Keys for Iowa State Cyclones Against St. John's Red Storm at Players Era Festival

The Iowa State Cyclones and St. John's Red Storm match up in a highly anticipated Players Era Festival game in Las Vegas.

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The Iowa State Cyclones are in for a real test during the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The 16-team field is loaded with ranked teams, including their first opponent, the St. John’s Red Storm out of the Big East.

This will be a measuring stick game for the Cyclones. Can head coach T.J. Otzelberger get one over on an all-time great, Rick Pitino?

Will the continuity and chemistry of an Iowa State team that brought back so much talent be able to take advantage of a St. John’s squad that was essentially put together via the transfer portal?

This will be a fun matchup for college basketball fans to watch in the desert. Who will come out victorious? Here are four keys to the game for the Cyclones to pay close attention to.

Defensive Pressure

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Under Otzelberger, Iowa State has consistently had a strong defense. This season, it was expected to be more of the game with the No. 2 projected unit on that side of the ball.

Despite the lofty expectations, an argument could be made that they are still exceeding them. Where the Cyclones are turning heads is with their ability to create turnovers, getting into the open court for easy points.

They are lapping the field in turnover percentage, and it is something to keep an eye on against the Red Storm. St. John’s averages 12.5 turnovers per game, which is 180th in the country. Lacking a true point guard, expect Otzelberger to turn up the pressure to see if they can handle things without a lead guard.

Containing Zuby Ejiofor

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The only returning member of the Red Storm starting lineup is their center, Ejiofor. He is on a ton of preseason award watchlists and could give St. John’s back-to-back Big East Player of the Year Award winners.

Ejiofor has stuffed the stat sheet thus far with 15 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in only 25.3 minutes per game. Containing him will be key to the Cycloens coming away with a victory.

Given the foul propensity of Blake Buchanan, Eric Mulder and Dominykas Pleta could have sizable roles off the bench. Those three have a tall task attempting to slow down a player as good as Ejifor.

Free Throw Shooting

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This has been an area of concern in the early going for Iowa State. Not only is their free-throw rate lower than they would hope when they get to the line, but they are not converting and shooting a low percentage.

St. John’s has no problems getting to the line, attempting 31 free throws per game, which ranks 14th in the country. But, they too cannot make the most of those chances, ranking 227th at 69.4%.

The Red Storm is also excellent at limiting opponent free-throw attempts. They have had only 75 free throws attempted against them, which is 27th in the nation. The 47 makes is 14th.

Can Iowa State get to the line against a stingy defensive opponent? Who will make their free throws? In what is projected to be a close game, things could certainly be decided at the stripe.

Bryce Hopkins vs. Joshua Jefferson

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It is always a pleasure when incredibly talented players match up against each other on the court. That is what will happen on Monday when two do-it-all forwards take the court to face off.

Bryce Hopkins, a transfer from the Providence Friars who missed all but three games in the 2024-25 campaign, has picked up right where he left off. He leads St. John’s, scoring 15.5 points per game, adding 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.0 steals in 21.8 minutes per game.

This is a homecoming for Joshua Jefferson, a native of Las Vegas and graduate of Liberty High School. He has been great for the Cyclones, averaging 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

Whoever wins this individual matchup will give his team a leg up in seeking a victory.