No. 8 Iowa State at UCF Primer

Who: No. 8 Iowa State (22-6, 11-4 Big 12) at UCF (15-12, 6-9 Big 12)

Where: Addition Financial Arena (10,000) – Orlando, Fla.

When: Saturday, March 2, 2024 – 3 p.m. CT

Tipping Off: Coming off of a defensive masterclass in their penultimate home game win over Oklahoma, the eighth-ranked Cyclones are back on the road this weekend. ISU is set to head to the Sunshine State for its first-ever meeting with the fourth and final conference newcomer on the schedule – the UCF Knights.

Storylines:

UNLV transfer Keshon Gilbert, a St. Louis native, averages a team-best 13.9 points per game and really hit his stride in the latter half of the season.
- Over the last 11 games, he's averaging 15.1 points and 5.1 boards with 3.4 assists 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 (151) and seventh in FT made (107).
  - He is second on the team in assists (117) and steals (47).
- Gilbert has two Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards to his name this season.
- He's recorded a team-best seven 20-plus point outings.
Tamin Lipsey has been his usual stat-stuffer self for the Cyclones so far this year, as the Ames native is averaging 12.7 points per game to go along with team-highs in assists (141) and steals (75).
- Lipsey leads all Big 12 players in steals and steals per game.
  - He is seventh and fifth respectively, nationally, in those categories.
- 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.
  - He has recorded a steal in all but two games in his career.
- 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.
Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic has been a constant during his rookie campaign, as the first-year from Pewaukee is averaging 11.5 points per game – the third-most on the team.
- 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.
Curtis Jones has been stellar off the bench the whole season but especially in the last 11 outings, establishing himself as the team's sixth man.
- He's scored in double figures in all eleven contests (10 off the bench), averaging 13.5 points.
- Jones joins Tyrus McGee as the only ISU players since 2012 to score in double-figures ten-straight games off the bench.
- He had seven steals at TCU earlier this season in his lone start, tying him for the second-most steals in a single game in Iowa State history.
  - It's the first time ever that two Cyclones recorded games with seven-plus steals in a single season.
Robert Jones leads the team in offensive rebounds (70), field goal percentage and blocks (25).
Tre King leads the team in rebounds, as the senior out of Lexington, Ky., averages five per game and has a total of 140 boards.
Hason Ward, C. Jones, Jackson Paveletzke, Demarion Watson and Omaha Biliew make up the bench unit for the Cyclones.
Iowa State forces the third-most turnovers per game (17.75) in the country – tops in the Big 12.
- The Cyclones average 10.5 steals per game, also tops in the Big 12.
As a head coach, Otz is 162-96 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 63-33 record over the last three seasons.

From the Notes:

Iowa State has won 17 straight games at Hilton Coliseum, tied for the fifth-longest active home winning streak in the country.
- Iowa State is winning its home Big 12 matchups by an average of 10.9 points.
Iowa State has held all but one Big 12 opponent under its season scoring average.
Iowa State ranks second in the nation in turnover percentage at 25.8 percent. ISU has been in the top six in the country in each of Otzelberger's seasons, ranking sixth in 2022 (24.6%) and second in 2023 (25%).
Iowa State is one of four schools in the country, and the only Power Six school, to force 25 or more turnovers in multiple games against NCAA Division I opponents this season.
Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert each have triple-doubles to their names this season - making ISU the only team in the country with multiple players boasting a triple-double.
- There are now eight in school history.
The Cyclones are 26-1 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.
As of Friday, the Cyclones are ranked No. 8 in the NET. The Cyclones slot in at No. 10 in the KenPom rankings and are No. 8 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

UCF was picked to finish last in the Big 12 Preseason Poll, in its first year in the league but is exceeding preseason expectations as they enter Saturday in 11th place.
The Knights have toppled three ranked programs this season – the most in a single season in program history.
- They're on tap to play 11 ranked teams this season, the most ever in a single UCF basketball season.
UCF's Darius Johnson is second to Tamin Lipsey in steals/per game in the Big 12, as he posts a little over two a game.
The Knights rank top five nationally (according to KenPom) in block percentage.
- They lead the Big 12 in blocks per game, averaging over five a game.
Outside of Iowa State and No. 1 Houston, UCF claims the third best scoring defense in the conference.
The Knights have shuffled starting lineups frequently this season, as they're one of just 18 teams nationally to have used double-digit starting five configurations.
All seven of UCF's home games in Big 12 Conference play all rank among the top 18 in attendance in Addition Financial Arena's history, including two in the top five. The building opened in the fall of 2007.
- Both the Oklahoma and Kansas games earlier this season were sellouts – just the second and third in building history.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins is in his eighth year at the helm of the Knight program. Dawkins is 146-99 with UCF and is 302-214 overall in his 16-year coaching career.
The Knights are ranked No. 66 in the NET. UCF is No. 66 in KenPom and No. 54 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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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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