PROHMBALL X: Iowa State vs. Northern Iowa Game Thread

Game Info

The Opponent: Northern Iowa Panthers (6-3, 0-0)

Tip: Saturday, 6 p.m. CST - Wells Fargo Arena - Des Moines, Iowa

TV/Webcast: ESPNU (Shawn Keeney, PxP; Reid Gettys, Color)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network (John Walters, PxP; Eric Heft, Color)

What to Know

Recap: Clones Call Bluff, Come Away With Lackluster Victory - Nearly a week ago, Iowa State won against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in a game that was a less-than-impressive performance.

3sus to Miss Remainder of 2015-16 Season - Naz Mitrou-Long announced that his season was over earlier this week due to his hip issues. He'll seek a medical redshirt and hope to be back next year.

Ready Yourselves for Deonte Burton - Today's game will be Deonte Burton's debut in a Cyclone uniform.

We're Talking Northern Iowa - You might not know, but ISU has only won 2 of their last 7 games against the Panthers.

N. Iowa-Iowa St. Preview - UNI head coach Ben Jacobson is looking forward to squaring off against a quality team in a quality environment.

Prediction

One of the biggest upsets so far in this young season of college basketball was Northern Iowa's victory over North Carolina back on November 21. The Panthers defeated the Tar Heels by a score of 71-67 in Cedar Falls, though UNC was without star point guard Marcus Paige.

This year's version of UNI isn't as good as they were last year, but they still feature a guard court that can hit shots from outside, which should be scary for a Cyclone team that allowed Iowa to make 11 3-pointers last Thursday. The Panthers don't have much strength on the inside this year, so this could end up being a big game for guys like Georges Niang and Jameel McKay.

The biggest story of this game for Iowa State will be the debut of Deonte Burton, a transfer from Marquette that is known for his ability to punish rims with powerful dunks. ISU will need him to play well to replace Naz Mitrou-Long, who is done for the year due to complications with his hips. The Cyclones will miss Mitrou-Long's leadership and positive energy on the court, and will need others to step up to fill that void during their games for the rest of the season.

Personally, I predicted this as ISU's first and only non-conference loss during the preseason. I'll stick to my guns today and hope that isn't the case. I could see this turning into one of those games where Iowa State struggles from long range and the other team takes advantage.

Northern Iowa 75, Iowa State 69