No. 5 Iowa State vs. Kansas City Primer

Who: No. 5 Iowa State (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Kansas City (2-0, 0-0 Summit)

Where: Hilton Coliseum (14,267) – Ames, Iowa

When: Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 – 7 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tipping Off: After opening the season in dominant fashion with a 39-point win on Monday against MVSU, the Cyclones return to Hilton Coliseum for a meeting with Kansas City. ISU is 5-0 all-time against KC and will meet the Roos for the first time since 2019.

Monday night's game will be the second of three home games for the Cyclones to start the 2024-25 season. Iowa State will look to continue its early season momentum and continue integrating its newcomers to the roster.

Kansas City, the preseason Summit League favorite, will come to Ames for its first road test of the season, boasting a 2-0 record. The Roos pummeled in their first two outings, winning the first two games of the season by an average of 55.5 points.

Storylines:

The Cyclones cruised to an 83-44 victory over Mississippi Valley State Monday night in the season opener. Iowa State held a 44-28 advantage in the paint and outscored the Delta Devils 26-16 in points off turnovers.
Tamin Lipsey tallied 16 points, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots in the victory. He is one of just three players in the country to have a game with those numbers this season.
- Lipsey was an AP Honorable Mention All-American last season, as well as a First Team All-Big 12 member and a member of the league's All-Defensive Team.
- He led the team in rebounds, assists and steals last season while being the team's second-highest scorer.
Keshon Gilbert had a game-high 17 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and three steals in Monday's victory. He is one of 20 players in the country to tally those numbers in a game this season
- Gilbert was the team's leading scorer in 2023-24.
- Gilbert was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player last season and also earned recognition on both the All-Big 12 Second Team and All-Newcomer team.
Along with Gilbert, Curtis Jones has returned for his fifth season.
- Jones was one of the most dynamic sixth-men in the country last year, as he scored in double-figures in 17 of the final 19 games off the bench.
- Jones also poured in 26 points against Illinois in the Sweet 16.
Dynamic sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic also returns for ISU, rounding out the team's top four scorers from a year ago.
- Momcilovic earned All-Championship team accolades last year as well as All-Freshman Team recognition.
Dishon Jackson and Joshua Jefferson each started in their Cyclone debuts against MVSU. Jackson had nine points and six rebounds, while Jefferson finished with 10 points, six rebounds and four steals

From the Notes:

As a head coach, T.J. Otzelberger is 170-98 overall and has led the Cyclones to a 71-35 record over the last three seasons.
Under Otz, ISU is 38-8 against non-conference opponents. The 38 wins are the sixth-most in the nation, and the .826 winning percentage is the sixth-best.
Iowa State has won 19 straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, tied for the fourth-longest active home winning streak in the country.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- Otz will attempt to become the first coach in program history to take a team to the NCAA Tournament in his first four years as coach.
As of Saturday, Nov. 9, ISU is ranked No. 5 by the Associated Press.
- It's the highest ISU has been ranked in the first week of a season.
- It was just the third time that Iowa State has been a preseason top-10 AP team.
Iowa State will play in its 54th season at Hilton Coliseum this year. The Cyclones won their 600th game in the building against Iowa last year.
The Cyclones are 32-1 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures.
ISU finished last season ranked No. 8 in KenPom, No. 6 in the NET and No. 5 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index. This year, ISU slots in at No. 5 in the AP Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll while checking in at No. 8 in KenPom and No. 9 in ESPN's college basketball power index.

Switching Sides:

This will be the sixth all-time meeting between Iowa State and Kansas City. The Cyclones lead the all-time series, 5-0, with four of the five games having taken place in Ames. ISU's average margin of victory in those games is 29.6.
Kansas City was picked to finish first out of nine in the Summit League Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and select media members.
KC finished as the league runner-up last season, as Menzies was named the Summit League Coach of the Year.
The Roos return both the Summit League Newcomer of the Year, Jamar Brown, and Freshmen of the Year, Jayson Petty, to their roster.
The Roo roster consists of seven first-year transfers as well as three freshmen. Jayson Petty, Babacar Diallo, Jamar Brown, Anderson Kopp, Melvyn Ebonkoli and Cameron Faas all returned.
Kansas City Head Coach Marvin Menzies is in his third year at the helm of the Roo program, where he is 29-37.
- Overall, Menzies is 275-196 in his 15-year head coaching career which also includes stops at both New Mexico State and UNLV.
- Menzies's tenure at UNLV was followed by ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Each spent three years in Vegas.
The Roos are No. 200 in KenPom and No. 139 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

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Players Mentioned

Keshon Gilbert

Dishon Jackson

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics