No. 3 Iowa State vs. UCF Primer

Who: No. 3 Iowa State (15-2, 5-1 Big 12) vs. UCF (12-5, 3-3 Big 12)

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

When: Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 – 7 p.m. CT

Watch/Listen: ESPN+ / Cyclone Radio Network

Tipping Off: After seeing its 12-game winning streak snapped in Morgantown over the weekend, the Cyclones will look to start a new win streak on Tuesday when they welcome UCF to Hilton Coliseum for the first time. The two squads met for the first time ever last season, as ISU won in Orlando over the Knights, 60-52.

The Cyclones had their lowest-scoring output of the season over the weekend, as West Virginia handed ISU its second loss of the year. Iowa State will now return to Hilton Coliseum, a place where it has won 28 straight games – the second-longest active home winning streak in the country behind fellow Big 12 school Houston.

Speaking of Houston, the Knights come to Ames on the heels of a one-point loss at home to the top-ten Cougars. UCF, who led by one with under five seconds left, saw Houston convert a baseline drive to pull ahead and was unable to respond in the closing seconds. The Knights have played four top-25 teams this season and are 1-3 in those games with the lone win coming over Texas A&M at home in the season opener.

Storylines:

Iowa State's "sixth starter," Curtis Jones, has become an actual starter the last couple oftimes out, filling in for an injury. The Big 12's second-highest leading scorer has dropped seven 20-plus point outings this season. He has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week once this season.
Keshon Gilbert has taken a leap in his second season as a Cyclone, leading the team in minutes and assists. He has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week twice this season and was added to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List on Jan. 7.
A Preseason All-Big 12 First Team selection, Tamin Lipsey has been the glue of Iowa State's team. A known defensive menace, Lipsey leads the team in steals and is second on the team in assists.
Saint Mary's transfer Joshua Jefferson has been a key, versatile player this season. Jefferson leads the team in rebounding and has earned four Big 12 Newcomer of the Week awards.
Sophomore wing Milan Momcilovic averages just over 10 points per game and shoots the 3-ball at the highest clip on the team at 44 percent. It was announced on Jan. 15 that he would miss some time with a hand injury.
A transfer from Charlotte, big man Dishon Jackson has been a force in the paint. He leads the team in blocks and averages 9.6 points with 4.9 rebounds.
A Swiss army knife off the bench, Nate Heise has really come into his own. His defensive ability to lock opposing players down and ability to cut to space has been huge.
Seattle transfer Brandton Chatfield has been a glass-eater off the bench. The senior leads the team in offensive rebounds and constantly earns ISU more possessions.

From the Notes:

As a head coach, Otz is 185-100 overall and has led the Cyclones to an 86-37 record over the last four years.
- ISU is 56-8 in games at Hilton Coliseum under Otzelberger.
Iowa State has won 28 straight home games at Hilton Coliseum, which is tied for the second-longest active home winning streak in the country and the second-longest in school history.
Coach Otzelberger is the only Iowa State men's basketball coach to take multiple teams to the Sweet 16.
- He was the 51st coach in NCAA Division I history to take a team to the Sweet 16 twice in his first three years on the job.
- 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.
Iowa State has been ranked in the AP Top 10 for 19 straight weeks, the longest streak in the country.
Iowa State currently boasts the top-scoring offense in the Big 12, averaging 83.8 points per contest.
The Cyclones are ranked No. 6 in the NET. Iowa State slots in at No. 4 in the KenPom rankings and is No. 5 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Switching Sides:

Iowa State and UCF are meeting for just the second time ever, with the first coming last year in Orlando - a game ISU won 60-52. ISU was ranked in the top ten last meeting too - No. 8.
- UCF will become the 197th different opposing team to play in Hilton Coliseum.
The Knights were picked to finish 11th out of 16 in the Big 12 Preseason Poll.
UCF allows, on average, the most points per game by any Big 12 team (77.4).
The Knights are one of six teams in the Power 5 to have three 14-plus points per game scorers this season; they're joined by Creighton, Texas Tech, Stanford, Notre Dame and Iowa.
ISU Director of Operations Micah Byars was an assistant coach at UCF from 2005-11 prior to joining the Cyclones. In 2009, Byars coached Jermaine Taylor, the C-USA Player of the Year and the No. 32 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins is in his ninth season at the helm of the Knight basketball program. Dawkins is 160-108 with UCF and is 316-223 in his 17-year coaching career which began with an eight-year stint at Stanford.
- Dawkins, a 2023 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, played at Duke (1982-86), where he finished his four-year career as the school's all-time leading scorer and the national player of the year after his senior campaign before heading to the NBA for a nine-year career.

UCF is ranked No. 72 in the NET. The Jayhawks are No. 69 in KenPom and No. 67 in ESPN's Basketball Power Index.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brandton Chatfield

Keshon Gilbert

Nate Heise

Dishon Jackson

Joshua Jefferson

Curtis Jones

Tamin Lipsey

Milan Momcilovic

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics