No. 6 Iowa State vs. Jackson State Primer

Who: No. 6 Iowa State (6-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Jackson State (0-9, 0-0 SWAC)

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

When: Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 – 5:00 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tipping Off: Following the school's highest-ranked non-conference home win in program history over No. 5 Marquette on Wednesday, the Cyclones prepare to face Jackson State. The Cyclones look to continue to build momentum and carry a potential four-game win streak into Iowa City next week for the team's first road trip of the year.

Iowa State improved to 5-0 in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle on Wednesday, downing fifth-ranked Marquette in the team's second top-five game of the season as the Cyclones earned their 11th win over a top 10 team under Coach Otzelberger. ISU is the only program in either the Big 12 or BIG EAST that is undefeated in the challenge and has played multiple games.

Jackson State comes to Ames in the midst of a 14-game road trip. The Tigers won't play in their home arena until January 11 when it hosts Alabama State. JSU has dealt with injuries early this season, as Daeshun Ruffin just made his season debut last week against Saint Louis, while Keiveon Hunt returned after missing six games due to injury.

Storylines:

Iowa State will look to extend a 22-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 17.6 points per game with a team-high 5.6 assists.
- He's scored 20-plus points in three of his last four outings.
- 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 seven contests, sixth-man Curtis Jones is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.9 points per contest, and has scored in double figures in all six games he's come off the bench.
- In his last 25 contests where he has come off the bench, Jones has finished with double-figure points 23 times.
- Jones leads the team in field goals (39) and 3-pointers (18).
Tamin Lipsey has battled through an early season injury, but the junior from Ames continues to show his importance to the team, as he averages 9.1 points per game.
- He leads the team in steals, averaging 2.6 per game.
- 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 11.7 points per game and shoots the 3-ball at the highest clip on the team at 47.2 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 7.0 per contest, and he scores 10.4 points per game.
- He recorded his sixth career double-double last outing against No. 5 Marquette.
Dishon Jackson has been a steady force in the paint for the Cyclones this season.
- He leads the team in blocks (7) and is one of five Cyclones to average double-figure scoring at 10.6 per game.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 175-99 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 76-36 record over the last four years.
- ISU is 49-8 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.
Under Otz, ISU is 43-9 in non-conference games. The 43 wins are the eighth-most in the nation and the .827 winning percentage is the 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 22 straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, tied for the fifth-longest active home winning streak in the country.
Four Cyclones have scored in double figures in six of ISU's seven contests this season.
- The Cyclones are 36-2 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures.
Coach Otzelberger currently holds the Iowa State career winning percentage record, having won .676 of his games.
Iowa State improved to 5-0 in the Big 12/BIG EAST Battle on Wednesday, downing fifth-ranked Marquette in the team's second top-five game of the season as the Cyclones earned their 11th win over a top 10 team under Otzelberger.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 15 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 6 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 8 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Iowa State and Jackson State and the third meeting in the last five seasons.
- ISU is 3-0 against JSU, with wins coming by an average of 15.7 points per game.
The Tigers were picked to finish fourth out of 12 in the SWAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, receiving one first-place vote, as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Jackson State had one player, Shannon Grant, voted to the All-SWAC Preseason First Team.
JSU's Daeshun Ruffin was a McDonald's All-American in high school. He's the only McDonald's All-American in the SWAC.
Jackson State has had to replace 90 percent of its scoring from last season, which includes last year's SWAC Player of the Year, Ken Evans, who transferred to FAU.
With Sunday's game, the Tigers will be the third team in the country to have faced three top-ten programs, joining No. 2 Auburn and No. 20 North Carolina.
Jackson State Head Coach Mo Williams is in his third year at the helm of the Tiger program.
- Williams is 29-45 with JSU and is 43-80 overall in his five-year head coaching career, which began at Alabama State, where he spent two seasons.
- He coached against ISU once before when at Alabama State, losing 68-61, in 2021.
- Coach Williams is a former NBA All-Star who was an NBA World Champion in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is one of four active DI head coaches to have won an NBA championship.
Jackson State is ranked No. 342 in the NET. The Tigers are No. 313 in KenPom and No. 341 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