The Cy-Hawk game is back and it looks like it may be a good one down in Iowa City. Here is a look at tonight’s showdown.

Last Time Out

Iowa State took down North Dakota State in the final tune up before the Cy-Hawk game against Iowa. Marial Shayok scored 20 points, Michael Jacobson had 15 with 10 rebounds. Nick Weiler-Babb scored 11 points with eight rebounds for Iowa State who also happened to shoot 50 percent from the floor.

Cameron Lard made his season debut playing just 10 minutes, scoring two points with two blocks. Most figure Steve Prohm is working Lard back into game shape. Zoran Talley who was also suspended made some great plays on the night. Talley had four points and two assists, and the hooked up on an alley-oop dunk with about 11 minutes left in the game with Cameron Lard.

The Cyclones cruised to a 16-point halftime lead and then opened the second half with a 10-2 run to jump ahead 53-29. Back-to-back buckets by Shayok made it a 67-37 game with just over 12 minutes to go.

North Dakota State would cut things down to a 16 point lead late in the second half with a run of their own but Iowa State would make one more push and cover on the spread.

About Iowa

Iowa comes in ranked 18th in the AP Poll with a record of 6-2 on the season. They won their first six games of the year before falling to Wisconsin at home on Friday and getting blown out at Michigan State on Monday. The Hawkeyes are in need of a victory tonight to rebound from two straight losses. The Hawkeyes are averaging 81 points on 44 percent shooting and allowing 74 points on 44 percent shooting. Tyler Cook is averaging 15.4 points and 2.6 assists while Luka Garza is averaging 13 points and 4.9 rebounds. Joe Wieskamp is the third double-digit scorer and Jordan Bohannon is grabbing 2.6 rebounds.

The Hawkeyes are shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc and 76 percent from the free throw line.. Iowa leads the nation in free throw rate. The Hawkeyes are a more up-tempo team than we are used to seeing from them, checking in at 63rd overall in adjusted tempo, with an average possession length at 15.8. seconds.

Opponent Player To Watch

Tyler Cook all the way. Many counted him out and said he was going pro, but here he is leading the Hawkeyes off to a fast start this season. Cook plays over 30 minutes a contest and he is the Hawkeye leading scorer averaging just over 15 points a game. Cook is shooting better than 58% inside the arc, and he draws around seven fouls per contest. He is the team’s leading free throw shooter in attempts, but is also only shooting 69% at the line. Last year Cook was held to a measly two points in the loss in Ames. I can’t imagine that being the same tonight.

What Will Happen

This game is virtually a toss up in Vegas terms and I can see this going either way. I do think Iowa State is the more talented team all around, but once again this will be the first time Iowa State has gone on the road. The rivalry aspect will keep this thing interesting and Iowa State will have to continue to play solid defense and keep Iowa off the free throw line as they make opposing teams pay for that.

The Cyclones at full strength down low will have plenty of bodies to toss at Tyler Cook, and should be able to manage some potential foul trouble. If the Cyclones keep hitting shots the way they have been since Maui, I don’t see any reason why they can’t come away with a victory tonight. I do think this will be close and interesting the whole way tonight.

I am going to pick with my heart on this one and take Iowa State, but it wouldn’t shock me either to see Carver Hawkeye Arena take over and Iowa win this one.

Iowa State - 82 Iowa - 79

Pick Three

1- One Iowa State post player in foul trouble in the first half

2- Marial Shayok scores 25

3- Iowa hits 10+ free throws

Game Notes

The Matchup: Iowa State (7-1, 0-0 Big 12) vs. No. 18 Iowa (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten)

Where: Iowa City, Iowa - Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,056)

When: Thursday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m. (CST)

Radio: Cyclone Radio Network/TuneIn Radio Talent: John Walters (PxP), Eric Heft (Analyst)

TV: FS1 Talent: Brandon Gaudin (PxP), Andy Katz (Analyst)

Webcast: Fox Sports Go

Sirius/XM/Internet: 135/196/958 (internet)

Live Stats: Cyclonestats.com