5 Things to Know About Purdue's Next Opponent — Iowa State Cyclones
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The December weather might be chilly, but things will certainly be heating up in West Lafayette on Saturday. No. 10 Iowa State heads to Mackey Arena to play No. 1 Purdue in a highly anticipated non-conference clash. It has the potential to be one of the best matchups of the season.
Both the Cyclones and Boilermakers enter the game with 8-0 records, making the stakes even higher. Here are a few things to know about Iowa State heading into Saturday's epic clash.
Tamin Lipsey has been injured
Iowa State has been without its star guard since the first game of the Players Era Festival, sustaining a groin injury while out in Vegas. His absence hasn't slowed the Cyclones down, as they've posted double-digit-point victories in games against Creighton (78-60), Syracuse (95-64), and Alcorn State (132-68) in that span.
Lipsey is one of college basketball's top guards, averaging 18.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.2 steals, and 3.6 rebounds per game. He's a key piece of Iowa State's success. At this time, it's unclear if the senior will play in Saturday afternoon's game, as head coach TJ Otzelberger has said Lipsey is "progressing" each day. He was a game-time decision against Alcorn State on Wednesday night, but did not play.
In his absence, the Cyclones have gotten good production from Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic, and freshman Killyan Toure.
Sharing the sugar
Much like Purdue, Iowa State is a team that shares the basketball. The Cyclones are averaging 19.3 assists per contest, which is the 18th-best average in college basketball through the first month of the season.
If Lipsey is available, he's an excellent distributor at the guard position. What has been surprising is Jefferson's emergence as a passer. He's always had that element to his game, but he's averaging 5.6 assists per game as a 6-foot-9 forward. It makes him even more difficult to defend.
Jefferson has dished out 10 assists in each of Iowa State's last two games and has at least three dimes in every contest this year. Four different Cyclones are averaging at least two assists per game this year.
Can shoot from anywhere
Nobody is shooting the basketball better than Iowa State this season. Through their first eight games, the Cyclones are hitting at a 55% clip. They're coming off a sizzling performance in a blowout win over Alcorn State, shooting 71% from the floor and 73% from three-point range on 30 attempts. That kind of success is impressive.
Iowa State has shot below 50% in just two games this season, both in the Players Era Festival against St. John's (44%) and Creighton (49%). This is a team that values its shot selection and can knock it down from anywhere on the court. Six of their regular rotation players — Lipsey, Jefferson, Momcilovic, Toure, Blake Buchanan, and Nate Heise are shooting 50% or better from the floor.
The Cyclones are also shooting the three-ball at a 43.3% clip on more than 23 attempts per game. That mark is good enough for third in the NCAA right now.
Crashing the offensive glass
One of the things that makes Iowa State such a dangerous team is its ability to get second-chance points by crashing the offensive glass. The 12.1 average per game isn't an eye-popping number, but when you add it to the Cyclones' field goal percentage, it's easy to understand why they've been so successful.
Iowa State is either making shots or grabbing offensive rebounds on 73.8% of its possessions this season. That's an incredibly difficult number to reach, which is why the Cyclones have been so tough to beat.
As a result, Iowa State ranks fourth in scoring (96.3 ppg) and is No. 1 in point differential through eight games (+30.8 ppg).
Veteran leadership
There are some new pieces to Otzelberger's roster this season, but the core group has plenty of experience in Ames. Lipsey is a senior who has spent his entire career at Iowa State. Jefferson transferred in last year after spending two seasons at St. Mary's. Momcilovic is in his third season with the program.
It's a really good core for the Cyclones and a major reason behind their success this year. They also added some nice pieces via the transfer portal and through recruiting, which has helped elevate Iowa State's level of play.
Otzelberger has assembled a roster with nine juniors and seniors and five freshmen. Having that much experience in today's world of college basketball is a positive.
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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