The biggest factor in Iowa’s favor as well as the largest deterrent is the young, raw talent of the Hawkeyes. The best player on the team is no doubt a dynamic sophomore, Tyler Cook. At 6-9, the forward out of Saint Louis flashed looks of high potential consistently throughout his freshman year. Tyler Cook’s effect on the game cannot always be shown in his stat lines; however, Cook’s impacts every possession, regardless of his possession of the ball.

Jordan Bohannon, Isaiah Moss, and Brady Ellingson will be dominating the guard spots as sophomores and juniors. Bohannon and Moss can both score off the dribble and distribute to make plays at will, even as mere sophomores. Ellingson, however, will be more of a pure point guard. With the powerhouse Tyler Cook at forward, clear leaders at guard slots, and depth at both forward and guard positions, Iowa Basketball will be successful if McCaffery can find a large player to play in tandem with Cook.

This large X-factor for Iowa will be the freshman center for the Hawks, Luka Garza. The 4-star recruit out of Washington DC will play the role which could put Iowa over the top. The 6-11 has already grabbed 18 boards through two games with 27 points in addition. In recent memory, Iowa loses the rebounding affair on a strikingly consistent basis. In addition to the young Garza and Cook, the returning Big Ten Conference 6th man of the year award winner, Nicholas Bear, will jump start the young Hawkeyes whenever needed. With a deep set of young big men behind Garza, Baer, and Cook, the rebounding deficit will improve moving forward.

Another reason for the jump into March Madness will be the schedule for the young Iowa team. With the only notable non-conference opponents coming on the road against both Virginia Tech and the rivaling Cyclones, wins will be racked up quickly prior to conference play. Iowa also draws one of the weakest schedules in the Big Ten Conference. The Hawkeyes will not travel to ranked opponents in #2 Michigan State, #20 Purdue, and #19 Northwestern.

Iowa will also not travel to rival Wisconsin and will only play Michigan State, Maryland and Indiana once. The Hawkeyes will reach 20 wins before the final stretch of the season. Three of the final five games will

play on the road with the last two facing ranked opponents. With an easier schedule than most, even if the young players do not improve in the expected ways, Iowa will rack up at least 22 wins before the Big Ten Tournament in the Madison Square Garden.

The graduation of Peter Jok will also allow the Hawkeye basketball squad to acquire a bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Jok made up the core of last year’s team, leading the Big Ten in scoring. However, Jok also lead the team in shots taken. Despite leading in points, Jok shot a 7^th team best shooting percentage to return for it, behind the likes of Tyler Cook, Nicholas Baer, Ahmad Wagner, and others.

Contrary to popular belief from mainstream sports analysts, Iowa will benefit from the absence of Peter Jok for multiple reasons. Iowa will not be reliant on a one-man effort with multiple people getting involved. A team is much easier to stop with one man scoring instead of a team. The spacing of the floor will also be nicer for shooters with the best player in Cook playing in the post instead of Jok playing around the 3-point arc. All in all, Peter Jok is an absolutely great player; however, Jok’s presence hurt the team more at times than not.

Due to the young raw talent of the Hawkeyes in addition to lucky breaks in scheduling and an ability to involve more players than in years past, the 2017 Iowa Hawkeye basketball team will not only return to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five years, but will chance running at Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 1998-99 season. The next game for the 2-0 Hawkeyes will come against Grambling State on Wednesday, November 16^th at 7:05 pm CST at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The post Spoilers: Hawkeyes Dance in March appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Now that Iowa State’s historically bad football team is ranked, do we pull for them to succeed?

The Cyclones haven’t felt a national ranking since 2005. They claimed the final slot in the AP Top-25 poll this week after defeating Texas Tech. This Iowa State team has accumulated five wins and only faltered twice.

Thankfully, one of those losses came to the Hawkeyes. The other at the hands of Texas in a game where quarterback Jacob Park threw the tantrum of a century. Realistically, Iowa State is a an overtime loss and an earlier quarterback change from being undefeated.

That is a stretch to make for a team that still has two losses but put all of this is perspective. Iowa State has played seven games and only lost twice. Let that sink in.

Those in black and gold have two common reactions to the Cyclones recent success.

And oh how they differ.

First of all, there are those who believe once Iowa has defeated Iowa State they no longer matter until the early fall matchup comes around again. These typically find it in their heart to root on the Cyclones on days they don’t play.

In all reality, what does pulling for them really do. One is in the Big Ten, the other the Big 12. A majority only pay attention when it is a cy-hawk battle in football, basketball, or wrestling. Does it really impact Iowa if they do bad?

The answer is no.

Especially if Iowa beats Iowa State, pulling for them can only help the Hawkeyes strength of schedule. Plus it legitimizes the rivalry in the nation’s eyes. A sweeping opinion is that the game, at least in football, is a burden to Iowa.

This is a simple, when Iowa State is good the rivalry is better as well. In hindsight, Iowa’s win in Ames could be their most impressive victory.

The other option, which seems to be more non-Iowa residents, is that Iowa State favor has no place in Iowa City. They’d like to see a winless season every year. They have been nearly satisfied in recent years.

This idea leaves no room for anything cyclone. Not in football, not basketball, and not in any sport. These are the die-hard Iowa State haters. They embrace the rivalry like those would see the Iron Bowl in Alabama.

In their eyes, regardless of circumstances, Iowa State must lose to Iowa and finish last in the Big 12. There is no room in their heart for a Cyclone.

It is a question that confuses many Hawkeye fans. When Iowa is good, it doesn’t matter. This year though, while Iowa currently boasts three losses, ignoring Iowa State is impossible. Fans are left with a moral dilemma, how to handle Iowa State being good.

Iowa State faces top-five ranked Texas Christian in Ames. Do you cheer for Iowa State?

The post How to Think About Iowa State appeared first on KRUI Radio.

CBS reviled the field of 68 Sunday afternoon, leading most college basketball fans around the country to fill out their brackets. Each fan hoping to win their work pool, or the much more unlikely option, having a perfect bracket.

The name of the tournament speaks for itself, the tournament is unpredictable. The odds to accurately predicting a flawless bracket are about 1 in 9.2 quintillion.

Even with such unpredictability, there are a couple themes stand true about who is likely to be making the trip to Glendale for the Final Four. Year after year, the tournament is complete madness but the road to the Final Four is more simple than it would seem.

Veteran Guards Win Championships

Over the last ten years the team that cuts down the nets features a star, usually veteran, guard. Half of the last ten years Final Four Most Outstanding Players were upperclassmen. Add the Russ Smith and Payton Siva from Louisville’s win in 2013 to the mix as well.

Last year, Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono led his team through the gantlet NCAA tournament to their first National Championships since 1985. Coach Jay Wright touted Arcidiacono’s leadership skills, even saying he was a mini version of himself.

Arcidiacono scored 16 points in the championship game but was highlighted by the assist to Kris Jenkins that led to the buzzer-beating shot. Graduating a year ago, Villanova will be without Arcidiacono.

Villanova, among others, features a veteran guard. One that can assist is leading their team through the NCAA tournament.

Josh Hart, a senior for Villanova, is averaging just over 18 points-per-game, leading the team to their number-one seed in East Regional. Not only will his experience in college help but playing on the biggest stage last year won’t hurt.

Hart, a shooting guard, is at the mercy of sophomore Jalen Brunson leading the offense. Brunson and others still are able to find their leader to put on the points for the Wildcats.

Two other veteran shooting guards on power-conference teams have the ability to lead their squad deep into the tournament. UCLA’s Bryce Alford and Duke’s Grayson Allen both have experience on the big stage, Allen won the national championship in 2015.

Alford is playing for his father, Steve, who won the national championship in 1987. Now head UCLA coach, Steve played guard in college as well.

UCLA’s guard play is among the best in the country, featuring Alford and super-star freshman Lonzo Ball. Between the two, UCLA leads all teams averaging over 90 points-per-game.

Midwest Region number-one Kansas also has a two headed monster. Senior Frank Mason III and junior Devonte’ Graham, who alternate at point-guard. As a result, Mason and Graham account for around a fourth of the team’s points.

Mason is among the nation’s top scorers and that is something that is unlikely to change once tournament play begins. He is averaging 20 points-per-game this season.

Conference rival and Big 12 champion Iowa State is a slightly less likely championship contender. Despite being a five-seed, the Cyclones senior Monte Morris holds similar qualities to the above named guards.

Morris leads Iowa State is scoring and has played a key role in the Cyclones peaking at the right time. Morris isn’t the only veteran guard, three of his teammates that rank second, third, and fourth in scoring are also senior guards.

While Iowa State might not be Villanova or Kansas, they could be a team to watch.

Some lower seeded teams aren’t necessarily looking to raise the trophy in Glendale. Their hopes are to win just a game. Having a guard with a hot hand makes that all the more possible.

Winthrop senior Keon Johnson is top-ten in Division I with over 22 point-per-game. His Winthrop Eagles are a 13-seed and will play Butler but that isn’t anything to stop a player shooting 40-percent from behind the arch.

Making over a fourth of Winthrop’s points, Johnson will be an under the radar senior guard to watch on the first weekend.

Don’t Underestimate Anyone

It’s easy to pick by the seeds, and chances are that will result in a solid bracket. Since 2010, 62-percent of top-four seeds have advanced on to the sweet-sixteen. Fairly good odds with as many upsets that due happen.

Each year there are a group of teams that shake up the field and make it further than anyone expected. Whether 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast advancing to the regionals or George Mason making the Final Four, crazy things happen.

Last year was Syracuse, and it very well could be again, that made the Final Four as a double-digit seed. Teams like Wichita State, Butler, and VCU have recently advanced to the final weekend.

Other times it’s an early round upset that busts a bracket. Most times those are harder to predict. Trying to selected a low-seed that will take down a perennial power, it isn’t easy.

Year after year it seems that a 12-seed will knock-off a 5-seed. In the last five years, multiple 5-seeds have fallen each year except 2015.

Often the 12-line corresponds with the bubble. The teams assigned a 12-seed are either the last of the at-large or the best of the small automatic bids. This year that line includes UNC-Wilmington, Nevada, Princeton, and Middle Tennessee.

All four of the 12-seeds will be dangerous in the second round. Each squad boasts a factor that cannot be ignored.

UNC-Wilmington ranks top-five in offensive efficiency. Nevada’s Marcus Marshall averages just under 20 points-per-game. Princeton enters the tournament on a 19 game winning streak. Middle Tennessee, one year removed from upsetting 2-seed Michigan State, returns nearly their entire roster from last years’ team.

Even though the seeds are high, the Big Ten schools tend to show up when it matters. Michigan sits on the seven-line and Wisconsin an eight-seed.

Major conference schools that feel they are seeded low will show two different outcomes. Some will roll over and others will go out with something to prove.

The Big Ten, as a conference, is seeded lower than in the past. In addition, the committee also left out three teams form the big dance: Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. Watching how the Big Ten will respond could present an entertaining tournament.

When All Else Fails, Pick a One-Seed

A one-seed has never lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It’s been close recently, Arizona and Gonzaga both narrowly escaping with single digit wins. The closest a 16 has ever come is one point.

The field features three number-one-seed teams from major conferences and one from a small mid-major. Villanova, Kansas, and North Carolina out of power basketball conferences are the odds on favorites to head to Glendale. Gonzaga, the West Coast Conference champions, have the best record of any team in the tournament.

Villanova and Kansas could face intriguing matchups in the third round. 8-seed Wisconsin is one win from Villanova and 9-seed Michigan State the same distance from Kansas. Both teams played in the Final Four two years ago.

North Carolina, the one-seed in the South Regional, has been the third most talked about school of the region. Both ESPN and CBS thought higher of Kentucky and UCLA out of that bracket than the Tar Heels, despite their regular season ACC title.

Multiple teams, all seeded anywhere from one to three, could have been on the one-line. UCLA, Duke, Kentucky, and Oregon could all make a run at the Final Four.

Look for the high seeds to be strong, even with as crazy as the year has been. The one-seeds have history on their side.

The post What to Look for in March Madness appeared first on KRUI Radio.

After the sudden death of former Hawkeye safety Tyler Sash on Tuesday, Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes have been dealing with not only preparing for a game against their biggest rival but also mourning the loss of one of the greatest players to put on an Iowa Hawkeye uniform.

“It’s tough to deal with things like this, but the support of former players and fans have been outstanding for not only us but Tyler’s family,” Ferentz said.

After the Hawkeye’s 31-17 victory inside Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, Ferentz was just glad they escape Ames with a big victory.

“We had some very difficult circumstances this week, and our guys battled.”

Junior quarterback CJ Beathard, who is only starting his third game in an Iowa uniform, had himself quite the game through the air and on the ground. He completed 15 of his 25 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns on the day.

He also had 10 rushes for 114 yards on the ground, one of two 100-yard rushers for Iowa. Beathard saw good pressure from the Iowa State defensive line most of the game, and he used his legs to make something out of nothing and give Iowa a needed lift on the ground with runs of 44 and 57 yards on the day.

“Coach (Greg) Davis called a few quarterback draws and the offensive line gave me some nice holes,” Beathard said.

“I was dying after those runs though,” Beathard joked.

Beathard’s favorite target on Saturday was receiver Matt Vandeberg. Vandeberg seemed to take the role of security blanket for Beathard, especially on third down. He caught a team high nine catches for 114 yards and a touchdown on a fumble recovery, including a big 48-yard catch on a 3^rd and 21 for the Hawkeyes.

Despite the win, however, Iowa did have two key players get hurt and miss the majority of the game. Senior defensive lineman Drew Ott left the game in the first quarter with a wrist injury. Ott did go to the locker room for further examination, and was back on the sidelines in the second half wearing a sling and no pads.

Also, senior running back LeShun Daniels Jr. did not play in the second half after suffering an ankle injury. Coach Ferentz said he would know more about both players and their availability for next week’s game against Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Without Ott on the defensive line, Iowa struggled at first with getting pressure on Iowa State quarterback Sam Richardson. However, they did sack the Cyclone quarterback four times. The defense also held the Iowa State offense to 67 yards on 31 plays an no points in the second half.

Nate Meier and Josey Jewell led Iowa defensively with seven total tackles apiece. Desmond King had an interception and a 50-yard punt return to overshadow his rough start to the day on special teams. The Hawkeye defense also had six tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries.

“If we want to be competitive in November like we want to, we have to win games like these and I thought our guys did an awesome job closing things out,” Coach Ferentz said.

Iowa moves to 2-0 on the season, and they will be action next Saturday at Kinnick Stadium under the lights against the Pitt Panthers. We will have the game on KRUI and krui.fm. Kickoff is set for 7:00 P.M.

The post Beathard, Hawkeyes take down Cyclones in Ames appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Mark Freie (@markfreie)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa State Cyclones (7-1) saw five different players reach double-digit scoring totals in their 90-75 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-3) on Friday night.

Cyclone junior Naz Long led all scorers for the Cyclones with 21 points including five 3-point shots.

Hawkeyes head coach Fran McCaffery gave praise to Fred Hoiberg and the Cyclones.

“This is a good Iowa State team who has a ton of playmakers,” McCaffery said. “[Abdel] Nader was one of those guys who really impacted the game for them tonight.”

Impact is exactly what Nader did. The redshirt junior scored 19 points coming off the bench for the Cyclones, who shot 53% as a team.

The first half was full of high energy plays. Hawkeye senior Gabe Olaseni sent Hawkeye fans into a frenzy early in the game as he recorded a demolishing block on Nader. Olaseni fished with 5 points and 2 blocks on the night.

The Hawkeyes were able to hold Georges Niang to 2 first-half points, but Iowa States sharp shooters made up for his lack of play shooting 44% in the first half. Cyclone guard Matt Thomas drilled a buzzer-beating three to send his team into halftime with a 38-33 lead.

However, the game got away from the Hawkeyes early in the second half.

“Once the wheels started coming off, defensively we broke down, offensively we broke down,” McCaffery said. “[At the] start of the second half, we didn’t have too many buckets. It’s hard when the lead gets to double figures so quickly.”

A major area of concern this season for the Hawkeyes has been their long scoreless stretches. The Cyclones took advantage of a five-plus minute scoring drought as they went on a 23-4 run that included five-straight Iowa turnovers.

Niang was able to find his shot and scored 14 second-half points while dishing out 7 assists.

Leading the Hawkeyes was senior Aaron White who recorded 18 points and went 5-5 from the free throw line. White has now scored double digits in every game this year for the Hawkeyes. White’s performance was not enough for the dominant Cyclone team.

A bright spot for the Hawkeyes was shooting touch of Peter Jok who added 14 points, going 5-10 with two 3-point shots.

The Hawkeyes will need to find answers to their prolonged scoring droughts. Iowa State was able to take full advantage of costly Hawkeye turnovers in the second half.

“You have a great win, or you have a tough loss,” McCaffery said. “You go back to work…you have to get them believing again because they clearly had doubt tonight.”

The Iowa Hawkeyes will have the week off for finals, but will return to action on Saturday, December, 20 against the #23 UNI Panthers in Des Moines. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30.

Full Iowa-Iowa State Stats HERE

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All week there were question in the air whether these two key contributors would be able to play against the Iowa State Cyclones, if at all for the Hawkeyes. At 2:40 pm Saturday, when the 70,858 fans in attendance at Kinnick Stadium saw those two take the field to Back in Black, that crazy week tuned into optimism.

The Hawkeye offense lead by quarterback Jake Rudock were moving the ball, scoring two first half touchdowns and controlling the ball for over twenty minutes. The Hawkeyes had a 14-3 lead at halftime over the Cyclones, but anybody who knows this rivalry acknowledges Iowa State wasn’t going away easy.

In fact, the Cyclone defense came out and caused some havoc for the Hawkeyes. The Cyclone defense came out and continued to stop the Iowa rushing attack, and caused difficulty for Iowa’s passing game, holding Iowa to only three points in the second half and taking the Cy-Hawk trophy back to Ames for the 17-14 victory.

“They (Iowa State) came out in the second half and played better then us. We need to learn how to finish like we did the last few weeks,” Scherff said.

Three of four Iowa’s second half drives ended in an interception and two punts. Iowa just couldn’t get in a rhythm offensively.

“That seemed to be the story of the game. We did a decent job in the first half. Second half we just never got in the traction” said Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.

As much as Iowa wanted to win this game, they still have Pittsburgh next week, and the Big Ten season ahead.

“You only have one choice, you go back to work and you’ve got to work and you’ve got to work to improve,” said Ferentz. “We still have a lot of football a head of us.”

The Hawkeyes (2-1) travel to Pittsburgh (3-0) to take on the Panthers at 11:00am.

The post Hawkeye Offense Struggles in Second Half appeared first on KRUI Radio.

For the Hawkeyes, the most urgent question of them all is who will be the placekicker. Marshall Koehn has gone 2-5 to start the season, and freshman Mick Ellis missed his only attempt in last Saturday’s win over Ball State. The fact that head coach Kirk Ferentz would not name a clear cut favorite for kicking duties makes things a little murkier than they already were. Koehn will likely get another shot this weekend, but do not be surprised if Ellis, who lost his redshirt last weekend, gets the call if Koehn once again falters.

Another big question for Iowa is when the running game will finally start to make some noise on the field. The leading rusher for the Hawkeyes after two weeks is quarterback Jake Rudock, who has 11 rushes for 35 yards on the season. The running back group of Mark Weisman, Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels Jr., Damon Bullock, and Jonathan Parker have combined for 181 yards on 62 carries, which divides out to just under three yards a carry. They need to start showing up in a big way and not forcing Jake Rudock to chuck the ball 93 times in two games to overcome late deficits.

The final big question surrounding the Hawkeyes is the health of two of their most important players, Brandon Scherff and Drew Ott. It was reported by multiple sources on Tuesday that Scherff underwent surgery on his right knee and would likely miss two to three weeks.

Coach Ferentz would not confirm in his weekly conference call that Scherff had surgery, instead calling him day-to-day. If Scherff were to miss those two to three weeks, he would miss this weekend against Iowa State, the following weekend against Pittsburgh on the road, and potentially the Big Ten opener September 27^th against Purdue in West Lafayette. Iowa should be able to survive without Scherff for that time frame as Ike Boettger stepped in admirably against Ball State and looks a capable replacement for Scherff should he have to miss any time.

Ott, on the other hand, appears to come away virtually unscathed after his involvement in an accident early Monday morning in Iowa City. Ott was on his moped when a car turned in front of him and collided with the defensive lineman. He suffered what is being called “road rash” after being examined at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Kirk Ferentz also called Ott day-to-day and barring any setbacks should be ready to go for Saturday’s tilt with the Cyclones.

Iowa State comes into Iowa City looking for their identity. After a 34-14 loss at the hands of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in Week 1, the Cyclones entertained the Wildcats of Kansas State last Saturday only to see them blow a 28-13 and fall to the ranked Wildcats by a score of 32-28. Iowa State ranks near the bottom in rushing yards per game, passing yards per game, and points scored per game.

Quarterback Sam Richardson is leading the charge through the air as well as on the ground for the Cyclones. He has been one of the few bright spots for a team that has disappointed to begin their 2014-2015 campaign. Injuries and personal issues have stripped the team of some key players. Wide receiver Quenton Bundrage tore his ACL in the opener against NDSU and starting right tackle Jacob Gannon quit the team for “personal reasons” days before their game against Kansas State.

The Cyclones do have some playmakers, however. Freshman wide receiver Allen Lazard out of Urbandale, Iowa, as well as Jarvis West will be asked to shoulder more of the load through the air for coach Paul Rhoads. Aaron Wimberly, who has accumulated 23 carries for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns over the first two weeks, leads the ground attack.

The Cyclones may not look as good on paper as the Hawkeyes, but when there is a rivalry like Iowa and Iowa State stats do not mean as much. Both teams will be amped up and ready to get this game started.

This Cy-Hawk game is sure to be one of the most exciting games in recent memory and Kinnick Stadium will be the go to place Saturday afternoon at 2:30. We will have the game live on 89.7 KRUI and also online at krui.fm with pregame starting around 2:15.

The post Hawkeyes, Cyclones seek answers leading up to clash appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Iowa

Iowa has coasted through their non-conference schedule so far outside of the Nebraska-Omaha game. They have put up at least 80 points in every game. They are just outside the rankings of the AP top 25 poll. Iowa is coached by Fran McCaffery who has had multiple coaching stops at Lehigh, UNCG, and Siena before coming to Iowa. He has taken Iowa to the NIT 2 years in a row, getting runner-up last year in a losing effort to Baylor in the NIT final at Madison Square Garden. Walking around Campus you see may different shirts, but nothing rhymes or sticks out like Fran The Man. I definitely have to get one of those. Fran has brought back excitement in Iowa basketball which has been lacking since the Tom Davis and Steve Alford eras.  Fran has had the great opportunity to take a  great group of players and teach them for multiple years like Aaron White, Roy Devyn Marble, Zach McCabe and Melson Basabe, allowing them to gel and build a program for multiple runs at the NCAA tournament.

He has found more versatile players to help keep players fresh while still having an aggressive team on the court. A wonderful problem for a coach is having a very deep bench and finding minutes for everyone. Sometimes people that see limited action try to do too much when they’re in, but Fran has done an excellent  job of getting his players to use his system even if their playing time varies from game to game. Some key contributors of the bench are Peter Jok, Jarrod Uthoff, Anthony Clemmons, Gabriel Olanseni, and McCabe. Mike Gesell did an outstanding job at point guard last year but him and Marble have been sharing the role this year.

Looking forward, Iowa’s strength of schedule increases dramatically starting Thursday with Xavier in the battle 4 Atlantis tourney, and then Notre  Dame in the ACC challenge on December 3rd. Iowa first real road test won’t come till the Iowa State game. It’s very realistic they could go into the Iowa State game undefeated or with one loss.

Iowa State

Iowa State is coming off a huge week of beating Michigan and BYU partly in thanks to Melvin Ejim, who returned early from the hyper extended knee and been great for State over the years. They totally earned their 21st in the nation status. Iowa State’s coach Fred Hoiberg was a legend as a player and continues to build on his legacy as a coach. A fun fact is his received write in votes for the mayor of Ames, thus giving him his nickname “The Mayor”. He has jump started the program under his coaching ERA by getting recruits that are misfit transfers that get kicked out or quit at their former college. He may only coach them for a year or two but that doesn’t bother the fans in Hilton Coliseum.

Some of his key transfers are/were Royce White, Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee, Korie Lucious, and Deandre Kane.  Most people think that getting transfers is a sign of recruiting weakness, but I disagree with that because you have to recruit them the same as any other potential signee. Some recent big time high school recruits  have been Georges Niang a post play maker from Massachusetts, Monte Morris, Michigan player of the year, and Matt Thomas, a sharpshooter from Wisconsin.  The Mayor has lead Iowa State to 2 straight NCAA tourneys.  They are known for playing fast tempo offense while shooting 3 at a very high rate.  They also set a school record last year and led the nation in 3 pointers made.

Looking forward, Iowa State’s schedule gets a little easier after having to play BYU and Michigan back to back. They have only 3 games before Iowa.  The ‘Clones play Auburn on December 2nd in the SEC challenge, then UNI at the big four classic in Des Moines, before finally welcoming Iowa to Hilton to face the fans and Hilton Magic. It’s also very realistic they could be undefeated heading into the Iowa game.

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