The Cyclones wrap up their 2017 non-conference schedule tonight at Hilton Coliseum against Maryland-Eastern Shore.

The MES Hawks, A MEAC school located in (eastern Maryland, duh) Princess Anne, Maryland, come into tonight’s tilt with a record of 3-9. The Cyclones and Hawk’s have played on four other occasions, with all of them being at Hilton Coliseum, and the Cyclones have won all four contests. The last of such games came in 2001, with Tyray Pearson and Jake Sullivan dropping 23 and 20, respectively.

Last Time Out

Iowa State extended their win streak to 8 games by virtue of beating the Northern Iowa Pantherhawks in Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday by a score of 76-65. The Cyclones were behind at halftime, but were buoyed by great first-half performances from the Iowa State frontcourt. Jeff Beverly and Hans Brase added 3-pointers to terrific performances by Cameron Lard (8 points, 3 rebounds) and Solomon Young (7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks).

The second half, however, was all about the guards. More specifically, Lindell Wiggington.

ISU’s “diaper dandy” would finish with 20 points (15 second-half points), 7 boards, 2 assists, and no turnovers to lead the way for the Cyclones. NWB added 15 points and 9 boards for another near-double-double, and Donovan Jackson added 10 points.

The Cyclones managed to not only out-rebound UNI 42-35, but kept low-post threats Bennett Koch and Klint Carlson from being major factors (17 total points). UNI would also only shoot 33.33% on the day.

About Maryland-Eastern Shore

The MES Hawks come in with a record of 3-9 through their non-conference slate. Quite frankly, games against Power 5 schools have, well. Not gone well.

Their 9 losses include dropping games to Maryland (96-43), Georgetown (83-57), Virginia Tech (93-40), and Creighton (87-36). Like most MEAC schools, these losses have all come on the road, and MSE has only played 2 home games thus far in 2017.

For the KenPom wankers in the crowd, Maryland-Eastern Shore sits at 326th in Adjusted Offense, 350th in Adjusted defense, and 325th in Adjusted Tempo. Who would have guessed that a team who scores only 56 PPG and gives up 82 PPG struggles on both offense and defense? Thank goodness for statistics!

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Iowa State only has one loss to a MEAC school in program history. That loss, of course, came at the hands of Hampton in the 2001 NCAA tournament. And, of course, Maryland-Eastern Shore head coach Bobby Collins was an assistant on that team.

Players to Watch

The Hawks are led by Myrine Thomas, Tyler Jones, and senior guard Logan McIntosh, all of whom average around 10 points per game. These points do not come from 3-point land, however, as MSE is shooting a cool 0.264% from range this season.

The Hawks have three capable youngsters in Amhad Frost, Cameron Bacote, and Colen Gaynor as well. Bacote and Gaynor are easily the best three-point shooters for the Hawks, with both shooting it at around 0.333% from distance.

What to Expect

Maryland-Eastern Shore is an interesting team in that they want to play slow offensively (not all dissimilar from UNI), but appear to let the other team score quickly. If you’re scoring at home, that isn’t exactly a winning combination.

There should be ample transition opportunities for the Cyclones tonight, as they will likely look to push the ball down the court at every opportunity. While slow-paced offenses typically give the Cyclones trouble, capable scorers who can convert at the end of long possessions are the true problem with such a system. The Hawks, it would appear, are lacking in this department.

While the Cyclones may come out looking a bit sluggish in front of a likely-smallish crowd at Hilton, this game should provide an opportunity for the Cyclones to work on half-court defense as well as transition-early offense.

Our prediction?

Iowa State 85, MSE 47

Pick 3

1. Iowa State makes 10+ 3-pointers
2. NWB, DJ, and LW each go for 15 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists
3. Cameron Lard doesn’t foul out

Game Notes

Game Time: Wednesday, Dec. 19th, 6:00 PM

Line: Yea, there isn’t one

TV: Cyclones.tv