Iowa State Cyclones
2019-2020 Overall Rank: #54
Conference Rank: #7 Big 12
Iowa State returned to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus. Prior to that setback, the Cyclones reached six straight NCAA Tournaments, which included a couple trips to the Sweet Sixteen. This year Iowa State will look to move their streak to two straight tournaments, but some key players are gone and Coach Steve Prohm has some big holes to fill. Three perimeter double-digit scorers need to be replaced in Marial Shayok, Talen Horton-Tucker and Lindell Wiggington and this group may not have the firepower to replace all of them.
2018-19 Record: 23-12, 9-9
2018-19 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Steve Prohm
Coach Record: 83-53 at Iowa State, 187-82 overall
Key Departed Players:
Marial Shayok, Guard, 18.7 ppg
Talen Horton-Tucker, Guard, 11.8 ppg
Nick Weiler-Babb, Guard, 9.1 ppg
Lindell Wigginton, Guard, 13.5 ppg
Cameron Lard, Forward, 5.6 ppg
Zoran Talley Jr, Forward, 1.8 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Michael Jacobson, Senior, Forward, 11.1 ppg
Tyrese Haliburton, Sophomore, Guard, 6.8 ppg
Terrence Lewis, Junior, Guard, 4.3 ppg
George Conditt IV, Sophomore, Forward, 2.0 ppg
Zion Griffin, Sophomore, Forward, 1.8 ppg
Key New Players:
Luke Anderson, Freshman, Forward
Rasir Bolton, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Penn State, eligible?
Caleb Grill, Freshman, Guard
Tre Jackson, Freshman, Guard
Nate Jenkins, Freshman, Guard
Marcedus Leech Jr, Freshman, Guard
Prentiss Nixon, Senior, Guard, Transfer from Colorado State
Javan Johnson, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Troy, not eligible
Projection:
Iowa State does have a proven interior scorer. Michael Jacobson tallied 11.1 points and a team high 5.9 rebounds during his junior campaign and will be asked to carry more of the load in 2019-2020. Tyrese Haliburton should be one of the best shooters in the Big 12. As a freshman, the 6-5 guard hit 43.4 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. If Haliburton can attack the basket on a regular basis, he will easily be a double-digit scorer. Terrence Lewis and George Conditt will add some options to the roster, but Iowa State will have to get a lot of production from their newcomers. Prentiss Nixon averaged 16.1 points per game at Colorado State in 2017-2018 before heading over to Ames. If Rasir Bolton is eligible, Iowa State will have another proven scorer on the perimeter. Bolton averaged 11.6 points per game with the Nittany Lions, but has to await clearance from the NCAA. Regardless of Bolton’s eligibility, Iowa State will need some of their freshmen to be ready to play right away. Tre Jackson and Nate Jenkins should be able to fill that role. If Bolton and Nixon can play up to what they did for their previous teams, Iowa State has the potential to be a serious competitor in the Big 12. However, that also means that they can find more frontcourt depth to fill in around Jacobson. Iowa State should be able to beat some good teams at home, but they may not be consistent enough to return to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 76.9 (66th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.1 (83, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 47.6 (31, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.8 (66, 5)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (101, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.3 (86, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.2 (91, 2)
Rebound Margin: 0.3 (182, 7)
Assists Per Game: 15.1 (54, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.1 (40, 2)
Madness 2019 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#162 Caleb Grill
