Who: No. 2 Iowa State (15-1, 5-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (12-4, 3-2 Big 12)
Where: WVU Coliseum (14,000) – Morgantown, W. Va.
When: Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025 – 4 p.m. CT
Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network
Game Overview: Iowa State has achieved 12 consecutive victories — the most extended streak in the nation — and the third-longest winning streak in the school’s record. The Cyclones have also triumphed over nine league rivals in a row, the second-longest such streak in the school’s history, and have now secured 28 consecutive wins at Hilton Coliseum. This weekend, the Cyclones will seek to lengthen two of those streaks as they travel East for their third Big 12 away game of the year in Morgantown.
The Cyclones overcame No. 9 Kansas in their previous outing, concluding the Wednesday night game with a dominating 16-2 run to secure a 17-point win against the Jayhawks in a top-ten matchup. The victory propelled the Cyclones to 5-0 in conference play, tying them with the 1944 team for the best start to a conference schedule. ISU also improved to 15-1, representing the best 16-game beginning in program history.
West Virginia returns to the arena of WVU Coliseum following a two-game away journey, where they recorded a 1-1 result. The Mountaineers kicked off the trip in Boulder, defeating Colorado by eight. WVU concluded the road stretch in Houston against the No. 10 Cougars, falling to UH by a margin of 16. Iowa State will mark the fourth top-ten opponent that WVU has confronted this season, with the team holding a 2-1 record in those matchups.
Narratives:
- Iowa State’s “sixth starter,” Curtis Jones, became an actual starting player in their last match, stepping in due to an injury. The Big 12’s second-highest scorer has recorded seven games with over 20 points this season. He has been acknowledged as the Big 12 Player of the Week once this season.
- Keshon Gilbert has made significant progress in his second year as a Cyclone, leading the squad in minutes played and assists. He has been awarded the Big 12 Player of the Week title twice this season and was included in the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on Jan. 7.
- A Preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection, Tamin Lipsey has been the connective tissue of Iowa State’s team. Known for his defensive prowess, Lipsey heads the team in steals and ranks second in assists.
- Transfer from Saint Mary’s, Joshua Jefferson has emerged as a vital and adaptable contributor this season. Jefferson leads the team in rebounds and has collected four Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors.
- Sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic averages just over 10 points per game and has the best 3-point shooting percentage on the team at 44 percent. It was announced on Jan. 15 that he would be sidelined for some time due to a hand injury.
- A transfer from Charlotte, substantial player Dishon Jackson has been a significant presence in the paint. He leads the team in blocks and averages 9.9 points along with 5.0 rebounds.
- A versatile contributor off the bench, Nate Heise has truly established himself. His defensive capabilities to neutralize opposing players and his knack for finding open spaces have been invaluable.
- Seattle transfer Brandton Chatfield has been a dominant rebounder off the bench. The senior leads the squad in offensive rebounds and consistently provides ISU with additional possessions.
From the Notes:
- As a head coach, Otz holds a record of 184-99 overall and has guided the Cyclones to an 85-36 success rate over the last four years.
- ISU boasts a 55-8 record in contests at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.
- Iowa State has achieved 28 consecutive victories at Hilton Coliseum, which ties for the second-longest active home winning streak nationally and stands as the second-longest in school history.
- Coach Otzelberger is the sole Iowa State men’s basketball coach to take multiple squads into the Sweet 16.
- He became the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to lead a team to the Sweet 16 twice within his first three years at the helm.
- Otz aims to be the first coach in program history to bring a team to the NCAA Tournament during his first four years of coaching.
- Iowa State has maintained a position in the AP Top 10 for 18 consecutive weeks, the longest streak across the nation.
- Iowa State currently features the highest-scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 85.4 points per game.
- The Cyclones rank No. 5 in the NET. Iowa State is No. 4 in the KenPom rankings and holds No. 5 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.
Switching Sides:
- Iowa State and WVU are set to clash for the 25th time on Saturday. West Virginia possesses the upper hand in the series, having claimed victory in eight of the last 10 encounters, including the most recent eight meetings in Morgantown.
- ISU has triumphed in Morgantown only twice — in 2013 and 2015.
- The Mountaineers were forecasted to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
- WVU entered the rankings on Jan. 6 at No. 21 in the AP poll, marking its first appearance in the AP poll since Dec. 26, 2022.
- WVU holds a 2-1 record in Big 12 away games (victories at Kansas and Colorado). The Mountaineers have matched their total of road wins in conference play from the last three seasons combined (2-25).
- For this season, new additions from the transfer portal include Tucker DeVries (Drake), Javon Small (Oklahoma State), Eduardo Andre (Fresno State), Joseph Yesufu (Washington State), Sencire Harris (Illinois), Amani Hansberry (Illinois), and Jayden Stone (Detroit Mercy).
- West Virginia returned only 2.8 percent of last season’s scoring from its previous team (Ofri Naveh).
- WVU has already defeated two Top 10 teams on the road this season, marking the first time since 2005-06 that this has occurred in the same season.
- Mountaineer head coach Darian DeVries is in his inaugural season at the West Virginia basketball program’s helm. DeVries has led WVU to a 12-4 record, and in his seven-year coaching journey that started at Drake, he holds a career record of 162-59.
- DeVries, who hails from Aplington, Iowa, played college basketball at UNI and spent 17 seasons as an assistant coach at Creighton.
- DeVries has faced off against ISU once, during his initial year at Drake, where he lost to the Cyclones 77-68.
- As of 1/16, West Virginia is positioned at No. 33 in the NET. The Mountaineers rank No. 42 in KenPom and No. 45 in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.