Iowa State (+3.5) at San Diego State - 7:00pm Pacific - Game 635-636

I was never a big fan of coach Wayne Morgan during his years at Long Beach State but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for time being, especially in non-conference play.  This Iowa State team has really surprised me with their talent level.  Despite the loss of head coach Eustachy and eligibility of senior point guard Tim Barnes, this team has looked much better than last years version.  After starting the season 7-0, the Cyclones were just a play or two away from getting a quality road win at Virginia in last game.  They led by 7 points with under 7:00 to play in the second half but committed 6 turnovers in the final six minutes to set the table for a 19-4 Virginia run.  The Cavs may have benefited from some home cooking as they had 23 free throw attempts compared to just 5 for Iowa State.  The Cyclones shot 55% for the game and dominated Virginia 40-23 on the boards.

 

Even without Barnes, Iowa State returned a solid nucleus of three upperclassmen starters.  Senior guard Jake Sullivan (12.8ppg despite early season slump, 1429 career points) is an experienced and proven scorer.  6-10 senior power forward Jackson Vroman (13.7ppg, 8.9rpg) is in his second full season in Division 1 basketball and has been a force inside.  Junior center Jared Homan (13.5ppg, 6.3rpg) has almost doubled his scoring average from last season and ranks among the nations leaders in blocked shots with 3.75 per game.  As solid as these three guys are, the teams early success can be attributed mostly to the stellar play of freshman guards Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock.  Point guard Stinson (13.4ppg, 7.5rpg, 4.6apg, 2.0spg) earned Big 12 rookie of the week honors last week after 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists in win vs Xavier.  He looks like a natural leader and has the physical strength of a senior.  Backcourt mate Blalock does not have quite as impressive numbers but is shooting a solid .468 from the field, .467 from behind the arc, and .905 from the free throw line while averaging 8.8ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.25apg, and 1.8spg.  These two freshman can play.  Senior sixth man Marcus Jefferson (8.8ppg) is a solid experienced option off the bench.  Second team JC all-American forward Damion Staple adds depth inside.

 

The Aztecs come in with a 8-5 record on the season.  They looked like world beaters after their blowout win over Ohio State in Maui but seeing how bad the Buckeyes have been playing that win was not much.  SDSU's other 7 wins came over Long Beach State, Chaminade, San Diego, UC San Diego, Cal Poly, Eastern Washington, and Portland U.  They have home losses to both Troy State and Washington.  Following the Washington loss two games back, head coach Steve Fisher shook up the lineup, benching freshman leading scorer Brandon Heath and two other starters.  The result was a struggling 6 point win over Portland in which the outcome was decided by a 44-27 Aztec rebound edge that included 20 offensive rebounds.  Leading scorer Heath (17.3ppg) ended up going 0-for-6 in a season low 25 minutes.  He is said to have been a defensive liability in recent games.  Fisher said after the game he was not sure which lineup he would use for next game.  The Aztecs were beaten on the boards by Washington 36-25 two games ago and figure to be punished again inside by a much bigger and more physical Iowa State frontline.

 

This is definitely a game the Cyclones can win outright.  Hopefully they will have learned from their experience at Virginia and play well tonight off their first loss of the season.  Iowa State is 2nd in the Big 12 shooting 49.9% from the field and 1st in the Big 12 allowing opponents to shoot just 36.6%.  They have outshot all 8 of their opponents this season.  The Cyclones also lead the Big 12 with 6.4 blocks per game.  SDSU meanwhile has allowed opponents to shoot 44.1% while only shooting 43.7% themselves.  Freshman Stinson is a special player.  With defenses giving him more attention it will start to open things up for Sullivan and company.  Sullivan is sure to be looking forward to matchup with Aztec guard Wesley Stokes.  Two years ago while with Mizzou, Stokes inadvertently poked Sullivan in the eye causing a concussion and eventual eye socket surgery.  Expect an outright win for the Cyclones.

 

Iowa State  1 UNIT