Iowa State vs. Iowa player by player matchups

[GoSTATE71]

This game is definitely a big one. Anyone saying this will be a easy win is a little delusional to me, Iowa has a solid team this year and this will be a good resume builder come march, assuming that Iowa can keep their top 25 ranking. The matchups are pretty intriguing as well. Everyone talks about Iowa "depth" but I dont think all of it is quality depth, and Marble is honestly the only player who I think can take over a game for them if need be.

Georges Niang vs. Adam Woodbury, advantage: Iowa State
I think Niang will probably have his way with Woodbury. Niang has showed that a 7 footer is not going to stop him from getting his points and Woodbury is far from athletic, or really a huge shot blocking threat. Also, Woodbury is still pretty awful on the offensive side.

Melvin Ejim vs. Melsahn Basabe, advantage: Iowa State
Basabe is definitely a solid player, and is very athletic and he has improved quite a bit from last season. He really has that base line jumper down, as well as a nice jumper from the top of the key. He finishes strong down low as well, but I think he lacks a good post game offensively. Over powering Ejim won't work. Biggest thing with Ejim in this game is foul trouble and Basabe is actually a pretty good shot blocker. This match up is tough, but I think Ejim has the better overall game defensively, rebounding and scoring wise. Don't count Basabe out though.

Dustin Hogue vs. Aaron White, advantage: push
Hogue has been fantastic this year and is an athletic freak. I think Aaron white might be a little bit better of a scorer, but Hogue is definitely the better defensive player/rebounder/energy guy. Aaron White is someone we need to make sure doesn't get run outs and easy alley oops. He is athletic and pretty quick. I wouldn't say he is a great ball handler though. Really excited to see this matchup, can see these two really going at it.

Matt Thomas vs. Mike Gessel, advantage: Iowa
I have loved Matt Thomas' game so far as a freshman, and his defense has definitely been solid. However, I'm going to give the edge to Gessel mainly based on experience. Thomas and Gessel are both good 3 point shooters, but I think Gessel probably has better ball handling skills and can facilitate the offense a bit better. Again, this is a matchup that might be a push but I really think Gessel is a solid player for them.

Deandre Kane vs. Devyn Marble, advantage: Push
Kane should be able to post up on Marble in the block, but I don't think Kane has guarded someone as versatile as Marble yet. Something to watch with Marble is consistency. He has struggled with that in the past, but he has been pretty good so far this year. He is a tall guard with good ball handling skills and his 3 point shot looks improved. Kane is definitely a stronger, more physical player which could wear Marble down and throw his game off, that will be key. I'd say Kane is definitely the better rebounder as well, but defensively if you shut Marble down there is not much of a scoring threat on their team that can create their own shot.

Iowa State bench vs. Iowa bench, advantage: Iowa
I think Monte Morris and Naz Long are better players than anyone coming off of Iowa's bench, but those are really the only two we've played. They bring Uthoff, McCabe, Olaseni, Jok and Clemmons off the bench. All those players are okay, but far from great. I think Naz Long will have no problem guarding Jok or any of Iowa's starters and Monte shouldn't struggle too much either. Like I said, I'm giving the nod to Iowa mainly just because they have a deep bench with McCabe and Olaseni being the better of the group. Olaseni is an athletic big man, but I don't worry too much about him on the block outside of put back dunks and easy lay ups. I think Olaseni could probably guard Niang better than Woodbury though as Olaseni is much more athletic and could probably at least get out to contest a shot when Niang moves outside to the 3 point line.

Please chime in on this! I tried to be as unbiased as possible. Overall, I think playing in Hilton gives us the nod, if it was at Iowa I think Iowa would probably win. Regardless, this will be a 10 point game for whoever wins. Crowd better bring it on Friday. GO CYCLONES

 

[ALLCLONES296]

That is pretty spot on to how I would compare them. Kane and Marble are different players, as well as thomas and gessel. If i was Fran I would not bother starting that bum Woodbury, I would start Olasini, who is far more athletic and physical. Who knows, im glad it is at Hilton!!

 

[cyclonenation5]

I'd take Hogue over White any day, but then again, maybe I'm being biased.

 

[Thomasrickj]

This game is definitely a big one. Anyone saying this will be a easy win is a little delusional to me, Iowa has a solid team this year and this will be a good resume builder come march, assuming that Iowa can keep their top 25 ranking. The matchups are pretty intriguing as well. Everyone talks about Iowa "depth" but I dont think all of it is quality depth, and Marble is honestly the only player who I think can take over a game for them if need be.

Georges Niang vs. Adam Woodbury, advantage: Iowa State
I think Niang will probably have his way with Woodbury. Niang has showed that a 7 footer is not going to stop him from getting his points and Woodbury is far from athletic, or really a huge shot blocking threat. Also, Woodbury is still pretty awful on the offensive side.

Melvin Ejim vs. Melsahn Basabe, advantage: Iowa State
Basabe is definitely a solid player, and is very athletic and he has improved quite a bit from last season. He really has that base line jumper down, as well as a nice jumper from the top of the key. He finishes strong down low as well, but I think he lacks a good post game offensively. Over powering Ejim won't work. Biggest thing with Ejim in this game is foul trouble and Basabe is actually a pretty good shot blocker. This match up is tough, but I think Ejim has the better overall game defensively, rebounding and scoring wise. Don't count Basabe out though.

Dustin Hogue vs. Aaron White, advantage: push
Hogue has been fantastic this year and is an athletic freak. I think Aaron white might be a little bit better of a scorer, but Hogue is definitely the better defensive player/rebounder/energy guy. Aaron White is someone we need to make sure doesn't get run outs and easy alley oops. He is athletic and pretty quick. I wouldn't say he is a great ball handler though. Really excited to see this matchup, can see these two really going at it.

Matt Thomas vs. Mike Gessel, advantage: Iowa
I have loved Matt Thomas' game so far as a freshman, and his defense has definitely been solid. However, I'm going to give the edge to Gessel mainly based on experience. Thomas and Gessel are both good 3 point shooters, but I think Gessel probably has better ball handling skills and can facilitate the offense a bit better. Again, this is a matchup that might be a push but I really think Gessel is a solid player for them.

Deandre Kane vs. Devyn Marble, advantage: Push
Kane should be able to post up on Marble in the block, but I don't think Kane has guarded someone as versatile as Marble yet. Something to watch with Marble is consistency. He has struggled with that in the past, but he has been pretty good so far this year. He is a tall guard with good ball handling skills and his 3 point shot looks improved. Kane is definitely a stronger, more physical player which could wear Marble down and throw his game off, that will be key. I'd say Kane is definitely the better rebounder as well, but defensively if you shut Marble down there is not much of a scoring threat on their team that can create their own shot.

Iowa State bench vs. Iowa bench, advantage: Iowa
I think Monte Morris and Naz Long are better players than anyone coming off of Iowa's bench, but those are really the only two we've played. They bring Uthoff, McCabe, Olaseni, Jok and Clemmons off the bench. All those players are okay, but far from great. I think Naz Long will have no problem guarding Jok or any of Iowa's starters and Monte shouldn't struggle too much either. Like I said, I'm giving the nod to Iowa mainly just because they have a deep bench with McCabe and Olaseni being the better of the group. Olaseni is an athletic big man, but I don't worry too much about him on the block outside of put back dunks and easy lay ups. I think Olaseni could probably guard Niang better than Woodbury though as Olaseni is much more athletic and could probably at least get out to contest a shot when Niang moves outside to the 3 point line.

Please chime in on this! I tried to be as unbiased as possible. Overall, I think playing in Hilton gives us the nod, if it was at Iowa I think Iowa would probably win. Regardless, this will be a 10 point game for whoever wins. Crowd better bring it on Friday. GO CYCLONES

I would definitely give the advantage to Kane over Marble. Kane is bigger, stronger, and will have his way with him. Expecting 20 out of Kane and 10 out of Marble.

 

[LutherBlue]

Iowa puts White on the front end of their press and they are long enough to cause us some problems with it. At least there is a lot of film on them. If we can break the press and get and make open 3's in transition, I think we win. If we shoot poorly from 3 and have any kind of foul trouble, I'm plenty worried.

 

[GoSTATE71]

I would definitely give the advantage to Kane over Marble. Kane is bigger, stronger, and will have his way with him. Expecting 20 out of Kane and 10 out of Marble.

I wouldn't underestimate Marble. He is a 4 year starter, has good size and his length could bother Kane. He is like 6'7, Kane is 6'4. Marble is also very quick off the dribble and is solid off of ball screens. I think it'll be a heated battle, but I doubt Marble gets completely shut down. Kane has the advantage in the block/post but Marble is definitely a better jump shooter than Kane.

 

[Clonefan32]

See, I think stopping Woodbury is a bigger issue than most on here. He gave us trouble last year. The one thing that we don't have is size, and despite our guys being more skilled and athletic then him I think we may have trouble stopping him. Now, his ability to guard someone on the other side of the floor is a different story...

 

[mcblogerson]

I bet Hogue guards Marble since he's their primary scorer. Woodbury won't see as much playing time b/c he'll get abused by our bigs. They'll likely rotate him and Basabe in the post b/c they have good depth on the wings with Uthoff, Mccabe and Jok.

 

[huntt26]

Their press will give us fits, and if Niang, Hogue or Ejim get into foul trouble early, our chance to win will decrease dramatically.

 

[LLCoolCY]

The only arguement I would have is with Matt Thomas and Mike Gessel being advantage Iowa, it should be a push. While it is true Gessel is quicker and has some more experience, Matt defense has been improving every game and has a size (height and weight) advantage over him. Plus Matt has already experienced two difficult enviroments in BYU and Michigan and looked the part of a starter. I am not too worried about the experience factoring in to this matchup.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the possiblity of cross mismatches. I think part of Fred's plan will be to force a defensive switch to isolate Kane on Gissel/Clemmons, which would be a advantage for ISU. On the flip side I am okay with Matt getting isolated on Marble if Fran tries the same thing on the other end. I trust Matt to be able stay in fron and bother Marble's shot.

 

[CTTB78]

See, I think stopping Woodbury is a bigger issue than most on here. He gave us trouble last year. The one thing that we don't have is size, and despite our guys being more skilled and athletic then him I think we may have trouble stopping him. Now, his ability to guard someone on the other side of the floor is a different story...

If Iowa tries to use Woodbury to trap out at mid-court as they have in games up to this point, I hope Fred has our guys drive hard right at him. He can barely get out of his own way and we would pick quick fouls on him until Coach McHappy realizes this was a bad move.

 

[HFCS]

I mostly agree with the OP, and I'm shocked that Hogue has been able to have similar production and value as White right out of the gate. I'd maybe say White has a tiny edge on Hogue, but then I also might say Kane has a tiny edge over Marble instead of push. Niang's an advantage whether you put him against Woodbury, Olesani or combo.

Even though we have two great players off the bench, McCabe, Uthoff and Olesani alone give them a ton. The rest of their bench is overrated and would ride pine for Hoiball. The one possible advantage is I do think Naz Long has the highest scoring potential of any bench player. Uthoff really surprises me with some of the plays he makes, he's not strong but he makes the most of his length and knows where to be on the court.

 

[LLCoolCY]

I wouldn't underestimate Marble. He is a 4 year starter, has good size and his length could bother Kane. He is like 6'7, Kane is 6'4. Marble is also very quick off the dribble and is solid off of ball screens. I think it'll be a heated battle, but I doubt Marble gets completely shut down. Kane has the advantage in the block/post but Marble is definitely a better jump shooter than Kane.

I agree, Marble get's a ton of touches and is Iowa's only real creater. Marble will lead them in scoring if for no reason than just shear volume of shots. Kane can have a better game and not score as much as Marble.

 

[HFCS]

I wouldn't underestimate Marble. He is a 4 year starter, has good size and his length could bother Kane. He is like 6'7, Kane is 6'4. Marble is also very quick off the dribble and is solid off of ball screens. I think it'll be a heated battle, but I doubt Marble gets completely shut down. Kane has the advantage in the block/post but Marble is definitely a better jump shooter than Kane.

I think it's a push on offense but in totally different ways like you said, but Kane is the better rebounder/defender. On the other hand Iowa doesn't need a combo guard to rebound as much as ISU does so it's not really a team weakness like it would be if we weren't getting rebounds from Kane.

 

[CloneZone13]

Good analysis. I hope Niang goes off this game. He is the biggest match up problem for Iowa, that I see. If he can get an outside shot going, and force their bigs to come out, that's what we need. Foul trouble is critical also. Bring the Magic- is it Friday yet!?!

 

[CLONEing around]

I think a lot of people are completely underestimating Marble. In my opinion he will be the best player on the court on Friday. Slowing him down is going to be a huge challenge. Luckily ISU has the second, third, and fourth best players.

 

[HFCS]

The only arguement I would have is with Matt Thomas and Mike Gessel being advantage Iowa, it should be a push. While it is true Gessel is quicker and has some more experience, Matt defense has been improving every game and has a size (height and weight) advantage over him. Plus Matt has already experienced two difficult enviroments in BYU and Michigan and looked the part of a starter. I am not too worried about the experience factoring in to this matchup.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the possiblity of cross mismatches. I think part of Fred's plan will be to force a defensive switch to isolate Kane on Gissel/Clemmons, which would be a advantage for ISU. On the flip side I am okay with Matt getting isolated on Marble if Fran tries the same thing on the other end. I trust Matt to be able stay in fron and bother Marble's shot.

Gessel has looked good at times this year but you can leave him open without getting killed and he misses his share of shots he should make. You can't leave Thomas open.

I can almost see a case for all of our starters being advantage or push, but it may not matter if Ejim/Niang have foul trouble they're prone to have. We have depth at guard, but they are correct in thinking they can win if they expose our lack of front court depth.

 

[CyJack13]

Gessel has looked good at times this year but you can leave him open without getting killed and he misses his share of shots he should make. You can't leave Thomas open.

I can almost see a case for all of our starters being advantage or push, but it may not matter if Ejim/Niang have foul trouble they're prone to have. We have depth at guard, but they are correct in thinking they can win if they expose our lack of front court depth.

Not sure how you can say that at this point in time. Gesell is currently shooting 40% from 3, and 5/9 from 3 against their three best opponents (Villanova, ND and Xavier). Thomas is currently at 38% on the year and 3/13 from 3 against our three best opponents (Michigan, BYU and UNI).

 

[HFCS]

I think a lot of people are completely underestimating Marble. In my opinion he will be the best player on the court on Friday. Slowing him down is going to be a huge challenge. Luckily ISU has the second, third, and fourth best players.

Ejim is averaging 2.5 ppg more and doing it in a drastically more efficient way shooting 13% better from the field than Marble and much better from 3pt and ft . He also led a major conference in rebounding last year as a bonus. Marble's a good player but I'm taking Ejim with the first pick if I'm choosing teams.

 

[HFCS]

Not sure how you can say that at this point in time. Gesell is currently shooting 40% from 3, and 5/9 from 3 against their three best opponents (Villanova, ND and Xavier). Thomas is currently at 38% on the year and 3/13 from 3 against our three best opponents (Michigan, BYU and UNI).

Just saw him miss some mid range bunnies in the past few games. He's not a bad shooter, but I don't think he's a career elite shooter like Thomas will be. Gessel's almost 1.5 years in and is below 40% career fgs, maybe you're right and Matt Thomas isn't a great shooter, I think he is and would love defenses to make him prove it.