Iowa State vs. No. 2 Houston Primer

Who: Iowa State (11-3, 0-1 Big 12) vs. No. 2 Houston (14-0, 1-0 Big 12)

Where: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) – Ames, Iowa

When: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 – 6:00 p.m.

Tipping Off: After seeing its six-game win streak snapped on the road at No. 11 Oklahoma, Iowa State returns to Hilton Coliseum to welcome the country's lone unbeaten team – No. 2 Houston – to Ames for a sold-out showdown.

The Cyclones and Cougars will face off for the seventh time total and first time as Big 12 foes. ISU is 2-1 against the Cougars in Ames, with the last matchup coming in 2010 as the Cyclones won in double overtime, 82-75.

Storylines:

Tamin Lipsey continues to make steady improvement for Iowa State, as the former Little Cyclone is averaging a team-best 14.7 points per game. He leads the team in field goals made (72), rebounds (82), assists (84), steals (48) and minutes played.
- Lipsey is averaging 14.7 points, 6.0 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals. He is the only player since 1996-97 to average those numbers in a season.
- Lipsey recorded four steals last time out against New Hampshire. He has six games with at least four steals this season.
- Lipsey set the school record for steals against PVAMU, picking the Panthers' pockets eight times.
  - The previous record, seven, was held by Fred Hoiberg and Justus Thigpen.
- Against DePaul, Lipsey recorded the seventh triple-double in school history, going for 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds.
  - Lipsey became the first Cyclone since Tyrese Haliburton in 2020 to record a triple-double.
UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert has found his groove for the Cyclones, as the junior from St. Louis is second on the team in points scored, averaging 13.8 per game.
- Gilbert recorded a triple-double against New Hampshire, going for 10 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds.
  - His triple-double – the eighth in school history – puts him with Lipsey, Haliburton, Monté Morris, Royce White, Jamaal Tinsley, Curtis Stinson and Marc Urquhart as members of the illustrious club.
- Gilbert is second in the Big 12 in free throws attempted (86) and third in FT made (60).
  - He is second on the team in both assists (67) and steals (27).
- Gilbert was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week following his triple-double and now has the second most Big 12 NotW awards this season.
- He's recorded a team-best four 20-plus point outings this season, including three in the last seven contests.
Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic has been having a solid freshman campaign, as the rookie from Pewaukee is averaging 13.5 points per game.
- Momcilovic has a team-high 30 3-pointers and shoots it at a 43.5% clip.
- He is one of five Cyclones to score at least 20 in a game this season.
- Momcilovic is averaging the most points per game by an ISU true freshman since Lindell Wigginton's 16.7 in 2017-18.
  - He is the second-highest-scoring true freshman in the Big 12, behind Baylor's Ja'Kobe Walter.
Robert Jones leads the team in field goal percentage, as the big man is shooting 69.4 percent from the floor. He also leads the team in blocks (14) and offensive rebounds (35).
Hason Ward returned to action against New Hampshire and has played well in the last two games after missing nine contests due to injury.
- Ward is 11-15 with 22 points in 35 minutes of action over the last two with a trio of blocks.
Tre King is one of four Cyclones averaging double-figures, as the senior chips in 10.1 points per contest.
Jackson Paveletzke, Curtis Jones, Omaha Biliew and Demarion Watson make up the bench unit for the Cyclones.
As a head coach, Otz is 151-93 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 52-29 record over the last three seasons.

From the Notes:

The Cyclones finished the non-con having won 27 straight games against non-conference opponents at Hilton Coliseum, tied for the ninth-longest streak in the nation.
As of Monday, the Cyclones are ranked No. 12 in the NET. The Cyclones slot in at No. 18 in the KenPom rankings and are No. 5 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
- According to ESPN's BPI, Iowa State has the hardest strength of schedule remaining in the country – a testament to the strength of the conference.
The Cyclones went 6-0 in the month of December, as Iowa State improved to 16-1 in the month under T.J. Otzelberger. The 16 victories under Otz are tied for the 10th most in the nation in that span.
The Cyclones are 22-1 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures.
The six highest-scoring Cyclone outputs under Otzelberger have all come this season, including a pair of 100-point performances. Nine of the 10 highest under Otz have also come this season.
The Cyclones have scored 90 or more points six times this season. It is the most times hitting that mark in a season since the 2016-17 team did so eight times.

Switching Sides:

Houston was picked to finish second in the preseason poll behind Kansas, earning two first-place votes in its inaugural Big 12 basketball campaign.
Leading scorer L.J. Cryer, a Baylor transfer, was one of five players named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
Jamal Shead, an Honorable Mention Preseason All-Big 12 Team member, is the proverbial straw that stirs the Houston drink.
- Shead was the 2022-23 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Houston has nine returners from last season, three freshmen and two first-year transfers on the roster.
Analytics love the Cougars, as they are ranked No. 1 across the board in the NET, KenPom and ESPN's Basketball Power Index.
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson is in his tenth season at the helm of the Houston basketball program. Having 35 years of experience as a head coach, Sampson and the Cougars are 246-74 during his tenure and he holds a 746-344 overall record. His son, Kellen, is an assistant on staff.
- Sampson was Head Coach at Oklahoma from 1994-2006 and will be making his eighth trip to Hilton Coliseum. Sampson is 3-4 in his previous trips.
- Sampson and the Cougars have gone to the last five NCAA Tournaments, making four visits to the Sweet 16, two Elite Eight berths and one trip to the Final Four (2021).

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Players Mentioned

Omaha Biliew

Keshon Gilbert

Curtis Jones

Robert Jones

Tre King

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Jackson Paveletzke

Hason Ward

Demarion Watson

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Iowa State University Athletics