With the early tip time, I have a few minutes before I call it a night.
This game might have been the most impressive for the Cyclones thus far for a multitude of reasons. Now, I realize beating Auburn is not more impressive than a win against Michigan or BYU but there were some areas of strength that ISU hadn't shown so far this season.
Stat of the Game: ISU point guards had 16 assists and zero turnovers. 16-0. That's pretty good. Freshmen Monte Morris has a 16-0, assist to turnover rate in the last two games.
Stat of the Game #2: ISU had 28 assists on 33 field goals. Sometimes people confuse an NBA, matchup-oriented offense with one on one moves. Not so much.
Player of the Game: Dustin Hogue with 22 points and 16 rebounds. He had a double-double at halftime....of the first half. It seemed Kane and Ejim wanted to get in on the fun after that.
Quote of the Night: "I think I have to bring my intensity up to keep up with this kid"-Ejim on Dustin Hogue. ISU could have three of the best rebounders in the Big 12. That makes cold stretches from behind the arc easier to take.
The Good: 99 total points with two of your best players (Kane and Niang) having off nights.
The Bad: Niang having more fouls than points. Never a good stat line.
The Ugly: One point short of 100 points, and more specifically no free food or anything from anywhere for ISU scoring 100 points.
Up Next: UNI @ Wells Fargo. A game that might give ISU a harder time than it looks like on paper. UNI can never be taken lightly (especially football).
How will the ratings respond? I look for ISU to jump into the Top 20 tomorrow in KenPom and continue to stay in the Top 10 in Massey and Saragin ratings.
The Houge / Ejim similarities are uncanny. I might have to take a closer look at that.
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