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Iowa vs. Iowa State men’s basketball: Game preview and prediction

By Brian Spaen

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Bryce Dejean-Jones couldn’t have picked a worse time in non-conference play to become a distraction. Iowa State men’s basketball (6-1) will play in their lone true road game on Friday and the Cyclones will have to play against Iowa (8-2) without their second-highest scorer and leading rebounder. That depth we’ve talked about all offseason will have to step up if the Cyclones want to leave Iowa City with a victory.

(14)Iowa State Cyclones vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Carver-Hawkeye Arena | Iowa City, Iowa
Friday, December 12, 2014 | Tipoff – 7:06 PM CT
TV: Big Ten Network | Stream: BTN2Go

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Watching Iowa State unravel against Maryland was disappointing, and this will be just as big of a challenge as the Terrapins — moreso since it’s in a rival’s arena. Adam Woodbury, Jarrod Uthoff, and Aaron White will be the trio upfront that will be of real concern for the Cyclones. They average 41.2 rebounds (24th nationally) and hold teams to 33.7 percent from the field and 54.9 points per game. The Hawkeyes thrive on shutting down their opponents. Only Texas, Syracuse, and Pepperdine were able to get over 60 points against them, and Pepperdine was probably helped after Iowa had to play the Longhorns and Orange in back-to-back nights just a few days prior.

Series history

Iowa owns a 43-24 all-time record over Iowa State, but since 1984, the Cyclones have a 17-15 edge. The Hawkeyes have only lost six times at home. Fred Hoiberg is 3-1 against Iowa as both a player and head coach.

Chasing Larry Eustachy

Hoiberg has coached 144 games at Iowa State and has an overall record of 96-48. Eustachy’s record at Iowa State was 101-59. If Hoiberg gets to 100 wins in less than 13 games, he will be the fastest ISU coach to reach 100 wins. It took his mentor, Johnny Orr, 192 games to reach 100.

What to watch for

Dec 9, 2014; Ames, IA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Georges Niang (31) spins to the basket against the UKMC Kangaroos at James H. Hilton Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

It will be interesting to see how Iowa State handles the absence of Dejean-Jones. Expect Matt Thomas to get the start, but Hoiberg may not be afraid to throw in Daniel Edozie for size help. Not only does no BDJ affect the scoreboard, it affects rebounding — he leads the team with 6.9 boards per game.

Basically, somebody or multiple people will have to step up. It’s imperative for Georges Niang to avoid foul trouble like he had against Maryland. He also needs to shoot well from the field and/or help be a distributor. Due to Monte Morris’ size, it might be better for him to focus on being a distributor and avoid shooting the ball unless the opportunity presents itself.

Team chemistry must be flowing against the angry crowd. Keep that assists to field goals made ratio tight, don’t turn the ball over, and don’t make unnecessary fouls. Iowa State is 11th nationally in fouls committed and opponents haven’t shot much from the charity stripe.

Prediction

Without Dejean-Jones, the Cyclones’ chemistry takes a hit at an inopportune time. BDJ has a safety net for instant offense on this team and it’s going to be next to impossible to replace a performance from him. Combine that with how Iowa State looked against a different big team (Maryland), and we may have too tall of a mountain the Cyclones can climb. Obviously it’s possible for ISU to win the game if they control the tempo and make shots, but it’s just been too inconsistent in the early part of the season. Iowa’s defense holds ISU to under 70 points and avenges their embarrassing football loss.

Iowa 75, Iowa State 66