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Iowa State vs. North Dakota State: 2018-19 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

By Zach De Jong

LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: Tyrese Hailburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones tries to drive past Alan Griffin #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of the game at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
LAHAINA, HI - NOVEMBER 20: Tyrese Hailburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones tries to drive past Alan Griffin #0 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of the game at the Lahaina Civic Center on November 20, 2018 in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images) /
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The Iowa State Cyclones have had plenty of adversity this season, but they have still got off to a strong start. They look to continue their strong start versus North Dakota State.

TV schedule: Monday, December 3, 8:00 PM ET, CYCLONES.TV

Location: Hilton Coliseum, Ames, Iowa

The Cyclones have had an impressive start to the season, especially considering they only have an eight-man rotation. They currently only have eight men to use because of injuries and suspensions.

This will change on Monday, December 3 as Cameron Lard and Zoran Talley will return from their seven-game suspensions. Lard (Sophomore) averaged 12.6 points and 8.1 rebounds last season. Talley (Senior) averaged 7.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. It will be interesting to see how Steve Prohm integrates them into the current rotation.

The Cyclones are also without star Lindell Wigginton, who is dealing with a foot injury. Wigginton averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in his freshman season. He could be back as early as mid-December, or sometime after the Iowa Hawkeye game.

Even with all these roster challenges, the Cyclones have still managed to start the season 6-1. This includes getting 5th in the Maui Invitational. In Maui, the Cyclones received their only loss of the season to Arizona. After the loss, they went on to beat Illinois and San Diego State.

The Cyclones adjusted offensive efficiency is ranked 16th and their adjusted defensive efficiency is ranked 20th according to kenpom. The three impact players for the Cyclones have been Marial Shayok, Michael Jacobson, and Talen Horton-Tucker.

Shayok transferred from Virginia for his senior season. Shayok is a talented scorer and defender, but what might be most important is his leadership. Shayok averages 19.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.

Jacobson, a transfer from Nebraska is a great rebounder who can also stretch the defense with his three-point shot. He is currently averaging 17.0 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Horton-Tucker is a freshman who can guard anyone on the defensive side of the ball and can also be a go-to scorer. He is currently averaging 14.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Meanwhile, the North Dakota State Bison have had a rough start to the season and their record is currently 2-6.

The Bison’s adjusted offensive efficiency is ranked 147th and their adjusted defensive efficiency is ranked 302nd according to kenpom. The Bison have a hard time defending anyone they play. This could be a recipe for disaster as the Cyclones have many gifted scorers on their team.

The two leading players for the Bison are Vinnie Shahid and Deng Geu. Shadid is averaging 11.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Geu averages 10.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per a game.

Look for the Cyclones to have too much talent for the Bison to handle. The Bison’s defense will struggle to defend the Cyclones gifted shooters.

Next. 8 takeaways from first month of season. dark

It will be interesting to see how Prohm sprinkles the returning players into the rotation. If the game gets out of hand early he will have plenty of time to experiment.

Prediction: Iowa State 86 – North Dakota State 69 

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