Three Questions About Iowa State Hoops With Levi Stevenson

Oklahoma State will get their third shot at their first Big 12 win of the season this Saturday when they welcome the Iowa State Cyclones to Gallagher Iba Arena.

ISU is in a similar situation after dropping their first two conference games to Kansas State and Texas, both at home. This year’s squad has a lot of new faces, and unlike years past, isn’t a lock to make the NCAA Tournament.

To get the lowdown on the Cyclones, I turned to Levi Stevenson, managing editor of the SBNation Iowa State blog Wide Right Natty Lite.

Phillip Slavin: It’s a rebuilding year for the Cyclones. Gone are the names we all knew like Monte Morris, Nazareth Mitrou-Long, and Deonte Burton. Who are the leaders for the team this year?

Levi Stevenson: Nick Weilier-Babb has taken over the point guard role and has performed pretty well up to this point, averaging 12.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. On offense, he creates the action that usually ends up in the hands of freshman Lindell Wigginton or senior Donovan Jackson.

D-Jack is a really dynamic scorer with range beyond the the arc, and is generally the team’s primary scoring option. Wigginton came to Iowa State as a borderline 5-star recruit, and has been as good as or better than advertised. He’s still better at creating his own shot off the dribble (due to his iso days in high school and AAU), but has gotten better with his off-ball movement and catch-and-shoot ability.

He’s also been a better distance shooter early in his career than we expected at 41 percent. Poke fans will immediately notice his elite athleticism, regularly rising above post players to snag rebounds or blocks.

Lindell Wigginton is in BEAST MODE with this monster block! Cyclones trail Texas 59-58 with 1:15 left to play. Tune into ESPNU NOW! You won't want to miss this finish! #cyclONEnation Watch now: https://t.co/b2Q2LBVMSr pic.twitter.com/zkjnm73Ct3

— Cyclone Basketball ? (@CycloneMBB) January 2, 2018

Another player to keep an eye on is freshman center Cameron Lard. He’s still very raw and is still learning how to guard away from the hoop. But he is a fearsome rim protector, rebounder, and low post finisher, with a block percentage just over 10, and offensive and defensive rebounding rates at 16.2 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively.

PS: Iowa State seems like a good, not great, but not horrible team. Their stat lines seem to mostly echo that. What is the Cyclones biggest strength and biggest weakness?

LS: Recent Cyclone teams have been loaded with experience and had obvious strengths on offense in finding, taking, and making open shots all over the floor. This team is the complete opposite, with Solomon Young and Donovan Jackson being the only thing resembling experience in a Cyclone uniform.

Weiler-Babb did play some last year, but was largely a reserve player. So, the strength of this team actually lies in it’s raw talent. Wigginton is probably one of the two best young guards in the league not named Trae Young, and can be a an absolute force on offense when he gets rolling. Lard is a raw post player, but it’s quite easy to notice the potential that can be unlocked with more playing time and some refinement in the low post on offense.

Jackson is another guard that can really get hot, but has also shown questionable shot selection at time. The youth and inexperience of this team does hold them back, especially on defense, but this team actually does have the talent to be one of the better offensive units in the Big 12 when the offense is clicking.

At times, the offense has clicked and the Cyclones returned to being the same offensive juggernaut we’ve seen over the past decade, but those times haven’t been consistent enough yet to really do damage against the Big 12’s better defensive teams. Last year’s squad, even with Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long, Matt Thomas, and Deonte Burton, still didn’t really get their sea legs until late January. My guess is that by the time February rolls around, this offense should be humming right along.

PS: This will only be Iowa State’s second true road game of the season. They lost their season opener at Missouri. How do you think that affects them in this game?

LS: It’s difficult to say. For whatever reason, Iowa State has generally looked better away from home this year, but the inexperience does worry me a little when it comes to a Big 12 road game. That said, GIA has been somewhat hit or miss over the last few years as far as being a truly intimidating environment, so it may not be as hostile of environment as one can expect to find at places like KU or K-State.