Iowa State moved to 2-0 on the young season Thursday night inside Hilton Coliseum with a 102-47 win over the Lindenwood Lions. The Cyclones will next play host to the Idaho State Bengals (12 p.m., ESPN+) on Sunday afternoon in Hilton Coliseum.
The Bengals (1-1) opened up their season with a 92-36 win over NAIA Warner Pacific and followed that up with a 54-53 loss on the road to St. Thomas (Minn.) Friday night.
Idaho State plays in the Big Sky Conference and finished fifth in the league last season. The Bengals finished with an 11-21 overall record and an 8-10 record in conference play.
The Bengals are coached by Ryan Looney, who entering his fifth season as head coach. Looney returns two starters from his team a year ago in Brayden Parker and Miguel Tomley. Parker averaged 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while Tomley averaged 11.5 and 3.6.
Like most teams in college basketball, Idaho State utilized the transfer portal and found three impact guys for this year’s roster. Looney brought in Kiree Huie (Odessa College), Trent Johnson (Midland College), and Isaiah Griffin (Southeastern CC). Along with those three transfers, Coach Looney brought in six freshmen. Kolton Mitchell and Jaedyn Brown headline the talented group of rookies.
In the Bengals’ first two games, Parker leads the way, averaging 14.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. Newcomer, Isaiah Griffin, is averaging 11.5 points per game on a 68 percent shooting clip from the floor.
On the offense
The Bengals center their offense around their forwards inside the paint and shooters on the perimeter. The Bengal guards want to get the ball into the post to Brayden Parker (6-8) and Gavin Gilstrap (6-11) and let them work at the low post. Parker especially wants the ball in the low block, where he can facilitate and score the basketball.
Iowa State has tremendous length throughout its lineup, and they use it to their advantage, especially on the defensive end. The Bengals will challenge the Cyclones with their own length. Nine players on the Bengals squad are taller than six-foot-six.
The Bengals shot 43 percent from three against Warner Pacific and only 14.3 percent against St. Thomas. Keeping the Bengals off the three-point line and not letting them get open looks will be key for the Cyclones.
Defensive Tendencies
Against Warner Pacific, the Bengals forced 17 turnovers and most led to easy dunks on the other end. The Bengals play to their length on defense and are very active with their hands. Live ball turnovers will keep them in the game to the very end. Keshon Gilbert, Tamin Lipsey, and Curtis Jones will need to continue to take care of the ball and make the Bengals play defense for the full 30-second shot clock.
Look for the Bengals to play some man-to-man full-court press after timeouts or after made baskets on the Cyclones. They oftentimes look to trap the ball on the first pass and then back off. If the Cyclones handle the pressure by the Bengals, Tamin Lipsey can break the press and get easy dunks on the other end for the Cyclone forwards.
