'Roos To Face Nationally Ranked Iowa State on ESPNU Tuesday
12/8/2014 3:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UMKC Kangaroos (3-6) at #20 Iowa State Cyclones (5-1)
Date / Time: December 9, 2014 - 6:02 p.m. CT
Site: Ames, Iowa / Hilton Coliseum (14,376)
TV: ESPNU
Talent: Mitch Holthus (pxp), Kevin Lehman (analyst)
Radio: 102.9 FM / 1140 AM
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream: WatchESPN.com
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com (via ISU)
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos or @UMKCMensHoops #WACHoops
Series: ISU leads 2-0
Home: 0-1
Away: 0-1
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: ISU won 110-51 in Ames, 11/25/13
Richardson vs. Opponent: 0-1
THE GAME
The 'Roos continue their road swing with 20th ranked Iowa State on Tuesday in Ames at 6 pm. The game will be televised on ESPNU, as the 'Roos face their toughest test of the season thus far. ISU comes in off an impressive 95-77 victory over Arkansas, while UMKC played its most forgettable contest of the season in a loss at South Dakota State Saturday.
QUICK NOTES
- The 'Roos are playing on the road for the eighth time in the first ten games to start the season.
- UMKC has lost six games this year. Five have been by 10 points or less.
- UMKC broke the school record for steals with 22 against William Jewell, besting the previous mark of 18. The 'Roos also forced 33 turnovers, matching the school record.
- Martez Harrison is leading the WAC in assists (4.33), steals (2.67), while ranking third in the league in scoring at 17.1 points per game and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34).
- Shayok Shayok is tied for first in the WAC in field goal percentage (.560) and sixth in rebounding (7.0), while Noah Knight is second in steals (2.0).
- UMKC leads the WAC in turnover margin (+4.44) and ranks second in steals per game (10.33).
- UMKC has shown its depth early in the year, with 12 different players scoring against Missouri S&T, 11 vs. K-State, SDSU and WJC, and 10 against Missouri, Youngstown State and Milwaukee.
- The roster currently has eight players from the Kansas City area, the most ever at UMKC (previous record set last season with seven).
- UMKC also has eight players that are completely new to the roster this year.
- There is only one player (Mason Wedel) on the current roster that was not recruited by this coaching staff, in only its second season.
- UMKC is in its second season under head coach Kareem Richardson, and is playing its second year back at Municipal Auditorium, and second in the Western Athletic Conference.
- In Richardson's first year, he led the team to a fifth place finish in the WAC, and the fourth seed in the conference tournament, both of which were the highest since 2006 at UMKC.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Cyclones enter Tuesday's game with a 5-1 record and are ranked No. 20 in the nation by the AP and 19 by the coaches. They come off a 95-77 win over Arkansas in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
They are paced by one of the top scoring offenses in the nation, averaging 85.3 points per game. Georges Niang is averaging 19.5 points per game, while three others are scoring better than 12 points a game in Bryce Dejean-Jones (16.3), Naz Long (12.2) and Dustin Hogue (12.0). They also have 112 assists to only 61 turnovers on the season.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his second season as the head coach at UMKC, posting an 13-26 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship in 2013 as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
He brings 14 years of Division I coaching experience to the fold, as well as four years playing at the Division I level, graduating from Evansville in 1997.
Fred Hoiberg is in his fifth season as head coach with the Cyclones of Iowa State, leading the team to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons, and to at least 23 wins in each of those years. He has a 95-48 overall record there, and was a 10-year NBA veteran after also playing for Iowa State.
THE SERIES
The Cyclones have won both meetings in the series, taking a 110-51 win over the 'Roos at Hilton Coliseum last year, the worst loss in school history. They defeated UMKC in Kansas City two seasons ago in a close game at Municipal Auditorium.
Richardson is 0-1 against ISU while Hoiberg is 2-0 against UMKC.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- The 'Roos would have defeated a ranked team for the first time in school history, having a 0-19 mark against them coming in.
- Kansas City would have snapped a six-game away losing streak.
- The 'Roos would have defeated Iowa State for the first time ever, and its first Big 12 opponent since 2003 vs. Kansas State.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will be back at home for a three-game stand, starting on Saturday against Omaha in a game televised on the American Sports Network at 2 p.m. The contest will also be Boy Scout Day, with area Boy Scouts in attendance at Municipal Auditorium.
The Mavericks lead the overall series 3-1, and won the last meeting by a 101-71 score in Omaha last season on November 13. In Kansas City, the series is 1-1, with both meetings coming at Swinney Recreation Center.
