The Kansas Jayhawks make their way back inside Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night to face the Iowa State Cyclones for the second time this season. In their first meeting in late January, the Jayhawks survived a scoring barrage from Cyclones forward Craig Brackins, who poured in 42 points on 11-19 shooting. Kansas won the game 82-67 behind 26 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists from point guard Sherron Collins and 16 points, 12 rebounds from center Cole Aldrich.
The Cyclones are led by Head Coach Greg McDermott, who is in his third year in Ames. Coach McDermott is 41-45 overall and 11-29 in the Big 12 since his arrival at Iowa State.
Brackins continues to lead the Cyclones in scoring at 19.7 points per game, and in rebounds as well at 9 per game. Brackins’ 19.7 points per game ranks second in the Big 12 and his 9 rebounds per game ranks 3rd in the conference. Though Brackins is one of the best players in the conference, there is a dramatic fall off between Brackins and the Cyclones second leading scorer, Diante Garrett, at 9.9 points per game. Garrett also leads the Cyclones in assists with just over 5 per game.
Iowa State: 13-12 (2-8)
Losses:
Hawaii in Honolulu 59-60
Drake 63-66
@Iowa 57-73
South Dakota State 58-65
@Texas 67-75
@Missouri 66-77
Kansas 67-82
@Colorado 49-55
Oklahoma 68-78
@Kansas State 50-65
Missouri 68-82
@Oklahoma State 67-86
Key Stats:
Kansas leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage defense at 38.3%
Kansas leads the Big 12 in rebounding margin at +7.1
Kansas is one of two teams (Oklahoma) to shoot over 50% in conference play
Kansas guard Sherron Collins ranks 5th in scoring in the Big 12 at 17.6 ppg
Kansas center Cole Aldrich is averaging a double double at 14.6ppg and 10.2 rpg
Iowa State is 26-1 under Greg McDermott when holding their opponent to under 60 points
Iowa State guard Diante Garrett is averaging 6.8 assists per game in his last five games
Iowa State forward Craig Brackins is shooting 53% from the field over his last three games
Iowa State is 7-101 all time against ranked teams on the road. 3 of those against Kansas (00′,01′,05′)
Iowa State has lost 13 straight road games
The Series:
The Jayhawks have dominated the series since the series started in 1908. The Jayhawks lead 165-58 overall and are 84-15 in games played in Lawrence. The Jayhawks have won seven straight games against the Cyclones since last losing in overtime in 2005.
Prediction:
After allowing the most points ever by a Cyclone player in their last meeting, the Jayhawks will surely focus on the Cyclones star, Craig Brackins. Brackins scored 42 points against the Jayhawks in January. If Kansas can limit Brackins’ production, they should have little trouble putting the Cyclones away early. Brackins shot 21 free throws, converting on 17 of them inside Hilton Coliseum. That more than likely won’t be the case inside Allen Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. Sherron Collins also had a big day in their last meeting, making only one less field goal than Brackins. If Collins can equal the hot start he had in Ames, the game could get out of hand quickly for the Cyclones.
