(Ames) The Iowa State men’s basketball season will start on Tuesday. You can catch all the Cyclone action throughout the year on 96.5 FM KSOM. They’ll host Kennesaw State in the opener.
KEY STORYLINES
– Iowa State and Kennesaw State were originally scheduled for the season opener of the 2020-21 season, but the game was rescheduled when the Covid-19 pandemic altered the schedule.
– Tuesday night’s game marks the start of the 50th anniversary season of Hilton Coliseum … the Cyclones will play 19 home games this season, the most since the 2010-11 season … a crowd of 12,093 would put Iowa State at 9 million fans drawn for Cyclone men’s basketball at the arena.
– New head coach TJ Otzelberger is in search of his 100th career win as a head coach … he won 70 games at South Dakota State and 29 games at UNLV.
– The Cyclones return one of the least experienced teams in the nation, bringing back just 20 total starts from last season … just 13.3 percent of their scoring returns (fewest in the Big 12) and 25.6 percent of the rebounding.
– Iowa State was able to add experience to the mix, signing six transfers that have combined to play more than 415 career games … the Cyclones matched the national high with four power conference additions in the offseason.
– Six Cyclones are expected to make their ISU debut, while Caleb Grill returns to the Cyclones after spending a season at UNLV.
– Izaiah Brockington, a transfer from Penn State, has seen his production jump in each of his three collegiate seasons … last season, Brockington averaged career highs of 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds.
ISU VERSUS KENNESAW STATE
– The Cyclones and Owls meet for just the second time … the other came in 2010 as ISU won 91-51 at Hilton Coliseum … six Cyclones reached double figures for the Cyclones in that game, led by 14 each from Melvin Ejim, Jake Anderson and Diante Garrett … Ejim also had 12 boards for his first career double-double.
– ISU is 6-1 all-time against teams from the Atlantic Sun … the only previous loss came in a 1982 road game at Jacksonville … ISU has won six straight against the league since that 1982 loss.
– Otzelberger is facing Kennesaw State for the first time … he is 0-1 against teams currently in the A-Sun, having lost to Florida Gulf Coast in a road game in 2018 when he was coaching at SDSU.
– Kennesaw State assistant coach William Small was an assistant with the Cyclones from 2015-21 … current Kennesaw State guard Nate Springs and ISU graduate assistant Connor Murrell were teammates at Ohio … Kennesaw State forward Mayson Quartlebaum’s dad, Fred, was an assistant coach for the Cyclones under Wayne Morgan (2003-04) and is currently director of operations for Kansas basketball.
