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After a non-conference that was up and down, featuring a win against LSU who was No.19 at the time, and some close games against Nebraska and Minnesota. That LSU win would be considered the highlight of a tough non-conference schedule for a young Cowboy team. It’s been a lot of growing and learning that has lead to a .500 (6-6) record. Tonight, they’ll try to get 2019 off to a good start as they take on the Iowa State Cyclones in Gallagher Iba.
Who: Iowa State(10-2, 0-0 Big 12 Conference)
Where:Gallagher-Iba Arena -Stillwater, Oklahoma
When: Wednesday Jan. 2, 2019 - 8:00p.m. CST
TV: ESPN News
Web Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network / TuneIn
Live Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com
Injury Report:
Oklahoma State: None
Iowa State: None
Projected Starters:
Oklahoma State:
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Iowa State:
G-Tyrese Haliburton (Jr.)
G-Talen Horton-Tucker (So.)
G-Nick Weiler-Babb (Sr.)
G-Marial Shayok; (Sr.)
F- Michael Jacobson;(Jr.)
The Opponent:
The Cyclones are currently ranked at No.18 on KenPom. The Cyclones are No.5 in the Big 12 standings and look to be on their way to being a Tournament team at the end of the season. Their only losses are to Arizona and Iowa. Overall the Cyclones have breezed through a non-conference schedule that seemed pretty light compared to the Cowboys’. They’re shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc as a team, but their overall field goal percentage is 49.4 so overall they’re not a bad shooting team. This is a talented squad that features versatility. They’ve got Marial Shayok who is shooting 53.6 percent and is 41-48 from the charity stripe. With him that good for the line, the Cowboys will have to be careful with him. This team doesn’t give the ball away very much. They’re 11th in the country in block percentage 5th in steal percentage. The Cowboys will have to be focused if they want to start conference play with a victory.
Statistics:
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Three Things to Watch For:
- How did the non-conference schedule help?
Tonight we’ll get to see if the tough non-con schedule helped this young squad get prepared for the toughest conference in CBB.
2. The crowd?
With many students still gone for the Holiday break, the rowdiness of Gallagher-Iba is questionable. How does the crowd look? It’s a Wednesday night the day after many people went back to work today after Christmas and the New Year Holiday. The team is going to need to find a way to gain some energy if the crowd isn’t in it.
3. Can the Pokes be disruptive?
As I mentioned earlier, the Cyclones seldom turn over the ball. The Cowboys are going to have to find a way to get the ball from Iowa State and disrupt their rythm.