Oakland vs. Iowa State men's basketball: Players to watch

With the college basketball season tipping off on Friday, it is time to run through players to watch between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

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For Oakland, the one to watch most is Corey Petros in the post. He is listed at 6-foot-10 and 255 pounds, so he is definitely a load on the inside. He finished second on the team last year in scoring and led in rebounding. He’ll primarily match up against Dustin Hogue and Daniel Edozie, with a smattering of Georges Niang and Georgios Tsalmpouris depending on the personnel on the court.

Next is point guard Kahlil Felder. He is listed at 5-foot-9, so he is very much a water bug-type player who will attempt to harass Monte Morris and the other ball handlers. He averaged a turnover ratio of around +2.3 last season which means he takes fairly decent care of the ball on offense.

For Iowa State players, I’m starting with Daniel Edozie. He’ll be counted on to provide minutes early this season and is coming off an impressive performance in the exhibition where he looked lively and ready to step up. Given that he’ll bang against two talented big men, it’ll be important to show off his off season development in a real game.

Secondly, I’m going with Clayton Custer and Sherron Dorsey-Walker. I am not sure who will be the primary backup to Morris. Custer has the pedigree, while SDW has slightly more experience and a desire to prove to fans he is capable of a bigger role. Commanding the second unit will be critical this season so I’m focusing on these two, not only as a position match-up for this game, but a potential forecast of the primary rotation.

Keep your eyes on Clones Confidential this entire week for more pregame previews.

Oakland vs. Iowa State men’s basketball: Players to watch

By Doug Winkey | Nov 12, 2014