For anyone who wants to talk hoops instead of fixing society.....
This should be a fun one (hopefully). Tech beating KU on Monday completely changed the equation for the rest of the season in my opinion. Tech sits at 7-4 in conference play with 7 games remaining and only needing three wins to solidify a tournament appearance. Barring a complete collapse making the tournament is a "when not if" situation for this squad so this squad has given themselves every opportunity to push for a top 5 conference finish and a top 6 seed. They should be playing loose with nothing to lose from here on out. I realize that is a big hypothetical but just my .02.
Now on to this weekend..... Playing Iowa State (especially at home) is about as enjoyable as getting a hole drilled in your head. They are not an offensive juggernaut or the most talented squad, but they are disciplined, physical and elite defensively. Iowa State wants to turn the game into a brawl and when it happens that suits them just fine. I'm not sure I have seen a team (other than prime Tech defensive teams) get their hands on so many balls and just generally cause as much chaos. Iowa State's overriding defensive philosophy is "pressure". They live in the opposing team's air space and make every dribble or pass a battle. Schematically there is a resemblance to the Mark Adams "no-middle", but ISU does not shade baseline as dramatically. On ball screen coverage it is mostly personnel dependent, but Tech will see some switching and some hedge and recover coverage on ball screens. On the occasions they don't switch they aggressively hedge, and the guards are very good at navigating screens. So again, not much air space. ISU almost invites drives to the basket, but they immediately attack penetration with aggressive help and bodies. They cause a bunch of turnovers on these occasions and good luck posting up easily against this set defense. It can turn into a misadventure quickly. Their defense actually constricts as possessions drag out and force offenses into tough spots with the ball, giving them more shots at causing a turnover. Fans of clean basketball and minimal contact might want to avert their eyes because Iowa State is exceedingly handsy on defense. The Cyclones will poke, prod and body offensive players as if they are trying to see if refs will call fouls. How this game is officiated will matter but seeing as it is in Hilton I am guessing there will be a ton of "thats a foul!" messages in the game thread (prolly from me as well). Buckle up because this will be a grind.
Iowa State by the Numbers:
Players to Know:
This should be a fun one (hopefully). Tech beating KU on Monday completely changed the equation for the rest of the season in my opinion. Tech sits at 7-4 in conference play with 7 games remaining and only needing three wins to solidify a tournament appearance. Barring a complete collapse making the tournament is a "when not if" situation for this squad so this squad has given themselves every opportunity to push for a top 5 conference finish and a top 6 seed. They should be playing loose with nothing to lose from here on out. I realize that is a big hypothetical but just my .02.
Now on to this weekend..... Playing Iowa State (especially at home) is about as enjoyable as getting a hole drilled in your head. They are not an offensive juggernaut or the most talented squad, but they are disciplined, physical and elite defensively. Iowa State wants to turn the game into a brawl and when it happens that suits them just fine. I'm not sure I have seen a team (other than prime Tech defensive teams) get their hands on so many balls and just generally cause as much chaos. Iowa State's overriding defensive philosophy is "pressure". They live in the opposing team's air space and make every dribble or pass a battle. Schematically there is a resemblance to the Mark Adams "no-middle", but ISU does not shade baseline as dramatically. On ball screen coverage it is mostly personnel dependent, but Tech will see some switching and some hedge and recover coverage on ball screens. On the occasions they don't switch they aggressively hedge, and the guards are very good at navigating screens. So again, not much air space. ISU almost invites drives to the basket, but they immediately attack penetration with aggressive help and bodies. They cause a bunch of turnovers on these occasions and good luck posting up easily against this set defense. It can turn into a misadventure quickly. Their defense actually constricts as possessions drag out and force offenses into tough spots with the ball, giving them more shots at causing a turnover. Fans of clean basketball and minimal contact might want to avert their eyes because Iowa State is exceedingly handsy on defense. The Cyclones will poke, prod and body offensive players as if they are trying to see if refs will call fouls. How this game is officiated will matter but seeing as it is in Hilton I am guessing there will be a ton of "thats a foul!" messages in the game thread (prolly from me as well). Buckle up because this will be a grind.
Iowa State by the Numbers:
- 9th per Kenpom
- 44th offensively
- 3rd defensively
- 5th per Torvik
- 36th on offense
- 3rd on defense
- 6 per Haslametrics
- 25th on offense
- 3rd on offense
- 1st in the nation in TO% - 26.3%
- 28th in the country in assist rate - 59.5
- Not a good FT shooting team - 69.5%
- Not a great defensive rebounding team - allow an OR% of 29.1 (175th)
- Do not allow teams to get up many shots - 2nd in the country in FGAR
- 18th in the country in FG% defense - 39%
- 1st in the country in near proximity shots allowed on defense
- 1st in the country in potential points scored off breakaway steals
- Allow a decent amount of 3PAs - 279th in the country in 3PAR allowed
- Don't take many 3's - 269th in the country
- Get to the line well - 30th in the country in FTAR
- 13th in the country on near proximity shot % on offense
Players to Know:
- Tamin Lipsey - Sophomore and the head of the snake on both ends for ISU. Lipsey was very good as a Freshman and has taken another step in his 2nd year on campus. Other than Jamal Shead I don't know that there is a more well-rounded guard in the conference. Offensively he is rock solid across the board. Lipsey will not wow you with his stature or athleticism but he is just a hooper. He will be used in ball screens and loves to snake across the grain off the defense to find passing lanes where he is most dangerous and is a dang good live dribble passer. Lipsey will find shooters or divers off the bounce regularly. While not super attack oriented, he has unique pacing and understanding of positioning that he uses to get to his spots. He prefers to go right but will finish with either hand and has a nice scoop looking layup that he uses over bigger defenders. As a jump shooter he mostly pulls off the dribble and will shoot off of ball screens in the mid-range. Also, a solid shooter from deep but doesn't shoot an overwhelming amount (37% on three attempts a game). Very good in transition for a smaller guard. Athletic bigs can affect his shot. More crafty than explosive. Lipsey is an absolute thief on defense. He has incredibly quick hands and gets a hand on everything whether it results in a steal or not. Lives in ball handler's grills and navigates screens very well. Again, not a great athlete but uses his body well and has great instincts. Averages 13.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.5 apg, and 3 spg. 6'1 200.
- Keshon Gilbert - Junior transfer from UNLV where he was originally recruited by Coach Otzelberger. Gilbert is a good sized and athletic combo guard. Offensively he is very attack oriented and likes to get to the rim whenever he can. He has some real shake to his game and can get down-hill in a hurry. Gilbert has a solid but not flashy handle. Attacks off ballscreens and just off the bounce in general. Takes around 7 shots inside the arc a game and the majority are at the rim. Well-built and athletic he is a good finisher at the rim but will take the occasional floater. Can get a bit out of control on drives and tries for some wild finishes. Will shoot from three but not a great shooter (30%) and takes bad threes at times. Solid passer who mostly creates off of penetration. Another very good defender who can really move laterally and is strong at the POA. Not as instinctive as Lipsey but is a better athlete. Cannot be loose with the ball around him. Averages 13.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.7 spg. 6'4 200.
- Milan Momcilovic - True Freshman, former top 50 recruit and one of the best Freshman in the conference. Momcilovic has been very impactful on offense especially where he has a very unique and polished bag. He has a funky and unorthodox style. They will put him in a ton of ball screens as a pick and pop threat and post him up in the mid post or the FT line extended. He's mostly a jump-shooter and is really looking to get to his middy when he posts up. He will shoot over smaller defenders and has a one foot turn around that will remind you of Dirk's signature move a bit. Momcilovic also attacks bigger defender on close outs but is mostly a 1-2 dribble type of guy. Good three point shooter who gets most of his looks on the CnS but can also put the ball on the floor and shoot it (39.5% from deep). Not a crazy athlete and is a subpar rebounder for his size, also not much of a passer. Defensively he is limited athletically but plays extremely hard and is big bodied. Solid system defender. Averaging 12.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.2 apg. 6'8 210.
- Tre King - In his second year with Iowa State after transferring from Eastern Kentucky. King is a big bodied and athletic hybrid forward who does a little bit of everything for ISU. Offensively he is fairly limited but efficient. Has some perimeter skill (can handle a bit) but mostly operates in the paint and as a screener. Very physical finisher and gets most of his looks on dump-offs or cuts. Hits the glass hard. Mostly a straight line driver off of a couple dribbles and doesn't have a very polished post-up game but will body smaller defenders. Will shoot threes and has gotten hot occasionally but is not a great shooter (27%). Can get a bit trigger happy. Plays with a real edge defensively and really gets into the body of the offensive player. Slides well in space for his size and will switch onto guards. Good rebounder. Averages 9.4 ppg, 5 rpg, 1.1 spg. 6'7 230.
- Curtis Jones - Transfer guard from Buffalo and a Senior. Jones is the 6th man for this Iowa State and has a rep as a scorer. Reminds me a ton of Trey Tennison from TCU. Good sized guard who is mostly a jump-shooter. Can handle and will be put into some ball screens but is looking to get to his jumper first. Will attack off of screens but doesn't put a ton of pressure on this rim or finish at a high rate at the rim. Average athlete. Will get to his middy off of the bounce. Doesn't shoot a high percentage from three but has been hot in conference play and cannot be left (34% on 6 per game). Good movement shooter and will work off of screens to get himself open. Was a subpar defender previously but has totally flpped the switch on that end. Not a crazy athlete but very long and has good hands. Another thief on that end. Averages 10 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.2 apg, and 1.8 spg. 6'4 190.
- Robert Jones - Senior in his third year at ISU after transferring from Denver. High-effort and energy role playing big. Limited offensively but plays his role well. Physical screener and roll man who dives hard to the basket. Has good hands. Not a great athlete but uses his size well to carve out space and finishes at a fairly high clip. Jones is not much of a post up threat but has a decent jump hook over his left-shoulder. No shooting range to speak of or playmaking ability. Can get sped up on finishes occasionally. Hits the glass hard and runs the floor well. Defensively he is exceedingly solid for a guy that isn't an above-average athlete. Attacks hard on hedges and while he doesn't have the best recovery speed he really efforts to get back on the roll. Good hands and gets his hand on a lot of balls. Bad FT shooter. 6'10 255.
- Hason Ward / Jackson Paveletzke - Ward (6'9 230) is a transfer from VCU in his second year at ISU. Probably the best athlete on the ISU team. Raw offensively but efficient. Gets his basket as a lob threat and off put backs. Very active on the glass. Prone to fouling but the best shot blocker on the team and switchable. Averages 6.3 ppg, 1.1 spg, 1.1 bpg, 4.3 spg. Paveletzke (6'2 185) is a Sophomore transfer from Wofford. Has not made a great impact as the transition to the B12 has been rough for him. Skilled offensively and is a good shooter but has trouble getting his shot off at this level. Below average defender. Averaging 4.2 ppg.
- Limit Turnovers - I know, this is obvious af but turnovers are everything for this ISU team. Easier said than done but keep TO's under 12 or so and Tech will have a shot. Guards HAVE to be strong with the ball.
- Quick offense/hit threes - Tech will not want to run offense against this defense when they get set in the halfcourt. This doesn't mean bad shots, but it means getting into offense without getting stagnant or off of stops before the defense gets completely set. Tech will also get looks from deep. Need to knock them down at a good clip to keep the defense from just collapsing on ball handlers.
- Guard Play - Joe/Pop/Chance need to be good. Can't afford for all of them to be inefficient again. Earth shattering I know.
- Offensive glass - Tech has been much better on this end and need that to continue.
- Basketball Gods - please bless Washington's foot.
