No. 6 Iowa State vs. No. 5 Marquette Primer

Who: No. 6 Iowa State (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 5 Marquette (8-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)

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

When: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 – 7:00 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tipping Off: After going 2-1 and claiming fifth place in a loaded Maui Invitational field, the Iowa State Cyclones return to the confines of Hilton Coliseum to face off with their second top-five opponent of the season: Marquette. The Cyclones and the Golden Eagles will meet as part of the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle in a premier non-conference matchup.

Iowa State fell to No. 4 Auburn in the opening round of the Maui Invitational before battling back on the consolation side and earning fifth place. The Cyclones defeated Dayton and Colorado in their final two outings on the island. Auburn, ISU's only loss this season, went on to win the tournament and is currently ranked second in the country.

Marquette, who began the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll, has vaulted all the way into the top-five, leap-frogging the Cyclones this past week. The Golden Eagles own three Quad 1 wins (at Maryland, home vs. Purdue and neutral against Georgia) already this season and have one of the nation's most dynamic players on their roster in Kam Jones.

Game Note: We ask those attending Wednesday night's game to please wear white, as the game is a WHITE OUT.

Storylines:

Iowa State will look to extend a 21-game home win streak on Wednesday – the fourth-longest Power 4 home winning streak in the country.
Keshon Gilbert has been the team's most consistent player early in the season, averaging 20.7 points per game in Maui last week.
- Keshon was just named the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday for his performances in Maui. He now has three Big 12 weekly awards, having claimed a pair of Newcomer of the Week honors last season.
- Gilbert was one of six players named to the Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team as well last week. He was the only player from the consolation bracket to be recognized.
Through six contests, sixth-man Curtis Jones is second on the team in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per contest, and has scored in double figures in al five games he's come off the bench.
- In his last 24 contests where he has come off the bench, Jones has finished with double figure points 22 times.
Tamin Lipsey has continued to build off of his breakout sophomore campaign, as the junior from Ames is one of two Cyclones averaging 10.5 points and he leads the team in steals (16)
- Lipsey was an AP Honorable Mention All-American last season, as well as a First Team All-Big 12 member and a member of the league's All-Defensive Team.
- He led the team in rebounds, assists and steals last season while being the team's second-highest scorer in 2023-24.
Sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic averages 12.8 points per game and shoots the 3-ball at the highest clip on the team at 47.1 percent.
- Momcilovic tied a personal best in Maui, canning six triples against Colorado as he went on to earn a career-high 24 points.
Joshua Jefferson leads the team in rebounds, averaging 6.2 per contest.
- He recorded his fifth career double-double earlier this season against IUI.
Dishon Jackson has been a steady force in the paint for the Cyclones this season.
- He leads the team in blocks (5) and is one of five Cyclones to average double-figure scoring at 10.5 per game.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 174-99 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 75-36 record over the last four years.
- ISU is 48-8 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.
Under Otz, ISU is 42-9 against non-conference opponents. The 42 wins are tied for the eighth-most in the nation and the .824 winning percentage is tied for sixth-best.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- Otz will attempt to become the first coach in program history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament in his first four years as coach.
Iowa State has won 21-straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, tied for the sixth-longest active home winning streak in the country.
Four Cyclones have scored in double figures in five of ISU's six contests this season.
- The Cyclones are 35-2 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures.
Iowa State enters the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle as the only school who is undefeated in the contest that has played more than one game, as the Cyclones are 4-0.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 19 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 6 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 9 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the ninth all-time meeting between Iowa State and Marquette and the first since 2004 when ISU bested the Golden Eagles to go to the NIT Final Four.
- MU leads the all-time series, 5-3, but is 2-3 in games played in Ames.
The Golden Eagles were picked to finish fourth out of 11 in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving the only non-UConn first-place vote.
Marquette is off to its best start since the 2011-12 season, when it began the year 10-0 before suffering a loss. That Golden Eagle squad went on to earn a 27-8 record and advanced to the Sweet 16.
Marquette leads the nation in steals per game (12.4) and junior guard Chase Ross and senior guard Stevie Mitchell are tied for 17th in the NCAA with 2.8 thefts per contest.
Senior guard Kam Jones is a National Player of the Year candidate and is one of just four players nationally to record a triple double this season, having done so in an 18-point win over No. 6 Purdue.
- Jones was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team preseason selection.
The Golden Eagles have excelled in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle under Smart, going 3-1 and winning their last two challenge games by an average of 23.5 points.
Marquette Head Coach Shaka Smart is in his fourth year at the helm of the Golden Eagle program.
- Smart is 83-30 with MU and is 355-172 overall in his 16-year head coaching career which began at VCU in 2009 and included a six-year stint with Texas.
Marquette is ranked No. 7 in the NET. The Golden Eagles are No. 11 in KenPom and No. 16 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Keshon Gilbert

Dishon Jackson

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics