Kansas will get a chance to avenge its 17-point loss at Iowa State, which occurred just a few weeks ago.
Just two days after losing to West Virginia, the Jayhawks (15-3, 4-2 Big 12) will have to put that 1-point defeat behind them with a Big Monday showdown against the Cyclones.
Iowa State (14-4, 4-2) sits in a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 Conference with KU, Texas Tech and Kansas State.
Entering the contest, ISU is on a two-game win streak with a 72-59 win over Oklahoma State and a 68-64 victory over Texas Tech.
Kansas, meanwhile, suffered a 65-64 defeat at West Virginia, which was previously winless in league play.
Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m.
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**BREAKING DOWN IOWA STATE**
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**TOP PLAYER**
*No. 5 — G Lindell Wigginton | 6-2, 189, so.*
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Wigginton is starting to become more like his old self after missing most of nonconference play with an ankle injury.
Last time out, Wigginton scored 14 points in the win over Oklahoma State. He shot 5-of-8 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the 3-point range. He also collected two rebounds and recorded three assists in 25 minutes of action. Wigginton did not commit a single turnover as well.
Last season, Wigginton was the eighth freshman in league history to score 300 points in conference play, joining Trae Young (OU), Josh Jackson (KU), Andrew Wiggins (KU), Ben McLemore (KU), Michael Beasley (KSU), Kevin Durant (UT) and Aaron Bruce (BU).
**SUPPORTING CAST**
*No. 3 — G Marial Shayok | 6-6, 198, sr.*
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Iowa State has already reaped the benefits of the addition of Virginia transfer Marial Shayok.
Shayok leads the Big 12 in scoring with an average of 19.4 points per contest, and he has scored at least 17 points in 16 of 18 games. Shayok was the first Cyclone since Dedric Willoughby in 1995-96 to score 200 points in the season’s first 10 games.
In the win over Kansas, Shayok drained all five of his 3-pointers to match the school single-game record for 3-point percentage. He became the sixth Cyclone to make all five triples in a contest.
*No. 12 — F Michael Jacobson | 6-9, 230 jr.*
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Jacobson’s emergence on the offensive end has been a huge talking point.
At Nebraska, Jacobson averaged 5.3 points per game over two seasons. This year, though, he is third on the team with an average of 13.6 points per outing. He’s also posting a higher average in rebounds per game, while shooting a better clip from the floor as well as beyond the arc.
In two seasons at Nebraska, Jacobson’s high output was 13 points. To put that in comparison, he has scored at least 13 points in 11 of 18 contests this season.
*No. 1 — G Nick Weiler-Babb | 6-5, 205, sr.*
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Weiler-Babb is a tremendous floor general, ranking third in the league in assists per game (4.0) and second with a 2.8 assist-to-turnover ratio.
In general, Iowa State has been effective at taking care of the rock. The Cyclones have had 12 or less turnovers in each of their last eight games. ISU is first in the Big 12 in turnover margin (+4.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) this season.
Weiler-Babb has also hit a 3-pointer in a career-best 11 consecutive games.
**ONE THING IOWA STATE DOES WELL**
The Cyclones have been really good at taking care of the ball, which is a favorable trait to have when taking on the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. Iowa State’s turnover rate of 15 percent ranks ninth in the country.
**ONE AREA IOWA STATE STRUGGLES**
The Cyclones are considered good in nearly every statistical category that KenPom.com keeps track of. Just look at their page, it is a lot of green boxes. ISU’s 3-point shooting percentage is 35.8, which is ranked 102nd in the nation. Keep in mind, though, that Iowa State hit 13 3-pointer in the win over KU in Hilton Coliseum.
**MEET THE COACH**
Steve Prohm is in his fourth season at Iowa State and eighth overall as a head coach with a career mark of 178-74, ranking him among the nation’s top-20 coaches (five years of experience) in career winning percentage. Prohm is 74-45 at ISU, leading the Cyclones to the postseason twice.
**VEGAS SAYS…**
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KU is a 5.5-point favorite over Iowa State, which seems pretty high if you ask me. Then again, given my track record this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kansas just runs ISU out of the gym. Still, I’ll take the Jayhawks to win a close one, but the Cyclones should cover.
**My prediction:** Kansas 75, Iowa State 71
