ISU vs. Southern - GameThread

Raise your hand if you expected the Iowa State Cyclones to come out and eviscerate the Iowa Hawkeyes on Friday! I can see through the computer screen that we have a bunch of liars in our midst... The 90-75 beatdown of our rivals to the east was insanely impressive, considering the Cyclones were without Bryce Dejean-Jones and have yet to receive the basketball services of Jameel McKay. Sharp shooting from Naz Long and Abdel Nader helped carry Iowa State to one of the most impressive wins in the Hoiberg era. Next up in the non-conference slate: a visit from the Southern Jaguars.

Game Info

The Opponent: Southern (2-7)

Tip: Sunday, 5 p.m. CST - Hilton Coliseum - Ames, Iowa

TV/Webcast: Cyclones.tv

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network

Southern

Don't let the 341st PPG, 255th RPG, 337th APG and 313th FG% national ratings fool you, this Southern team is average not that bad okay, they're pretty terrible. The Jags have only won two games all year, against LSU-Alexandria and Dillard (both at home), by a combined total of 24 points. They've played two power five teams this year already (Ole Miss and Minnesota) and have lost those matchups by scores of 69-38 and 85-57, respectively.

6-foot-1 senior guard Tre Lynch currently leads Southern in scoring, and is the only player on the roster to put up a double digit average at 12.8 PPG. Despite his team-leading average, Lynch has only appeared in four games for the Jags and has come off the bench in all four. The starter with the highest scoring average is 6-foot-1 sophomore guard Trelun Banks, who puts up 9.8 PPG. Here's a telling stat: no player on Southern's roster puts up more than 4.3 RPG or 2.9 APG. Yeah, they're not very good.

You like these stats? Here's some more... Naz Long has already made 24 three pointers on the season out of 60 shot attempts. The leading three point shooter for the Jags is Banks, who has made nine out of a possible 26 attempts. As a team, Iowa State has made 72 threes so far this season. Southern? 29. Be thankful for Hoiball.

Prediction

With Bryce Dejean-Jones back in the rotation, this one shouldn't be close. Fans also had the pleasure of viewing what Abdel Nader can bring to the table this season in the win against the Hawkeyes. To say this ISU team is loaded with talent is an understatement. The Jags better be thankful that this is Jameel McKay's last game before becoming eligible.

I predict lots of bench minutes for the Cyclones.

Iowa State 95 - Southern 46