@CycloneMBB Notebook
- No. 4 Iowa State hosts Iowa in its annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series showdown Thursday night ...the Cyclones look to remain undefeated...ISU’s last 8-0 start came in 2013-14, when they started the season with a school record 14 wins in a row...a 8-0 start would match ISU’s third-best start in school history (1940-41, 1941-42)...a win would make Steve Prohm the first coach in school history to start 8-0.
- The Cyclones have beaten their opponents by an average of 20.3 points...the only game decided by single-digits came in the opener, and first game under Prohm, against Colorado (68-62)...since that game, ISU is averaging 90 points and shooting 52.9 percent from the field...ISU has trailed just 20:21 of 280 minutes.
- The Cyclones are ranked No. 4 in this week’s Associated Press poll...the Cyclones have been ranked in a school-record 42 consecutive polls...ISU is No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
- Iowa State has five players averaging at least 12.5 points, the only team in the top-25 that can make that claim and one of just two Big 12 schools with five averaging double figures (Kansas)...five different Cyclones have scored 20 or more points in a game this season...ISU’s top seven players are all averaging at least 5.0 points per game.
- As a group, ISU’s starters are shooting 53.5 percent on field goal attempts...ISU’s top seven, which is playing 96.4 percent of the minutes, is shooting 51.8 percent...as a team, ISU is ninth nationally shooting 51.7 percent as a team...ISU’s five starters have all attempted between 74-90 field goal attempts (10.5 FGA per game-12.9 FGA per game).
- Georges Niang is leading the Cyclones in scoring with 18.6 points per game after scoring a career-best and Big 12-high 31 points against Buffalo Monday...Niang is the leading active scorer in the Big 12 (1,640)...he needs three points to tie for Big 12 Player of the Year Melvin Ejim for 12th all-time at Iowa State.
- Monté Morris, who was named the Emerald Coast Classic Most Outstanding Player, is averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals...he is averaing 16.7 points in the last four games, while shooting 54.1 percent from the field...Morris has 39 assists and five turnovers in the last five games...he leads the Big 12 in assists (7.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (5.1)...he had 12 points and eight assists in the second half against Buffalo.
- The most improved player for the Cyclones has been one of its best...Abdel Nader continues to impress while averaging 14.6 points, including 16.3 points the last three games, and 5.7 rebounds...last season, Nader averaged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds...the senior is shooting 54.1 percent from the field...he entered his senior season as a 35.2 percent field goal shooter.
- Jameel McKay has been a dominant force on the boards, while also providing plenty of support offensively...McKay is one of three players in the Big 12 averaging a double-double (13.9 pts, 11.6 rbs)...he leads the Big 12 in rebounding and has 17 and 19 rebound performances this season...he is sixth in the league in blocks (1.7).
- Nazareth Mitrou-Long has now hit 162 career three-pointers, ranking fifth in school history...Mitrou-Long is 21 threes behind his former coach Fred Hoiberg.
- ISU’s defense has held its first seven opponents to just 66.6 points and 38.3 percent from the field...after allowing opponents to shoot 34.7 percent on threes last season, ISU opponents are shooting 29.3 percent from long distance in 2015-16...all seven Cyclone opponents have scored below their season average entering the game.
Iowa State Trends
- ISU has been to a school-record four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
- The Cyclones have won back-to-back Big 12 Tournament titles, just the fourth school to win consecutive titles.
- ISU has bettered its preseason Big 12 prediction four consecutive seasons...ISU was picked third in this season’s preseason poll.
- The Cyclones have won at least 11 league games in each of the last four seasons, which is a school record.
- ISU has won 31 regular season home games in a row against nonconference opponents...the Cyclones have won 26 of their last 27 games at home, including 15 of 16 league games.
- ISU is 7-0 this season, the first under Steve Prohm...Prohm’s first season at Murray State started with wins in his first 23 games.
- ISU has scored 83 points or more in the last six games...the school record is 10 games in a row (Dec. 29, 1987-Jan. 30, 1988), which is the only time ISU did it in more than six games in a row.
- The Cyclones have shot better than their opponent in all seven games...ISU has been at or above 50 percent in five of seven games.
- According to KenPom.com, ISU ranks among the top-20 teams in adjusted offensive efficiency (20) and adjusted defensive efficiency (17).
- ISU hasn’t had more turnovers than their opponent yet this season...the Cyclones are averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game and are averaging just 10 miscues in the last three games.
- The Cyclones have outrebounded their opponents by an average of 6.7 boards per game.
- ISU’s starting five is shooting 57.1 percent on two-point field goals.
- Iowa State is outscoring its opponents 46.4-29.4 in the paint...the Cyclones have a 19.7-11.6 edge on points off turnovers.
- Morris has 307 assists and 65 turnovers in 58 career starts... ISU is 35-5 when Morris has at least five assists.
- ISU is 18-2 in the last three seasons when Morris and Niang combine for 10 or more assists.
- Nazareth Mitrou-Long has 14 career games with 4+ threes made...ISU is 12-2 when Mitrou-Long makes four or more 3s.
- Niang leads the Cyclones with 87 career double-figure scoring games...Niang has 16 consecutive games with 10 or more points.
- Morris has at least one steal in 34 of the last 36 games.
- Morris has scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games dating back to last season.
- Morris has six career games with 10 or more assists...his assist-to-turnover ratio in those games is 10.6 (64 assists/six turnovers).
- McKay has 71 blocks in 32 career games, which includes 21 games with at least two blocks.
- McKay has grabbed double-digit rebounds in his last six of the last eight games and nine times in his last 20 games.
- McKay has shot 50 percent or better from the field in 26 of 32 career games...he is a 59.1 percent field goal shooter in his career, which would rank second in ISU history if he met the minimum attempts mark (400 FGA).
