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Iowa State Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Cyclones

By Brad Cavallaro

AMES, IA - FEBRUARY 10: Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones points to the crowd after scoring a three point shot in the second half of play against the Oklahoma Sooners at Hilton Coliseum on February 10, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 88-80 over the Oklahoma Sooners. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - FEBRUARY 10: Lindell Wigginton #5 of the Iowa State Cyclones points to the crowd after scoring a three point shot in the second half of play against the Oklahoma Sooners at Hilton Coliseum on February 10, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 88-80 over the Oklahoma Sooners. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 13: Nick Weiler-Babb #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones drives the ball as Devonte’ Graham #4 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on February 13, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA – FEBRUARY 13: Nick Weiler-Babb #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones drives the ball as Devonte’ Graham #4 of the Kansas Jayhawks defends in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on February 13, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

Non-Conference Schedule

Here are the highlights of Iowa State’s non conference schedule. There are not too many quality win opportunities outside of the Maui Invitational, but the Big 12 gauntlet should take care of that.

Missouri, Home, November 9th

Iowa State has an important opening week test against Missouri. The Tigers won last season’s opening night matchup pretty handily (74-59), but will have to travel to Hilton to complete the sweep. Missouri is led by their impressive frontcourt trio of Jontay Porter, Kevin Puryear, and Jeremiah Tilmon. Porter would have been a first round pick in the NBA Draft, but has opted to return for his sophomore season. Iowa State certainly has the edge in the backcourt and on the wing as Jordan Geist is the only healthy returning perimeter player.

Maui Invitational, November 19th-21st

First Round vs Arizona. Gonzaga, Duke, Auburn, Xavier, SDSU, Illinois round out the field.

Iowa State should actually be favored in their first-round game against Arizona since the Wildcats are losing all five starters. Sean Miller’s squad could end up anywhere from Top 20 to NIT and it would not be surprising given the amount of newcomers on the roster. Brandon Randolph and Emmanuel Akot are the players to watch as they move from reserves to potential leading scorers.

If the Cyclones knock off Arizona, they will face the winner of Gonzaga and Illinois (likely Gonzaga). The Zags are a consensus top ten team and are loaded with proven veterans (Josh Perkins, Geno Crandall, Brandon Clarke) and potential pros (Rui Hachimura, Zach Norvell, Killian Tillie). The explosive and athletic combo forward Hachimura could even crack the lottery portion of the first round with a strong season.

Iowa, Road, December 6th

Iowa State will face Iowa in their annual early December matchup. The Hawkeyes also had a disappointing 17-18 season where they could not overcome the loss of star wing Peter Jok. Jordan Bohannon and Tyler Cook gave Iowa two high-level Big Ten players, but defensive struggles plagued them all season. With almost of all their key players returning, Iowa could make a jump in the Big Ten, but without addressing the abhorrent defense (242nd in KenPom) they will remain in the bottom.

Ole Miss, Road, January 26th

Lastly, Iowa State plays Ole Miss in the Big 12 – SEC challenge. This is a rough draw for the Cyclones in the sense that Ole Miss looks like a bottom tier SEC team so Iowa State has one less quality win opportunity. The Rebels were very talented last season, but could not gel in Andy Kennedy’s final season as head coach. Kermit Davis has taken over after a successful run at Middle Tennessee and he will hope to get the Rebels back on track. Terrence Davis is a potential draft pick on the wing while senior PF Bruce Stevens could emerge as a breakout player.

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