2011-12 Iowa State Basketball Preview

2010-11 Results:

Overall: 16-16 (13-6 H, 2-9 A, 1-1 N)
Big 12: 3-13 (3-5 H, 0-8 A)
Conference Tournament: Lost in 1st Round
Postseason: None

Not much was expected out of Iowa State last year. Almost everyone figured they would be last in the Big 12 conference with just two players back from the year before, but the Cyclones were kind of a surprise success story. Normally, it’s hard for people to be excited about a .500 season, but it was the first time Iowa State didn’t have a losing record since the 2005-6 season.

In Fred Hoiberg’s first season Iowa State completely changed their identity. Going from a slow it down and grind it out team to one that ran more and spread the floor. That change of pace helped the Cyclones rank fifth in the conference and 39th in the nation in offense at 74.8 points per game.

Iowa State also shot the 3-ball extremely well last year, hitting 275 (8.6 per game) shots from behind the arc. That was good enough to lead the Big 12 and rank 13th in the nation.

Roster
Returning Starters
Scott Christopherson
Melvin Ejim

Returning Letterman
Bubu Palo
Jordan Railey
Austin McBeth

Other Returning Players
Royce White
Chris Babb
Chris Allen
Anthony Booker

Newcomers
Percy Gibson
Aaron Law
Tyrus McGee
Tavon Sledge

Head Coach
Fred Hoiberg

Key Losses
Three starters are gone. Top scorer Diante Garrett averaged 17.3 points per game for the Cyclones last season and started 31 of the 32 games. He led the Big 12 in assists and was a second-team All Big 12 athlete.

Jake Anderson was the team’s best rebounder at 7.2 boards per game and Jamie Vanderbeken averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

The other big loss is Calvin Godfrey who played in 29 games, avereaged 20.1 minutes per game and pulled down 5.4 boards per contest.

Schedule

Date	Opponent
Sun, Nov 06	Grand Valley State (Exhibition)
Sat, Nov 12	Lehigh
Tue, Nov 15	@ Drake
Sun, Nov 20	Western Carolina (South Padre Island Invitational)
Tue, Nov 22	Northern Colorado (South Padre Island Invitational)
Fri, Nov 25	@ Providence (South Padre Island Invitational)
Sat, Nov 26	@ Rice (South Padre Island Invitational)
Wed, Nov 30	Northern Iowa
Sat, Dec 03	@ Michigan
Tue, Dec 06	Prairie View A&M
Fri, Dec 09	Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) (Color it Cardinal)
Sun, Dec 18	Central Michigan
Wed, Dec 21	Lipscomb
Sat, Dec 31	Mississippi Valley State
Wed, Jan 04	Texas *
Sat, Jan 07	@ Texas A&M *
Wed, Jan 11	Missouri *
Sat, Jan 14	@ Kansas *
Wed, Jan 18	Oklahoma State *
Sat, Jan 21	@ Texas Tech *
Tue, Jan 24	@ Texas *
Sat, Jan 28	Kansas (Gold Rules) *
Tue, Jan 31	Kansas State *
Sat, Feb 04	@ Oklahoma *
Tue, Feb 07	@ Oklahoma State *
Sat, Feb 11	Texas A&M *
Mon, Feb 13	@ Baylor *
Sat, Feb 18	Oklahoma *
Wed, Feb 22	Texas Tech *
Sat, Feb 25	@ Kansas State *
Wed, Feb 29	@ Missouri *
Sat, Mar 03	Baylor *
Wed, Mar 07 - Sat, Mar 10	Big 12 Championship
* Conference Games

2011-12 Preview
Only two starters return for Iowa State this year, but the real key is the addition of four transfers. Last year this group was called the best scout team in the country and helped keep every practice competitive. Now Chris Allen, Chris Babb, Royce White, and Anthony Booker will be ready to prove themselves on the court.

Last year Iowa State wasn’t very deep, so they played a more conservative half-court defense. With more talent on this year’s roster you can bet they will be more aggressive in utilizing pressure to force turnovers.

Backcourt

The Cyclones are going to have to find a way to replace Garrett’s production. He was a quality point guard who blotted his name all over Iowa State’s record books for both assists and points.

There is still a lot of talent in the Cyclone backcourt. Scott Christopherson is a very talented shooter who has made 131 career 3-pointers already. He made 86 last year, ranking second in the Big 12 and 33rd in the nation at 2.8 per game. His 44.1 3-point percentage was good for 11th in the country and he’s buried a trey in 34 straight games. Christopherson doesn’t turn the ball over, works hard, and shouldn’t have to log so many minutes this year due to the team’s depth.

You’ll likely see Iowa State using a lot of three-guard sets due to having so much talent in the backcourt. Transfers Chris Allen, Chris Babb, and Tyrus McGee are solid shooters. Allen and Babb were Big Ten starters and both averaged just under 10 points per game back in 2009-10. McGee is coming over from Cowley Community College.

Chris Allen brings three years of experience from his time at Michigan State. He’s played in 14 tournament games and two Final Fours. He can not only shoot from the outside, but is also a defensive stopper.

Chris Babb made 69 3-point shots his last year at Penn State and averaged 10.2 ppg in Big Ten action.

Tyrus McGee made 115 3-point shots last year at a 48.7% clip. He was a NJCAA First-Team All-American and can play both at the two and at point.

Two more players to keep an eye on are Bubu Palo and Tavon Sledge. Palo played all 32 games last season and proved capable of playing the point spot. Sledge is the one with the most potential. He’s incredibly fast and was ranked as the 3rd best player in New York City after averaging 25.3 points and 5.2 assists in his senior season.

Frontcourt

Mevlin Ejim and Jordan Railey both should see action as returning letterman while Royce White, Anthony Booker, and Percy Gibson will all make an impact as newcomers.

Ejim had a very productive freshman season last year for the Cyclones. The Canadian averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He was only the 12th freshman in school history to average double figures. Despite his hefty production, Hoiberg thinks Ejim will be even better this season. Ejim is more of a small forward, but was forced to play down low last season due to the team’s lack of depth.

Royce White was a very highly touted recruit two years ago, but didn’t play a game for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and then sat out last year after transferring to Iowa State. White is strong and is an excellent passer. He’ll be starting at power forward and could be the star of this team.

Percy Gibson was one of the top big men in Michigan last year, putting up 21.2 points and 12 rebounds per game. Booker was a top-50 player coming out of high school, but only averaged 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds as a freshman for Southern Illinois.

Other Resources on Cyclone Basketball:

More Big 12 Basketball Predictions

Kansas Jayhawks	Missouri Tigers
Baylor Bears	Iowa State Cyclones
Kansas State Wildcats	Texas Longhorns
Oklahoma State Cowboys	Oklahoma Sooners
Texas A&M Aggies	Texas Tech Red Raiders

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