Iowa Basketball: Get To Know Iowa State Cyclones
Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
A look at the Iowa Hawkeyes’ opponent on Thursday night, the Iowa State Cyclones
Even with a 4-5 record, things could be worse for Iowa basketball heading into the Cy-Hawk game against rival Iowa State. Iowa ended their four game losing streak with a 27-point win over Stetson on Monday night and will now play their first ranked opponent of the season.
Iowa State enters the game 6-2 and ended their losing streak on Monday, too, with a 44-point win over Omaha. Prior to demolishing Omaha, the Cyclones lost by two to Gonzaga, after their comeback efforts fell short, and to Cincinnati by one in overtime.
Nonetheless, the Cyclones held on in the Associated Press top-25, being ranked #25 this week and are legitimate threats in the Big 12 this season.
Iowa State has won the past three Cy-Hawk basketball games, including last season when they overcame a 20-point deficit. Right before the Hawkeyes won 12 of their next 13 games, they blew a 15-point halftime lead to Iowa State and lost 83-82 in Ames, Iowa.
The good news is that most key players from that historic meltdown graduated and are in the NBA or playing overseas.
Of course, Iowa lost four starters from a year ago, meaning Peter Jok, Nicholas Baer, Dom Uhl and Brady Ellingson are the only players on the roster with experience in this rivalry. That being said, those four only combined to play 57 minutes last season in this game.
Iowa State also lost a good amount of their team. Georges Niang, Jameel McKay, Abdel Nader and Hallice Cooke are no longer with the Cyclones. They accounted for a ridiculous 96 minutes played last year in this game.
As it often is in college, there’s a new feel to this rivalry with almost entirely new players. Either way, it’s always a fun rivalry where anything can happen, which is why it’s not safe to count out a young and struggling Hawkeyes team this year, even if the Cyclones are ranked.
Iowa State travels to Iowa City this year and will tip-off at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Prohm
This is Steve Prohm‘s second season as Iowa State’s head coach after he took over for now-Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg. Before leaving for the NBA, Hoiberg built a winning culture not seen at Iowa State since the 1990s, and Prohm has done a good job continuing it.
After leading Murray State to four consecutive regular season conference championships and a NCAA Tournament berth, Prohm went 23-12 in his first season and finished fifth in a respectable Big 12 conference with the Cyclones.
The AP also ranked Iowa State as high as fourth, and the Cyclones made the Sweet 16 before losing by 13 to Virginia. It’s tied for the second deepest run in the NCAA Tournament in school history and already tied Hoiberg’s best.
After losing a lot of key players from a year ago, this is Prohm’s first real challenge as Iowa State’s head coach. He doesn’t have a group of talented seniors leading the way like last year, instead he has to rely more on young players.
The Cyclones dependence on their bench is evident since eight players have played in all eight games and are averaging at least 16 minutes per contest this season.
Despite a younger and less experienced roster, Prohm still has his team playing very good basketball. They nearly overcame an 18-point second half deficit to Gonzaga and their two losses came by a combined three points. Plus, Iowa State steamrolled over all their mid-major competition outside of Indiana State.
The Cyclones aren’t as talented as some of their teams in recent years, however Steve Prohm is a talented coach who will keep Iowa State relevant in the Big 12. He doesn’t have a multitude of stars leading the team like last year, but his team plays hard for him and he has a solid track record at Murray State of him getting the most out of his players.
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Players To Watch
Monte Morris: 14.8 PPG, 6.3 APG, 4.4 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 50.5 FG%, 37 3P%
This might be Iowa’s biggest point guard test of the year. Monte Morris, the pre-season All-American, is one of the quickest and most explosive guards in the nation. Last season, Morris scored a team-high 20 points to along with nine assists and two steals against Iowa.
Jordan Bohannon can’t try to match Morris’ production because it will cause him to play beyond his capabilities and frustrate him. He needs to accept that Morris, who leads the team with 14.8 points per game and has six games with at least 15-points, will get his points and makes great plays, but it can’t frustrate him.
Morris can be slowed down, though. He’s failed to shoot above 45 percent from the field in any of the past four games. Plus, Morris is shooting a measly 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) from behind the arc in his last four games. He’s significantly less effective behind the arc, therefore Iowa can’t let him drive and get into the paint where they lack a rim protector.
If Morris has a big game then Iowa’s chances of pulling the upset are slim to none. That being said, holding Morris in check hinders an explosive Cyclones’ offense, which a poor defensive team like Iowa will need to do — Morris only shot 40.6 percent shooting from the field and 14.3 percent from three in Iowa State’s two losses.
Deonte Burton: 14.1 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 47.1 FG%
Deonte Burton has exploded for several huge games so far this year, including 29 points against a ranked Gonzaga team. He’s also had duds where he failed to reach double-digit points against Savannah State, The Citadel and Cincinnati.
At 6-4, 240 pounds, Burton is a big guard who can cause similar problems Bonzie Colson did against the Hawkeyes. Considering Burton only has 19 three-point attempts this season, he’s going to try to do most of his work inside. Help defense if he overpowers his defender in the paint will be key, as well as keeping him off the glass.
Just like Colson, Burton doesn’t have great size but leads his team in rebounding at 7.6 per game. He uses his huge build to out-rebound bigger opponents in the paint. Colson grabbed a career-high 17 boards against Iowa earlier in the season, and one of the Hawkeyes biggest downfalls this year is keeping teams off the offensive glass.
If Burton starts to dominate on the offensive end and gives Iowa State another option alongside Morris, Iowa will be in trouble. However, that would most likely come into fruition if he dominates the glass. If Iowa doesn’t let him dominate the rebounding category, they’ll have a chance.
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