the win over Baylor about a month or so ago. I expect more of that better type of a performance today by the homeboys and expect an outright as K State continues to regress and shrivel up.

The pick: Iowa State

For more information: Last night Rivers hit with a 400,000* Manhattan stayed in the number the entire game and the 200,000* on the Mavericks won outright! I’m feeling pretty darn good right about now. A whopping four winners today and well over a million* of profit in the end.

A pair of Pac-10 games lead the way with a Monster 400,000* Washington-Oregon and a 300,000* involving St. John’s and UCLA. I’m throwing in another 300,000* affair between Clemson and Georgia Tech and will round out the day with a 200,000* on Virginia and Miami, Fl.

I am imploring you not to miss out today, truly. If you do miss out you will kick yourself later on because I am going to brag about a 4-0 sweep. Rivers Saturday card is up

Iowa State Cyclones (14-4, 1-2 Big 12) @ Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-4, 1-2 Big 12)
Date: Wednesday, Jan 19, 2011
Time: 8pm CT
TV: ESPNU
Line: OSU (-5)
O/U: 134.5

Players to Watch:

ISU
G (10) Diante Garrett (17.6 ppg, 6.1 apg)
G (5) Darion ‘Jake’ Anderson (8 rpg)

OSU
F (33) Marshall Moses (57.4% fg, 8.1 rpg)
F (31) Matthew Pilgrim (10 blk)

Iowa State is coming off of an impressive win against Baylor at home last Saturday. The most impressive part of the victory is the Cyclones pulling away at the end and holding the Bears to only 57 total points. The win may have been devalued by Kansas throttling them, but giving Nebraska a chance in Allen Fieldhouse makes the Cyclones look better in the close loss to Nebraska in the previous Saturday.

It’s really hard to judge exactly where the teams are at, but this is such a huge week for the Big 12 that we should be able to get some answers or at least indicators of what to expect for the rest of the season.

For ISU, it’s time to take the show on the road. This team struggles defensively on the road. The offense looks a bit shaky too and until their game at Nebraska, low-scoring. Sitting at 2-2 overall, this will be a big week to see if their key players can bring it.

Diante Garrett will be the obvious player to watch unless he is out with the flu, but what this team matches up well with is three-point shooting. Cyclone guard Scott Christopherson is shooting 50% from the arc (54/108) this season, and the team is 31st in the nation at 39 percent. Teams that face the Cowboys usually put up about 33 percent. Some teams such as the Kansas State Wildcats put them up early but were unable to continue doing so throughout the game.

Oklahoma State didn’t play well against Colorado, and right now it's very hard to figure out where they are at. The stats are very poor in a lot of categories except defensive field goal percentage, but the Cyclones also play that well and at the three-point line. The Cowboys are a bit deeper and haven’t been hit by ineligibility like the Cyclones have gotten last month. However, outside of Marshall Moses and recent star JP Olukemi, this team doesn’t have much.

The biggest match-up to watch is when the Cowboys’ offense clashes with the Cyclones’ defense. The Cowboys will try to pound it inside as they don’t shoot the three-point shot well, and Moses will be a tough matchup for the Cyclones to defend along with Olukemi. Cyclones guard Darion Anderson and forward Melvin Ejim will really be the X-factors in this game and not let them score inside. If they can clean up the defensive boards and get some steals, this will help out the Cyclones tremendously, especially if Garrett is out.

For the Cowboys, they really have to get the Colorado game out of their head and think about Kansas State. They need to be clutch on the perimeter to not let the Cyclones shoot a lot of three-point shots like they did against the Wildcats. They also have a deeper bench to rest their star players more, if needed, and they have a slight edge on free throw shooting. Life hasn’t been fun on the road for the Cyclones, and they will need to make their three-point shots. If Garrett has to sit out, then life could be even worse.

Prediction: Oklahoma State wins, but take the points if betting.

Royce White, a 6'8", 250-pound native of Minneapolis and former Minnesota's Mr. Basketball in 2009, has agreed to transfer from Minnesota to play basketball at Iowa State. 

White was one of prized recruits during Minnesota Coach Tubby Smith’s tenure.   White was ranked the 19th-best player in the country in the class of 2009 by Rivals.com and Scout.com, and was one of just 20 players selected for the Jordan Brand Classic in 2009.

White unfortunately never played a game for the hometown Golden Gophers.

The decision of White to transfer to the Cyclones appears to be a very good decision for both White and for Iowa State Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg.  White needs a second chance and Hoiberg needs a player with talent that can impact his program.

White was suspended last fall after an incident at the Mall of America and later pleaded guilty to fifth degree theft and disorderly conduct. White left the Minnesota basketball program in February after being charged with trespassing in connection to an alleged theft of a laptop computer from a university dorm.

White appears to have learned some valuable lessons during this past year.  "I definitely think that the hurdles that I have overcome definitely changed me in a way where I'm very, very cautious about what I do on a day-to-day basis," White said.

Hoiberg, who starred at Iowa State and formerly played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, called White a "world-class" talent who has the ability to be a high-level NBA player someday.

"The thing I like best about Royce is that he's a very unselfish player," he said. "You totally set your offense differently with Royce on the basketball floor. Use him as a facilitator, and you put him on the elbows, you let him attack and make plays. And he's a very willing passer."

Hoiberg said he talked to numerous people close to White and believes he's committed to meeting the expectations the Cyclones have for their players.

White, who said he grew up rooting for Hoiberg when he played for the Timberwolves, will be one of the most highly touted players to join Iowa State in recent memory.

“I am aware of Royce’s situation at Minnesota,” Hoiberg said via the school's release. “I have talked with a lot of people who are close to him, spoken with Royce in person multiple times and feel he is sincerely committed to meeting the expectations we have for our players. On one of his campus visits, Royce also met with institutional staff both inside and outside of the athletics department and [Royce] left very positive impressions on everyone.”

"He's a very engaging kid, a very smart kid, and he fully admits to making a mistake," Hoiberg said. "Everybody involved with it, they all thought that he was genuine about it and that he deserved another chance. We're excited to have him on board."

Currently, White is ineligible to play next year for the Cyclones however he is in the process of applying for a waiver from the NCAA.

 

If White is granted a waiver, many expect that he will likely start given that Iowa State has lost several post players.  Craig Brackins left early for the NBA, the NCAA denied Marquis Gilstrap request for an extra year of eligibility due to injury hardship and Justin Hamilton and LaRon Dendy transferred from the program.

 

This has to be one of the most disparaging off seasons for the Cyclones basketball I can remember for a long time. We came off a season we hoped would be a good one, and it wasn't. Our star player did not have the year we had expected. Gilstrap did not get the extra year of eligibility we had hoped for. And what else? We are handing out transfers like candy for Trick-or-Treat.

I am not gonna lie, when I heard Greg McDermott was not being fired I actually was upset. We have constantly kept up our consistency - losing. I am a true-blue Iowa State fan, but I cannot help being in the gutter of the Big 12 year after year. We used to beat Baylor in everything, now the table has turned. We have watched our fellow Big 12 North counterparts take some glory (Kansas football, Missouri basketball) wishing it was ours. What is the problem?

I, like every other fan, wishes for National Championship contention, but what about just getting into the big dance. It is hard to swallow that seven, I repeat, SEVEN Big 12 teams made the NCAA tournament. Yet Iowa State was one of the "other five." I can not stand this much more. McDermott, in my mind, has one more year for a miracle. We had to suffer through watching our little brothers, Northern Iowa, battle and win some good games. 

One more year and I say Pollard needs to go out and get a high-caliber, high-character coach from a winning program who can recruit across the nation and get us some good players. Why not go after a Duke or Kentucky assistant and give him an opportunity. 

Lets support our Cyclones like we always do and hope for better days in the future.

The fifth installment of the players to watch segment, this time featuring the Big 12 Conference.

Cole Aldrich—Kansas

Aldrich is the starting center for the No. 1 team in the nation, the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Big 12 has a plethora of young talent, and Aldrich adds to that as he, and the rest of all the other players mentioned, are juniors.

With Blake Griffin gone, Aldrich is the leading rebounder from the Big 12 last season. He averages 12 points a game, and is 0.4 rebounds a game away from averaging a double double.

However, even with such a close number, he has only three double-doubles this season, as his scoring tends to come when his rebounding is down, and vice versa.  Against Alcorn State, Aldrich had his most impressive game with 13 points and 16 rebounds.

Aldrich has also been a huge contributor in bigger games against tougher teams. When playing UCLA, Aldrich had seven points and 12 rebounds, and had 18 points and 11 rebounds in an extremely tight game against rivals Memphis.

Aldrich enters the season with tons of hype surrounding him and teammate Sherron Collins, especially since Kansas is ranked No. 1 in the nation. Look for Aldrich to contribute greatly to this Kansas team, especially defensively where he is averaging 3.6 blocks a game, a stat he led all Big 12 players in last season.

John Roberson—Texas Tech

As a junior, Roberson is one of the best players in the Big 12 conference, who does not get as much press as he deserves. Texas Tech is undefeated so far this season, and it is largely due to Roberson's play. 

Roberson led the Big 12 last season in assists, and is almost averaging six assists a game so far this season. He put on a show in his last game against Tulsa, scoring 21 points and dishing 10 assists, which is his lone double-double of the season.

Against a difficult Washington team, Roberson had 25 points and seven assists, and what makes him so difficult to cover is that he is a dual threat to pass or to score.

Texas Tech has a very solid squad this season, and could make some noise in the Big 12 over teams like Texas and Kansas, so be prepared to start hearing about Roberson even more.

James Anderson—Oklahoma State University

Anderson is only a junior, but he is the leader of this Cowboys team. They will be competitive in the Big 12 this year, behind the play of Anderson, who has an unbelievable knack for scoring.

As a sophomore, he was one of the best scorers in the Big 12, and expect nothing different from him this season. Hopefully, he will remain at Oklahoma State for his senior season just to see him play more, but he is averaging 21 points and seven rebounds so far this season.

Conference play has not started, so Oklahoma State has not faced some of their tougher opponents yet, however, Anderson dropped 30 points on Southern University. 

He scored 26 points on Utah—a more difficult opponent. He has scored in double digits in every game this season, and is an extremely consistent scorer.

Look for Anderson to continue to develop throughout the season, and lead the Oklahoma State Cowboys to a successful Big 12 conference run, where they could challenge some of the top teams.

Craig Brackins—Iowa State

Iowa State certainly may get overlooked frequently in the talented Big 12 conference, but they have one of the best players in Craig Brackins.

With a Dirk Nowitzki-like style of play, Brackins is a 6'10'' forward, who finds success from three point range, as well as in the post.

After leading all scorers in the Big 12 in conference play last season (surprising given that he is not mentioned by many, though he outscored Blake Griffin and Sherron Collins), Brackins has picked up right where he left off this year.

He is only a junior, so he will be around again next season, but he is averaging 18 points and seven rebounds a game.

In 10 games, he has scored in single digits only once (in a game where he played fewer minutes than he averages), but has dropped 28 points on Mississippi Valley State (where has also had a double-double) and on in-state rival Iowa, both of which the Cyclones won. 

Iowa State has not played many "big name" teams yet this season, but against California and Northwestern, Brackins scored 21 and 18 points respectively.

Brackins has started the season strong, and has already had two double-doubles. Keep an eye on Brackins throughout the season, even though Iowa State may not fair too well in conference play.

Before a late February game back in 1989, Iowa State fans flocked to the Hilton Coliseum praying for a miracle victory over the then-No. 3 Missouri Tigers. For the next two hours, Cyclone fans enchanted their players and pestered opposing players as Iowa State brought home the 82-75 victory.

Writer Buck Turnbull declared a presence there he deemed “Hilton Magic.” A gift from the basketball gods brought on from faithful fans. He wanted more in the upcoming game versus Oklahoma State, who had destroyed them earlier the month by 28 points.

The “Hilton Magic” proved its powers once more with a 90-81 win over the Cowboys.

The powers extend off the court as well.

Twenty years later, the magic showed up once more when Craig Brackins decided to return to a team stuck in the Big 12 basement giving up a likely lottery selection in the NBA draft.

This past season the Cyclones finished 15-17 and 4-12 in conference play. They showed some life at home with 13 of the 15 wins in Ames, Iowa including all of their conference wins.

Not only that, but Brackins “welcome to” moment came at home when he dropped 42 on Kansas and pulled down 14 rebounds in an 82-67 loss.

If only they could play all their games at home. As a team, they averaged 60 points on the road and 65 at home.

But the main difference is on defense. Opponents averaged 64 points at Hilton Coliseum, but the Cyclone defense gave up 73 points per game on the road.

But that is some what understandable with three sophomores in their starting five last year. Next years team will likely have three juniors and at least one senior starting giving the team much need experience.

They bring in a lot of scoring and athleticism with Chicago-bred guard Chris Colvin fresh off a AAAA state title. Chris chose Iowa State over Kentucky, Florida State, and in-state power Illinois.

The Cyclones also welcome Antwon Oliver, who is an athletic tweener at 6'5". He is a very good defender and a great rebounder for his size and will add depth to the team and bring energy off the bench.

Former Clemson commit LaRon Dendy gives the team another big man. He is a great rebounder, a bruiser down low, and will take care of the dirty work for the team.

Fellow transfer Marquis Gilstrap is a great scorer. He can shoot the three, post up smaller guards using his 6'6", 215-pound frame, and drive by big men showing off his great athleticism in the process. He only has one year of eligibility, but should team up with Brackins for a very impressive tag team.

Iowa State has had success with transferring players. The 1994-95 and 1995-96 starting fives included four who transfers. They made it to NCAA Tournament twice and had one Sweet 16.

The 2001 team was led by transfer Jamal Tinsley and got a No. 2 seed in the tournament.

Coach Greg McDermott is excited about his new transfers and plans to have a more uptempo offense. The offense has struggled and would greatly benefit from pushing the ball.

“A way to get your team more up-tempo is to create turnovers with your defense. That really comes down to having some length, quickness, and speed to take those chances and have them pay off by forcing turnovers and creating opportunities on the offensive end,” said coach McDermott.

“We really enhanced our ability to create baskets with our defense with the guys that we have returning and with the addition of some very good athletes in the recruiting class.”

Lately the coach has been on the hot seat mainly for letting Wesley Johnson get away after the player decided to transfer to Syracuse.

Greg McDermott took Northern Iowa to three straight tournament appearances with a 65-60 loss to Georgia Tech, 57-52 loss to Wisconsin, and in his final season, a loss to Georgetown, 54-49.

With that impressive résumé you would expect more time before they turn the heat up especially with their last coach leaving in a minor scandal.

McDermott will have to prove himself on the recruiting trail if he wants to keep his job long-term.

But the only way for him to gain some job security is to win games.

Next season they will have depth in the frontcourt and backcourt, they will be a scrappy team with star power in Brackins, and will have the experience to become more poised on the road.

McDermott and the Cyclones will have a little help. Hilton Magic showed up again when Craig Brackins committed to Iowa State. The Magic saved the Cyclone faithful by keeping Brackins on campus for at least one more season.

And maybe, just maybe, it will prove itself one more time when Harrison Barnes puts on the cardinal red and gold hat.

Baylor (16-10, 4-8) at Iowa State (13-14, 2-10)

Tue. Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. EST

Spread: Baylor -3

Backcourt Advantage: Baylor

This game is a clash of tempo. The Bears will try to push the ball up and down the court, while the Cyclones will be more methodical and try to work the ball inside in their halfcourt set.

Diante Garrett (9.7 PPG, 5.3 APG) will try to frustrate Baylor by slowing the game down, but the Bears know how to take care of the ball. They are an efficient team on offense and they do not commit a lot of turnovers.

Senior guard Curtis Jerrells (16.1 PPG) has been on fire lately, shooting a sizzling 50 percent (12-for-24) from behind the arc in his last four games. Unfortunately his hot hand hasn't translated into victories as Baylor is just 1-7 in its last eight. His supporting cast will need to step up to give him help as he won't be able to single-handedly shoot his team to a win on the road.

Frontcourt Advantage: Iowa State

Sophomore forward Craig Brackins (19.9 PPG, 9.1 RPG) has been a monster inside this season. He will try to continue his dominance against Baylor senior Kevin Rogers (12.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG). Rogers should be able to slow down Brackins just enough to let his teammates do most of the scoring on the offensive end.

Momentum: Even

Neither team comes into this game with any momentum. Iowa State is 1-9 in its last 10, while Baylor is 1-7 in its last eight. Baylor is also just 2-5 on the road this season, while Iowa State is 11-6 at home.

However, Baylor is still hopeful it can earn an NCAA tournament berth if it closes the season strong. That would end with a loss to Iowa State, so the Bears will be determined to keep those tournament hopes alive.

Shaun's Pick: Baylor -3

Iowa State (13-12, 2-8) at No. 15 Kansas (20-5, 9-1)

Wednesday, Feb. 18 at 8:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Kansas -18

Backcourt Advantage: Kansas

Kansas' leading scorer Sherron Collins (17.6 PPG) is hoping for a repeat performance of his Jan. 26 game against the Cyclones. Kansas came out on top in a 82-67 win, which Collins matched his career-high with 26 points. 

He should have no problem scoring again in this one since the Cyclones are very weak on the perimeter.

Frontcourt Advantage: Even

There will be a great battle inside in this game, featuring Kansas sophomore Cole Aldrich (14.6 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 2.6 BPG) and Iowa State sophomore Craig Brackins (19.7 PPG, 9.1 RPG).

Aldrich leads the Big-12 in blocks per game. He is second in rebounds per game, behind Oklahoma player-of-the-year candidate, Blake Griffin.

Brackins is the Cyclones' go-to scorer. He put up a monstrous 42 points and 14 rebounds in their first game last month. That was the most points scored against the Jayhawks since 1995.

Kansas is hoping that the emergence of freshman Marcus Morris will help contain Brackins this time around. Morris scored a season-high 15 points with seven boards and four assists in the Jayhawks' win over Kansas State on Saturday.

Momentum: Kansas

The Jayhawks currently hold the nation's longest home winning streak with 37 straight at Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones come in having lost their last 13 conference road games. The outcome will be a no-brainer, but I think the Cyclones can hang around enough to keep this game within the spread.

Shaun's Pick: Iowa State +18

Iowa State (13-11, 2-7) at Oklahoma State (14-9, 3-6)

Sat. Feb. 14 at 4:00 P.M. EST

Spread: Oklahoma State -11

Backcourt Advantage: Oklahoma State

This game will be a classic inside versus outside. The Cowboys will be playing four or five guards against the Cyclones, while Iowa State will look to get into their half-court set and work for easy buckets inside. If the threes are falling for the Cowboys, it will be lights out for the Cyclones, but if not, the Cowboys will be in trouble.

Frontcourt Advantage: Iowa State

6'10" sophomore Craig Brackins (19.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG) is licking his chops heading into Stillwater for a matchup against the undersized Cowboys. Brackins will be dominant inside as Oklahoma State doesn't have anyone to match up with him. The Cyclones will need to keep feeding him the rock inside if they want to keep pace with the Cowboys, who will look to make this a three-point shooting contest.

Momentum: Even

Both teams were involved in lopsided results in their games earlier in the week. Iowa State beat Colorado 70-42, led by Brackins' 26 points and 10 rebounds. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, was scorched by Texas 99-74, hitting only 7-of-19 from behind the arc. Look for Oklahoma State to find its stroke at home against a lesser Iowa State team, but the Cyclones should keep it to single-digits.

Shaun's Pick: Free at CBBPlace.com