Iowa State vs. No. 12 Texas A&M Primer

Who: Iowa State (5-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Texas A&M (5-1, 0-0 SEC)

Where: State Farm Field House (5,000) – Kissimmee, Fla.

When: Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023 – 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2

Tipping Off: After suffering its first setback of the 2023-24 season on Friday night to Virginia Tech, Iowa State will face off with former Big 12 foe Texas A&M in the third-place game of the ESPN Events Invitational. The Aggies are ranked 12th in the country and will be the first ranked opponent for the Cyclones on the year.

Iowa State opened the Thanksgiving MTE with a 15-point comeback victory over VCU in the opening round, winning 68-64. ISU then met another Virginia-based school, Va Tech, in round two, eventually dropping its first contest of the season to the Hokies.

Storylines:

After winning its first four games by an average of 45+ points, ISU has seen the competition ramp up in Florida – which will continue with its first ranked opponent of the season, No. 12 Texas A&M, in the third-place game.
- ISU is shooting just 41.3 percent from the field in the ESPN Events Invitational and 20.6 percent from deep.
Tamin Lipsey has made a sophomore leap for ISU, as the kid from Ames is averaging a team-high 16 points per game.
- Lipsey set a new personal best on Thanksgiving against VCU, scoring 22 points. Lipsey put the Cyclones ahead in the final minutes and then drew a critical foul on the Rams to swing the momentum.
- Lipsey also averages a team-high 6 assists per contest.
Iowa State freshman Milan Momcilovic has had a hot start to his collegiate career, scoring in double figures in five of his six games.
- Momcilovic averages 14 points per game and has a team-high 15 3-pointers.
- He recorded 21 points against Virginia Tech – a career-high – and became the third Cyclone to score at least 20 in a game this season.
Keshon Gilbert saw his streak of scoring in double-figures snapped on Friday, as Va Tech held ISU's previous team-leader in scoring in check.
- Gilbert leads the team in free throws attempted/made (30/41) and is second on the team in rebounding with 29 total.
- Gilbert earned his first career double-double against VCU on Thanksgiving, dropping 22 points and pulling in 10 boards.
Robert Jones has started the last three games after being thrust into the starting lineup after center Hason Ward went down with an injury.
- Jones leads the team in field goal percentage, as the big man is shooting 78 percent from the floor.
- Jones also leads the team in blocks with seven.
As a head coach, Otz is 145-91 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 46-28 record over the last three seasons.

From the Notes:

Iowa State is 29-6 in non-conference contests under Otzelberger.
The Cyclones and Aggies will meet for the 21st time on Sunday and for the first time since 2016 when they met in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
- Texas A&M holds an 11-9 series advantage, winning the last meeting in College Station by 10 points (72-62).
After scoring 85-plus in the first four contests, Iowa State was held to just 68 and 62 points against VCU and Virginia Tech respectively.
- It was the first time Iowa State had scored over 85 points in four-straight games since February 2016 and the first time doing so in the first four games of the year since 1987-88.
Iowa State had double digit steals in each of the first four games this season. It's the first time since the 2016-17 season the Cyclones have done so in four-straight games.
Iowa State has appeared in 10 events since 2011-12 on Feast Week, advancing to the championship game in seven of those and winning the title in four. Overall, ISU has an 18-9 record on Feast Week.
Under T.J. Otzelberger, ISU won the 2021 NIT Tip-Off. Last season, ISU advanced to the PKI Championship game before falling to the eventual National Champion UConn.

Switching Sides:

Texas A&M was selected to finish second out of 14 in the SEC Preseason Poll, behind No. 6 Tennessee.
No. 12 Texas A&M owns wins over Texas A&M-Commerce and Oral Roberts at home and road wins over Ohio State and SMU before picking up a round one win over Penn State at the ESPN Events Invitational.
- The Aggies' lone loss came in the semifinals to No. 19 Florida Atlantic – a program that made the Final Four last season.
TAMU guard Wade Taylor IV was voted as the preseason SEC Player of the Year and has scored 10+ points in 18 straight games.
- Taylor had 35 points in the semifinals loss to FAU and 23 against Penn State in the opening round.
  - He is averaging 29 points per contest in the tournament.
Taylor IV's backcourt mate, Tyrence Radford, is averaging 13 points per contest to go along with Taylor IV's 21 PPG average.
Texas A&M's second leading scorer, Henry Coleman III, was injured in the semifinal game against No. 19 FAU and played just 14 minutes.
TAMU coach Buzz Williams is in his fifth season in College Station, after stops at both Virginia Tech, Marquette and New Orleans.
- Williams is 79-48 during his time with the Aggies and is 332-203 all-time as a DI head coach across 17 years of experience.

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Players Mentioned

Keshon Gilbert

Robert Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Hason Ward

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics