Iowa State men’s basketball first match to open the new year projects to be a good one, like no. 3 Cyclones get ready to host #21 Baylor in its first Big 12 Conference home game of the season.
The Cyclones (11-1, 1-0 Big 12) extended their winning streak to eight straight games when they pulled away late on the road to beat Colorado, 79-69, Monday evening.
Meanwhile, No. 21 Baylor (9-3, 1-0) enters Saturday’s game on a four-game winning streak. The Bears beat Utah wire-to-wire in their conference opener Tuesday night. Baylor took a 20-point lead early in the first half and barely looked back.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at Hilton Coliseum. It will air on CBS.
Here are three things to watch for in Saturday’s game:
More: Iowa State basketball: 3 takeaways from Cyclones’ win over Colorado to open Big 12 play
Battle of balanced offensives
The Cyclones pride themselves on their depth and balance. Keshon Gilbert and Curtis Jones lead Iowa State with 16.3 points per game Saturday, but four other Cyclones are also averaging double figures in scoring.
Iowa State’s balance gives opponents a hard time, as the Cyclones can get baskets anywhere in their rotation and any player can get hot on any given night.
Baylor is similar, with five different players averaging at least 10 points per game. The Bears are led by double-double machine Norchad Omier. The 6-foot-7 senior forward is averaging 16.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 61.8 percent from the floor.
Duke transfer Jeremy Roach missed a few games in December with a concussion, but is returning to action. He averages 12.5 points and 4.1 assists per game.
Impact freshman VJ Edgecombe, a consensus five-star recruit ranked among the top 10 in the country, has lived up to the hype thus far. He averages 12.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Robert Wright III, another first-year player, has carved out a role for himself off the bench with 13.1 points and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 51.3% overall and 45.5% from long distance.
Jayden Nunn rounds out the quintet of players averaging 10 or more points per game. He is the Bears’ primary 3-point shooting threat, shooting 49.3 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 11.6 points per game.
Both teams are ranked in the top 10 for offensive efficiency, according to KenPom, so it will be interesting to see these balanced attacks face off.
Iowa State’s frontcourt will need to win on the glass
Baylor has outscored its opponents in eight of 12 games this season, including each of the last seven games.
Despite only having one player in their rotation taller than 6-foot-7, the Bears showed confidence in breaking the glass. The guards will be tenacious, trying to grab offensive rebounds and collecting misses for second chance opportunities.
Iowa State showed a hard-nosed effort in the Big 12 Conference opener against Colorado, between efforts from Joshua Jefferson, Dishon Jackson and Brandton Chatfield, posting its best performance as a Cyclone to date. They will need a similar effort on the boards against Baylor.
The Bears average 14.7 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks 13th in the country. Omier and 6-foot-10 forward Josh Ojianwuna will play tough in the frontcourt, but even Edgecombe, a 6-foot-5 guard, is the Bears’ third-leading rebounder.
According to KenPom, Baylor has an offensive rebound percentage of 38.6%, which also ranks 13th in the country. Boxing out and limiting the Bears’ second chances will be crucial Saturday afternoon.
Baylor is active on defense but vulnerable on the perimeter
The Bears rank 61st in defensive efficiency, so they’re no slouch, but there are some gaps on that side of the ball for Baylor.
Much like Iowa State, they excel at generating turnovers and pressuring their opponents into making mistakes. Both teams rank in the top 25 nationally in defensive turnover rate.
Both Edgecombe and Omier are disruptive, two-way players who set the tone defensively.
As good as Baylor is at forcing turnovers, the Bears have a glaring weakness in protecting the 3-point line.
Baylor is allowing opponents to shoot 37.5 percent from beyond the arc this season, which ranks 334th nationally.
The Bears also give up an effective completion percentage of 52.4%, which is good for 227th place.
Iowa State didn’t have its best shooting performance against Colorado, but it made some timely runs when it needed to. The Cyclones shot 42.6% overall and 4 of 18 (22.2%) from 3-point range. Perhaps this can be a bounce-back performance, especially from the 3-point line for Iowa State.
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
This article was originally published on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball: 3 things to watch for when the Cyclones take on Baylor
