Riding a high from blowing out its in-state rival, Iowa State now must avoid any hint of a letdown.
The Cyclones aim for a third consecutive victory when they host Prairie View A&M on Sunday afternoon at Ames, Iowa.
Since losing back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and then-No. 12 Texas A&M at the ESPN Events Invitational, Iowa State (7-2) won the next two games by a combined 44 points. The Cyclones, most notably, recorded a 90-65 home rout of Iowa on Thursday.
Keshon Gilbert scored 25 points, Robert Jones had 18 and Tre King added 17 for the Cyclones, who shot 53.3 percent from the floor and forced 19 turnovers.
“We have a lot of potential to keep improving and getting better,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said.
“(Beating Iowa) was a step for us to prove to ourselves that we could do that for 40 minutes, and keep our focus and be locked in. So, it’s something we are going to continue to manage as we move forward.”
Gilbert is averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game and shooting 48.9 percent from the floor. He has totaled 46 points and made 5 of 8 attempts from 3-point range over the last two games.
The Cyclones have won 23 consecutive home games against nonconference opponents. They appear to be in good shape versus Prairie View (4-3), which is 0-90 against major-conference teams on the road since the beginning of the 1996-97 season.
The Panthers went 4-of-18 from distance and allowed Tulane to shoot 62.2 overall during a 98-77 loss in their most recent contest from Nov. 29. That ended a three-game winning streak for Prairie View, which has played just one home game this season.
“It’s challenging,” Panthers coach Byron Smith told Houston Roundball Review.
“As most mid-majors and schools at our level, you want to get out and play against some really good competition.”
Prairie View’s Charles Smith IV, who played at SMU and Old Dominion, averages a team-leading 16.6 points. He had a season-high 23 at Tulane.
–Field Level Media
