Busting Brackets
Fansided

Iowa State Basketball: Can Cyclones become Big 12 contenders in 2019-20?

By Jacob Zinkula

AMES, IA - JANUARY 30: Cameron Lard #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones cheers his team on from the bench in the second half of play against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Hilton Coliseum on January 30, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 93-68 over the West Virginia Mountaineers.(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - JANUARY 30: Cameron Lard #2 of the Iowa State Cyclones cheers his team on from the bench in the second half of play against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Hilton Coliseum on January 30, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. The Iowa State Cyclones won 93-68 over the West Virginia Mountaineers.(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Michael Jacobson #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones argues a call against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half in the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 22, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
TULSA, OKLAHOMA – MARCH 22: Michael Jacobson #12 of the Iowa State Cyclones argues a call against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second half in the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at BOK Center on March 22, 2019 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Michael Jacobson

After two not overly impressive seasons with Nebraska, Michael Jacobson transferred to the Cyclones. The Iowa native grew up wanting to play for Iowa State, and after sitting out a season, came back a seemingly much-improved player.

With Solomon Young only playing four games due to injury and Cam Lard battling injuries over the season, the former 3-star recruit took advantage and became the team’s best interior player.

iast5
iast5 /

Like Haliburton, Jacobson was super efficient offensively, shooting 62.5% on two’s (87th nationally) and even flashing a 3-point shot(16-47, 34.0%). He’s a versatile player that is capable in the pick-and-roll and already has a solid mid-range jumper.

Animated GIF
Animated GIF /

At 6-9, Jacobson was asked to play the 5-position a fair amount last season. This “small ball” approach was successful offensively (team ranked 9th in offense) but posed a difficult challenge for him on the defensive end. He was the team’s leading rebounder, but he and the Cyclones struggled to keep teams off the offensive glass (258th in defensive rebounding percentage).

The return of a healthy and productive Solomon Young would be significant in terms of improving the team’s interior defensive presence and rebounding.

Home/Iowa State Cyclones